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Teaching myself Torah



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amother
OP


 

Post Sun, Feb 23 2020, 2:44 pm
How would I go about teaching myself Torah? What should I start with? I read Hebrew but don't know it well. I don't want to read in English all the time and I never had a Jewish education.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Feb 23 2020, 2:57 pm
Contact your local Partners in Torah. Our local PiT matches mentors with frum people in your situation.
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amother
Plum


 

Post Sun, Feb 23 2020, 3:06 pm
Yes what PF said. You can't really teach yourself Torah, you are not supposed to. You need to learn from other people who learned from others all the way back to hear Sinai.

But don't worry- in the direction that a person wants to go HaShem will take him (or her!), reach out and I am sure you will find the most amazing teachers.

Kol hakavod to you.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Feb 23 2020, 4:58 pm
amother [ Plum ] wrote:
Yes what PF said. You can't really teach yourself Torah, you are not supposed to. You need to learn from other people who learned from others all the way back to hear Sinai.

But don't worry- in the direction that a person wants to go HaShem will take him (or her!), reach out and I am sure you will find the most amazing teachers.

Kol hakavod to you.


I join your in your brachos for OP, I wanted to say something like that and you said it beautifully. But I think there is a lot one can do on one's own. Thanks to TorahAnytime, YUTorah, Naaleh, et al, one can attain a lot of general knowledge and after a while, a person really find teachers who resonate. It's a wonderful thing to find these virtual teachers. And think of the Nach Yomi initiative.

But having IRL teachers, whether through this kind of learning, or regular shiurim, is invaluable.
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amother
Chartreuse


 

Post Sun, Feb 23 2020, 6:34 pm
I know Naaleh has shiurim pasuk by pasuk in Navi. I haven't looked for Chumash though.

I don't know if there's a problem to learn Chumash on your own, because the publishers of the good translations have invested a lot of work in conveying the traditional explanations of each pasuk and Rashi. However, it would be a good idea to have someone available if you have questions. (Actually Partners in Torah is a good idea, but in an hour or 1/2 hour a week it's slow going. If you have more time to invest, you might like the idea below.)

I personally (having had a full day school education plus 1 1/2 years of teacher's seminary) find it easier to learn the parsha with a Chumash with English translation. I can read Rashi script, I can read without nekudos, and I can even sometimes remember what I learned about the explanation of Rashi. However, I find that trying to read regular Rashi it strains my brain, which is not what it once was. If I make it easier for myself I find I am more likely to do it!

I don't think the effort (ameilus baTorah) is so obligatory on a woman. It's more important to get Yiras Shomayim from learning whatever you can. (Having said that, I do also listen to Gemara shiurim. I mostly started because I was tired of not understanding what my DH & sons were discussing, but I find it does impact my Yiras Shomayim. When I am learning Brachos it improves my Tefila and Brachos, and when I learn Shabbos it improves my Shabbos.)

I try to do one aliyah every night (so Motzai Shabbos until Sheini, Sunday night til Shlishi etc). I find having a schedule helps me keep going, and if I am very tired or busy one night it's not so much to catch up by doubling up for a couple of nights. I can usually finish by the time Shabbos is over.

I find the Metzudah linear the best for me. The Rashis are in regular script, with vowels, and there's a translation next to each phrase. It's a good way to learn the language and there are some explanatory comments on the bottom.

The Artscroll explains the Rashis in more detail. However, it's more tedious for me to get through the Hebrew because it's interspersed with the English. But if you're not so fluent yet, you may want to read all the English anyhow so you may like it better. It used to come in a very cute little set of pocket Chumashim, handy to take anywhere. though I don't know if it's still available.

I would suggest you look at both of these in your local seforim store (if you have one. If you're buying on-line, try getting used copies from Bluebirds.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Feb 24 2020, 5:58 am
Chartreuse, I really liked your post. I was thinking that I should have mentioned books too.
While we don't have the obligation of ameilus there is satisfaction in having basic skills and I salute OP for wanting to develop the skills. But I also want to second making use of translations, etc. And translations aren't necessarily spoon-feeding either but demand concentration and thought.
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Feb 24 2020, 10:02 am
Thanks for all the input.

What should I really focus on? Chumash? Is there any suggestions for Mishnah?
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amother
Plum


 

Post Mon, Feb 24 2020, 12:15 pm
I agree with you pf that of course it is possible to learn on your own , but I think you need to have attained a certain level of absorption of the mesorah before you can do this correctly. And op if you have had NO Jewish education, then you are probably not there yet.

In terms of WHAT to learn, honestly you are lucky being female, because you can learn whatever you want. Whatever interests you. (The truth is that the men can and should do that as well. But being female means there is a lot less pressure to focus on one specific thing,). If you have never learnt then logically you would start with Chumash, but you don't have to the way a boy does.
And chartreuse wow! You rock. Kol hakavod for your learning efforts. You are literally saving the world.
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