Due in part to the challenges presented by coronavirus, the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT) has launched a first-of-its-kind online Beit Midrash (house of learning) that focuses on fostering interaction between learners in a virtual environment.
The Beit Midrash, headed by the College’s Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon, is the first virtual Torah study initiative that enables both fully interactive and real-time study for its participants. The platform will be available not only to JCT students, but to all who are interested in Torah learning and have the necessary Hebrew proficiency.
While myriad audio- or video-based Torah classes already exist online, such learning is conducted in one direction — from the rabbi, who passes the lesson to listeners and viewers, as opposed to the type of engagement and collaboration which usually occurs in a Beit Midrash setting. With Beit Midrash facilities closed due to social distancing, JCT’s new tool cultivates interactivity by allowing participants to express themselves, ask questions, and develop discussions accordingly. This is also a step up from the kind of question/answer that is occasionally available via “chat” capabilities since it allows back and forth discussion both synchronously and asynchronously.
The new Beit Midrash is hosted on a unique online platform established by Israeli screenwriter Udi Leon. Participants will access traditional Judaic classes as well as courses on other contemporary issues which are at the intersection of Torah and technology.
For instance, students will explore the topic of allocation of life-saving resources under crisis conditions. Such questions have gained increased relevance during the pandemic due to the strain on hospitals with limited life saving medical equipment — in principle forcing them to decide who is saved and who is not.
“Various developments in the internet age have empowered people to interact in seamless and accessible new ways, including in the realm of Torah study,” said Rabbi Rimon. “Yet until now, online Torah classes have offered only a one-way street from lecturer to listener. JCT’s online Beit Midrash will bring together people from all across Israel under the same virtual roof, where they will work together on analyzing and navigating the most important halachic issues that are at stake both during the pandemic and in more normal times.”
Before the pandemic, JCT’s brick-and-mortar Beit Midrash had served over 400 students, offering 20-30 hours of organized Torah learning per week. The College’s rigorous Beit Midrash curriculum — which includes Tanach, Talmud, Jewish law, Jewish philosophy, business ethics, and the synthesis of Torah and technology — provides students with the strong foundation necessary to cultivate an enduring commitment to Jewish values and integrate it into every aspect of their lives. The College fully expects to resume its in-person Beit Midrash program once the outbreak subsides and the government lifts the restriction on large gatherings. The virtual component of the Beit Midrash will also continue post-pandemic.