The Challenge of Using Technology to Learn Torah
By Micha Males
Immediately after Adam & Chava ate from the Tree of Knowledge, they were evicted from Gan Eden (Berashit 3:24). In order to prevent their reentry, a ‘rotating sword’ was placed along the path to the Tree of Life. Indeed, way before the Office of Homeland Security, the sanctity of borders was already an issue. The lesson seems to be that the attainment of greater knowledge and awareness comes with a price tag. Maturation is actually a ‘double-edged sword’. Any time we wish to ‘taste’ new knowledge, we must be aware of both the pluses and minuses.
This is abundantly clear with regards to computer technology. