As many students are heading back to school, thoughts of testing may be in the air. One TorahTutors student reviewing the stories of Avraham got to discuss a very different kind of test with his tutor. Tradition has it that God tested Avraham 10 times, and he passed all ten. But if God knows everything…
With Tisha B’Av just behind us, we may be thinking about the idea of “baseless hatred,” which the Gemara (Yoma 9b) gives as the reason the second Beit Hamikdash was destroyed. We may quite appropriately be thinking about ways to eradicate such discord from our people, and repair the sin that led to our exile.…
For this week’s Tuesday TorahTutors tidbit, we ask:How did a TorahTutors student studying technical Talmudic topics happen upon a verse from the poignant section of Yeshayahu that will be read as the haftarah this Shabbos? The Gemara in Gittin 34a discusses various cases in which a husband writes a gett (bill of divorce) for his…
Time for a Tuesday TorahTutors tidbit! Real Torah, from real TorahTutors sessions. This week’s Torah portion includes the story of how two tribes (later joined by half of another tribe) asked to settle on the east side of the Jordan River, where there was good pasture for their abundant flocks, rather than crossing into the…
Time for another Tuesday TorahTutors tidbit! Real Torah, from real TorahTutors sessions. Some TorahTutors students are more focused on Hebrew language, while others study Jewish texts or ideas in whichever language works for them – and some do both. For instance, one student learning about how Hebrew letters are used as numbers didn’t just practice…
Time for another #TuesdayTorahTutorsTidbit! Real Torah, from real TorahTutors sessions. This week’s Torah portion offers a great example of the fact that no one is perfect – as Rambam discusses (and a TT student learned) at length, including analysis of what it is that Moshe does wrong in Parshat Chukat. In the fourth chapter of…
It’s Tuesday and almost Shavuot, which means it’s a great time for a #TuesdayTorahTutorsTidbit about Megillat Rut.Real Torah, from real TorahTutors sessions. A preteen TorahTutors student has been delving into Megillat Rut with her tutor.They noticed many examples of chesed (kindness), a central theme in the Megillah that is one of the reasons offered for…
A TorahTutors student learned a timely passage at the end of the first chapter of Mishna Brachot. After discussing the timing and manner of reciting Shema morning and night, as well as the various blessings the surround its recitation, the Mishna (1:5) states that the Exodus from Egypt should be mentioned at night (and not…
A TorahTutors student working on Hebrew language learned that the word ???? (mimenu) can have different meanings. First, the prefix might mean “from” or it could be comparative, implying “more than” or “less than.” To further complicate matters, the suffix might be singular third person masculine (him/it) or it could be first person plural! For…
A TorahTutors student studying the story of King David learned that the prophet Shmuel needed a lot of guidance to arrive at the son of Yishai he was supposed to anoint. When he first saw Eliav, the oldest, Shmuel felt sure that was the one – until God reminded him that (as some might put…