In time for the upcoming school year an exciting new website has been launched.
Gemaraacademy.com is a newly developed website that was made to cater to Bachurim who will be learning Mesechta Shabbos this upcoming year. The website will have classes on the Gemara and Tosfos on all the parts that Yeshiva Bachurim will be learning. It will be updated as the year goes on.
Gemara Academy was designed to be a personal Chavrusa that a student can use at his own pace. The classes can be paused, rewound, or played over again. It can be used to prepare for the next day’s class or for Chazarah of the previous day’s class.
A student will no longer find himself wanting help with Gemara and not having access to that help.
Gemara Academy was developed within the context of teaching Gemara in a classroom. Rabbi Chananya Hoffinger has been teaching at Hamesivta of Ocean Parkway for 7 years and experienced firsthand the difficulties that come up when learning and teaching Gemara.
One of the most common difficulties is the vast expansiveness of the Gemara that makes it so hard to stay focused and see the structure of the Gemara. Another challenge is the feeling that we often have of not knowing what approach and method the Gemara will use in the current Sugya.
As a result, Rabbi Hoffinger created a system of teaching using PowerPoint presentations that use flowcharts that show exactly which tools the Gemara uses in each Sugya and the larger map of the Gemara.
Because Gemara is a study of the Mishna it therefore uses the same tools over and over again. Since in the process of analyzing a teaching the same tools are always used. As a result after a very short time the student begins to become more familiar with these tools that the Gemara uses as he sees them used over and over again within the visual context of the flowchart.
One of the important goals of Gemara Academy is that the student appreciate the text, and not that the text be replaced with a visual based class. As a result each flowchart is exactly parallel and mirrors the Gemara that it’s teaching. In addition each PowerPoint presentation of the Gemara also has the Gemara text so that the student can become familiar and comfortable with the text.
So Gemara Academy seeks to accomplish a number of things:
1. Show the map of the Gemara so that the student can see the bigger picture and not become lost in the details
2. To become familiar with the style and tools that the Gemara uses
3. To see through the flowchart how the ideas in the Gemara are developed
To exactly mirror the text so the student comes to appreciate and become comfortable with the text
This will all lead to students becoming more independent in their learning. As they master the style and tools the Gemara uses, they will feel more empowered and able to approach a new piece of Gemara and learn it on their own.
This system of learning was used this past year in Hamesivta and it had tremendous success. At the end of the year banquet in Hamesivta, student after student got up and spoke about how much they grew in their learning this past year.
Currently Gemara Academy is being used by a number of Rebbis in our Yeshivas with great success.
Gemara Academy from Chananya Hoffinger on Vimeo.
Wow!! This is one amazing helpful insightful website done with care and appreciation for learning well!! Super work!!
The 4 completed Sugyas now have PDF files for each flowchart.
It’s about time someone did this!
Truly Amazing work!
hatzlacha raba in your holy work!
The videos that present the flowcharts will now have a PDF file of the flowchart attached.
Thank you for the feedback
I’m currently working on making the PDF’s available.
Awesome!
At this time I’m busy with making PowerPoint presentations, making the videos and uploading them and an option to donate isn’t available yet. With time it will be made available.
You too can have a share in Rabbi Hoffinger’s incredible project. DONATE AND DONATE again. The Rebbe guarantees that you will have your prayers answered if you support Torah learning. I cannot think of a better place to put your money.
Seems like it will be helpful to many individuals. Hatzlacha rabbah!
Great idea
Well done. keep up the good work!
This will revolutionize teaching of gemara!!!!!
Just saw gemaraacademy videos on youtube also.
wow I just watched 10 videos and it was unbelievable now I can learn every night a piece of Gemara or a Tosfos in like 10 minutes
This is AMAZING!! The clarity in the lessons, and the fact that they are short and clear videos really helped me understand the gemera i am learning! I am looking forward to using this wih my son this year!!!
Yasher Koach!!!
I think making a CD or DVD and having PDFs are great ideas and hope to do so. Right now I’m a one man show so that might take some time.
this is great thank u
Make a book on shabbos for this year please!!!!!
If the bochurim don’t use the internet, perhaps it could made available on CD.
Making printable materials available sounds like a great idea. The thing is that right now I’m working on creating the PowerPoints, making the videos, and uploading them and that’s taking a very long time on its own.
I’m interested in this type of feedback so that I can see what people are looking for, which will help guide how Gemara Academy develops.
Thank you.
wow this is trully an amazing site! a groiseh yasher koach!!!
i was wondering if you would be willing to put up printable files of your work so that we can use these papers when we learn with a chavrusah?
We are all proud of you!
Your cousins from Empire
The classes will keep up to date with where the Yeshivos are holding. The long term goal will be make these classes on many more Mesechtas.
I ALLWAYS USED THIS METOD AND IT’S SO GOOD!
Technology used very positively ! Kol Hakavod for this hard work !
This is a wonderful idea that can help many bochurim. But one issue is that no bochurim have any access to Internet! As yeshivas have decided to run away from it instead of using it in positive ways, like this new program.
Will this be expanded to other mesechtas?
wow wow wow. this is simply amazing. what a great way to use out technology and the internet for torah. this is the future, this is the truth. moshiach is so close
Wow! About time!
but mesifta bochurim are not suppose to be on the internet?
When is the rest coming? Will it be ready to keep up with yeshiva?
Rabbi Hoffinger I appreciate that your videos are concise, in a few minutes I feel like I understood a piece that took me weeks to get a handle on in the past. Also you write “like a chavrusa” but I love that I can replay and rewind as needed. Feel like I have the bigger picture in my mind for the first time. I also appreciate that you explain the concepts beforehand.
Based on my understanding there are a number of significant differences between this and Gemara Berura:
1) Gemara Berura puts a strong emphasis on skill building. This program is more about exposure and becoming comfortable and familiar with Gemara
2) Gemara Berura has a much larger number of tools that the Gemara uses. In this program it’s minimized to barely 5 tools.
3) Gemara Berura doesn’t use the Tzuras Hadaf. This program uses the Tzuras Hadaf with the goal of making students familiar with a regular Gemara text.
but this is gemara brura
an old student
You are changing the future of gemara learning for our bochurim, Empowering them to be independent learners and experience the pleasure of success and mastery in gemara. Wish this was around in my days.
Chananya you ROCK!
Donations are greatly appreciated. You can contact me at [email protected]
The whole family is VERY proud of you!
‘The Rebbe,’MH”M’ is also very proud of you.
‘Chazak!’
ללכת מחוזק לחוזק
website?
This is Fantastic! Great work Rabbi Hoffinger!
He is a dedicated and talented teacher, hard worker and really understands his students. A great Mechanech. May Hashem bless you with much hatzlacha in your life!
Khan academy for us!!!!