| ‘A Day-away’ Events: Touching Genius: Saadiah Gaon And a Millennium of Babylonian Jewish Experience
We have journeyed across many centuries and miles to Sura of the 10th century with our fascinating guide, Natan HaBavli. He has introduced us to the culture he lived in, the world of the Babylonian Yeshiva, and given us insight into the personality of the great Gaon.
We have grappled with the thought of Saadiah by studying some of the texts he wrote. We discovered his radical innovations in the understanding of biblical text through the privilege of learning with the distinguished Bible scholar, Prof. Uriel Simon.
The amazing range of Saadiah's intellectual endeavors came alive to us as we “discovered†fragment after fragment from his diverse writings.
The talented Iraqi musicians, led by Elad Gabbay, delighted us with a debut of an original musical interpretation of Saddiah’s brilliant theory of the relationship between music and the stirring of man’s soul. They transported us to the world of old Baghdad as we learned to sing the ancient traditional melodies, which would have been current in Saadiah’s day.
We truly tasted the flavor of another world at the luscious buffet of Iraqi Jewish delicacies. We learned about the significance of each food and for which holiday it was special.
The gifted playwright and director of Jewish educational theater, Joyce Klein, brought to life Saadiah’s inner struggles as he fought fiercely with his many opponents for what he so deeply believed in.
The intricate world of Saadiah’s philosophical understanding of the Mitzvot was carefully clarified for us as Rabbi Daniel Landes, Pardes’s director, lead us through the texts Saadiah wrote and illuminated their meaning for us.
We were warmly received at the traditional Iraqi synagogue in Gilo as we joined them for the Mincha prayers in their carefully preserved nusach. This brought home the strength of the ongoing tradition of this tenacious edah.
We returned to “Baghdad†ready and willing to “learn more†about the savory scents we'd been smelling all day! We were greeted with an amazing spread of Iraqi cuisine. We wandered through the Iraqi market meeting a “spice merchant†who advised us on exactly which spices we should acquire for our ailments (and had them right at hand for us). We viewed the special exhibit and got a glimpse of the rich treasures that await us when we redeem our coupon to the wonderful Museum of Babylonian Jewry in Ohr Yehuda.
A full musical presentation by the Kedem ensemble accompanied our dinner and we were treated to fascinating tales of old Baghdad by the well known storyteller, Noa Barkai.
We departed with a much deepened understanding of this great Jewish leader, the world he lived in and the legacy he left.
This “A Day Away†was produced as a fundraising event for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.
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