Mancom talk: The weekly Talmud Study classes

Bruny Simpson, a recent but enthusiastic  beginner in the Talmud study sessions, talks about why she finds them valuable and fun.

When and where: Every Saturday lunch-time, after the JTalk discussion session, in the Gillis Boardroom


I am Bruny Simpson and I have been part of this group since March 2013.

It is my highlight of the week. The people that lead the group are Prof. Merle Williams, Prof. David Bilchitz, Ariela Miller and Sharon Shaked. We could not have a Talmud study group without the dedication of these people.

And than you have people like me thirsting for knowledge.

It doesn’t matter how much or how little you know about the Talmud already.

It is just fascinating to read the ancient text, to hear it in Hebrew and work on the translation. So not to worry, your Hebrew doesn’t have to be good. We have our core (sages) teachers that take us through the meaning of all the terminology. Once they’ve done that we try to decipher what the sages tried to say and how we understand the text. No answer is wrong and everyone has a right to share what he or she thinks.

We learn where the Rabbis got their text to prove a point and how they got to a specific ruling.

I find it totally amazing. The way the Rabbis dedicated their lives to preserve Judaism. Without the Talmud we might have gone the way of many other ancient religions.

Everything we read and learn can be tied to the way we pray and to how we conduct services. It’s not a dead boring study in fact it’s a way to see how alive and relevant everything still is.

I would like it if more people would give the Talmud and our study group a try.

Hope to see you SOON?



Permanent link to this article: