More than 350 people attended a program at Congregation B'nai Tzedek on Sunday, March 26, in celebration of the dedication of a Talmud donated by Dalbert and Nancy Ginsberg and family, in memory of their parents, Elliott Pollock and Isaac Ginsberg.
The Talmud is a compilation of ancient rabbinical scholarship that is considered the authority on Jewish law.
Participants attended educational workshops taught by scholars and community rabbis. The workshops were: "Jesus in the Talmud" with Rabbi Jacob Halpern; "Women in the Talmud" with Ita Paskind; "A Demonstration of Talmud Discussion and Disputation," with Rabbi Yaakov Lipsky; "The Talmud, Codes and Response: Evolution of Jewish Law," with Rabbi Benjamin Mintz; and the "History of the Talmud," with Rabbi Aryeh Silver.
Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt of Congregation B'nai Tzedek commented, "It is not unusual for a synagogue to hold a special dedication ceremony when a Torah is donated. But, it is unusual to do so when a Talmud is presented. I wanted to use this as an opportunity to help educate our congregation and community about the importance and centrality of the Talmud for the Jewish people.
Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz, Rabbi of the Woodside Synagogue in Silver Spring, Laureate Scholar and a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, delivered the keynote address entitled, "What is the Talmud and Why Should We Care."