Our Lives As Torah

February 26, 2001

Ochs, coordinator of graduate studies at Hebrew Union College in New York, posits a creative thesis: that interpreting our lives as sacred texts, "as if they are Torah," shapes them into experiences as revelatory as the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. That outlook can help us understand why we live, gives coherence to our daily lives and "allows us to recognize how often we stand on holy ground." She extends the metaphor by calling all our important relationships "covenants"—with our spouses, our children, even our work and our bodies. To live by the revelation that God is as present in our lives as at Sinai, each of us needs a "working theology" that encourages a positive view of daily events. Ochs defines theology as a way of life, a system of thought and action that answers three basic questions: Who am I? What can I know? What can I hope for? Ochs argues that stories comprise the central component of our theologies, and biblical and contemporary stories reflect our own quests for meaning. Chapters on love, suffering, work, our bodies, prayer, community and death illustrate aspects of life that can be infused with God. Ochs attempts profundity and sometimes achieves it, but it is often cloaked in dense and circular language that obscures her point. Despite that shortcoming, her book can open the way for readers who want to understand life's journey in a new yet ancient context.

March 15, 2001
\deflang1033\pard\plain\f3\fs24 This book advocates a personalized approach to Judaic living and dying. Ochs convincingly maintains that "the Torah is played out over and over again in the events of our lives." To support that theory, she provides a diverse array of stories related by ordinary Jews discovering the presence of God in the minutiae of their daily lives. Paralleling those individual accounts with both Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish culture, the author is able to present a contextual blueprint for Jews endeavoring to establish a more intimate relationship with God. A thoughtful celebration of the gift of God in love, in work, in communal life, in joy, in suffering, and in death. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)