THE IMPACT OF DAILY TALMUD STUDY
Join us!
Above, I shared an invitation to join our closed, secret Facebook group-- but did you now we have a new structure? We will continue to feature a brief outline of the page, and a #Talmidgram, BUT it will also now feature HIGHLIGHTS OF GEMS each day.
Join us to see what it’s all about and unsubscribe anytime if you’re not getting anything from it. I asked participants questions about their experience; here are some of their answers:
I ASKED: What are you getting out of Talmud study?
I have learned that my soul is deeply rooted in Judaism; this feeling is both familiar and surprising.
I have once again confirmed that our traditions hold great symbolism - which leaves room for more thoughtful discussions - and I enjoy every opportunity to widen my perspective.
The text about not engaging in prolonged prayer reminded me to stay in the present moment; refusing to get caught up in what might (or might not) happen later, along with consequences, which might fail to be in alignment with what I’d prayed for in the first place! In hindsight, this text becomes both practical and delightfully reasonable, sidestepping anguish (over fervent wishes) in the future.
I have surprised myself that I’m enrolled in your program. You helped redirect my “online time” into something profoundly meaningful; you have invited me to pause each day to open my mind and heart to ancient wisdom and that feels like an honor; thank you.
I have learned that the rabbis care greatly for extreme details - and if my first reaction is that they are over the top in this way, I also remind myself that hey if I was studying 12+ hours a day, daily, for my entire life, I would no doubt also fall into deep details through the lens of my tireless concentration.
I love the beautiful and inspiring "memes" you have been pulling from the Talmud. I enjoy this learning and I want to keep enjoying it.
I learned that our tradition is even more varied and "crazy" in a good way than I'd thought. That it is full of stories I didn't know yet (and I know a lot of stories!) That it should not be taken too seriously.
I think Berakhot disproves the very widespread academic idea that the Rabbis were making up a new kind of Judaism and pretending it was some kind of oral tradition from Sinai. On the contrary it is very clear that they were taking seriously what they had received, and whoever created the Talmud as we know it put huge amounts of energy into gathering and structuring all these stories and sayings and passing them on to be studied forever after.
I have long been happy to see the many times that the Talmud bounces two positions off each other and then analyzes each one to show that it is reasonable, and then drops the topic. And this still makes me happy and seems like a pattern to live by.
AND THEN I ASKED: What would the rabbis have learned from you/us?
From me I suppose the rabbis could have learned that it is possible to be pretty darn Jewish while really enjoying and respecting other religions and spiritual traditions; and to be a Jewish man while seeing women as peers and equals in ways that they don't seem to have done.
The rabbis might be pleased to learn that a female senior citizen, hundreds of years beyond their lifetimes, is enjoying reading what they cared about so deeply, because a female rabbi brought their passages to light, making “everything old is new again”.
It has been such a joy to study with each of you.
At home, even my 4 year old loves to study a little nugget of text each day. It started when I was studying and he asked to learn too. The first time he learned was a page about how to pee without splashing and insisting that a person drink water frequently to avoid bad breath. His 3 year old little brother came by and he said “Hey! You gotta read this Talmud! They’re talking about peeing and bad breath!” More profoundly, he is learning that he has a place in the conversation. And so do you!
Study with us!
We are 54 members strong from:
Los Angeles, New York, Canada, Colchester Essex England, 2 in Las Vegas, Orange County, San Diego, 2 in SF, Upstate NY, 2 in Minnesota, 2 in Iowa, 2 in Wisconsin, Washington State, 2 in Indiana, Maryland, Vermont, Florida, 2 in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and 2 in Virginia.
We are:
Professors of Jewish studies
People interested in becoming Jewish
Members of various Jewish denominations as well as transdenominational
Some are Reconstructionist Rabbis
Reform Rabbis
Jewish Professionals
Reform Cantors
Retired people
People of other faiths
We are in our 20s to 80s
We are everywhere on the spectrum of gender.
And, we are each of us are affirming of one another’s journey in the sea of Talmud!
To join us, send Rabbi Miller an email or DM on Facebook to be added to the closed, secret Facebook group.