Rav Binny Freedman – Jewish Books Tour

Rav Binny begins the class exploring the life of Abraham, and painting a picture as to why the Torah begins with stories. Then he gives a general overview of the Five Books of Moses, explains its basic structure, and gives suggestions to beginner and experienced learner alike on how to develop ourselves in learning Torah.

From G-d to Moses, the prophets received the true Torah tradition, passing it to the Men of the Great Assembly, via an unbroken chain. Rav Binny discusses the process of prophesy, as well as the relevance that the prophesies have on our lives right now. He also gives us suggestions on how to study the prophetic writings.

An overview of the Talmud starts this class, which covers the history, content, and unique layout of the Talmudic page. Then we jump into a taste of learning a famous piece of Talmud from the Tractate Brachot (Blessings), in the lively interactive method that makes Jewish learning unique in the world.

This class is a concise overview of the Oral Torah, exploring the difference between the Halacha (Jewish Law), and the Midrash and Aggadah. Rav Binny looks into two Midrashim dealing with the relationship between Adam, Cain, and Abel to give us a taste of what we can learn in this part of the Oral Torah.

This class deals with the method of making the Tanach (Torah, Prophets and Writings), into a life-long companion, not just a book. Rav Binny offers some essential tools and learning pathways to those who are interested in learning more deeply from our Book of all books.

Rav Binny gives us an overview of the life of Maimonides, known as the Rambam (acronym for Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon), and the awesome gifts that he gave to the Jewish people, including his magnum opus, the Yad HaChazaka (The Strong Hand), which made the Torah accessible on a level that had never existed before.

There are many ways to learn about the mitzvot, and here Rav Binny shares with us three particularly good books that can help us understand and get a handle on the famous 613. As well, he presents two different practical and effective ways of studying them, and uses the commandment of honoring one’s parents as an example.

In this class, Rav Binny addresses the meaning of the prayers, philosophical questions related to prayer, and the structure of the prayer book. He also gives a background on the Amidah, and analyzes the prayer said upon waking up in the morning, the Modeh Ani.

Synthesizing a complete, simple codification of all of Jewish law was no small feat for Tzfat resident Rabbi Yosef Caro. Rav Binny gives us a historical background for the book, the Shulchan Aruch (The Prepared Table), and explains the importance of the transmission of Jewish law.