Chavrusa
Chavrusa, also spelled chavruta or havruta (Aramaic: חַבְרוּתָא, lit. "friendship" or "companionship"), is a traditional rabbinic approach to Talmudic study in which a small group of students (usually 2-5) analyze, discuss, and debate a shared text. It is a primary learning method in yeshivas and kollels, where students often engage regular study partners of similar knowledge and ability, and is also practiced by those outside the yeshiva setting, in work, home, and vacation settings. The traditional phrase is to learn "b'chavrusa" (בְחַבְרוּתָא, "in "chavrusa""; i.e., in partnership); the word has come by metonymy to refer to the study  partner as an individual, though it would more logically describe the pair. Unlike a teacher-student relationship, in which the student memorizes and repeats the material back in tests, "chavrusa"-style learning puts each student in the position of analyzing the text, organizing his thoughts into logical arguments, explaining his reasoning to his partner, hearing out his partner's reasoning, and questioning and sharpening each other's ideas, often arriving at entirely new insights into the meaning of the text. While "chavrusa"-style learning is traditionally practiced by men and boys, it has also become popular in women's yeshivas that study  Talmudic texts. In the 2000s it was extended to telephone and internet learning sessions in which partners study Talmud as well as other traditional Jewish texts. Definition. "Chavrusa" is an Aramaic word meaning "friendship" or "companionship". The Rabbis of the Mishnah and Gemara uses the cognate term "chaver" (חבר, "friend" or "companion" in Hebrew) to refer to the one with whom a person studies Torah. In contemporary usage, "chavrusa" is defined as a "study partner". In Orthodox Judaism, a "chavrusa" always refers to two students learning one on one. When three or more students learn together, they are called a  chavurah (, group). Reform Judaism has expanded the idea of "chavrusa" to include two, three, four or even five individuals studying together. It has also extended the material being studied beyond traditional texts, to modern scholarship and poetry. The Reform and Conservative movements have also altered the idea of "chavurah" from its Orthodox meaning of groups that meet only for Torah study. In Reform and Conservative terminology, a "chavurah" is a group of individuals or families which is part study or prayer group, part social club. Origin. Based on statements in the Mishnah and Gemara, "chavrusa" learning was a key feature  of yeshivas in the eras of the Tannaim (Rabbis of the Mishnaic period, 10-220 CE) and Amoraim (Rabbis of the Talmudic period, 200 to 500 CE). The Rabbis repeatedly urged their students to acquire a study partner; for example, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Perachya enjoined students to "Make for yourself a Rav and acquire for yourself a "chaver"", and Rabbi Yose ben Chalafta told his son Rabbi Abba that he was ignorant because he did not study with someone else. The choice of "chavrusas" seems to have been based on friendship or social proximity; thus, "chavrusas" fulfilled a social as  well as an educational need. While an individual may choose to study Talmud alone, it is strongly discouraged. In the Talmud, R. Yosi b. R. Hanina is quoted as saying that "scholars who sit alone to study the Torah ... become stupid" ("Berakhot" 63b). Nevertheless, there is evidence that learning in pairs was not always a universal norm in yeshivas, for example in the famous Volozhin Yeshiva of 19th century Lithuania, there is evidence that individual study rather than studying in pairs was the norm. "Chavrusa"-style learning is particularly suited to Talmud study, as the latter is a text filled with  conflicting opinions and seemingly contradictory statements on principles of Jewish law. Besides tracking the back-and-forth debates, a student of Talmud must be able to analyze each opinion and present hypotheses to reconcile it in light of the others. The "chavrusa" relationship gives each student a platform to clarify and explain his position to a partner; then the two go on to question, defend, convince, amend, fine-tune, and even arrive at new conclusions through rigorous intellectual collaboration. Educational benefits. Unlike conventional classroom learning, in which a teacher lectures to the student and the student memorizes and repeats the  information back in tests, and unlike an academic seminary, where students do independent research, "chavrusa" learning challenges the student to analyze and verbally explain the material, point out the errors in his partner's reasoning, and question and sharpen each other's ideas, often arriving at entirely new insights into the meaning of the text. A "chavrusa" helps the student stay awake, keep his mind focused on the learning, sharpen his reasoning powers, develop his thoughts into words, and organize his thoughts into logical arguments. This type of learning also imparts precision and clarity into ideas that would otherwise remain  vague. Having to listen to, analyze and respond to another's opinion inculcates respect for others. It is considered poor manners to interrupt one's "chavrusa". The "chavrusa" relationship also strengthens the student's personal commitment to his studies, as he is loath to disappoint or cancel on his "chavrusa". Practice. "Chavrusa" learning takes place in the formalized structure of the yeshiva or kollel, as well as in Talmudic study that an individual does at any time of day. Although a man skilled in learning could study certain topics on his own, the "chavrusa" relationship is preferred to help him  crystallize his thoughts. In the yeshiva setting, students prepare for and review the "shiur" (lecture) with their "chavrusas" during morning, afternoon, and evening