Gone are the days when people actually had to attend a class in-person. Having to get out of bed, drive their cars or walk a long way in order to hear a speaker or to attend a class, is no longer a requirement.
We live in a digital age where things that were never thought possible, are now easily accessible. We can share ideas, thoughts, and messages with the click of a wireless mouse or the by sending a voice memo on our phones.
We have so many channels for receiving and providing information. Podcasts, Soundcloud, Google Play, iTunes, Overcast, Pocket Casts and so many more online channels for information sharing. The audience is growing larger and larger every day, listening to literally everything and anything one can think of.
In the words of Alex Blum, host of the hugely popular podcast This American Life, "There's far more room for audio in our lives than even video; we can listen to podcasts while we do dishes, mow the lawn, ride the subway, even while we work. The tech is there, in our pockets. All we need now is something to listen to".
'Chasidus teaches us that everything can be elevated from the lowest of levels to the loftiest heights. At Mayanot we teach our students that there is no reason to turn away from the world, but imbue it with G-dliness in our own individual way. This is the essence of building a Dira B'tachtonim, a home for G-d on this plain of existence. We strive, as always to do our part and teach our students to do the same.
Mayanot has many teachers currently recording classes and uploading them online. We run our ever growing audio channels so we too can imbue the world with Torah, in a way that is easily accessible. We are sure that all of our teachers would agree, it is absolutely worth the work we put into it. With over 570 followers on Soundcloud, and over 1,500 tracks uploaded, covering a variety of topics, given by a number of incredible Mayanot teachers, there are hundreds of hours of Torah available to our students, alumni and community.
With contributing teachers like Rabbi Meir Levinger, Rabbi Mordechai Guth, Rabbi Boruch Kaplan, Rabbi Yitzchak Kaufman, and Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz to name a few, @Mayanot is the place to go for inspiration and authentic Jewish learning online.
There is a prophecy in Isaiah 11:9, "The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea". This is interpreted by our sages to mean that before the messianic era, Torah will be as easily accessible as water is in the sea.
Historically men and women had to hide their Torah learning from the over-arching powers of the time or fight to keep Torah alive in the Synagogues, when people were unable to read and therefore unable to learn at all, our generation is blessed with the ability to easily access online classes, to ask & chat in a virtual environment, in real time; we are living in a new era, just as Isaiah prophesized.
If you haven't yet checked out our audio channel on Chabad.org please do. You have access to amazing Jewish audio classes, from Mayanot. For any specific requests on which classes and topics you would like more of, let us know in the comments section below.
We always love hearing from you!