Jewish Ideas: The Talmud and I

I have been involved in the study of law all of my life. As a third generation Orthodox Rabbi every-day actions are always viewed using the lens of Jewish law. The boundaries of acceptable human behavior, laws of monetary adjudication, dietary restrictions, and personal responsibilities represent just a few of the all-encompassing areas of Orthodoxy. The analysis and application of these laws to daily life is a continuous and unrelenting challenge.

I was born in a home where full walls were lined with scholarly texts, Talmudic exposés, and works dedicated to the case law that forms the bedrock of the Orthodox tradition. In grade school the regular curriculum was supplemented with the study of Biblical and Talmudic law, ethics, and history. My father, a once practicing Rabbi, would (and still does) introduce abstract legal cases during meal times for family debate and discussion. This early familiarity with the workings of Talmudic law and the enjoyable way that it was presented instilled within me a passion that I still retain today.

In addition to a strong analytical background and love of creative learning I have always had an affinity for language and literature. I am an avid reader of almost anything that I deem to be well written. I am transported inside the story I am reading and become intoxicated by the magical beauty of well-placed wording. It is somewhat jolting when I pause from reading and very rarely can I hold back from finishing a good book once I’ve started.

Talmud study is rigorous and demanding. It requires the intense scrutiny of multiple cases and the assessment of their similar yet unique circumstances and decisions. The researching of comparable cases, and the myriad of comments made upon them can often take weeks of preparation. Good writing and a strong ability in critical reading are additionally of great value.

Life isn't about what happens to you, it's about how you handle what happens.- Nicholas Evans, 'The Smoke Jumper' While I'm still confused and uncertain, it's on a much higher plane, d'you see, and at least I know I'm bewildered about the really fundamental and important facts of the universe. - Discworld scientists at work, Terry Pratchett, Equal Rites I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas, they've gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind. - Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte 'And if you're going to criticize me for not finishing the whole thing and tying it up in a bow for you, why, do us both a favor and write your own book, only have the decency to call it a romance instead of a history, because history's got no bows on it, only frayed ends of ribbons and knots that can't be untied. It ain't a pretty package, but then it's not your birthday that I know of so I'm under no obligation to give you a gift.' - Orson Scott Card, Alvin Journeyman 'How can I help it?' he blubbered. 'How can I help seeing what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four.' "Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane." - 1984 (George Orwell) The whole of life is just like watching a film. Only it's as though you always get in ten minutes after the big picture has started, and no-one will tell you the plot, so you have to work it out all yourself from the clues. - Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures. To paraphrase Oedipus, Hamlet, Lear, and all those guys, "I wish I had known this some time ago." - Corwin, Sign of the Unicorn In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri. - The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy It only makes sense that every facet of our daily lives should depend upon the position of celestial bodies hundreds of millions of miles away. - Calvin and Hobbes 'The surest sign that there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.' - Calvin and Hobbes I don't need parents. All I need is a recording that says, 'Go play outside!' - Calvin and Hobbes I thought I had a great idea today, but it never really took off. In fact, it didn't even get on the runway. I guess you could say it exploded in the hangar. - Calvin and Hobbes Reality continues to ruin my life. - Calvin and Hobbes The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars. - Jack Kerouac, On the Road The reason I'm having so much trouble flying this ship is because it's black. The walls are black, the floor is black, the console is black, the switches are black, the labels are little black letters printed on a black background, and when you press anything, a black light lights up in black to tell you you've done it.' Ford Prefect - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The eyes are purjors, right enough. But do you truly trust the testimony of your ears, of your nose, of the root of your tongue? Not I, my friend. The universe lies to our senses, and they lie to us, and how can we ourselves be anything but liars? For myself, I trust neither the message nor the messenger neither what I am told, nor what I see. There may be truth somewhere, but it never gets down to me. But, you never know. I could be wrong. - Peter Beagle, 'The Last Unicorn' The most common mistake people make when designing something completely foolproof, is underestimating the ingenuity of complete fools. - Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless So we reach into the raging chaos, and we pluck some small glittering thing, and we cling to it, and tell ourselves it has meaning, and that the world is good, and we are not evil and we will all go home in the end." - Lestat, Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice Some pirates achieved immortality by great deeds of cruelty or derring-do. Some achieved immortality by amassing great wealth. But the captain had long ago decided that he would, on the whole, prefer to achieve immortality by not dying. - Terry Pratchett, The Color Of Magic A bore is a person who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company - John MacDonald in 'The Turquoise Lament', 1973 Behind them lay pain, and death, and fear. Ahead of them lay doubt, and danger, and fathomless mysteries. But they weren't alone. - The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman Certain things should just stay as they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. - Holden, 'Catcher in the Rye' Does the walker choose the path, or the path, the walker? - Sabriel, by Garth Nix Don't try to out-weird me, three eyes. I get weirder things than you in my breakfast cereal. - Zaphod Beeblebrox, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galazy Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity... we cherish books even if unread, their mere presence exudes comfort, their ready access, reassurance. - A.E. Newton God does not play dice with the universe: He plays an ineffable game of His own devising which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players (*i.e., everybody), to being involving in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules and who smiles all the time. -Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet 'Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.' - Alice Hoffman(Practical Magic) If I ever meet myself, I'll hit myself so hard I won't know what's hit me. - Zaphod Beeblebrox, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy In the course of a lifetime, what does it matter? In the real world, as in dreams, nothing is quite what it seems. - The Book of Sorrows Just because you have a mind like a hammer doesn't mean you should treat everyone else like a nail - Terry Pratchett, Only You Can Save Mankind Life... loathe it or ignore it, you can't like it. - Marvin the Paranoid Android, Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. - Gandalf, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring My doctor says that I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fibre and that I am therefore excused from saving universes. - Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy: part III: Life, The Universe and Everything Shared pain is lessened, shared Joy increased, thereby do we refute Entropy... - Michael Callahan, Callahan's Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson The butler entered the room, a solemn procession of one. - P.G. Wodehouse The structure of the university was such that, to become a member of the faculty, you merely found some obscure subject that nobody else claimed to teach, set up an office, and showed up at meal times. If you were unlucky, you may attract students. - Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent The thing I want to know is, if you tell your brain not to do stuff like that and it keeps doing it anyway, does that mean your mind has a mind of its own? And if it does, then who's in charge here, anyway? -Jed, Armageddon Summer (Yolen) A bad decision now is preferable to a good decision five minutes later, if you're dead in four. - Keller, S.T. There is no such thing as good guys and bad guys, just them and us. - Belgarath, David and Leigh Eddings This book is dedicated to my brilliant and beautiful wife without whom I would be nothing. She always comforts and consoles, never complains or interferes, asks nothing, and endures all. She also writes my dedications. - Albert Malvino Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and weigh only 1.5 tons. - Popular Mechanics, 1949 'Life is pain. Anybody that says different is selling something.' - Fezzik's mother, The Princess Bride 'Not all who wander are lost.' - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Jewish Ideas

The Talmud and I

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