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Chavrusa

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For the Israeli LGBT association, seeHavruta (organization).

Khaveyrim(study partners) sit opposite each other or side by side in thebeth midrashofYeshiva Gedola of Carteret.

Chavrusa,also spelledchavrutaorḥavruta(Jewish Babylonian Aramaic:חַבְרוּתָא,romanized:ḥāḇruṯā,lit. "fellowship";pl.:חַבְרָוָותָא,ḥāḇrāwāṯā), is a traditionalrabbinicapproach toTalmudicstudy in which a small group of students (usually 2–5) analyze, discuss, and debate a shared text. It is a primary learning method inyeshivasandkollels,where students often engage regular study partners of similar knowledge and ability, and is also practiced by those outside the yeshiva setting, in work, home, and vacation settings. The traditional phrase is to learnb'chavrusa(בְחַבְרוּתָאbəḥāḇruṯā"in partnership" ); the word has come bymetonymyto refer to the study partner as an individual, though it would more logically describe the pair.

Unlike a teacher-student relationship, in which the student memorizes and repeats the material back in tests, chavrusa-style learning puts each student in the position of analyzing the text, organizing their thoughts into logical arguments, explaining their reasoning to their partner, hearing out their partner's reasoning, and questioning and sharpening each other's ideas, often arriving at entirely new insights into the meaning of the text.[1][2]

Definition[edit]

O chevra o mituta"Either friend or death". (In printings, "eitherchavrutaor death. ")

Rava[3]

Chavrusais anAramaicword meaning "friendship"[1]or "companionship".[4]The Rabbis of theMishnahandGemarause the cognate termchaver(חבר, "friend" or "companion" in Hebrew) to refer to the one with whom a personstudies Torah.[5][6]In contemporary usage,chavrusais defined as a "study partnership".[5][7][8]

Achavrusausually refers to two students learning one on one. When three or more students learn together, they are called achavura(Hebrew:חַבוּרָה,group; alsochabura).[9]It some communities, the idea ofchavrusacan include two, three, four or even five individuals studying together.[2][10]The Reform andConservativemovements have extended the idea ofchavurato modern scholarship and poetry[2](note that achavura (Ashkenazic pronunciation:chevra) can also refer to a group of individuals or families which is part study or prayer group, part social club[11]). A (more formal) study group in a Yeshiva is sometimes referred to as a "Kibbutz" – see for exampleSunderland Talmudical College § The Kibbutz– especially in older usage, preceding the use of that term for anagricultural community.

Origin[edit]

"Just as a knife can be sharpened only on the side of another, so a disciple of a sage improves only through hischaver"

Rabbi Hama b. Hanina[12]

"Yourchaverwill make it [i.e., Torah study] solid in your hand. And do not rely on your own understanding "

Rabbi Nehorai[13]

Based on statements in the Mishnah and Gemara,chavrusalearning was a key feature of yeshivas in the eras of theTannaim(Rabbis of the Mishnaic period, 10-220 CE) andAmoraim(Rabbis of the Talmudic period, 200 to 500 CE). The Rabbis repeatedly urged their students to acquire a study partner; for example, RabbiYehoshua Ben Perachiaenjoined students to "Make for yourself a Rav and acquire for yourself achaver",[14]and RabbiYose ben Chalaftatold his son Rabbi Abba that he was ignorant because he did not study with someone else.[15]The choice ofchavrusasseems to have been based on friendship or social proximity; thus,chavrusasfulfilled a social as well as an educational need.[6]

While an individual may choose to study Talmud alone, it is strongly discouraged. In the Talmud,Jose bar Haninais quoted as saying that "scholars who sit alone to study the Torah... become stupid" (Berakhot,63b).[5][16]Nevertheless, there is evidence that learning in pairs was not always a universal norm in yeshivas, for example in the famousVolozhin Yeshivaof 19th century Lithuania, there is evidence that individual study rather than studying in pairs was the norm.[17]

Chavrusa-style learning is particularly suited to Talmud study, as the latter is a text filled with conflicting opinions and seemingly contradictory statements on principles of Jewish law. Besides tracking the back-and-forth debates, a student of Talmud must be able to analyze each opinion and present hypotheses to reconcile it in light of the others.[18]Thechavrusarelationship gives each student a platform to clarify and explain their position to a partner; then the two go on to question, defend, convince, amend, fine-tune, and even arrive at new conclusions through rigorous intellectual collaboration.[19][20]

Educational benefits[edit]

