Mayanot
launches unique summer on-line courses for all levels to teach Jews all over
the world “how to learn” Torah
The
Jerusalem-based Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies is getting set to launch a
unique online summer learning program. This will enable men and women from all
over the world to expand their Torah-learning skill set from the comfort of
their homes. Register here.
A
pre-summer “pilot” of on-line classes will be offered starting May 20, via the
Zoom video conferencing platform to the general public. Mayanot’s formal summer
semester of courses will be offered starting June 15, with three separate levels
including beginner, intermediate, and advanced Torah classes.
There
will be courses offered at convenient hours to accommodate Mayanot’s global
student body. In addition, a special program will be offered on Sundays to
accommodate those unavailable to learn during the week.
According
to Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov,
Executive Director of Mayanot, “Over the years the institution has been using
online tools including Soundcloud and Spotify to spread the words of Torah and
Chasidut. But as a result of Covid-19, the demand has increased almost ten-fold
from potential students, alumni, and our supporters, for more online classes.”
The
great challenge now, says Shemtov, “is how to lead online classes, which are
not only inspirational, but which deliver the skills of how to learn Torah for
which our teachers are known for,” leading up to the summer program.
Rabbi Boruch Kaplan, the
Associate Dean of the Talmud Department at Mayanot, will be offering various
Gemara and Chasidut classes online during the summer session. He says that, “we are all very excited about
the opportunity to expand the horizons of Mayanot, and take our unique
educational methods to a large audience.”
He highlighted that,
“While the online program will be missing our trademark supportive social
environment which exists thanks to our students when they are together
in-person; we are now being presented with an incredible opportunity to reach
people all over the world, whom we are normally unable to reach. This is a
tremendous advantage for the Jewish world at large.”
Susie Muller, Creative
Director at Mayanot added, “Mayanot
is already such an amazing community, the online program offers an
opportunity to continue to grow on a global scale and spread Torah
learning to even further reaches of the globe.”
Rabbi Tzemach Chazan,
Mayanot’s Online Program Director, said that, “what’s special about this
program is that we have some of the top teachers, who are loved by past
students, which makes all the difference. I speak to alumni all the time and
they always praise their teachers and want to keep a connection with them. This
new online format gives them that opportunity.”
Rabbi Shlomo Gestetner,
Dean of Mayanot, explains just how unique the online program will be, saying
that “while there are thousands of amazing Torah classes online, there are very
few places where you can actually work on your learning skills.”
He elaborated, “Our goal
isn’t only to bring classes and lectures to our students - that you can find in
many places. Rather our goal is to provide serious textual learning with the
educational goal of ‘learning how to learn.’”
Rabbi Gestetner says
that the new online learning program fits into Mayanot’s mission, which
stresses, “our desire to create educated young Jewish leaders, which can only
be achieved through in-depth exploration of the sources, and their becoming
self-sufficient in the study of the Hebrew texts.”
This online opportunity
is being offered by Mayanot at no charge for the summer session. It is an amazing
chance to invite anyone that is interested in seeing what in-depth Torah learning
is about. Start dates begin May 20th and June 15th. For
those interested, register by clicking here.