Busying with Torah
Before study, there is a custom of saying the following blessing: Praised are You, God, ruler of all, who makes us holy in Your commandments and commands us to busy ourselves with Torah. On a surface level, the blessing suggests Torah as a kind of hiding place. When the stresses of the world get to be too much, thank You for this other place to occupy our mind. In the midst of darkness and oppression, thank You for an escape.
As lover of Torah and Talmud I believe this blessing contains a deeper wisdom. There is a false urgency news of the day creates. Particularly in the last few months, everything has felt frightening and overwhelming. In this amygdala overwhelmed place, many of us find ourselves overreacting. Our anger trigger arises more quickly; we lack patience for people and institutions.
The Sunday Talmud class shows a different approach to the value of study. We have just finished the study of Bava Batra, a section dealing with property law. This ostensibly dry material has turned out to be incredibly rich ethically and spiritually. It has given us a language and framework to talk about places of friction with others in our life. It has warned us of the imprecision of language and the difficulties of understanding people’s intentions. After all, every property dispute arises because someone didn’t understand something. Every property dispute hinges on questions of what people meant in the original transaction. Even in the absence of fraud, these disputes bring us right into all the complexities of dealing with other people.
By busying our ourselves in Talmud, we have stepped back from the headlines and given ourselves tools of understanding. By looking away from the pressures of this moment, we have armed ourselves with practices and concepts that help us better master those same pressures. Instead of rushing out to do something, we now have a better sense of how we should be using our agency.
In addition, rather than retreating, the study of Torah puts into perspective our own challenges. In studying Talmud, we see the vast sweep of Jewish history. It includes thriving and collapse, hatred and deep partnerships. Realizing all that we have survived, Talmud reminds of historical context. While 10/7 shocked us, the Talmud has in it tools for Jewish survival and thriving.
We just finished Bava Batra and stand ready to start a new book, Horayot. Horayot is all about the limits of Rabbinic and institutional leadership. To what degree may we rely on the authority of others? What do we do when institutions we respect and love err? How do communities hold together over time when there are inevitably mistakes and even failures of leadership?
I invite you to join us. It’s a great moment to be a part of this centuries old and always new practice. This section will take 6-7 months to complete, so it’s a great time also to try out Talmud study and to complete a book of Talmud
Class meets Sunday mornings at 10:15 for one hour both in person and on zoom. We start Horayot this Sunday. (By the way, there is also a Wednesday Talmud class meeting at 12:15 also in person and on zoom. While we are in the midst of the section dealing with Shabbat, newcomers are absolutely welcome there as well!)
Shabbat Shalom!
Please note CyberTorah will be on summer hiatus until Mid August. Have a lovely summer!
