A TorahTutors student learning Parshat Shoftim explored the conflicting views of Rambam and Ramban regarding the prohibition of various forms of sorcery and fortunetelling. As a fan of Rick Riordan who had recently read a series of his that emphasized the importance of oracles, she related particularly to Ramban’s portrayal of understandable human interest in…
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Rambam stresses in the fifth chapter of Shemoneh Perakim that one should always be focused on the goal of contemplating God to the best of human ability, directing all of one’s pursuits towards that goal. On one hand, this single-mindedness might imply a sparse, minimalist existence, cutting out any type of physical enjoyment. On the…
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Finding deeper meaning in calendrical and geographic technicalities: The Mishna in Taanit (1:3) records two opinions about the appropriate date on which to begin praying for rain in Israel: The first view is that prayers should begin on the 3rd of Marcheshvan, the official start of the rainy season; Rabban Gamliel, however, says to wait…
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As one of few observant Jews in her school, a young TorahTutors student felt overwhelmed trying to explain her family’s dietary restrictions and asked to learn about kashrut. Her online tutor opened the topic with a brainstorming session, using WebEx’s file sharing and annotation tools to encourage independent thought and prepare to explore texts together.…
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A musically inclined TorahTutors student was interested in King David, particularly his early years playing music for his predecessor, Saul. She and her tutor explored a variety of perspectives on the nature of the melancholy that came over Saul and how David’s music helped. Was it simply the distraction of pleasant music that took Saul’s…
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As an affiliate of WebYeshiva.org, TorahTutors was never without an office staff ready and able to help every prospective student find their tutoring match. But to reach its full potential, TorahTutors needed its own administrator, someone focused on spreading the word about the online tutoring program and working to making sure every student in need…
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