Grabbing Judaism by the Horns

Over the past couple of months, I have had the great opportunity to study regularly with several different congregants. With some individuals I am studying Torah in an in-depth manner, while some more daring members are engaged in ongoing Talmud study. Over these months, I have had the opportunity not only to learn about our sacred tradition and how we can use its teachings to better our lives, but I have also seen how individuals react to empowering themselves with Jewish knowledge.

The Talmud teaches us that Torah brings one to vigilance, meaning that the best way each of us can subdue our own evil inclination is to engage in the study of Torah. Here is an example of how my learning with a particular group of four individuals is already paying dividends:

In one of our first sessions, we learned about two very famous Rabbis, Hillel and Shammai. Both of these Sages lived in the first century CE, and their teachings are encapsulated in the words of the Mishnah. While both of them were well-respected scholars in their day, one section of Talmud that I learned with these four individuals taught how Hillel was known for gentleness and leniency, while Shammai was regarded as much more strict and rigid. After some discussion, the Talmud concludes that one should always be gentle and lenient like Hillel, and not strict and rigid like Shammai.

About the third or fourth time I was scheduled to meet with this group, for some reason the appointment never made it onto my calendar. They, in their diligence, showed up at 9 a.m., eager to study, while I was still at home getting dressed and watching Sports Center (thinking my first meeting was not until 9:30 a.m.). When I arrived at Temple, I was told that they were here and had left, not sure where I was. I immediately became nervous, thinking they would be very upset with me for not being there for our meeting. I quickly asked everyone in the office how this could happen that the meeting was not in my appointment book. However, after several moments of worry, I received a phone message from a member of the group saying, in the past we would have been very upset about missing the meeting, but since we learned that we are sup- posed to be lenient and caring like Hillel, we realize that missing the meeting is no big deal. We are looking forward to rescheduling and continuing our study!

For a rabbi, it does not get much better than that! When people make a commitment to Torah study and then implement what they have learned because they believe in what they are doing, real progress has been made.

Torah study is not easy and cannot be finished overnight. It is a lifelong endeavor that demands time, patience, intelligence, and commitment. Don't you think that as a Jew, it is about time you make that commitment to learn about the texts on which we base our religion? If the answer is yes, then form a group of two or three or four of your friends, and give me a call so we can start studying together!

L’Shalom,
Jeremy Barras