FEBRUARY 8 • 2024 | 31

R

eading the Talmud in 
full, or the central text 
of Rabbinic Judaism, 
is no easy feat. 
Rabbi Menachem Caytak 
of Chabad Jewish Center 
of Troy explains that with 
an accelerated pace, you 
can complete the Talmud 
in roughly seven years by 
reading one page per day 
— which includes both 
analyzing and interpreting 
the complex material.
However, a surprise 
donation acquired by Chabad 
Jewish Center of Troy has 
made this goal attainable 
for Metro Detroit eastside 
community members wishing 
to study the Talmud.
When Rochester-based 
Todd Greenbaum, a Jewish 
community member who’s 
involved with Chabad Jewish 
Center of Troy, walked 
into Rochester Hills Public 
Library, where he volunteers, 
he was surprised to learn that 
an anonymous donor had 
dropped off a nearly complete 
set of the Talmud. Out of 70 
books, only four books were 
missing.
Right away, Greenbaum 
called Caytak and expressed 
his interest in helping to 
bring the nearly brand-new 
set to the Chabad house in 
Troy.
“Having met with and 
attended services at Chabad 
Jewish Center of Troy 
with Rabbi Menachem, I 

immediately contacted the 
rabbi,” Greenbaum, who is 
retired and has lived and 
worked in Rochester for more 
than 44 years, explains. “His 
love for books is like a kid in 
a candy shop. He was very 
interested in the set.”
After negotiating with 
Rochester Hills Public 
Library and paying a nominal 
fee, Caytak was able to bring 
all 66 books back to Chabad 
Jewish Center of Troy, which 
filled eight heavy boxes. To 
complete the set, Greenbaum 
purchased the four remaining 
books on his own so that the 
organization would have a 
full set for the community.

“We were pleased to see 
the set of books find a good 
home for the congregation 
to study and share in the 
knowledge of the Talmud,” 
Greenbaum says.
Caytak calls Chabad 
Jewish Center of Troy the “de 
facto” Jewish organization in 
the area, making it a great 
location to house the Talmud 
set. “There’s not much else 
out here,” he says in terms of 
Jewish organizations on the 
eastside of Metro Detroit.
For the community, it’s a 
huge win. “The Talmud is 
really the most important 
book after the Torah,” 
explains Caytak, who 

studies it on his own and 
with interested community 
members. “It’s really 
everything. The whole of 
Judaism is discussed in the 
Talmud.”
The Talmud is also 
translated into English, which 
makes it applicable for all 
individuals, including those 
who don’t have a Hebrew 
language background.
Caytak says his “teacher,” 
the Lubavitcher Rebbe 
Menachem Mendel 
Schneerson of blessed 
memory, would explain that 
“a beautiful book is a worn 
book,” meaning a book that 
has had a lot of use and love 
is a book that’s served its 
purpose.
Given that the donated 
Talmud is a nearly brand-new 
set, Caytak is motivated to 
turn the seldom-used set into 
a “beautiful book,” as set by 
the Rebbe’s unique definition.
“This will enable us to 
continue to make the Talmud 
accessible for everybody, 
which is really part of our 
mission to make Judaism 
accessible for everyone,” 
Caytak says. “It’s a lifetime’s 
work to go through the entire 
Talmud.”
Caytak explains that 
studying the Talmud is 
something anyone can do. 
“It’s an amazing work,” 
he says, “and is for anybody 
looking to really immerse 
themselves in Judaism.” 

Chabad Jewish Center of Troy acquires an 
anonymous donation of a nearly complete Talmud set.
A Win for the Community

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Todd Greenbaum, Ann Gruenewald, 
book sale coordinator, and Rabbi 
Menachem Caytak

