Rabbi Mordechai Rotem, of Temple Rodef Sholom in Waco, holds one volume of the 20-volume Talmud that he was given when he was ordained in 1980. The book is written in Hebrew and Aramaic.
Duane A. Laverty/Waco Tribune-Herald

Who

Rabbi Mordechai Rotem, 63, of Waco’s Temple Rodef Sholom. He was born June 11, 1947, in Israel. He was ordained in 1980 as a Reform rabbi at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem.

“I was a class of one, so I have a great class picture,” Rotem said.

What

The Talmud, which is the central text of mainstream Judaism. It includes rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history.

How it was acquired

Rotem received his 20-edition copy of the Talmud from his former father-in-law as a gift upon his ordination. Each of the 20 books in Rotem’s Talmud weighs about 5 pounds. They are written in Hebrew and Aramaic.

A collection of discussions

Rotem described the Talmud as a collection of discussions on various issues. These include how people should live their lives in relationship to God, faith, parables and legends.

The Talmud elaborates on the Five Books of Moses, also known as the Pentateuch, which serve as the founding legal and ethical texts of Judaism.

“The Talmud is a huge ocean. Some of us know how to swim in it and others just stick their toe in it,” Rotem said.

The Five Books of Moses also have significance to Christians, who have accepted them as part of their Bible. The books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in the Old Testament.

Prayer books

The Jewish prayer book, also called a siddur, includes material from the Talmud but continues to evolve to include more recent material from various streams of Judaism. Neither the Jewish prayer book nor the Talmud is to be confused with the Hebrew Bible, which includes Scripture from Genesis to II Chronicles.

Background

Rotem said he was the first person born in Israel to be ordained as a Reform rabbi at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem.

He lived most of his life in Israel, but served in Puerto Rico from 2001-04, when he moved to Waco.

He said rabbis go through a process of placement in congregations and Temple Rodef Sholom was searching for a Reform rabbi.

“They heard about me and I heard about them,” he said. “We decided it would be a good match, and so it has been.”

Talmud class

Rotem said he will begin teaching a class for his congregation on the Talmud on Oct. 2.

Prayer of blessing

Rotem said a prayer of blessing for Baylor University President Ken Starr during an interfaith luncheon on Sept. 14 that brought together Christians, Muslims and Jews. He said the prayer first in Hebrew and then in English.