It took about ten minutes into the first piska in Bereshit Rabbah for the class to figure out that they were in a new country. Where was Job and what did he have to do with Bereshit?
“Welcome to the world of Midrash” was their answer. "Midrash assumes that the entire Tanach is a seamless text, where one text is always speaking to another. The art of Midrash and enjoyment of it as a style of literature is flying out to the place where the author begins and slowly closing in on a line from your original text. How you get there--the textual and aesthetic moves--makes an interpretation into an art form. “
J wanted to know if Midrash is commentary. “Yes and no” seemed appropriate. Sometimes a comment is just an explanation and sometimes it is midrashic. Midrash wants to move you, make a point and lift you up. Midrash can get very emotional which I think is why so many people think of it as a polemic against other competing religions. More on this to come, I am sure.
“Boy we sure are going to learn a lot about other books in the Bible!” someone said. At the very least we are going to spend a lot of time flipping pages around.
Then I had a funny inspiration. Some time ago I had a student who always found the place in Psalms or the Prophets in a split second. Her secret weapon? Tabs for each book of the Bible which she had picked up in a Christian book store.
I decided my students deserved a present, since they had given me a beautiful wall hanging for my Sukkah. Surfing around on internet, I googled Bible tabs. Who knew there were so many choices? Gold foil, pink, lavendar, with fish and without. I ordered a set for everyone. Now I am getting daily emails from Christian Book Source. Kind of interesting to compare their offerings ( no pun—okay yes pun-- intended!).
It was a little shocking to see the tiny crosses under-hatching each tab. They did not appear on the enlarged image. So my students have homework: 1) throw out the tabs they do not need 2)attach the tabs they do need 3) notice the difference in the order of the books 4) take a pen to the crosses. Can’t have my students walking about town with fishy looking Bibles. But they were all so tickled and happy!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
FINDING ANSWERS VS ASKING QUESTIONS
L is enrolled in the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School--finally carving out time in a schedule crowded with work, marriage, creating a home and raising children. She, like many others, wants to find answers to the Jewish questions she has asked all of her adult life. Today we were reading and discussing texts related to the rarely discussed subject of sin. We studied texts from Genesis and some of the commentators who wrote about the good and evil inclination within all of us.
“So why,” L. asked after reading about Adam and Eve eating of the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, “didn’t God put the tree somewhere out on the edge of the garden? Why did it have to be right in the center, and why was the snake placed there to tempt Eve?”
Several students shared their answers to her questions—each one finding an explanation that was rational and perhaps comforting -- but not completely satisfying. Certainly, none of the responses satisfied L. Frustrated, she said, “All of these answers can’t be right. Adam and Eve were not just set up for failure. We also should not be expected to fail, to be satisfied to go on without answers.”
Jewish teachers have a complicated responsibility. We have two tasks that could appear to contradict each other. On one hand, we are responsible for teaching a body of knowledge that has been passed down to us through the centuries—our texts and its commentaries, practices, beliefs, and ethical behavior. Our students expect to learn these from us. On the other hand, we are responsible for engaging learners in analysis and questioning. We want them to wrestle with possible answers and equip them to make choices among possible Jewish options. When Jewish learners study Bible commentaries, Talmudic sources and contemporary texts, they are aware of differences of opinion on many important issues. But they want answers.
The class ended with L. shaking her head in frustration. I understood her dissatisfaction. If it is comforting, I told her, this is what happens when you delve into the tough questions in Judaism. Perfect answers are elusive. The process of seeking answers is what learning is about. Perhaps, there may never be an answer that is completely satisfying, but we discover some remarkable things along the way.
“So why,” L. asked after reading about Adam and Eve eating of the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, “didn’t God put the tree somewhere out on the edge of the garden? Why did it have to be right in the center, and why was the snake placed there to tempt Eve?”
Several students shared their answers to her questions—each one finding an explanation that was rational and perhaps comforting -- but not completely satisfying. Certainly, none of the responses satisfied L. Frustrated, she said, “All of these answers can’t be right. Adam and Eve were not just set up for failure. We also should not be expected to fail, to be satisfied to go on without answers.”
