Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

138
Tazria
South Koreans and the Study of Torah She-ba’al Peh
Rav Michael Cytrin
T he following story is so utterly implausible that it might actually be true. On
March 27, 2011, an article appeared on Y-Net, an Israeli e-paper, stating that South
Korea has adopted the study of Talmud as part of its national curriculum of study for
students. Why would this East Asian country be interested in the study of Talmud?
The South Koreans noted that there is an extraordinarily high percentage of Jews
who have received the Nobel Prize in a wide variety of fields, and have attributed this
“Jewish genius” to the study of Talmud.
Extraordinary! The South Koreans used a simple formula to reach their conclusion:
1) Jews have contributed to the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, economics,
literature, etc. disproportionately to their representation in the overall population. Or,
simply put, “Jews are geniuses.”
2) The source of their success is the study of Talmud.
3) Therefore, we South Koreans, in order to replicate their success, should also adopt
the study of Talmud.
The problem is that only a “goyishe kop” could conclude that the learning of Talmud
will give one a “yiddishe kop!”
Is the learning of Talmud merely the amassing of data or collecting legal factoids? “If
your ox which caused damage is a “tam” then you will pay only half-damages, but if