- Torah and Jewish Thought
- General Questions
Question
In Judaism conception goes from details to the general or from general to details? how does it work?
Answer
Understanding "generally" starts with the general idea, and then it's expressed by and broken down into details and examples. Similarly, the Written Torah lays down the general concepts, and the Oral Torah details them even more, but you'll notice that often, the Torah goes into details, as well. Both are extremely important, just as the tzitzit strings [= which symbolize the mitzvot] represent the individual details, where even each string is comprised of thinner strings, but they must be tied together on each fringe and onto one (!) cloth, which itself is also woven out of many individual strings. In other words, both are equally necessary, for without individual blades of grass, there is no lawn, yet there's even more significance and benefit in the lawn. Also, by God, there is no before and after, so the real answer is they come together.