During the previous academic year, Koren Publishers Jerusalem and the RRG Beit Midrash Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem partnered up to introduce students of all levels and backgrounds to The Noé Edition Koren Talmud Bavli.

Learning from The Noé Edition Koren Talmud Bavli

From this initial idea the partership between the two organizations has flourished and students of the beit midrash now use Rabbi Steinsaltz’s English commentaries on both Talmud and Tanakh in their learning. RRG Beit Midrash Program participants have also been eligible to receive special Koren discounts and gifts to take back home with them and continue their Jewish text study even after they have left Israel.

“We love introducing our diverse group of students to Koren texts, and in particular the Steinsaltz commentaries. Since many of them don’t have a strong Hebrew or Jewish textual background, the Koren texts allow them to break through the linguistic and conceptual barriers of the Tanakh and the Talmud and to deeply engage with the texts.”-Rabbi Yonatan Udren of the RRG Beit Midrash Program.

Rav Udren handing out Gemara Cards; a gift from Koren Publishers to RRG students

What is the RRG Beit Midrash program and how can YOU be involved?

For nearly 35 years, the RRG Beit Midrash is the place where overseas students from all backgrounds and denominations studying at Hebrew University can explore the Jewish tradition in a welcoming, open, and communal environment. Every Monday evening they host a weekly Beit Midrash, which includes dynamic speakers and the opportunity to learn one-on-one or in small groups with Jerusalem’s finest mentors.

The program was started by Rabbi Reuven Grodner (for whom the program is named) and is organized each week by Rabbi Yonatan Udren. Rabbi Udren states the goal of the program to be: to strengthen students’ Jewish identity through interactive textual learning in an open, diverse, communal environment. The relationship that students form with the texts, as well as the learning community, creates an intimate connection between their personal story and the story of Israel and the Jewish people.

Rabbis Udren and Grodner

If you are located in the Jerusalem area the Beit Midrash is always looking for volunteers to come and study with the students! Click here to find out more.

Students using their new Gemara Cards