As Christians look to their Hebrew roots they find more and more things that have been lost due to turning from the Jewish culture in an attempt to distance themselves from all things Jewish.  This anti-Semitic action resulted in a loss of lifestyle that encouraged constant learning of G-d’s ways and plans in our lives.  One of these lost items was the Beit Midrash. 

 

The synagogue was not a replacement of the temple where sacrifices were made, nor was it designed as a place of worship.  The synagogue was a place of learning and studying G-d’s word.  To this day, attached to every synagogue is a place devoted to the study of sacred writings and Holy Scripture.  This area is called the Beit Midrash, the house of learning or study.  Midrash literally means investigation.

 

Anyone who has been in a good college course knows that some of the best learning happens through the open exchange of thoughts and ideas that encourage all participants to look for deeper meanings.

 

This is the model of Bible study that comes from the Jewish yeshiva.  The opportunity to engage in dialog and sometimes heated discussions is a stimulating and necessary part of deeper learning in both the intellectual and spiritual growth of followers of the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

 

Doing away with Beit Midrash frequently results in churches with a “unity” of thought and lack of growth.

 

A typical Christian Bible study has separated people by age levels to “speak to them where they are.”  A leader takes a guide and works as the facilitator of the author’s ideas to spoon feed it to those in attendance.  Usually any questions are answered in the style of a "more learned" person who is  bestowing his/her wisdom and insights to those in attendance, who normally just sit and take it in.

Let’s compare this to a Beit Midrash.

 

Disciples (someone who honestly wants to learn, grow, and change into the image of the L-rd) share a single verse from the Tanach (Old Covenant). It is taken and allowed to go where ever the “rabbit trail” leads.  People of all ages freely give their impressions with equal respect given to young and old.

 

Respect does not mean lack of disagreement as discussions become loud and opinionated. There are interruptions for clarification of ideas shared.  The art of interruption is a very Jewish thing.  Everyone by the end is feeling tired but thrilled at the new insights gathered from such a vast array of people.    Through experience the group learns how to live within this G-dly friction.  The Rabbi or facilitator does little more than point out when emotions are getting the better of people and encouraging people to break into groups of two for a short while to gather thoughts and then come back together.  This is not a “Yes, we all believe the same thing and isn’t that boring” meeting because disagreements are not only allowed but they are encouraged.

 

We learn to learn from each other. We all need people in our lives that think differently than we do.  Remember what Paul wrote in

1 Cor 13:9: Each one only sees in part and knows in part.

 

The rabbis use the analogy that the word of G-d is like a rock and studying the rock is like hitting it with a hammer.  The small pieces fly off and land in the hands of those studying.  Each person can examine his/her piece of the rock and arrogantly and ignorantly argue that their piece of the rock is all there is to the rock and their little piece is the whole shape of the rock.  This is an absurd position held by many Christians, typical of most Christian Bible studies, and not typical of a Beit Midrash 

 

So next time you enter into study of the Word, invite a friend or acquaintance and start the ball rolling with the comment, “ I respect you enough and hold you in high enough regard to ask you to let me argue with you.” 

 

Shalom, Shalom. (Perfect peace that passes all understanding).

Standing Strong

A Messianic Jewish Congregation with an outreach to Believers in Israel

Beit Midrash—House of Study