The Kansas City Jewish Community has made a big impression on Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. So much so that the rabbi, whose book “Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History” is the most widely selling book on Judaism in the past two decades, is coming back here to be the keynote speaker at the community’s annual all-night Shavuot celebration on Saturday, May 26, at Kehilath Israel Synagogue.

More than 500 people came to hear Rabbi Telushkin when he was here three years ago. As Rabbinical Assocation President Rabbi Herbert Mandl describes it, it was a standing-room only crowd.

“I did this a few years ago and I had a very nice turnout so I’m very much looking forward to coming back to Kansas City,” Rabbi Telushkin said in a telephone interview last week.

“It was an extraordinary experience. I go and I speak in many communities but it’s very moving to have so many people in attendance. I hope it happens again,” he said.

The event greatly appeals to Rabbi Telushkin because it is sponsored by the Rabbinical Association and a variety of congregations from all the movements.

“It’s always moving when you feel you are coming to a community and speaking to different communities. Obviously when you speak at just one synagogue you are more limited to the nature of the outreach you are doing,” he said.

“I really had a wonderful experience here before. To be able to speak on a higher level as one can and to feel that people are really being reached is a dream for a speaker,” he continued.

Rabbi Telushkin was ordained at Yeshiva University in New York, and pursued graduate studies in Jewish history at Columbia University. He resides in New York City with his wife, Dvorah Menashe Telushkin, and their four children.

He lectures throughout the United States, serves as a senior associate of CLAL, is on the board of directors of the Jewish Book Council and is spiritual leader of the Synagogue for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

Rabbi Telushkin’s Shavuot topic will be “Seven Lessons from a 2,000 Year Old Rabbi That Still Matter for all Jews Today.” The 2,000-year-old rabbi he is referring to is Hillel. Rabbi Telushkin believes that many of Hillel’s teachings “remain exceedingly relevant” today.

“We’ll start with his most famous teaching where a non-Jew approaches him and he defines the essence of Judaism for this non-Jew by saying ‘what’s hateful unto you don’t do unto your neighbor. This is the whole Torah, the rest is commentary now go and study.’

“So he really takes seriously the pre-eminent significance of the ethical in Judaism. What makes that clear is that the non-Jew did not ask him ‘Oh tell me about Judaism while I’m standing on one foot.’ He said, ‘Convert me to Judaism on the condition that you can explain it to me while I’m standing on one foot.’ So this is a question, almost in a legal form, coming from a would-be convert. So Hillel very much takes the essence of Judaism on that and that’s one of about seven examples that I want to give.”

Rabbi Telushkin said that even within that example there are other interesting parameters he will discuss.

“One is why doesn’t he choose a verse like love your neighbor as yourself? Why does he come up with his own formulation and a negative formulation — what’s hateful unto you? What’s the reason he chooses to do that?”

That’s just a taste of what Rabbi Telushkin will discuss for about 45 minutes. He usually follows his prepared remarks with a question and answer session.

Many of the special presenters at the annual Shavuot program choose not to participate in additional study sessions throughout the night. Unlike those speakers, Rabbi Telushkin plans to participate in the study sessions and is looking forward to it.

“I am actually speaking three times. The speech on Hillel will happen at 10:30. Another speech is at 1:45 in the morning and another speech will be about 3:30 in the morning. That can knock a person out for a couple of days,” he said.

The all-night study session, Rabbi Telushkin said, is an old Jewish tradition.

“In recent years it’s getting a little more popular. I think people are attracted by the unusual nature of staying up all night and studying. Though admittedly the last time I was there I had literally 500 or more people there at my first talk, but I’m not going to have a crowd of nearly that size at 3:30 or 3:45 in the morning. But people try and do it and it’s very moving that people do. Since the holiday celebrates the giving of the Torah, it’s that appreciation of the Torah that they are acting out on that day.”

The world-famous author, who was named by Talk Magazine as one of the 50 best speakers in the United States, most recently published “Telushkinisms: Wisdoms to the Point,” in late February.

“It’s the first book I have really coming out as an Internet book. It gives a variety of thoughts of mine on different subjects,” he explained.

For the past two years he’s been working on a book about the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. He hopes to have it finished in about a year. He chose to write about the Rebbe because he was a rabbinic figure who had an extraordinary outreach.

“He took over a small movement in 1951 and he turned it into this extraordinarily dynamic movement. As far as I can understand he was supervising the first attempt in all of Jewish history to try to reach every Jewish community in the world. I want to try to come to an understanding of what motivated him to do this and how did he influence so many people to follow his lead,” Rabbi Telushkin said.

“It’s really a study in leadership and in this instance of an exceedingly dynamic and influential leader,” he continued.

All-night Shavuot program

The community’s annual all-night Shavuot celebration begins at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 26, at Kehilath Israel Synagogue.
Two Mincha services will be held at 8:30 p.m., a traditional and a learner’s service. A dairy buffet will follow at 9:30 p.m. The keynote speech, will be given at 10:30 p.m. Study sessions and teen activities will be offered throughout the night. The event will conclude with a sunrise service and breakfast.

Participants may attend all or some of the activities. There is no charge for the study sessions, however reservations are requested. This program is cosponsored by The Rabbinical Association of Greater KC and area congregations and funded by the Frank Morgan Fund and Goldie Chalet Fund of Kehilath Israel Synagogue.

Reservations for the dairy buffet are required. For more information regarding the cost or to make reservations, contact Annette Fish, administrator/program director for the Rabbinical Association, or 913-327-4622 or visit www.kcrabbis.org.