Beverly Cleary is turning
100. (Her birthday is April 12.)
The noted children’s author has sold 85
million copies of her books about Ramona, Henry Huggins, Ralph S. Mouse, and
other beloved figures. Nicholas Kristof
wrote a very nice article
about her in the New York Times.
Cleary was born in Yamhill,
Oregon, a small town with a population of about 1,000. She says that when she goes back to Yamhill,
everything seems the same as ever - except that now the kids aren’t playing in
the streets but are inside watching television.
Kristof writes:
There’s something to that. On any given day, American
children ages 8 to 12 consume almost six hours of entertainment, such as
television, video games and social media, according to polling by Common Sense
Media. Aside from schoolwork, 57 percent of those kids typically don’t read at
all.
We measure child poverty by household income, but a
better metric might be how often a child hears stories read aloud. To honor
Cleary’s birthday, school organizations are calling on kids and parents to
“drop everything and read.”
I like that initiative. We should be much more willing to drop
everything and read – and learn and study.
We are rapidly approaching our
annual retelling of a most important story. As we recount the birth of the Jewish nation
and the immortal words, “Let My people go!” we should update the mission to
include the imperative, “Let our people know!”
At the recent AIPAC Policy
Conference, Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg raised the growing
problem of young people being less connected to Israel than their parents. He said that addressing this issue will
require more than pro-Israel advocacy and hasbara. It will require Jewish literacy.
He is right. How can we expect young
Jews to feel a special connection to the Jewish state if they have never
studied the texts that describe the importance of Israel?
We need to let our people know! We need to strengthen our own connection to
study and acquire Jewish knowledge.
There is a long tradition that
Jews are expected to know. Almost 2,000 years ago, Josephus wrote: “Should
anyone of our nation be asked about our laws, he will repeat them as readily as
his own name. The result of our thorough education in our laws from the very
dawn of intelligence is that they are, as it were, engraved on our souls.”
Halevai!
Things may have changed since the
time of Josephus, but Jews are expected to have some knowledge. Rabbi Jonathan
Sacks writes:
Can you be an educated Jew without at least a basic
familiarity with Tanakh and Talmud, the classic Torah commentaries, the poetry
of Judah Halevi, the philosophy of Maimonides, and the history of the Jewish
people? Jews in Eastern Europe used to say, “To be an apikores (heretic)
is understandable, but to be an am ha’aretz (ignoramus) is
unforgiveable”.
David Suissa, editor of the Los
Angeles Jewish Journal had a great line in an article entitled “Dumbing
Down Judaism.” He said our very
creative and innovative efforts at transmitting Judaism are “nurturing a
generation of Jewish noshers who only want to lick the icing off the Jewish
cake.” This leads to the creation of Jewish consumers and not thinkers.
Let’s stop noshing!
Let’s not only focus on the
experience; let’s encourage more learning of the source material. We need to study “it” and not just about “it.”
Let’s hit the books! We may not master all the texts we need to,
but we can commit to something. Regular text study strengthens the bonds we
create with Judaism. This will not only educate but help ensure a strong
connection to Judaism.
Where can we start? I would like to propose you join me in
studying Mishnah Yomit. Sign up here!
Developed by Rabbi Yonah Shtenzel,
who was born in Poland and moved to Tel Aviv in 1935, participants in Mishnah
Yomit study just two mishnayot a day, and, in just 6 years, learn all 4,192
Mishnayot. This study cycle provides a
realistic way for every person to become familiar with the concepts in the
Mishnah and have the accomplishment of finishing the six orders of Mishnayot.
Think about it. In just minutes a
day, people will engage the text that is the basis for Talmud and Jewish law. And, in just 6 years, achieve a significant
Torah learning milestone. It’s very
easy. Too easy. You can have it emailed to you by
the OU or you can listen to it online.
We are blessed to, thank God,
live at a time with such robust Jewish life. We should be proud of all we do Jewishly and
all that we support and make possible. At
the same time, we should never stop thinking about how to sustain our Jewish
connection and that of our children and grandchildren.
Leon Wieseltier, writer, author,
and critic, is a big believer in Jewish literacy – especially Hebrew language. He writes:
We cannot teach our children what to believe; or
rather, we can try to teach them what to believe, but we can never be certain
of the success of our effort. They will
believe what they wish to believe…
If we cannot make sure that we will be followed by
believing Jews, we certainly can be sure that we will be followed by competent
Jews. Indeed, competence leaves a Jew
favorably disposed to conviction. A
competent Jew is not destroyed by his questions, because he can look for the
answers himself. He, or she, has the tools.
Ignorance, I think, is much more damaging than
heresy.
We have so many opportunities to
study (like Daf Yomi or the daily study of Kitzur Shulchan Aruch or Chumash). Let us commit to engage in, at least, one
small daily opportunity. It will
strengthen our connection to our past and help ensure our future.
Let our people know!
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