So What If “The Ox Gored The Cow”?  - or – Why We Study Talmud

By Dr. Paul Scott

For the past 3 weeks, on Monday nights, about a dozen of us study Talmud in the library of the Jewish Community Center.  Our enthusiastic leader is our very own Rabbi Teller.  Few of us have studied Talmud before but, I imagine, there are different reasons each one of us would give as to why we committed ourselves to this short six week mini-course.

Classically, Talmud study was a “training text” for the Rabbis in order to understand the Laws.  Rabbinic marriage law became Jew­ish marriage law; rabbinic rules about the Sabbath became rules for all Jews about the Sabbath.  Also, the Talmud would be used to clarify the Bible and would include readings and explanations.  The Midrashic  literature is filled with examples and stories.  Some might find “The Ultimate Truth” in their study of the Talmud. There could be found the truth about God, the world and how God wants the community of Israel to live.  Others might question that since the Talmud is the work of third- or fourth-century men living in Near Eastern antiquity, how could it be relevant in today’s world?

Talmud learning for many in the modern world is not so much a practical activity but rather a religious experience.  The Talmud is an encyclopedic knowledge put together by people who saw intellectual activity as sanctifying. They found holiness in their effort to bring rational order to their tradition.  This research resulted in improved skills in problem solving, disciplined logic and analytical thinking in many types of “mind bending” exercises. There were however always differing viewpoints.  Each opinion was to be respected. Overlapping views coexisted and “agreeing to disagree” was very much accepted. Sometimes, having observed so many disagreements and arguments among the wisest of our rabbis, individuals felt relieved and were able to question and even disagree.