Jewish teachers have a complicated responsibility. We have two tasks that could appear to contradict each other. On one hand, we are responsible for teaching a body of knowledge that has been passed down to us through the centuries—our texts and its commentaries, practices, beliefs, and ethical behavior. Our students expect to learn these from us. On the other hand, we are responsible for engaging learners in analysis and questioning. We want them to wrestle with possible answers and equip them to make choices among possible Jewish options. When Jewish learners study Bible commentaries, Talmudic sources and contemporary texts, they are aware of differences of opinion on many important issues. But they want answers.
The class ended with L. shaking her head in frustration. I understood her dissatisfaction. If it is comforting, I told her, this is what happens when you delve into the tough questions in Judaism. Perfect answers are elusive. The process of seeking answers is what learning is about. Perhaps, there may never be an answer that is completely satisfying, but we discover some remarkable things along the way.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Mastering the Art of Midrash 4: Asking an Expert
Okay so I don’t like to drop names too much but this week I feel compelled. If you could name 3 people in the world who—if they came to your house—would give you palpitations of the heart, who would it be? Most people find it hard to answer this question, but for me it is easy: Paul McCartney, Yo-Yo Ma (have you ever seen him play the Bach Cello Suites?) and Aviva Zornberg.
Well, this week I got one of my three wishes. Aviva Zornberg was speaking at Beth Hillel in Wilmette and I invited her to dinner. I obsessed for a week about the menu and we had a fine time, talking about families, music, traveling for work, etc. I have met her before and she is gracious and lovely.
In the car on the way to the lecture, I decided to ask her a pedagogical question. “Aviva, I have to ask you something. This year I am teaching a Midrash class and I am struggling to find a pedagogy that works. How did you come to develop your style of teaching?” She looked at me a bit puzzled (“Why is this woman bothering me when I want to prepare my head for the lecture" was what she must have been thinking. But I had just fed her this amazing soup (this IS a cooking blog) with roasted apples and butternut squash, dried cranberries and almonds, so she had to respond.) And said: “I am really not sure. No one has ever asked me that before.”
“I am finding it a challenge,” I confessed. “ It seems to midrash that Midrash is the type of text that has to maintain its presence and its voice all the time, in the way that Gadamer or Elie Holzer might say. You can’t just read a bit of it, and let a class jump off into finding some sort of personal meaning in the text. This causes a tension for moderns, who love to be at the center all the time. Midrash is forcing my class to hold back, they have to learn to stay with the circular moves and jumps in the Tanach to get to a point that might seem pointless to them. They are frustrated. What do you think I should do?”
Now she was thoughtful. I know that thinking about teaching is right up there for me as it is not for everyone, but she was interested now. “Well, I suppose I would say that I let the Midrash have its voice to tell me more truth about the Torah.”
That was it. But it gave me a lot to think about since that time. Next blog I will report on how I incorporated what she said into the next lesson, and how it made a huge difference.
What a gift that there are such teachers in the world as Aviva Zornberg.
Now what would I ask Yo-Yo Ma? Never mind, what would I cook for him? At least McCartney eats veggie.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
JANE SHAPIRO MASTERING THE ART OF MIDRASH 3
I was very honest with the class during the first session about how little I really know about Midrash. Long ago I read a book by Stephen Brookfield called Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. One of the most vivid chapters is about Brookfield’s experience taking a swimming class as an adult. One person dived into the lane next to him and starting doing some complicated stroke, making it look easy. Brookfield was frightened and intimidated until another student in the next lane leaned over and said: when I was learning how to do this, not too long ago, I found it helpful to put my arms, so and kick my arms so. Brookfield learned the stroke.
This is what I said to the class: “Folks, I am no expert in Midrash. I am friendly with experts in Midrash ( Dr. Marc Hirshman of Jerusalem), I have taken classes in Midrash and even used Midrash in my own teaching but I AM NOT AN EXPERT. On the other hand, this is a huge advantage for you because I am just beyond a beginner and remember all the steps that I needed to begin to learn Midrash. So, I can be a good help to you.
The room got quiet and I was not sure what would happen. And then L (the class decided that I could use their first initials but should respect them not wanting to be cult heroines on the internet.) broke the silence with: “Jane, we loved you before and now you are being so totally honest I have even more respect.” Then we got to work.
