CTP – Classic Talmud Program

Program Vision

The Classic Talmud Program (CTP) is a skills-focused program aimed at improving students’ abilities to study Talmud deeply and independently, utilizing traditional modes of Talmud study and employing multiple pedagogical modalities.

CTP students develop their Talmudic skills by tackling sugiyot (topical sections of Talmud) and concepts that are the bedrock of a traditional yeshiva education. Every year, CTP studies a different masechet (tractate) from amongst the six “classic yeshiva masechtot”: Kiddushin, Baba Kama, Gittin, Baba Metziah, Ketubot and Baba Batra. Classes are divided by skill level, with some sections focusing primarily on reading, parsing and translating the text, and more advanced classes examining Rishonim (Early Commentators), Achronim (Later Commentators) and Halachic literature.

CTP Learning Experience

The CTP’s unique pedagogical approach comprises multiple avenues of study, such that students arrive at the weekly class session prepared to delve deeper into the material. Havruta, tutorial, independent review, and shiur are spread throughout the week, allowing students to engage with the text through four different modes of learning to support a rigorous and well-rounded learning experience.

• Students study the text in havruta, working collaboratively to navigate the text’s language, concepts, and flow. Havrutot support and challenge each other, resulting in a mutually beneficial, empowering experience that enhances the overall quality of study.
• Weekly individualized tutorials with CTP faculty form the cornerstone of the program, allowing students to receive individual attention, address questions or areas of difficulty in their learning, and advance their skills in preparation for shiur.
• Students set aside time each week to review the material, taking to heart the words of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa “Anyone who studies Torah and does not review it is comparable to a person who sows but does not reap.”
• Shiur is where the students get to enjoy the fruits of their labors. Thorough preparation over the course of the week allows teachers to go beyond what appears on the daf and delve deeper into the centuries old debates surrounding the sugiyot.

Program Expectations

The CTP is highly flexible and is designed to fit into students’ busy schedules. CTP offers classes both online and in Jerusalem. Classes are small and active student participation is strongly emphasized. Recognizing that Talmud study is a serious endeavor, students are required to commit to a full year in the program and are encouraged to participate for multiple years.

In addition to Talmud Torah (Torah study), the CTP fosters a sense of community and camaraderie in learning. Over the course of the year, there are multiple online and in-person gatherings, as well as shiur klali with students from other Yashrut programs.