Pardes In the Press
My Jewish Literacy Saga
By Shari Rabin
Shari Rabin is a junior at Boston University. Raised as a Conservative Jew in Wisconsin and Georgia, she is studying religion with a focus on religion in America, partially because she can't bring herself to choose just one religion to study. A young urban Jewess, Shari will record her observations and intellectual meanderings in her blog, The Chutzpah Chronicles.
Chutzpah Chonicles
In my first blog, I wrote about learning about Christianity – there is a flip side to that story. Part of my taking courses on Christianity came from my being adamant that I would not take Judaic studies classes. I was not some overly-parochial Jew who just wanted to take classes in what was about me. Plus I wanted to surprise people with my worldliness and open-mindedness. Everyone expected my study of religion to be about Judaism, and I was determined not to give them the satisfaction of being right. As I said in my first blog, it was my own small form of rebellion.
Tonight at BU Hillel we had an event on Jewish Literacy that I helped organized. It featured Rabbi Nehemia Polen and fellow On Faith blogger Stephen Prothero, chairman of our religion department and author of “Religious Literacy.” The event really got me thinking about my own Jewish literacy.
As time went by, I formulated a fairly complex excuse for my avoidance of Jewish studies courses. “I don’t want to study my own religion in a cold, academic setting,” I said.
During the second semester of my sophomore year, I took an African-American religious history class, and, inspired by a paper I wrote on the Black culture movement, I resolved that I had to learn more about Judaism – the religion, the culture and the history. If you need any proof that the study of other religions actually deepens one’s own religious feelings, here it is.
And so this past summer, in an effort to catch up, I enrolled in a three week summer session at Pardes, a non-denominational co-ed yeshiva, or school of Jewish studies, in Jerusalem. For the first time in my life, I was sitting down in front of a page of Talmud; for the first time in my life, I knew what Talmud really was! I sat with a partner and debated and discussed and argued about Talmud and Torah and I loved it. From 8:45 to 5:15 four days a week, I was fully engaged with the primary texts that make up my religion. I wasn’t listening to a Rabbi tell me what he had learned from studying Talmud – I was studying Talmud myself.
I came out of my time at Pardes a little bit angry. I felt cheated that I had never been exposed to straight-up text study before. Orthodox Judaism is the only branch that really places a heavy emphasis on personal engagement with the texts, and I think that is a shame. Talmud is not boring – it is practical and challenging and important. And the study of these texts has the power to endow a sense of power and religious confidence that comes from knowledge gained firsthand.
Since my time at Pardes I have only gotten more interested in learning about Judaism. Next semester I am taking my first Jewish studies class, “Modern Judaism,” and I got Jonathan Sarna’s book “American Judaism: A History,” which I am looking forward to devouring over winter break. At the event tonight, Rabbi Polen talked about how studying Judaism in a Jewish setting provides depth, while studying it in an academic setting provides breadth and context. Both are important, he said.
I have finally come to terms with the inevitable fact that the story of my own people is something I am interested in. Even if it is what people expect of me.
Posted by Shari Rabin on October 16, 2007
Re the lack of feeling for the Talmud. If you didn't realize it, the Talmud is one of the most rigorous intellectual pursuits that anyone has been formulated. It takes an issue from the inside out until you understand it from every possible point of view. Once you have worked out all the issues, literally all of them, only then can you make an informed decision, discovering you act according "each case as it comes".
Confusing, yes, but it makes more sense is some ways than the legal systems that work along the idea of one law-one decision.
Zev,
Oh yes, I appreciate Talmudic study. It's an awesome persuit for many people. I just don't enjoy studying it myself- I prefer to analyze stories, which is why I prefer Torah study.
Incidentally, talmudic law is in some ways very simialir in character to Islamic law, in that there is so much dialogue and interpretation, and so many conflicting viewpoints. Must be a Semitic thing :).
An interesting posting. As a convert to Judaism, I was lucky enough to have studied many different religions before I found my spiritual home here. Now that I am a Jew, I read at least 3 or 4 books a year on history or opinion. I have not yet tackled Talmud, but plan to in the near future.
Good for you that you have learned to enjoy learning about our religion. I know I do.
Shari,
I'm surprised I haven't seen your thread before, but I'll definitely be reading it from now on.
I really enjoyed this post because I know exactly what its like to realize discussing Judaism can actually be as interesting as other religions. I'm not to far away at Brandeis, but at home my best friends consist of an a Catholic, a Baptist, an agnostic, an atheist, and me.
There's something to be said for discussing ones own religion or religious experiences. I didn't realize it until some late not conversations with friends (and of course 3 year at Brandeis) that there are just some things no one else will understand.
I look forward to reading more!
I've never read the Talmud, but it has recently become a part of my reasoning to explain the greatest difference between Judaism and Christianity. What Christianity says is simple, Judaism says is complicated and there are many different world views on. Perhaps I now know what I should read over winter break.
I am attending my shul's Beit Midrash course this year and the topic is Tikkun Olam. The first class was last night (10/17) and I learned a great deal from studying Midrash and Gemara. I had my adult bat mitzvah in February 2007 and I am 46 years old, proving you're never too old to learn. I enjoy learning about Jewish concepts.
robin- how did you come to convert?
were you a christian before?
did you marry a jewish person?
im 46 also- and have practically written a book on my own conversion in these blogs-
i converted to islam - and im very curious
ive never asked anyone here this before-
are you a woman also?
if you feel uncomfortable with my questions, or think they are inappropriate or too personal- i will definitely understand.
at your discretion sir, or madam
i am curious in a benign and non-threatening manner.
peace
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I was a Religion/History double major in college at William & Mary, and in light of current events I'm *so* glad I chose those two majors. Understanding the personal worldview of another group of people is absoltely necessary to understanding our world and how history is shaping modern events.
I would suggest taking some Islam classes as well- the classes I took on the Arab role in Islamic history and in the history of Islamic law were among the most useful I took in college. As were a few I took on East Asian religions.
I will say, though, that Talmud never did much for me. I was always much more interested in the narrative of the Torah than the in the details of the legal stuff, but to each her own, right?
I miss college!
Posted October 17, 2007 1:16 PM