Skip to main content

torah nerds

Time flies when you learn Torah. When you are so immersed into a text, into a discussion with your chavruta, you just don't notice how time passes. I had two amazing chavrutas yesterday and today, which has made my Talmud and Chumash class very enjoyable! All of the people at Pardes are Torah people. And it's not the knowledge you have of Torah, that makes you a Torah person, but rather the passion for Torah. Everyone walking into class at Pardes shares this passion. And that's one of the reasons why I feel like I am in the right place for the beginning of my personal journey. One of my colleagues from my cohort said that everyone at Pardes is somewhat of a Torah Nerd, and I agree with her completely! 

Yesterday we had our second session about the principles of Informal Education. We talked about group dynamics, using the environment (meaning surroundings) as a means for education, about the importance of engaging the students with the topic and lastly the importance of being a role model as an educator. For every principle Daniel brought a text from traditional Jewish sources and for the last one, the role model, the brought the example of Rav Kahana on page 62a of Tractate Brachot. I will not say what it is exactly, but you are free to check on Sefaria, the most important tool of a nomad Torah mensch.

Yesterday we also had a shiur klali about Machloket matters. Sefi, the presenter, introduced us to the 49-49 method for having a constructive discussion. 49-49 because of a Midrash on Psalms 12 where it said that G-d would tell Moses that for every matter in the Torah there are 49 reasons why it would be permitted and 49 why it would be forbidden. And all of them are true! But what should be the ruling? According to the majority. Constructive debating would thus include listening to the other and being open to admitting that you are wrong, avoiding attacking people or harming relationships, checking on one's own motivation - is the discussion for the sake of heaven or for the sake of power? - and most importantly considering that both might be right, even though opinions differ! That is the secret of 49-49!

Today in our chumash class we covered the relationship between humanity and nature and man and women according to the first two chapters of the Torah. Is it one narrative? Two narratives? One perspective or two? What and who was created first? Vegetation or humanity? What is the commandment that humanity is given? Who is this creature that is called "Adam", who is male and female? So many kushiot! And every commentator has a different approach! And they're all right! 49-49! How amazing and beautiful is that!?

The class before lunch was again Biblical Hebrew Grammar, one of my most favourite classes! We tackled the rules of a dagesh, of the shva, of segollites (yeah, what the heck!). I love technicality and this class is full of it! I love the challenge of understanding a rule through and through until I can say it in my own words! The feeling of discovering all those rules that the Masoretic Masters have established so geniously in the 10th century is as if all the text of the Torah in front of us becomes 3D! Everything has a system and nothing is random! Just wow!



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

10 days of Tshuva and Yom Kippur 5781

Dear friends and readers, I have decided to diverge for this post (and maybe further posts also) from relating to you my experiece of my first months on Jerusalem to sharing some of the Torah I am learning here in the Holy City, also to be fair to the title of this blog that I have chosen. The topic of the last days has been Tshuva. Many of you may have already learned what this concept of Tshuva is and means, and why we are focusing on this so much during this time of year. That all staying valid, I want to share some Torah around this topic with you. The literal translation of "Tshuva" in Hebrew is "return". Most of us have learned that Tshuva means repentence, but the literal meaning of the word, does not support this translation. Repentence means "feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin", but this is not what Tshuva is primarily about. Tshuva means return. Return to what? you may ask, and rightfully so. The most prev

Sukkot 5781

Dear friends and readers, I know I promised, so here it comes. All my collected Sukkot Torah for you! And for those who would rather know how I'm doing - please reach out to me! I'd love to hear your voices and or see your lovely faces :) Sooo, Sukkot, such a wonderful holy day - or rather days! And so much to cover! I'll try to keep it short and concise. Every day (except the first, because it was Shabbat), we take the 4 species and shake them. A rather peculiar practise, don't you think? So what does it have to do with the topic of the holiday? It's not straightforward. Sukkot happens during the time of the year when all the harvest is finished. Harvesting is collecting, so we collect, bring together those 4 species and move them in all the 6 directions, and bring them back in, gathering together. Sukkot is also a pilgrimage holiday, so everyone who could come to Jerusalem to the Temple. The whole people were gathered at the holiest place on earth. We also learn t