Back To School

 So last night was the first of the latest 6 JLI classes -- an analysis of rabbinic answers since the time of the Torah. I must say, as Ed Grimley said, it was a terrific time for me.

Barry, Norman, and I met at Apamate Bistro, a new casual Venezuelan place that opened around from the original Roasters, and had a fine meal -- fresh chicken and ceviche, and old school prices. From there we mustered at the Chabad Center -- Kenny's time to lose his Chabad virginity, as it were.

The class had some new faces, and Jeff was there. I had thought he had skipped one -- his comically busy schedule confuses me, but he assured me he had told me he WAS coming. He never joins us for pre class dinner, though -- always on his way home from some event or another.

And then Rabbi Moshe took off -- a discussion about the basic of Rabbinic answers -- with examples from 1300s Spain, and a tragic Holocaust tale, and one involving King Henry VII, which I never knew. The material was thought provoking -- some good questions -- and truly food for thought in the way the Venezuelan fare was food for belly.

Distilling to the essence, Rabbis are to answer life's questions using, of course, Torah, which to the Orthodox, is The Big Man's Owner's Manual for Life, and whose mitzvot are the only true way of connecting with Him.

Moshe gave a great analogy -- about a simpleton walking the campus of Princeton, who happens upon Einstein. Even though the two are one completely different levels, Einstein asking the simpleton the time, and the fellow answering it, rather than explaining where he bought his watch, how his day was, etc...allowed for the two to connect.

There was dark humor, of course, as there always must be when discussing my Tribe's history. When King Henry VII sought scholarly basis for trying to get the Pope to allow his annulment from Catherine of Aragon, he wanted some Old Testament backup. Problem was, Jews had been expelled from England a few hundred years earlier -- so he needed to reach out to Italy...

Yep -- when you need a plumber and you banned them, it occurs to you maybe not such a good idea when the toilet backs up...

Anyway, as D1 pointed out, my mood lifts the day after class, and indeed it does. I'm meeting her and BFF Alyssa for lunch later -- I haven't seen the prodigal third daughter since she had her baby boy. I look forward to catching up.

And the next 5 Wednesdays are set -- as Kenny said, when he showed the syllabus to Joelle, a law professor, it seems more a law class than religious one. Indeed -- that's the key -- and why I enjoy it so much.

The underlying message is one of Torah and Judaism, but the analysis and questioning are ethics and morals -- all influences welcome.

And maybe next pre class dinner, there'll be an adult beverage or two -- that never hurts...