When a colleague asked me to share my thoughts about adult Jewish learning, I realized that I had a lot to say.  There are probably three reasons for this:  it’s something I care about deeply, I’ve had a good amount of experience both as learner and as teacher, and  I’ve seen many people get really excited about what they’ve learned. So, why isn’t everyone doing it?

Many adult Jews have heavy questions and real doubts about Judaism.  But they also find it hard to access the answers.  Sometimes they don’t know how or where to start. Often, however, it’s because they see themselves as outliers and subconsciously undermine themselves by putting up barriers and making excuses.

These folks couldn’t be more mistaken. Most “outliers” are really “inliers” these days. That means that feeling inadequate, having doubts, or being annoyed by something you’ve heard happens a lot. If you fall into one of these categories, I am asking you, respectfully, to get over it.  Stop apologizing for what you don’t know or fuming about what you read or heard.  The system probably failed you.  You are no different from many other adult Jews I run across and, if you are willing to get out of your comfort zone, you may very well be heartened by what you find out.

You may have already figured out that I think that Judaism is amazing and I passionately believe, that it is the best “product” around.  If you let it, this amazing wisdom and practice will be a source of support, guidance and joy.  No one can be passionate about being Jewish unless they actually know its ins and outs.

Once you finally start learning, I promise that you’ll find that Judaism is not what you think it is and that there is a comfortable place for you at the table.

This is what you need to know:

Now is the time.  Life-long learning and questioning are core to Judaism.   Bar Mitzvah or Confirmation is not the finish line. That is the age when we should just be getting started with substantive learning.  So sad that otherwise educated adults are frozen in infantile understandings of God or what those Bible stories mean.

 You can’t do it on your own.  Learning simply can’t come solely from reading.  Also, it’s not a solitary exercise.   Judaism is about community, so one needs to “do” Judaism in order to “get it.” When it comes to learning, remember that Jews invented the buddy system.

Get out of your comfort zone.  That’s they only way to grow.

Stop making excuses.   Perhaps you don’t believe that old man God in the sky, so you don’t see the point in study.  NOT.  Or perhaps you think study is useless because all religions are basically the same.  NOT. Judaism has a very different priorities that most other religions.  For instance, no death row salvations for our team!

 If you don’t know Hebrew, that’s really okay.  Hebrew certainly is a bridge to many things Jewish, but it can also be an insurmountable barrier that becomes an excuse for going no further.   I am a linguist and a pretty good Hebrew teacher, but I don’t believe that should be the primary focus that it is for many. Do get comfortable with terminology that confuses you.

Judaism is intellectually honest.  Asking questions and even arguing–that is the Jewish way. I don’t mean questions are tolerated. I mean they are expected. Differing opinions and differing conclusions are accepted and respected. Ask the rabbis of the Talmud.   

Ask those big questions. Insist on substance.  Ritual and holidays are important and concretize much of what it means to be Jewish, but Judaism does not end there.  It’s really the unique substantive and life altering concepts of Judaism that sets it apart from other religions. The world views and priorities of different religions are, in fact, quite different.  Ask a Jew by choice.  They’ll tell you.

Jewish texts aren’t scary. They are amazing. Text is core and the extraction of meaning is the Jewish way of learning.  It’s the place to start.  Study text in your comfort language.  True, translations are not perfect, but text study (and what we take away) is key to our identity and really connects us to our heritage.

Broaden your exposure This will take some creative thinking.   Often folks have a limited perspective on what Judaism is all about. They may be geographically limited or always read the same kinds of things.    Don’t ever let a single comment, a single article you read, or a single experience turn you off.  Broaden your perspective by reading articles from a broad  base of authors and by speaking with people who observe differently or are from a different  denomination.  If you can, attend services in other cities when you travel.

All religions are not the same.  The Jewish value system, our sense of purpose, our understanding of sin, our rules on how to behave, are very different from those of other religions and I know they will make you proud.  Our world view, our welcoming of questions and intellectual honesty are unique.  We even have built-in change mechanisms in order to adapt to modernity.

To really “learn Jewish” you need to “live Jewish.” Jewish learning at any stage needs to extend beyond books and classes.  Get yourself to a traditional wedding, a purim, a  Shabbat table , a house of mourning.