An adult TorahTutors student was interested in building skills to learn biblical commentaries on her own but had very limited Hebrew, so her tutor found ways to incorporate both basic Hebrew language study and an introduction to classical commentaries. Part of the strategy involved finding examples of each Hebrew lesson in the text of…
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There is a widespread custom to study a chapter of Pirkei Avot – a popular and particularly accessible tractate of Mishna – each week between Pesach and Shavuot. Known in English as Ethics of Our Fathers, Pirkei Avot contains many teachings that go beyond the letter of the law, offering guidance on character development that…
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Whether learning in person or online, it’s important to help students connect to what they learn in a variety of ways. One TorahTutors tutor recently did just that. In the course of learning the story of Chana, including her prayers before and after the birth of Shmuel, the tutor shared a song with Chana’s beautiful…
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There is a widespread custom to study a chapter of Pirkei Avot – a popular and particularly accessible tractate of Mishna – each week between Pesach and Shavuot. Known in English as Ethics of Our Fathers, Pirkei Avot contains many teachings that go beyond the letter of the law, offering guidance on character development that…
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The Gemara in Nedarim (45a) indicates that one can declare an item “hefker” (ownerless) only if there are three people present. (One to potentially take ownership of the item, and two to witness.) This rule raises questions about an aecdote in Bava Metzia 30b: R’ Yishmael, the son of Rabbi Yosi, encountered a man who…
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There is a widespread custom in some communities to study a chapter of Pirkei Avot – a popular and particularly accessible tractate of Mishna – each week between Pesach and Shavuot. Known in English as Ethics of Our Fathers, Pirkei Avot contains many teachings that go beyond the letter of the law, offering guidance on…
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A young TorahTutors student wanted to understand reasons for keeping kosher, so her tutor read Vayikra chapter 11 with her to look for clues in the Torah’s presentation of the rules for which animals may and may not be eaten. The student noticed several phrases, including “for I am the Lord, your God” (vs. 44),…
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In a new essay, Sarah Rudolph, Director of TorahTutors, shares the perspectives of four different commentators on whether the Israelites in Egypt prayed for redemption – and why God answered even if they didn’t. This was a people who had been enslaved for centuries, whose collective memory only just barely held on to the knowledge…
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Moadim l’simcha! This Passover Tuesday, we’re proud to share a tidbit of Torah from one of the tutors who’s been with us the longest, learning with a number of long-term and new students. We read in the Haggadah that Rabban Gamliel says we must explain three things: the korban pesach, matzah, and maror. The Bnei…
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Preparing for Passover? This Tuesday TorahTutors Tidbit might help: An adult student has been learning the tenth chapter of Gemara Pesachim. The first mishna teaches that one should not start a meal late in the day on Erev Pesach. The Gemara notes that this halacha actually applies to all holidays and Shabbat – so…
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