Lessons in a Spiritual Odyssey

Ari Ringelheim and David Cohen sat across from each other at a table littered with papers and books in the sanctuary at the Toras Hashem synagogue in Valley Village.

Dressed conservatively in white shirts and dark pants, the young scholars vigorously debated a passage from the Talmud, the classic compendium of Jewish laws and commentaries that dates back 1,500 years.

Just as they have done for 14 hours a day, six days a week since September, Cohen, 22, of Hancock Park, and Ringelheim, 18, of New York, have delved into the sacred scriptures seeking answers to the complexities of life.

The young men’s yearlong spiritual odyssey concludes June 20 as they and 18 other Orthodox Jewish young men in the program complete their study of Talmudic teaching on property rights.

At a time when most young men their age are looking for jobs, planning for college or simply hanging out with friends, Cohen and Ringelheim say the daily study regimen has given them a deep personal satisfaction they cannot find anywhere else.

“I don’t feel like I am losing out on anything by not going to parties,” said Ringelheim, a broad-shouldered man with blond hair and emerging sideburns. “I believe that if you are doing what God wants you to do, that will give you the ultimate sense of satisfaction. You’ll be happier in this world and in the next; it’s a win-win.”

Cohen, a 1999 UCLA psychology graduate, is less circumspect about youthful social pursuits.

“They think they are having a fun time, but they are fooling themselves,” said Cohen, a serious man with intense dark eyes. “They have a blast, and the next day they have a hangover. The kind of happiness you get from studying the Talmud doesn’t leave you.”

After years of referring young men to out-of-state study programs because none existed locally, Rabbi Avrohom Stulberger, principal of Valley Torah High School, developed and launched a program last September.

“It is an intensive study with the purpose of developing one’s understanding of the Talmud,” Stulberger said, sitting in the synagogue sanctuary during a break.

Some students have requested academic credit while others have enrolled solely for personal enrichment. The $7,000 tuition covers instruction, meals and a room in a nearby apartment building on Chandler Boulevard at Whitsett Avenue.

The Valley Village program is different from one involving tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews around the world who study the identical portion of the Talmud each day. That program, called Daf Yomi, literally “A Page a Day,” takes 7 1/2 years to complete. The worldwide study was launched by Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Lublin, Poland, at an international gathering of Jewish leaders in Vienna in 1923 as a way to keep Orthodox Jewish tradition alive in a modern era.

“This program specifically for young men is unusual in that there aren’t many programs like this in the West,” said Rabbi Mark Diamond, executive vice president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, a Los Angeles-based coalition of 250 rabbis. “These types of programs are far more common in Israel and New York City.”

Young men devoting themselves to Talmudic learning perpetuate Orthodox Jewish traditions and values, Diamond said, adding he is not surprised that many are enrolled simply for the sake of learning.

“We live in a society in which we have attuned ourselves to learn solely for a grade or a degree,” Diamond said. “This is learning in the purest sense: learning for the sheer joy of learning.”

For 14 hours on Sundays through Thursdays and half days on Fridays and Saturdays--breaking only for meals--the students gather in the sanctuary to debate the issues raised in the ancient text. The Talmud is written in Aramaic, a language students must know before enrolling in the program.

A guidebook for daily living, the Talmud consists of interpretations of the Torah and teachings on virtually every aspect of Jewish life, ranging from family relationships to business dealings to dietary regulations.

Stulberger and co-teacher Rabbi Yochanan Weiner have spent the academic year guiding the students through the Talmud’s intricate teachings on property rights.

As the academic year winds to a close in two weeks, the students say they are experiencing feelings of pride in their accomplishments and sadness over saying goodbye to friends.

“I feel like I accomplished a lot this year,” said Cohen, whose plans are uncertain. “But the more I know, the more I realize there is to know. I feel like I am making strides.”

Ringelheim, who plans to become a rabbi, said he is grateful for the time he had to delve into Jewish law.

“It was a tough schedule, but the reason why you are able to do it is that you feel you are doing the right thing and you see growth,” he said. “There’s no greater feeling than getting clarity on an issue. You get a sense of satisfaction and that keeps you going.”