The revolution. Babylonian Talmud
צילום: מיכה דומאן. באדיבות מרכז חב"ד ת"א
Talmud revolution
A hot new trend is sweeping the secular-Israeli business world – Gemara lessons, as leading firms offer employees daily classes of Babylonian Talmud
A growing number of Israeli firms hold daily Gemara (the part of the Talmud that contains rabbinical commentaries and analysis of its predecessor, the Mishnah) classes. Sounds like fiction? Not really. Leading private and government firms including Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, the Israel Electric Corp and the Israeli Diamond Exchange are responsible for the surprising trend.
Fueling this revolution is the Meorot organization that offers about five-hundred classes a day throughout the country.
Rabbi Haim David Kovalsky, who heads the organization, gives private lessons to senior businessmen.
Kovalsky, a Haredi Rabbi from Bnei Brak and the father of 13, finds a way in to the hearts of many from all walks of life and to put Jewish tradition in modern context.
Meorot also takes advantage of the internet: The organization's website, features daily videos in four languages and attracts tens of thousands of Jews from dozens of countries.
Two of Meorot's recent projects are also gaining popularity in both the religious and secular sectors: "Veten" a booklet that was edited to allow daily study of six-ten minutes of Mishna and Halacha; and "Meorot HaShabbat" in which all the Shabbat laws are organized in a way that encourages family discussion over the Shabbat table.
