To the editors:

I would like to thank everyone who participated in the second course developed for synagogues by Jewish Theological Seminary — Beyond Dispute: Debates that Shape Jewish Life. Thank you, Rabbi Capela, for your preparation, for the wisdom of your teaching, and for the adaptations you made to make the last four sessions timely and relevant. Thanks to Andrea Blaga for making sure each participant had access to the videos and the sources. And thanks to all the stalwarts who attended any or all of the sessions, devoting a good-sized chunk of their Sundays for 12 weeks.

We learned about perennial issues that constitute the core of Judaism, issues that were often posed dichotomously but, when studied, revealed their complexity and led us to understand context and circumstance. As we considered these issues and the opposing views within Judaism, we read a variety of sources — biblical commandments, Talmudic discussions, medieval arguments, and contemporary opinions, all in the process of learning much about Jewish history. In all, we deepened our understanding of Judaism, our core values, and when and how beliefs may be modified. Beyond Dispute showed us how past authorities had heard each other and how balance was sought, all in the spirit of “argument for the sake of Heaven.”

Personally, I felt we enriched each other by sharing the material, our views, and our lives as we came to know each other more fully. For me and, I hope, for all participants, the purpose of the course was fulfilled.

 

Ann Hurwitz

Sponsor of the JTS course for our shul