LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE
How to Read Torah: The Secrets of Midrash
A SEMINAR-STYLE JOURNEY LED BY RABBI DAVID FOHRMAN
$1800
JUNE 18 - AUG 6
8:00 - 9:15PM ET
Zoom
Suitable for all levels
This seminar is an exclusive offering to Aleph Beta Patrons. Learn more about becoming a Patron and all that's included. Unable to join Patrons Circle? Scholarship opportunities for this course are available.
Questions? Email patrons@alephbeta.org
Have you ever wanted to learn how to read Torah like Rabbi Fohrman?
Rabbi Fohrman is often asked: is your methodology for interpreting Torah text new? Did you make it up? If no one before you saw what you saw, there’s a good chance that you’re probably wrong.
We believe that Rabbi Fohrman’s methodology for interpreting Torah text is not new. It’s very old and goes to the core of our tradition. It seems that the sages of the Midrash were well aware of chiasms, intertextuality, and all sorts of tools that the Torah uses to encode meaning. And the sages themselves encoded their interpretation in allegorical stories of their own - Midrash!
In this course, we’re going to focus on these stories, the most ancient of all commentaries on Biblical text. Stories about the super-stretchy arm of the daughter of Pharaoh, or fruit trees in the sea, or the one about Vashti’s tail. For many, Midrash is very troubling, are we meant to take these interpretations literally? And if so, why aren’t they included in the Biblical text in the first place?
We will explore the origins of the methodology we use here at Aleph Beta. We’ll grapple with the often strange interpretations of the sages, and show you, perhaps, how they reached the conclusions they reached. Along the way, you’ll become familiar with the same tools the sages used in approaching Biblical text, and hopefully, you will become a better reader of Torah yourself.
In registering for this course, you are joining an exclusive group of Patrons who get access to multiple courses (like this) a year and so much more! See the full list of perks below.
Some methods you’ll learn
Lullaby Effects
Take it apart
Outliers
Intertextuality
Chiasms
About Rabbi Fohrman
Rabbi David Fohrman is the founder and lead scholar at Aleph Beta. Over the last two decades, he’s pioneered a way of reading Biblical text that feels both rigorous and revelatory. Through Aleph Beta, he’s given expression to that, developing what is now a vast library of content, spanning all types of media: animated videos, podcasts and books. He’s also embarked on an effort to train a team of Torah scholars adept at the close-reading methodology he’s pioneered – and their work can be found at Aleph Beta, too.
Prior to his founding of Aleph Beta, Rabbi Fohrman served as a senior editor and writer for the ArtScroll Talmud Project. He also taught Biblical themes as adjunct faculty at Johns Hopkins University, where he had earlier received a Master’s degree in Western intellectual history. Rabbi Fohrman received his rabbinical and Talmudic training at the Ner Israel Rabbinical College, but some of his earliest and most profound exposure to Biblical text analysis came from his encounters with Rabbi Yosef Leibowitz, in his childhood years in Northern California.
In registering for this course, you are joining a group of Patrons across the globe.
Unique perks and opportunities when you sign up for the course
Unlimited Access To Our Library
Gain unlimited access to our library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts on the Torah. From 10 minute videos to deep dive series, enjoy our high quality content that will help you fall in love with the Torah - for the first time, or all over again.
Shiny New Things Webinars
As a Patron, you get to join Rabbi Fohrman live as he develops his latest Torah research that he's in the process of refining. You're not just learning a "shiny new thing", you're participating in its creation!
In-Person Gatherings & Events
Ever wanted to shmooze with Rabbi Fohrman in the flesh? Meet up for dinner in Israel or for drinks in New York! Want to outsmart Rabbi Fohrman in a trivia games night? Or learn with him live, in person? We will keep you informed of these opportunities as they pop up during the year.
Biblical Hebrew Course
Unlock the secrets of the Torah in its original language with our semester-long beginner and intermediate Biblical Hebrew courses.
Concierge Service
A dedicated customer-service agent will field your calls and help you with any Aleph Beta-related issue. Also, have your burning Torah questions answered by our Scholars OR Rabbi Fohrman himself!
Interactive Live Courses
Dive deep into topics that intrigue, enlighten, and challenge your perception of life, Torah, and everything in between. From Aleph Beta methodology to explorations of parenting, recovering from trauma, or even the meaning of life, you'll have a front-row, participatory seat to some of the most profound learning experiences you can imagine.