Sitcom lures Jewish teens to Talmud study

Neil Postman, the author of "Amusing Ourselves to Death" -- a book analyzing public discourse in the television and entertainment age -- might be interested in the approach a local rabbi is using to instruct Jewish teenagers.

Rabbi Felipe Goodman of Temple Beth Shalom is using storylines from the NBC sitcom "Friends" to lure in and teach Jewish teenagers the readings of the Talmud, which serves as the basis for the body of Jewish law.

"We're trying to teach teenagers the ancient text of Judaism," Goodman said. "But if you say, 'We're going to study the Talmud,' no one would come."

The group met for the first time last Thursday to discuss the topic of charity, an issue that was also addressed on Thursday's episode of "Friends." Joey, a character on the show who's an actor in search of work, volunteers to work a PBS telethon hoping for television exposure. When his actions are chastised by another character on the show, he states that there is no such thing as a selfless good deed.

Before the show, Goodman led the group of 14- to 17-year-olds through an excerpt from the Talmud on the different kinds of charity.

"The younger generation looks at the Talmud as something that is obsolete and out of date that doesn't apply to their lives," Goodman said. "If you look at a lot of these episodes, there are a lot of themes you can take advantage of."

The idea to use the sitcom came from Melissa Mayon, a local youth who attended a regional events conference where another group mentioned the use of the sitcom as a way to organize a study.

"It's a good way to get people to come," Mayon said. "This is the first time we've done this."

"It showed in a visual way everything that was in writing," said 16-year-old D.J. Sinai who attended the study. "It's like a 20th-century version of what was written."

The series will continue until summer, meeting the second Thursday of each month.

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