Talmud Study now Mandatory in South Korea
The following fascinating article was translated by The Muqata from YNET.
| The photo above of a Talmud translated into Koreanis courtesy of the South Korean Embassy to Israel. | |
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Close to 50 million people live in South Koreaand everyone learns Gemara (Talmud) in school. "We tried to understand why the Jews are geniusesand we came to the conclusion that it is because they study Talmud" said the Korean ambassador to Israel. And this is how "Rav Papa" became a more well known scholar in Korea than in Israel.
It is doubtful if the Amoraic scholarsAbbaye and Rava imagined their discussions of Jewish law in the Beit Midrash in Babylon would be taught hundreds of years later in East Asia. Yet it turns out that the laws of an "egg born on a holiday" ("ביצה שנולדה ביום טוב") is actually very interesting to the South Koreans who have required that Talmud study be part of their compulsory school curriculum.
Almost every home in South Korea now contains a Korean-translated Talmud. But unlike in Israelthe Korean mothers teach the Talmud to their children. In a country of close to 49 million people who believe in Buddhism and Christianitythere are more people who read the Talmud - or at least own their own copy at home - more than in the Jewish state. Much more.
"So we too will become geniuses"
"We were very curious about the high academic achievements of the Jews" explains Israel's ambassador to South KoreaYoung Sam Mahthat was a host on the program "culture today."
"Jews have a high percentage of Nobel laureates in all fields: literaturescience and economics. This is a remarkable achievement. We tried to understand what is the secret of the Jewish people? How they - more than other people - are able to reach those impressive accomplishments? Why are Jews so intelligent? The conclusion we arrived at is that one of your secrets is that you study the Talmud."
"Jews study the Talmud at a young ageand it helps themin our opinionto develop mental capabilities. This understanding led us to teach our children as well. We believe that if we teach our children Talmudthey will also become geniuses. This is what stands behind the rationale of introducing Talmud Study to our school curriculum."
Young says that he himself studied the Talmud at a very young age: "It is considered very significant study" he emphasized. The result is that more Koreans have Talmud sets in their homes than Jews in Israel.
"Ifor examplehave two sets of the Talmud: the one my wife bought meand the second was a gift from my mother."
Groupies of Jews
Koreans don't only like the Talmud because they see it as promoting geniusbut because they found values that are close to their hearts.
"In the Jewish traditionfamily values are important" explains the South Korean Ambassador.
"You see it even todayyour practice of the Friday evening family meal. In my country we also focus on family values. The respect for adultsrespect and appreciation for the elderly parallels the high esteem in my country for the elderly."
Another very significant issue is the respect for education. In the Jewish tradition parents have a duty to teach their childrenand they devote to it lots of attention. For Korean parentstheir children's education is a top priority. (YNET)
The photo above of a Talmud translated into Koreanis courtesy of the South Korean Embassy to Israel.
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