Brandýs n/Labem

Permanent exhibition “The Roots of Judaism: Rabbinical Literature and Scholarship”

Contemporary movements of Judaism are based on classical Rabbinical Judaism, which developed in the first centuries AD. However, Rabbinical Judaism is based on even older, primarily Biblical sources. Today’s Judaism, which includes the Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Liberal and other movements, is the result of developments that took place over the span of three millennia. During this period, Jewish culture and religious practice underwent many transformations. This was not only due to the changing times, which affected all cultures, but also due to the fact that since ancient times the Jewish population has been scattered and in the minority – the Diaspora. The exhibition aims to present the most important texts in classical Rabbinical literature, including their foundations and social establishment. The Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash and most important liturgical texts brought Jewish society together for generations and represented fertile ground that nourished the dispersed, often subjugated and poor communities. Jewish literature is an open collection of books that enter into a centuries-long mutual dialogue, inviting scholarship and authorship of further books. The exhibition shows a mere sample of the vast wealth of Jewish literature and the ways in which its basic sources influenced everyday life and thinking in Jewish society. May it be an inspiration to the visitor and invitation to learn more about past and present Jewish culture. As Rabbi Tarfon once said, “The day is short, the work is much ... It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task, but neither are you free to absolve yourself from it.” (Pirkei avot 2,15–16)