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Prague · 28 Cheshvan 5787

Shabbat this week · 16:02–17:11

Study

Torah Study

תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָהtalmud torah
Awaiting expert review

Torah study is among the highest values in Judaism, not only as preparation for action but as a religious act in itself. It encompasses the Written Torah (Tanakh) and the Oral Torah (Mishnah, Talmud, midrash, halakhah). Traditionally it takes place in pairs and in groups.

01

The value of study

Bible

The Torah commands speaking of its words "at home and on the way", and the Book of Joshua commands meditating on it "day and night".1,2

Interpretation

The Talmud ranks Torah study above other good deeds, "because it leads to action".3,4

Interpretation

Pirkei Avot opens with the chain of transmission of the Torah from Sinai to the sages, the foundation of the concept of the Oral Torah.5

02

Forms of study

Minhag

A typical form is chavruta (חַבְרוּתָא): study in pairs, aloud, through argument. Advanced Talmudic learning takes place in yeshivot.

History

The daf yomi cycle (one folio of the Talmud a day) was proposed by Rabbi Meir Shapiro in 1923; in this way the entire Talmud is covered in about seven and a half years.

Minhag

The kaddish de-rabbanan after communal study links study with the liturgy.6

03

Women's study

HistoryAshkenazim

Formal study for girls spread in Orthodox circles in the 20th century, thanks in part to the Bais Yaakov school network founded in Kraków in 1917 by Sarah Schenirer. Today there are also institutions for advanced Talmud study by women.

Modern practice⁂ To verify

In the Conservative and Reform movements women and men study the same subjects, and women are ordained as rabbis; in Orthodoxy the scope of women's study continues to be debated.

04

The Prague tradition

HistoryCzech lands

Prague was an important center of learning; its best-known scholar is Judah Loew ben Bezalel (the Maharal, d. 1609), author of works on education and philosophy.7

FAQ

What is the Oral Torah?

The tradition of interpretation and law transmitted alongside the Written Torah, recorded in the Mishnah, the Talmuds and the midrashim.

Can I study alone?

Yes, but tradition prefers studying with a partner or a teacher, because conversation deepens understanding.

Sources

See also