Melton Alumni Association at the BJE
On Thursday evening, May 7th, Dr. Betsy Dolgin Katz, noted author and educator, met with the local Board of Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago (BJE)/Florence Melton Adult mini-School (FMAMS) Alumni Association, at the BJE Campus in Northbrook, for an interactive study entitled Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, “What is holiness?”.
Dr. Katz pointed out that “holiness” has been a complex issue throughout Jewish history. In the days of Roman rule over 2nd century Israel, Rabbis grappled with the issue of holiness. In particular, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai wrestled with Torah and prayer to find the answers, as Jews lived surrounded by a different culture. This raises questions that we may ask today: “What is the relationship of Jewish observance and study to living in the majority culture in which Jews find themselves? What and where is holiness?”
The BJE/Melton alumni members, led by Dr. Katz delved into Jewish Rabbinic texts to find those answers. The members read a Talmudic passage about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s 13 years of living in a cave and debated the meaning found in the text. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son lived in the cave for 12 years to escape Roman capture. They studied Jewish texts and prayed daily. When they emerged from the cave they found people working the land, sowing their fields, as opposed to devoting their time to G-d. The Rabbi and his son went back into the cave for another 12 months to make sense of what they saw. This time when they came out, they had a different understanding between what they saw the society doing and the meaning of holiness.
The lesson learned, as Dr. Katz suggests, is that holiness is a very broad field to think about. Holiness is not only found in study and prayer, but by living and acting in the world as part of a community.
The evening served as a prelude to the May 12th celebration of Lag B’Omer. Lag B’Omer is a lesser known holiday of the Jewish calendar. It is celebrated with great joy and marks a brief interruption on the counting of a period of mourning remembering many tragic events that occurred during the Roman occupation of Judea. The holiday is also known as Scholar’s Day as it commemorates those who risked their life to study Jewish texts amidst the Roman society.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is remembered on this holiday. Some say that he died on this holiday. The holiday is celebrated by enjoying nature and having picnics. In Israel, besides being outside and having picnics, Israelis also celebrate by visiting Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s gravesite.
The BJE/FMAMS alumni members left the evening with a new and renewed sense of holiness.
For more information about the BJE/Melton Alumni Association, please contact Rolly Cohen at 847-291-7788 x1304 or rolly@bjechicago.org.