Sefaria invites you to reflect on your experience with Limmud and your ongoing relationship with Torah study, and to share those reflections with the Limmud BA community by adding to this collaborative source sheet. Just log in to Sefaria, click on the blue "plus" sign, and add a source from within Sefaria (click "source"), a text, poem, article, or image from anywhere else on the internet (click "outside source", or a comment or question (click "comment"). We look forward to seeing the conversation develop!
The two sources below are intended to get you thinking. You can answer the questions posed below, or those in the source sheet's title. Happy Collaborating!
In this Talmudic story, Rabban Gamliel has just been deposed as head of the academy, and replaced by Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah. This segment describes the change that ensued with regards to the school's admission policy, as well as the results of that change.
תנא אותו היום סלקוהו לשומר הפתח ונתנה להם רשות לתלמידים ליכנס שהיה ר"ג מכריז ואומר כל תלמיד שאין תוכו כברו לא יכנס לבית המדרש ההוא יומא אתוספו כמה ספסלי א"ר יוחנן פליגי בה אבא יוסף בן דוסתאי ורבנן חד אמר אתוספו ארבע מאה ספסלי וחד אמר שבע מאה ספסלי
It has been taught : That same day, they removed the doorkeeper [of the College] and permission was granted to the disciples to enter ; for Rabban Gamaliel had issued a proclamation: "A disciple, who is not inwardly the same as outwardly, will not be allowed to enter the House of Study." That day many seats had to be added. R. Johanan said : Abba Jose b. Dostai and the Rabbis differ as to the number; one declaring four hundred seats were added, the other declaring it was seven hundred.
What exactly do you think Rabban Gamliel's "admission policy" meant? Why did it keep out so many students?
What are the modern-day obstacles to filling our (real or metaphorical) study halls with students of Torah? Are they imposed by outside authorities, or do they come from within ourselves?
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וְתֵן בְּלִבֵּנוּ לְהָבִין וּלְהַשכִּיל. לִשְׁמעַ. לִלְמד וּלְלַמֵּד. לִשְׁמר וְלַעֲשות וּלְקַיֵּם אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי תַלְמוּד תּורָתֶךָ בְּאַהֲבָה:
Place into our hearts the desire to understand and discern, to listen, learn and teach, to observe, perform and fulfill all the teachings of Your Torah in love.
This excerpt is taken from the traditional daily morning liturgy. The translation is from the Koren Mesorat HaRav Siddur.
This prayer asks that we be granted the ability to interact with Torah in meaningful ways. How would you most want to be able to interact with Torah? Is it one of the ways mentioned in the prayer, or is there another verb you would add or substitute?
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