What did this mean and what does this mean for teachers of adults? We need to be truthful with ourselves about what we know or don’t know. Faking and posturing is not the best strategy. You can tell when you are “winging it”; trying to create an answer out of bits and pieces which you hope you are selling with an authoritative voice. And you know from students’ faces that they are trying to look like you said something comprehensible, but for the life of them they have no idea what it is. Credibility comes from being authentic and honest. Tell them what you know, but when you don’t, tell them that you can find out. Being an advanced beginner is an asset not an embarrassment.
No posturing allowed if you want to help folks find their truth.
This is what I said to the class: “Folks, I am no expert in Midrash. I am friendly with experts in Midrash ( Dr. Marc Hirshman of Jerusalem), I have taken classes in Midrash and even used Midrash in my own teaching but I AM NOT AN EXPERT. On the other hand, this is a huge advantage for you because I am just beyond a beginner and remember all the steps that I needed to begin to learn Midrash. So, I can be a good help to you.
The room got quiet and I was not sure what would happen. And then L (the class decided that I could use their first initials but should respect them not wanting to be cult heroines on the internet.) broke the silence with: “Jane, we loved you before and now you are being so totally honest I have even more respect.” Then we got to work.
What did this mean and what does this mean for teachers of adults? We need to be truthful with ourselves about what we know or don’t know. Faking and posturing is not the best strategy. You can tell when you are “winging it”; trying to create an answer out of bits and pieces which you hope you are selling with an authoritative voice. And you know from students’ faces that they are trying to look like you said something comprehensible, but for the life of them they have no idea what it is. Credibility comes from being authentic and honest. Tell them what you know, but when you don’t, tell them that you can find out. Being an advanced beginner is an asset not an embarrassment.
No posturing allowed if you want to help folks find their truth.
Monday, November 9, 2009
CONTINUITY TO RENAISSANCE TO ENLIGHTENMENT
Those of us connected to national organizations have lived through the last three decades with the rallying cries of Continuity and then Renaissance and Renewal ringing in our ears. I have come to the conclusion that we now are living in a new age, the age of Enlightenment.
In the 18th century the Enlightenment was the revolution of the individual. Institutions of Europe lowered their focus from aristocracy and clergy to a new group emerging from the darkness. These people began to articulate clearly and confidently what they wanted. In response, society directed resources and energy to meet their needs.This emerging class had the means to take care of their basic needs. What they wanted was power—to be in control of their lives. First and foremost, they wanted to be educated. During the Enlightenment, the concept of universal education arose. It meant self-determination; it meant revolutions and the end of the old model of hereditary rule. It ended dependency on the church and the monarchy.
Our Jewish community is entering its own age of Enlightenment. Knowledge of Judaism is no longer the property of the elite, the rabbis and scholars. Jewish adults are asking for the opportunity to shape their lives, to equip themselves to make decisions about a meaning-filled life and spiritual well-being. Learning today, as in the 18th century, is self-empowerment. The treasures of Judaism are there to be known by everyone. The community has the responsibility to listen, to respond and to provide ways to access these riches of our heritage. Perhaps the time has arrived for universal adult Jewish education, a 21st century Jewish Enlightenment.
In the 18th century the Enlightenment was the revolution of the individual. Institutions of Europe lowered their focus from aristocracy and clergy to a new group emerging from the darkness. These people began to articulate clearly and confidently what they wanted. In response, society directed resources and energy to meet their needs.This emerging class had the means to take care of their basic needs. What they wanted was power—to be in control of their lives. First and foremost, they wanted to be educated. During the Enlightenment, the concept of universal education arose. It meant self-determination; it meant revolutions and the end of the old model of hereditary rule. It ended dependency on the church and the monarchy.
Our Jewish community is entering its own age of Enlightenment. Knowledge of Judaism is no longer the property of the elite, the rabbis and scholars. Jewish adults are asking for the opportunity to shape their lives, to equip themselves to make decisions about a meaning-filled life and spiritual well-being. Learning today, as in the 18th century, is self-empowerment. The treasures of Judaism are there to be known by everyone. The community has the responsibility to listen, to respond and to provide ways to access these riches of our heritage. Perhaps the time has arrived for universal adult Jewish education, a 21st century Jewish Enlightenment.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
FROM JANE SHAPIRO - MASTERING THE ART OF MIDRASH: BATTERIE DE CUISINE
My first class teaching parsha with Midrash. How do we cut into the topic?