"With bar Lakisha, whenever I would say something, he would pose 24 difficulties and I would give him 24 solutions, and as a result [of the give-and-take] the subject became clear"

Rabbi Yochananon hischavrusawithReish Lakish(Bava Metzia84a)[21]

Unlike conventional classroom learning, in which a teacher lectures to the student and the student memorizes and repeats the information back in tests, and unlike an academic seminary, where students do independent research,[22]chavrusalearning challenges the student to analyze and verbally explain the material, point out the errors in his partner's reasoning, and question and sharpen each other's ideas, often arriving at entirely new insights into the meaning of the text.[1][2]

Achavrusahelps the student stay awake, keep his mind focused on the learning, sharpen his reasoning powers, develop his thoughts into words, and organize his thoughts into logical arguments.[23]This type of learning also imparts precision and clarity into ideas that would otherwise remain vague.[24]Having to listen to, analyze and respond to another's opinion inculcates respect for others. It is considered poor manners to interrupt one'schavrusa.[25]Thechavrusarelationship also strengthens the student's personal commitment to his studies, as he is loath to disappoint or cancel on hischavrusa.[26] Some early research has shown that the use of this study modality within a traditionalYeshivaeducationcan aid students later succeed inlaw school-- although it remains an open question as to whether that relationship is causal or merely correlative.[27]

Practice[edit]

Chavrusalearning takes place in the formalized structure of the yeshiva or kollel, as well as in Talmudic study that an individual does at any time of day. Although a man skilled in learning could study certain topics on his own, thechavrusarelationship is preferred to help them crystallize their thoughts.[28]

In the yeshiva setting, students prepare for and review theshiur(lecture) with theirchavrusasduring morning, afternoon, and evening study sessions known assedarim.[29]On average, a yeshiva student spends ten hours per day learning inchavrusa.[30]Since having the rightchavrusamakes all the difference between having a good year and a bad year, class rabbis may switchchavrusaseight or nine times in a class of 20 boys until the partnerships work for both sides.[30]If achavrusagets stuck on a difficult point or needs further clarification, they can turn to the rabbis, lecturers, or asho'el u'mashiv(literally, "ask and answer", a rabbi who is intimately familiar with the Talmudic text being studied) who are available to them in the study hall duringsedarim.In women's yeshiva programs, teachers are on hand to guide thechavrusas.[31]

Chavrusalearning tends to be loud and animated, as the study partners read the Talmudic text and the commentaries aloud to each other and then analyze, question, debate, and defend their points of view to arrive at a mutual understanding of the text. In the heat of discussion, they may wave their hands or even shout at each other.[32]Depending on the size of the yeshiva, dozens or even hundreds ofchavrusascan be heard discussing and debating each other's opinions.[33][34]One of the skills ofchavrusalearning is the ability to block out all other discussions in the study hall and focus on one's study partner alone.[29]

Choosing achavrusa[edit]

Tumult day inBeth Medrash Govoha

Pairing up study partners has been compared to making ashidduch(marriage match), as the skills, interests, temperament and schedule of each person must be taken into consideration.[35][36][37]Good friends do not necessarily make goodchavrusas.If thechavrusasspend too much time chatting or joking with each other at the expense of their study time, they are advised to find different study partners.[30]

In the yeshiva world, the brightest students are highly desirable aschavrusas.[38]However, there are pros and cons to learning withchavrusaswho are stronger, weaker, or equal in knowledge and ability to the student. A strongerchavrusawill correct and fill in the student's knowledge and help them improve their learning techniques, acting more like a teacher. With achavrusawho is equal in knowledge and ability, the student is forced to prove their point with logic rather than by right of seniority, which improves their ability to think logically, analyze other people's opinions objectively, and accept criticism. With a weakerchavrusa,who often worries over and questions each step, the student is forced to understand the material thoroughly, refine and organize their thoughts in a logical structure, present their viewpoint clearly, and be ready to justify each and every point. The strongerchavrusahelps the student acquire a great deal of information, but the weakerchavrusahelps the student learnhowto learn. Yeshiva students are usually advised to have one of each of these three types ofchavrusasin order to develop on all three levels.[23]

Beth Medrash Govohain Lakewood Township, New Jersey is known for its "tumult day" at the beginning of eachz'man(semester), when thousands of students mingle outdoors with the goal of choosing achavrusafor the new term.[39]A similar "tumult day" takes place among the hundreds of students at the mainBrisk yeshivain Jerusalem,[40]and at theMirin Jerusalem.[39]

