A young TorahTutors student met his new tutor and got right to work on the Hebrew alphabet and sounds of the letters. His tutor designed interactive ways to build letter recognition and even wrote an original story about how Aleph, sad without a discernable sound of its own, met Patach and learned to say “aahhh.”…
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Sarah Rudolph, Director of TorahTutors, had a great time talking to parents at the 2021 Jewish Homeschool Summit, about “Bringing Jewish Education Out of the Classroom.” It’s what we do best at TorahTutors, whether you’re homeschooling or just want to give your children (or yourself) a strong, individualized experience in Jewish learning.
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A small group of TorahTutors students concluded their study of Mishna Berachot with a series of rules in mishna 9:5, including the concept of invoking God’s Name when greeting others. Though this practice could be said to disrespect the Divine, the mishna finds precedents in Boaz’s greeting to the harvesters he passed (“God is with…
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A TorahTutors student learned three explanations for Avraham’s journeys at the beginning of Parshat Lech Lecha. The first is from Bechor Shor, who suggests that God wanted Avraham to tour the country and see what a tremendous gift He was giving him by promising “I will give this land to your offspring.” She also learned…
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After several weeks of Tuesday holidays, TuesdayTorahTutorsTidbits are back with more real Torah from real TorahTutors sessions. A TorahTutors student learned that Chizkuni raises a question he thinks answers itself: “One should not question and say, ‘Since everything is disclosed before Him, how could He create [Man] to sin?’ Behold, fear of Heaven is not…
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Judges 10:6 opens what seems like just another round of the cycle that runs through much of the book: sin, punishment via foreign oppressors, crying out to G-d, salvation via a new “Judge,” repeat. However, several commentaries suggest that the cries to God in this instance fall short of the sort of true repentance that…
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This new blog post on Times of Israel, by TorahTutors Director and long-time tutor Sarah Rudolph, captures much of what we’re proud of at TorahTutors: the flexibility to follow student interests in shaping individualized curricula, without (too much) concern for external measures.
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We’ve had a wonderful year of Torah learning at TorahTutors.org and can’t wait to see what 5782 brings. Shana tova to all our students, teachers, and friends!
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A TorahTutors student explored the question of what attitudes a bent or straight posture might convey and which would be more conducive to getting into the mood of Rosh Hashanah. The Shulchan Aruch (siman 586) rules that a shofar used on Rosh Hashana should be from a ram and should be bent. Under extenuating circumstances,…
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A TorahTutors student explored the limits of comparisons and of obedience. The Gemara (Bava Metzia 32a) notes a tradition that the mitzvah of honoring one’s parents is on par with the responsibility to honor God. (This tradition is rooted in a comparison between the verses “Honor your father and mother” (Shemot 20:11) and “Honor God…
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