"For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not elusive from you and neither is it distant." [Devarim]

"And if you say that perhaps to your detriment I gave you the Torah, I did not give it to you except for your own good. For the heavenly angels wanted [The Torah] and it eluded them... The Almighty said: (to Israel): "My children, it eluded the heavenly angels, but it is not elusive from you. From where is this known? From what we read in his matter, "For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not elusive from you." [Devarim Rabbah 8.2]

The fact that the Torah was given to mortals rather than to angels shows that the Almighty recognizes our human nature and that we are not expected to be like angels. AT times however, people expect the Torah scholar and even the observant Jew, to rise above all others and live without fault. And to a large degree, a "ben Torah" is required to demonstrate qualities and characteristics that reflect his Torah learning and commitment. But it must also be kept in mind that a Torah scholar is still a member of the human community and that he, too, may stumble and err. The Torah recognizes this, as can be seen from Moses, the father of all prophets, who, despite his moments of faltering, remained the leader of God's nation.

It is a mistake to think that in order to rise to a high level of Torah observance, one must separate himself from the community, or isolate himself from the forces in society which threaten his spiritual security.

On the contrary, w are instructed that the Torah is not elusive or distant. It belongs firmly in our midst. And we are to adopt it and to utilize it in order to effect change from within. Rather than isolate ourselves in our Torah lives, we are to draw on the strength that it gives us, so as to influence the larger society of which we are a part.

We are not angels. We are part of the goings on around us, and so we are meant to be. We may even stumble along the way. But we must know that the Torah and its teaching are nearby, within us - not elusive, not distant.