Grandma's army

One of the most famous Jewish scholars, Rabbi ben Maimon (Maimonides), referred to the Torah (Pentateuch) as the   “Tree of Life”. A very apt description, considering that amongst many   Jews   this collection of five books is thought of as the very root of Judaism. Many Jews who don’t consider themselves strictly religious, believe that the Torah is the foundation of the Jewish people, and that its moral imperatives are what has preserved Judaism throughout the generations. Religious Jews read a portion of the Torah (Pentateuch) every single day and when reaching the end - which takes exactly a year - it is celebrated with a Festival called “Joy of the Torah” (Simchat Torah) – which takes place today. Like many of the Jewish customs, it seems bizarre to outsiders. When the famous diarist Samuel Pepys visited a small synagogue celebrating this Festival, he was scandalized! No one told Pepys   that the day he chose to come to the synagogue was Simchat Tora...