We can learn an important lesson from a turbulent moment in the history of European Talmudic academies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 19th century saw the birth of the Mussar movement, a new style of Talmud study. This innovation was not always met with enthusiasm. In one particular Lithuanian yeshiva, a school of Talmud study, a new, charismatic teacher was hired to introduce Mussar study into the curriculum. Despite his dynamic, energetic personality, fierce opposition erupted. It was an uproar. He was forced to leave, and the yeshiva had to close down temporarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His replacement, Rabbi Katz, was cut from a different cloth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rabbi Katz was a more soft-spoken person with a low-key approach. Unlike his more vociferous predecessor, Rabbi Katz was able to accomplish the task. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Put yourself in Rabbi Katz\u2019s shoes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imagine that everyone is a passionate student in your yeshiva with their own sense of right and wrong. Your <\/em>job is to gently steer them back on track. Not with long, impassioned speeches or by brow-beating them into accepting your opinion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your job is to remain calm, speak softly, and maintain a gentle demeanor. That\u2019s the way a shalom personality handles a minefield of explosive personalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s an interesting expression that we use when we ask for shalom. We say \u201csim shalom\u201d which means \u201cto place\u201d peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Why use the phrase \u201cto place\u201d when referring to peace?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, the same phrase \u201cto place\u201d appears in the Torah, regarding removal of the ashes from the altar. When cleaning up the altar, \u201cto place\u201d the ashes means to move them gently so that they don\u2019t scatter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s the way we cultivate peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gently, so that we don\u2019t scatter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a world of strong opinions, with factions lining up on the battlefield of every important issue, we have to exercise our shalom personality to remain calm and to speak gently \u2014 \u201cto place\u201d peace without causing everyone to fly away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Try this today: If you find yourself on the verge of a tense and heated conversation, remain calm and speak gently to get your point across and prevent a meltdown.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We can learn an important lesson from a turbulent moment in the history of European Talmudic academies. The 19th century saw the birth of the Mussar movement, a new style of Talmud study<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-815","daily-lesson","type-daily-lesson","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-normal"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n