When I became a fifth grade teacher, I inherited everything left in the classroom by the previous, retiring teacher. In a desk drawer, I found her list of classroom rules…over 60 in all. I remember gaping at that list in amazement and wondering how in the world any child could possibly remember and follow them all. Impossible! By the same token, the Jewish law was beyond anyone’s ability to obey. Added to that, if a person broke one law, they were considered guilty of it all. Transgression piled upon transgression… Where was the hope? It couldn’t be found in following a lengthy list of do’s and don’ts, that’s for certain! But hope did exist. We’ll examine that tomorrow.