By Aryeh Savir
SHA’ALABIM, Israel — Charlie Park, Vice President of Samsung Korea, visited an Israeli Yeshiva at Sha’alabim last week. He was accompanied by a South Korean camera crew. Their objective was to document how students study Talmud at the Yeshiva. Park met with the program directors and with students.
The South Koreans have developed a fascination with the study of Talmud. The country’s ambassador to Israel, Ma Young-Sam, has told the “Culture Today” TV show that Talmud study is now a mandatory part of the country’s school curriculum. In addition, it is said, almost every home in South Korea boasts a Korean version of the Talmud, and mothers commonly teach it to their children, who call it the “Light of Knowledge.”
Young-Sam explained that “We were very curious about the high academic achievements of the Jews. Jews have a high percentage of Nobel laureates in all fields – literature, science and economics. This is a remarkable achievement. We tried to understand: What is the secret of the Jewish people? How are they, more than other people, able to reach those impressive accomplishments? Why are Jews so intelligent? The conclusion we arrived at is that one of your secrets is that you study the Talmud… We believe that if we teach our children Talmud, they will also become geniuses. This is what stands behind the rationale of introducing Talmud study to our school curriculum. I, for example, have two sets of the Talmud,” the ambassador said. “The one my wife bought me, and the second was a gift from my mother.”
Parker was at the Yeshiva to get a first-hand account of this wonder. He stated he was in Israel to review possible requisitions of Israeli startup companies by Samsung.
While touring the Beit Midrash, the study hall, he said he now felt he understood “the growing grounds” of the Jewish genius.
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Preceding provided by Tazpit News Agency