It sounds simple enough. Write a five- to eight-page paper on the topic, “What is the value of rabbinics to today’s messianic believer?” using Rabbi Akiba’s Messiah: The Origins of Rabbinic Authority by Dan Gruber as a primary source. Yet picking out an HDMI cable that will work seamlessly between a PlayStation 3 and a 1080p HDTV would in many ways be an easier task.
Yet the assignment’s simplicity is deceptive. Sure, I can pump out a paper of that length in a matter of a few hours, but the point is to prove I’ve mastered the reading material. More than that, even, is to prove to myself that I understand the material enough to have an informed opinion on it.
That’s not easy; with this topic – the origins of rabbinics – I am out of my familiar territory. Much of the information is fresh and new to me. The next class – the Church and the Jews – won’t be quite so alien. I could almost write the paper now. Not so with this one.
Although it may not seem like it, even this first class is vitally important. It very easily could determine much of my doctrinal outlook on rabbinics. It’s going to require some deep thought.
Tags: Dan Gruber, HDMI cable, Rabbi Akiba's Messiah, rabbinics