study sessions known as "sedarim". On average, a yeshiva student spends ten hours per day learning in "chavrusa". Since having the right "chavrusa" makes all the difference between having a good year and a bad year, class rebbis may switch "chavrusas" eight or nine times in a class of 20 boys until the partnerships work for both sides. If a "chavrusa" gets stuck on a difficult point or needs further clarification, they can turn to the rabbis , lecturers, or a "sho'el u'mashiv" (literally, "ask and answer", a rabbi who is intimately familiar with the Talmudic text being studied) who are available to them in the study hall during "sedarim". In women's yeshiva programs, teachers are on hand to guide the "chavrusas". "Chavrusa" learning tends to be loud and animated, as the study partners read the Talmudic text and the commentaries aloud to each other and then analyze, question, debate, and defend their points of view to arrive at a mutual understanding of the text. In the heat of discussion, they may wave their hands or even  shout at each other. Depending on the size of the yeshiva, dozens or even hundreds of "chavrusas" can be heard discussing and debating each other's opinions. One of the skills of "chavrusa" learning is the ability to block out all other discussions in the study hall and focus on one's study partner alone. Choosing a "chavrusa". Pairing up study partners has been compared to making a "shidduch" (marriage match), as the skills, interests, temperament and schedule of each person must be taken into consideration. Good friends do not necessarily make good "chavrusas". If the "chavrusas" spend too much  time chatting or joking with each other at the expense of their study time, they are advised to find different study partners. In the yeshiva world, the brightest students are highly desirable as "chavrusas". However, there are pros and cons to learning with "chavrusas" who are stronger, weaker, or equal in knowledge and ability to the student. A stronger "chavrusa" will correct and fill in the student's knowledge and help him improve his learning techniques, acting more like a teacher. With a "chavrusa" who is equal in knowledge and ability, the student is forced to prove his point with  logic rather than by right of seniority, which improves his ability to think logically, analyze other people's opinions objectively, and accept criticism. With a weaker "chavrusa", who often worries over and questions each step, the student is forced to understand the material thoroughly, refine and organize his thoughts in a logical structure, present his viewpoint clearly, and be ready to justify each and every point. The stronger "chavrusa" helps the student acquire a great deal of information, but the weaker "chavrusa" helps the student learn "how" to learn. Yeshiva students are usually advised to have one of each of  these three types of "chavrusas" in order to develop on all three levels. Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey is known for its "tumult day" at the beginning of each "z'man" (semester), when thousands of students mingle outdoors with the goal of choosing a "chavrusa" for the new term. A similar "tumult day" takes place among the hundreds of students at the main Brisk yeshiva in Jerusalem, and at the Mir in Jerusalem. "Chavrusas" often develop into lasting friendships. The shared commitment to scholarship and intellectual growth creates a close bond between study partners that has been said  to be closer than that of many married couples. Women's "chavrusas". Women's yeshivas that include Talmud study on the curriculum often schedule chavrusa study sessions for their students. In Orthodox women's seminaries, students are paired with study partners of equal or greater strength to learn Halakha, Chumash, Jewish philosophy, or any other topic in Judaism. In recent years, telephone study partnerships for women have been promoted as a "kiruv" (Orthodox Judaism outreach) tool in Israel and as an option for busy homemakers. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine, reportedly had a regular half-hour chavrusa  with his wife, during which they studied "Orach Chayim ". Telephone and online "chavrusas". Partners in Torah was the first to move "chavrusa"-style learning out of the yeshiva and synagogue and into telephone study sessions in 1997. During the 2000s, many free internet services began matching up study partners around the world using videoconferencing and Skype hook-ups. Limmud Chavruta Project. Founded in the United Kingdom in 1996 and launched globally in 2009, the Limmud Chavruta Project produces an annual study guide for "chavrusa"-style learning. The study guides, which include source texts on topics such as "Responsibility", "Creativity", "Time", and "Money , are issued in conjunction with the British-Jewish educational charity's annual conference. Other uses. Zionist ideal. Zionist ideologue A. D. Gordon used the term chavrusa" to refer to a communal society, such as the moshav, kibbutz, or worker's association, which acts as a self-educational link to the larger social-educational process. In Zionist thought, the "chavrusa" is "a central tool in the struggle for the revival of the Jewish people, the revival of the individual, and the centrality of the idea of 'labor'. It is the highest expression of the Jewish person's extraordinary effort to recreate  him or herself through 'labor', to be reconnected to nature, and to plant the many-branched tree of his or her nation in the land from which it was uprooted". Section::::"Chavrusa" magazine. "Chavrusa" is the name of the magazine of the Rabbinic Alumni of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, published since the late 1950s. Section::::"Havruta" magazine. "Havruta" magazine is a publication of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.