“Before our Rebbi started using Gemara Academy, I never looked at Tosfos. It was too hard,” said Yaakov, a Mesivta student. “After using the program, I could understand the text perfectly.”
Rabbi Chananya Hoffinger created Gemara Academy after 7 years of teaching high school. The methods teachers used when he was in school weren’t working for his classroom.
“If your students are struggling, you’re struggling too,” said Rabbi Hoffinger. Rabbi Hoffinger worked to design a system to clarify Gemara concepts, and made the comprehensive program available to other schools and individual learners.
Using technology, Gemara Academy synchronizes text-based and visual-based learning, using color codes in the text and charts to help students identify which words are a teaching which are a question, which are an answer and which are a proof. Gemara Academy also uses introductory outlines, flowcharts, and pictures to reach many types of learners.
The latest version is interactive, allowing students to explore concepts at their own pace. Audio features help with pronunciation and translation. The voice-over also explains each portion of the classes.
Video: Overview of Gemara Academy
A completely new feature are assessments on each class. Each assessment focuses on 3 areas:
1) Vocabulary – testing the student on the Gemara words of the class
2) Understanding – testing the student’s understanding of the class
3) Text – testing the student’s ability to accurately divide the text into the parts of the Gemara
The presentations guide students to identify the bigger picture, so they don’t get lost in the details. Also, over time students can recognize the style and tools the Gemara uses. Once they understand the patterns, students can approach new material with confidence.
This past year over 300 students in 26 classrooms in 16 Yeshivos have used Gemara Academy, which is also available for individual students as a home study aid. Teachers, tutors and students can access over 600 classes which are all available online.
Rabbi Nochum Labkowski, who teaches 8th grade in a Cheder in Queens, writes “Gemara Academy brings such clarity, giving the Talmidim a very clear picture of the structure of the Gemara, it then goes through the Gemara inside and puts all the information that they learned, into the words of the Gemara. The boys walk away with the ability to read the Gemara inside fluently and accurately, with a clear understanding of each step of the Gemara. It has completely transformed our whole Gemara learning experience.”
And Anshie, whose son has been using Gemara Academy to help him with his learning, writes:
“I wanted to thank you for all your hard work. Before we started using Gemara Academy, reviewing the Gemara with my son was a very frustrating experience. He was not really getting it and was not doing well on tests which caused him to be down on his whole day.
Once we started using Gemara Academy all that changed, learning is a pleasure and he’s doing well on the tests which is causing his whole day to be better. Thanks for all your hard work.”
Rabbi Dovid Nojowitz, National Director of Torah Umesorah, says Gemara Academy is a “valuable and effective tool” that helps Talmidim understand the structure of how Gemara works.
The classes are available on the following Perakim:
פרק תפלת השחר
פרק אלו מציאות
פרק המפקיד
פרק הכונס
פרק החובל
פרק השוכר את האומנים
פרק המניח
פרק כיצד העדים
פרק השותפין
פרק חזקת הבתים
To find out how the program can unlock the power of Gemara for you and your class, for your son’s learning, or for your own learning visit www.gemaraacademy.com or send an email to [email protected]
Thank you so much Chananya for this amazing resource!!
What an innovative idea! Love it!
Bh Anash leading the way in Niglah too.
Gr8 job this is Hafatzah
Moshiach now
It’s hard to teach an old horse new tricks.
But eventually all teachers will adopt this better way of teaching.
Great Work Chananya, all schools should use this.
This is an incredible program that will help many kids. Every school should be using it!
My son is reviewing what he learned in school this past year
He’s really enjoying
Looks forward to his learning time and stays on longer than I thought… keeps going
It’s making everything he learned so much clearer
And giving him the tools and love to learn gemara
Very much appreciated
Chanie b
‘Please pinch us,’ because we are thrilled that our son Chananya was able to reach such a ‘milestone’ in aiding others to learn, and gain more understanding and self respect. ‘Koved Ha Torah.’
Mr. & Mrs. Boruch Hoffinger
R’ Chananya not only are you a master teacher and mechanech but it appears that you are also a scientist and have successfully cloned yourself so you can be in classrooms around the world! Seriously folks, with Gemara Academy let no one say that I don’t have a good teacher, Rabbi Hoffinger is just a click or two away and can make Gemara learning fun and engaging!
Avremil Wagshul
Fantastic! As a private tutor I teach my students with Gemara Academy. It has everything I need and I see my students succeed. Thank you Reb Chananya for creating this. Can’t wait to see it on more Masechtos.
Menachem B.
Excellent program!
I use the presentations on Chumash with much success in my classroom.
Thank you Rabbi Hoffinger.
Levi Heidingsfeld
Melbourne, Australia
this looks very impressive. thank you for taking action and putting this together.
Gemara Academy has not only empowered me in my own learning but it has helped me tutor others as well.
I have not yet found a better learning guide!!
Yossel Rabinowitz
The program is great and we use in our Cheder. Very clear and simple for teacher and student.
Thank you Rabbi Hoffinger and Gemara Academy.
Pinchas Margolis- Cheder at the Ohel
Rabbi Hoffinger is so passionate about it, driven, ambitious and alive! He pursues this like a Tiger in the forest with its prey…I was deeply touched just by that, tried it out and see why he is relentless.
Way too go, proud student. Love your work and more so your devotion.
Met him, explained it to me, walked me through it, I find that it has helped me tremendously. Been always anticipating something like this come out of the Frum world. Proud to be a Chassid.
If you cannot use the internet, you can also get access without the internet. The main downsides are:
1) New materials and updates are made daily, and they are only available online
2) The assessments are only available online
For pursuing this worthwhile project. Making Gemara alive for this generation. Reflective of your family’s devotion to Torah learning.
Wow! You don’t stop! AmzIng. Keep up the good work and eventually every yeshiva will use this!
I don’t want my young son having access to the internet. Is that the only way he can benefit from a Gemara progra like this??
Impressive. I really hope this can help my son who gets bored and frustrated so easily with gemara.
Wow that is amazing! I wish I had something like that when I was growing up.i hope my sons teacher will start using this in his class. This is great.
Nice to see recognition for this Rebbe who has been working for years on innovating learning techniques to inspire our sons and students. Keep up the great work!
Great work, Chananya!
It’s amazing how you took this from a dream to a major reality.