Talmud Class: Wisdom - What Does It Look Like, and Where Can We Get It?

Wisdom. We could all use it now. Many of us had hoped and prayed for a better 2024, a happier 2024, a more peaceful 2024. But now that we are in 2024, we are faced with the same stubborn challenges of 2023, deepened. The election cycle in America. The ongoing war in Israel and Gaza and the simmering threat of war with Hezbollah. 

Ongoing tensions on our college campuses, including one five miles from Temple Emanuel. In the face of all this complexity, what might wisdom look like, and where could we get it? 

Today we examine two classic Jewish stories on wisdom: Solomon, who urges splitting the baby down the middle, in response to two women who each claim to be the mother, and Joseph, who plans for the lean years during the years of abundance. Both the Bible itself, and the rabbinic tradition, link these stories. What is the relationship between Solomon’s wisdom and Joseph’s wisdom, and what does each offer us now?