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Session Nine
Food for the Journey
Looking Ahead
Our banquet is over, but there is so much more that we have not
tasted. We have studied Talmud and Midrash but we have not delved
into the great works of Halakhah, such as the Shulchan Arukh,
where every "law" is surrounded by commentaries exploring where
it comes from and adding their own views as to whether it should
be observed, and how. We have had a small taste of the world
of Yiddish through Hasidism and secular radicalism, but not of
the riches of Sephardi traditions. There is a whole world of less
"mainstream" Jewish communities and communities connected with
Judaism whose texts and teachings we have not even glimpsed: Samaritans,
Karaites, Jews of Ethiopian heritage, Sabbateans, and others.
We have not touched on the contributions of Reform Judaism --
which is not much younger than Hasidism -- or the other newer
movements. And what we have learned together has only been the
smallest sample. People spend happy lifetimes learning Gemara,
and a lifetime of learning any of the subjects we've touched on
would be rewarding. I have tried to open some doors and I hope
that, as your heart draws you, you will walk through some of them
and continue to follow the paths onto which they open, and go
on to open other doors as well.
LEARNING FROM THE LEARNING
What can be learned from looking back on this course as a whole?
Surely the learning will be different for each of us. I myself
draw a number of conclusions:
Judaism is to be experienced. Any distinction between "living"
and "book learning" breaks down when it comes to Torah, because
engaging with Jewish books is not just "book learning"; it's not
just "learning about" something; it is as much of a lived experience
as hiking through a forest or climbing a mountain. It's one thing
to learn about the Talmud and another thing to actually break
your head on "learning Gemara"; it's one thing to learn about
the Siddur and another thing to actually pick it up and pray.
And the experience of every book is different: the way of thinking,
the way of working with a page of Gemara is very different from
thinking and working through a page of Zohar or a Hasidic story.
So there are many ways of being Jewish, many approaches to Judaism.
Judaism has changed over time, and every movement and movement
within a movement today has its own approach; but even more, the
classic texts, side by side, offer many ways to connect with Torah,
not in competition with each other, but complementing each other
in many different ways.
From every book, every way of experiencing Torah, we come to know
our tradition more fully and be more rooted in the tradition;
we know ourselves more fully and grow to be more than we were;
we can open to God and connect with God with more of our capabilities,
more of our selves; we learn new ways of connecting with each
other.
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE
This course has been meant to offer some tools, some ways of learning
which should make it easier to continue exploring any of the texts
in the course that spoke to your heart. The bibliography lists my most highly recommended suggestions for further study.
Kolel offers a variety of courses both on line and live. I can
be contacted through this site or by e-mail at rebyankev@yahoo.com
I want to thank each of you for joining in the learning and bless
us all to continue learning whatever Torah our hearts desire.
