If There Is No Bread, There Is No Torah: The Other Careers of the Talmudic Rabbis
Part of the series, “Six Days Shall You Labor”: Perspectives on Work in Jewish Text and Tradition
We often think of the rabbis in the Talmud as having careers as full-time rabbis. However, numerous narrative traditions tell us about their other jobs and their financial struggles. If one cannot make a living learning Torah, how should we balance Torah with more mundane concerns? We’ll study some of these stories together and look at some models for lives that are enriched both by Torah and by work.
THIS SESSION IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY SUSAN AND STAN TENENBAUM
Learn how you can sponsor a Monday learning session. Contact learninglives@jtsa.edu.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Many of us spend more time at work than anywhere else over the course of our lives—but are we defined by what we do? In this text-based series, JTS scholars will explore ideas about the meaning of work and rest in Jewish tradition, Jewish social movements around work, as well as the roles that gender, geography, and shifting economic and social circumstances have played in Jews’ professional paths and our understandings of the meaning and value of work.
With Dr. Rachel Rosenthal, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, JTS.
