Decoding The Talmud

WHEN 
4 Tuesdays,
Starting 18 November 2025
8:00-9:30 pm
Instructor: Rabbi Mendy Ulman

LOCATION
Chabad of Bondi, 105 a Wellington St. Bondi NSW

MORE INFO
mendy@chabadofbondi.com
Call Rabbi Mendy 0468 922 336

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER
Seat Holder $60 | Couple $110
Non-Seat Holder: Single $80 | Couple $150

Light dinner will be served

DECODING THE TALMUD

Inside the Story, Substance, and Significance of the Book That Defines Judaism

Enter the intricate world of the Talmud: the monumental classic that has defined Jewish learning for centuries. Join this six-week course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute to discover the Talmud, its history, authors, and significance—and experience it for yourself.

You'll learn the key terms, logical principles, and historical context required to decode every part of the Talmudic page. Plus, see how it became central to Jewish life and why it inspires fascination, debate, and study today.

Lesson One
The Jewish People and the Talmud
Why Jewish life orbits a book of law.

Jewish law’s ultimate record is the Talmud, but what is Jewish law? Explore its nature, scope, and roots in the written Torah and Oral Law—and see learning’s central role in Jewish practice and culture.

Lesson Two
The Mishnah
The origins, authors, and contents of Judaism’s first legal code.

See how Jewish law shifted from oral tradition to written code and encounter the Mishnah’s precise style, tight structure, and tolerance for debate—and its spiritual significance in Jewish life.

Lesson Three
Decrypting the Mishnah and Creating the Talmud
How the sages studied, debated, and understood the Mishnah to structure and shape the Talmud 

Meet the pivotal sages in the Talmud’s story—from Rav and Shmuel’s first academies to Rav Ashi and Ravina’s final text—and see how they wove in stories as well as ethical and philosophical teachings. Discover the tools, methods, and principles the sages employed in the centuries-long effort to unpack the Mishnah’s full practical implications.

Lesson Four
How the Talmud Thinks
A unique method of logic—and why it matters.

Understand the Babylonian Talmud’s rigorous mode of legal reasoning, how it balances dueling principles to arrive at clear legal boundaries, and how its elegant logic fuels deeper learning.