Chavrusasoften develop into lasting friendships. The shared commitment to scholarship and intellectual growth creates a close bond between study partners[35][41]that has been said to be closer than that of many married couples.[42]

Women'schavrusas[edit]

Women students engaged inchavrusa-style study atMidreshetShilat in Israel

Women's yeshivas that include Talmud study on the curriculum often schedule chavrusa study sessions for their students.[43]In Orthodox women's seminaries, students are paired with study partners of equal or greater strength to learnHalakha,Chumash,Jewish philosophy,or any other topic in Judaism.[44]

In recent years, telephone study partnerships for women have been promoted as akiruv(Orthodox Judaism outreach) tool in Israel[45]and as an option for busy homemakers.[46]

Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld,Chief RabbiofMandatory Palestine,reportedly had a regular half-hour chavrusa with his wife, during which they studiedOrach Chayim.[47]

Telephone and onlinechavrusas[edit]

How to create a lesson on the phone of learning mishna

In 1997, Partners in Torah was the first organization to movechavrusa-style learning out of the yeshiva and synagogue and into telephone study sessions.[48]During the 2000s, many freeInternetservices began matching up study partners around the world usingvideoconferencingandSkypehook-ups.

Telephonechavrusas[edit]

  • TorahMates, a free chavrusa program of national nonprofitOorah,offers to partner knowledgeable volunteers with students with weaker backgrounds to study any Jewish topics of their choice, with coordinators on staff to ensure the partnership works well.
  • Partners in Torah — founded in 1991 as a one-on-one study program forJewish day schoolparents under the umbrella ofTorah Umesorah,the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools. The program initially offered only in-person learning but added telephone study partnerships in 1997. As of 2017, over 72,000 men and women from 2,337 cities in 39 countries had participated in weekly telephone study partnerships.[49][better source needed]In 2016, Partners in Torah became an independent organization.
  • Jnet— founded in 2006, this project ofMerkos L'Inyonei Chinuchpairs men and women withChabadvolunteers for Jewish learning[50][51]

Onlinechavrusas[edit]

  • Chavrusamatch — launched by aBaltimoreTorah educator in 2012, this service matches both men and women with local or global study partners online, via telephone, or video chat[52][53]
  • D.A.F. Online Chavrusa Database — provides online postings of people looking for achavrusa,a teacher, or a student[54]
  • International Chevruta Exchange – connects learning partners via online videoconferencing or teleconferencing, along with a mentor who can answer questions on the material being studied[55]
  • Israeli Chavruta Initiative — a project of Yeshivat Hesder Nahar-Deiah ofNahariya[56]
  • Online Chavrusa — connects study partners via Skype[57]
  • Project Zug – matches students in a chavrusa based on their course preferences given at the time of registration, or offers them to join with a friend, and provides source sheets and guidance[58][59]
  • The Virtual Chavruta — provides tutors via videoconferencing[60]
  • TorahMates — a project of Oorah, provideschavrusasat home, by phone, and online, and also provides the learning materials free of charge[61]
  • WebYeshiva— founded in 2007, this service offers online yeshiva andchavrusalearning[62][63]
  • The Pearl Matlin Lev L'Lev Program — Partners in Torah for Children & Adults with Special Needs, via Skype or over-the-phone.

Limmud Chavruta Project[edit]

Founded in theUnited Kingdomin 1996 and launched globally in 2009, theLimmudChavruta Project produces an annual study guide forchavrusa-style learning. The study guides, which include source texts on topics such as "Responsibility", "Creativity", "Time", and "Money", are issued in conjunction with theBritish-Jewisheducational charity's annual conference.[64]

Other uses[edit]

Zionist ideal[edit]

ZionistideologueA. D. Gordonused the termchavrusato refer to acommunal society,such as themoshav,kibbutz,or worker's association, which acts as a self-educational link to the larger social-educational process. In Zionist thought, thechavrusais "a central tool in the struggle for the revival of the Jewish people, the revival of the individual, and the centrality of the idea of 'labor'. It is the highest expression of the Jewish person's extraordinary effort to recreate him or herself through 'labor', to be reconnected to nature, and to plant the many-branched tree of his or her nation in the land from which it was uprooted".[65]

Chavrusamagazine[edit]

Chavrusais the name of the magazine of the Rabbinic Alumni of theRabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary,published since the late 1950s.[66]

Havrutamagazine[edit]

Havrutamagazine is a publication of thePardes Institute of Jewish Studies.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

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Further reading[edit]

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