More feedback from participants
I’m happy to see how lively and vibrant the participation in he Virtual Chabura has become this year. It makes me really excited to know that this program is being spread to a lot of people and allowing more people to learn Gemara B’iyun outside the Yeshiva environment. I’ve loved participating in the virtual chabura; it gives me the opportunity to put my secular studies aside and focus on my learning in a more intensive way than I would learning something like Parsha or Halacha. The Virtual Chabura has given me the chance to prepare and give iyun shiurim while in college, which pushes my learning to a different level. I also enjoy being part of such a serious group of people who love learning and take their learning seriously.
Jacob Sacks, University of Maryland
This program is excellent because it expands understanding rationale of the Gemara much deeper than the basic level. It is a high level shiur and I am not generally up to the level of the other participants, but I try to get the most I can out of it whenever I can participate. It is very useful to have the recordings available for playback.
David Kolat, Securities Transfer/Shareholder Services
It is often difficult to get the feeling of learning that is found in a Yeshiva setting, and the program has helped me get back to that level of learning, while being flexible for life in a non-Yeshiva setting. The program truly is a life-long learning initiative.
Oren Rabinowitz, Ulpan
The chabura creates a structured learning environment, guiding our pace and the depth of our iyun study. Using the mekorot as our starting point, we can quickly and efficiently drive towards the central issues on each daf of Mesechet Brachot.
Michael Goon, NYU Law School
There is a lot of learning at Queens College, from frequent shiurim to loads of students looking for chavrusos. But this doesn’t ensure optimal learning. I can say that the end of last year, I was talking with one of my chavrusos about whose chemistry lab we will be doing research in, not learning. This is because we had no reason to move along in our learning. Furthermore, the shiurim are those that don’t require previous effort to be put in; one can just sit in and understand. The best way to attain the classic “prepare on your own time and then go to shiur” setup is The Virtual Chabura.
Benjamin Mann, Queens College
I wanted to learn B’iyun outside of Yeshiva and I was concerned about that. This program helped me maintain and sharpen my learning skills and breadth of Meforshim.
Brandon Lurie, McGill University
I find the program enjoyable and informative. I think it is a great way to learn Gemara in depth and in a group setting. The weekly meeting and the feedback of others helps me understand sugyos very clearly.
Elliot Steinfeld, Brooklyn College