Dear Friends:
While the Talmud is often considered to be a compendium of legal materials -- and it certainly serves that function -- it also contains vast amounts of what is known as aggada. Aggada is non-legal materials such as stories and legends. There are countless stories about the great Sages of the past, what they did and how they behaved.
While this material does not prescribe our behavior per se, it often can give us valuable insights into how we should behave. Tomorrow night for adult education after minyan, I will lead us through three stories from the Talmud that I have translated, which I think can give us clues as to how leaders should behave. When should a leader be firm and unyielding, come what may, and when should he or she be more flexible? How do you let somebody know that while you respect them, you do not agree with their perspective? How do we preserve unity when there are differing opinions?
I hope you will join me. A link to the texts we will study can be found here.
As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. You do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building.
As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org or 301-977-0768 rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment. I have been spending more time in the synagogue recently but if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by.
Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant who could use a phone call, please let me know.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian