Earlier this month, Congregation Rinat Yisrael hosted acclaimed author Ilana Kurshan, who shared thoughts about her best-selling book and memoir, “If All the Seas Were Ink.” In addition to talking about the book, Kurshan spoke about her life, her Talmud studies and the spiritual journey she’s been on. Following her speech, Kurshan was on hand to greet attendees and sign her book.
“If All the Seas Were Ink” is described as “an exploration of the surprising and poignant intersections between the Talmud [Kurshan] learned each day and her own journey through divorce, aliyah, dating, marriage and motherhood.” According to Kurshan, the title comes from “a trope that appears throughout Rabbinic literature,” and she first encountered it while learning with a friend in a cafe in Israel. The term was striking to Kurshan, and came from Rabbi Eliezer, who said “If all the seas were ink and all the reefs pens, and the heavens and earth scrolls and all of mankind scribes, they would not suffice to write all the Torot I have learned, and yet I have diminished no more from it than a man would take by dipping a small vial into the sea.”
“Torah is as vast as the sea, and each time we learn we are taking in only as much as could fill a small vial dipped into a vast portion,” Kurshan explained. “And yet, Torah is infinite, so when we study [it] we do not diminish it, we are rather increasing and replenishing the beauty and light in the world. It took me a long time to learn this lesson.”
During her speech, Kurshan mentioned that it was her learnings with Daf Yomi that carried her through her days, both the happy and sad ones. Some of the points she touched on include feminism in the Torah, her relationships with her children and God and how she was healed through learning and studying the text. “Torah cannot be studied in a vacuum,” Kurshan shared. “To learn Torah, you have to be willing to make yourself vulnerable. You have to summon the courage to let the text resonate in the darkest recesses of your soul in the hope that the text will illuminate your soul, and your soul in turn will illuminate the text. I have bared much of my soul in my book, but I hope that doing so will inspire you to read your life into the text of our traditions and to appropriate these texts into your life.”
“If All The Seas Were Ink” was released in September and has been received with widespread acclaim, including with a positive review in this publication by David E. Y. Sarna. Multiple media outlets have reviewed the book, with most commenting that Kurshan’s honest and earnest writing voice is what sets it aside.
“When a woman as incredibly well-read as Ilana Kurshan commits herself to studying the Talmud daily for seven-and-a-half years, the results are mind-expanding, both for her and for readers of ‘If All the Seas Were Ink,’” Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of “Jewish Literacy,” “Rebbe,” and “A Code of Jewish Ethics,” shared. “An utterly original book about the Talmud, long time students of Jewish texts will be reminded of precious talmudic passages they had forgotten, and newcomers will gain a sense of how much wisdom there is in this ancient, but very vibrant, text.”
The reaction to Kurshan’s speech in Teaneck was positive, with many attendees commenting on the incredible life she has lived. A line quickly formed by her book-signing table following her talk, and Kurshan greeted those who waited with a gracious smile and a grateful word.
In addition to “If All The Seas Were Ink,” Kurshan is also the author of “Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights?: The Four Questions Around the World,” which is a compilation of 23 translations of the Pesach seder’s four questions. It was released in 2008. If you would like to learn more about Kurshan’s life and books, you can check out her website at https://ilanakurshan.com/
By Adam Samuel
Adam Samuel is a journalist from Teaneck. When he isn’t busy reading the daily news, he divides his time between managing his blog, adamssoapbox.blog, and gradually learning how to play piano.
