Yoma 72 - Torah, cure or poison?

The priest vestments, which we began discussing on the previous page, were all woven with white linen threads, some with six threads, some with eight, and up to twenty-four. The additional four garments of the High Priest were multi-colored: the breastplate was white, blue, red, and gold; the coat was blue wool. One who tore them was liable to punishment. The garments themselves provided atonement for the mistakes of the Jews. One can learn moral lessons from them and from the other vessels in the Temple. For example, the Ark was gold on the inside and outside to tell us that any Torah scholar whose outside is not the same as his inside - that is, who is insincere - is not a true Torah scholar.

In general, the Torah itself can be a cure for some but poison for others. This is the meaning of the phrase, “And this is the Torah that Moses put (‘sam’) in front of the Jews.” The word “sam” means a drug of any kind and can cure or kill. Some say that one should learn it for the right reasons, and others - that he should understand it deeply enough.

Art: Portrait of a Man in Oriental Garment  By Rembrandt Van Rijn