Friday, October 08, 2004
From the mailbag . . .
Message: 6
Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 19:53:36 -0400
From: David xxxxx
Subject: Re: On -line Yeshiva
Dear Richard G.
A Yeshiva is a Jewish school, perhaps even a seminary of higher learning,
where students intensively study Torah, Talmud and related texts. Because
the traditional yeshiva is run by Orthodox Jews, the students have been
traditionally male. I believe that today there are Yeshivot which admit
women.
In the "Complete Book of Jewish Observance", Rabbi Leo Trepp describes a
typical Yeshiva.
"The term "Yeshivah" comes from "yashav", "to sit". Here the young men
would sit from morning to night, studying heavy tomes of Talmud. Each
small grouop would follow its own course, preparing for the rabbi's
lecture and reviewing it. Some studied alone. The Yeshivah student lived
in a world of his own, far from sunlight and flowers. His cheeks lost
their bloom. But he found sunlight in Torah and flowers in newly
discovered "fine points."
"The method of study, called "Pilpul", was aimed at finding ever new
meanings within the text. As it was held that all the great masters of the
past knew everything, their conflicting opinions had to be reconciled,
even if they lived centuries apart. This became possible only by means of
a hairsplitting logic. It must be remembered that this method of
interpretation was common among all scholars during the Middle Ages, not
only Jewish ones. Through it, history came to be transcended; various
periods spoke to each other and to the student across the centuries.
Judaism became a living organism, beyond time and space and circumstances.
"The students were poor, and many remained poor for life, being supported
upon marriage by a father-in-law and, later, by the wife."
Perhaps Richard R. can add to the thoughts of Rabbi Trepp and describe a
little about the Yeshivot in Israel.
Regarding your question about how an online Hebrew Catholic Yeshiva would
work, I haven't given it any thought yet. Perhaps Athol could describe a
little of what he had in mind when he suggested it.
Shalom,
David
Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 19:53:36 -0400
From: David xxxxx
Subject: Re: On -line Yeshiva
Dear Richard G.
A Yeshiva is a Jewish school, perhaps even a seminary of higher learning,
where students intensively study Torah, Talmud and related texts. Because
the traditional yeshiva is run by Orthodox Jews, the students have been
traditionally male. I believe that today there are Yeshivot which admit
women.
In the "Complete Book of Jewish Observance", Rabbi Leo Trepp describes a
typical Yeshiva.
"The term "Yeshivah" comes from "yashav", "to sit". Here the young men
would sit from morning to night, studying heavy tomes of Talmud. Each
small grouop would follow its own course, preparing for the rabbi's
lecture and reviewing it. Some studied alone. The Yeshivah student lived
in a world of his own, far from sunlight and flowers. His cheeks lost
their bloom. But he found sunlight in Torah and flowers in newly
discovered "fine points."
"The method of study, called "Pilpul", was aimed at finding ever new
meanings within the text. As it was held that all the great masters of the
past knew everything, their conflicting opinions had to be reconciled,
even if they lived centuries apart. This became possible only by means of
a hairsplitting logic. It must be remembered that this method of
interpretation was common among all scholars during the Middle Ages, not
only Jewish ones. Through it, history came to be transcended; various
periods spoke to each other and to the student across the centuries.
Judaism became a living organism, beyond time and space and circumstances.
"The students were poor, and many remained poor for life, being supported
upon marriage by a father-in-law and, later, by the wife."
Perhaps Richard R. can add to the thoughts of Rabbi Trepp and describe a
little about the Yeshivot in Israel.
Regarding your question about how an online Hebrew Catholic Yeshiva would
work, I haven't given it any thought yet. Perhaps Athol could describe a
little of what he had in mind when he suggested it.
Shalom,
David