I cleaned out my pantry of books (aka my library which has absolutely no room for any more books while still welcoming the purchases which arrive daily from Amazon) and looked around. Hayyim Nachman Bialik’s Sefer Aggadah,seems like a place to start. His Hebrew is so beautiful--reminds me of Helen Davidson, my favorite Jewish teacher of all time. And yet at this juncture, the selections are too short, all too punchliney. They read like sermons, I suppose.
Louis Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews, multi-volume--well--voluminous, and with references from everywhere, Going down the path of comparative folklore and mythology and classical texts and Christian interpretations is just too much. My students want to know what Midrash is and how it adds to the meaning of the Torah, plain and simple. This would become a scholarly disquisition (what a good word!) on critical reading and the history of textual traditions. Go read Thomas Mann’s Joseph if you want to enjoy this approach.
My buddy Michael Balinsky, who is likely to appear again in this blog, put me onto the Torah Temimah many years ago. I love these volumes because they follow the Torah with every place in the Talmud that a Midrash appears. Rashi is there as well, and the notes are clear and helpful. Does Temimah refer to Tam, pure, or simple? Either way, this book is for a dvar Torah, not this class. It would mean jumping into Talmud and Midrash simultaneously. Cutting and pasting snippets out of context is too jumpy for a first go around.
Aviva Zornberg on the parsha? Possibly, but you also have to embrace psycho-analysis and western literature to follow her midrashic path. Reading her is more a personal religious endeavor for me. More on this at some point.
What about Rashi at least? I read through his comments for the week and included a few in the first set of texts. More to report on how that worked out.
I finally settled on selections from Bereshit Rabbah . The Soncino translation is clumsy and too much to read each week, so I am back to a modified version--selecting individual midrashim while trying to convey some of what I call the concerns of the text.
How this turned into the first lesson and how the students shaped what follows next.
**** COMMENT FROM BETSY Would this description of the varieties of midrash not make a lesson in itself? Do students share a definition of “midrash?” Do they realize that even with a narrowed perception of midrash, in contrast to other Torah commentaries, there is a broad spectrum of midrashic literature. And what about women’s midrash that is getting so much attention today?
I cleaned out my pantry of books (aka my library which has absolutely no room for any more books while still welcoming the purchases which arrive daily from Amazon) and looked around. Hayyim Nachman Bialik’s Sefer Aggadah,seems like a place to start. His Hebrew is so beautiful--reminds me of Helen Davidson, my favorite Jewish teacher of all time. And yet at this juncture, the selections are too short, all too punchliney. They read like sermons, I suppose.
Louis Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews, multi-volume--well--voluminous, and with references from everywhere, Going down the path of comparative folklore and mythology and classical texts and Christian interpretations is just too much. My students want to know what Midrash is and how it adds to the meaning of the Torah, plain and simple. This would become a scholarly disquisition (what a good word!) on critical reading and the history of textual traditions. Go read Thomas Mann’s Joseph if you want to enjoy this approach.
My buddy Michael Balinsky, who is likely to appear again in this blog, put me onto the Torah Temimah many years ago. I love these volumes because they follow the Torah with every place in the Talmud that a Midrash appears. Rashi is there as well, and the notes are clear and helpful. Does Temimah refer to Tam, pure, or simple? Either way, this book is for a dvar Torah, not this class. It would mean jumping into Talmud and Midrash simultaneously. Cutting and pasting snippets out of context is too jumpy for a first go around.
Aviva Zornberg on the parsha? Possibly, but you also have to embrace psycho-analysis and western literature to follow her midrashic path. Reading her is more a personal religious endeavor for me. More on this at some point.
What about Rashi at least? I read through his comments for the week and included a few in the first set of texts. More to report on how that worked out.
I finally settled on selections from Bereshit Rabbah . The Soncino translation is clumsy and too much to read each week, so I am back to a modified version--selecting individual midrashim while trying to convey some of what I call the concerns of the text.
How this turned into the first lesson and how the students shaped what follows next.
**** COMMENT FROM BETSY Would this description of the varieties of midrash not make a lesson in itself? Do students share a definition of “midrash?” Do they realize that even with a narrowed perception of midrash, in contrast to other Torah commentaries, there is a broad spectrum of midrashic literature. And what about women’s midrash that is getting so much attention today?
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