There’s a tradition that there are “70 faces to the Torah” – i.e., lots of different ways to interpret it. Something similar might be said for transliteration. Wishing all of our students, teachers, and friends a happy [C]han[n]uk[k]a[h], full of light and joy. And remember – Torah learning makes a great gift, that keeps on…
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Beginning with Maariv on Tuesday, December 5, 2023 v’tein tal u’matar livracha replaces v’tein bracha in the blessing of Bareich Aleinu in the Shemoneh Esrei. This marks the transition from simply mentioning God’s power to bestow rain (which we do beginning on Shemini Atzeret) to actually asking Him for it. We wanted to take the…
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The US TorahTutors office invites all our students, teachers, and friends to join us in spending some time thinking about everything we have to be thankful for, and everything for which we still pray. Hodu la’Hashem ki tov, ki l’olam chasdo – Give thanks to God, for He is good, for His kindness is forever…
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It’s Tuesday, and we have a fresh Tuesday TorahTutors Tidbit! Real Torah, from real TorahTutors sessions. One of our students who is studying the weekly Torah portion delved into the midrashic background of Yaakov’s lentil soup and the trade he made for it. According to a midrashic tradition, this incident took place while Yitzchak was…
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One of our tutors shared some poignant and timely real Torah thoughts just after yesterday’s real TorahTutors session: In the book of Yehoshua, the character of Pinchas ben Elazar (known for his violent zealotry in Bamidbar 25) re-emerges onto the scene in the role of a mediator, and successfully averts a civil war amongst different…
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Over the first days of Sukkot, a TorahTutors student read an original poem, in the style of Dr. Seuss, about the rules of Sukkot and the building of a sukkah, which included the following lines: …You can build it in an alley You can build it in a valley (You shouldn’t build it in a…
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A Tuesday TorahTutors tidbit for the upcoming holiday of Sukkot; real Torah, from real TorahTutors sessions. Many Jewish thinkers have offered many beautiful ideas to explain the meaning of the mitzvah of the Four Species. One TorahTutors tutor shared this one with her students: The lulav represents the spine, which connects to our brain and…
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It’s Tuesday, and we have a brand-new #TuesdayTorahTutorsTidbit for you! Real Torah, from real TorahTutors sessions. One of the great things about individualized learning is seeing how the same body of Torah can be adapted and enjoyed with so many different individuals, on different levels. One tutor recently took two students – one a pre-teen,…
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Sometimes people think “tutor” = supporting kids with their learning. But did you know that in fact, TorahTutors.org works with students of all ages, for all kinds of reasons and towards all kinds of goals? Here’s an email we recently received from an adult who came to us having just begun to explore her Jewish…
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Sometimes we work with schools to support students who are currently enrolled. And sometimes – especially, but not only, in the aftermath of Covid-19 lockdowns – people come to us to prepare their children for (re)joining a brick-and-mortar Jewish school. Confidence and skills are such important pieces of that process, and we are so gratified to help our…
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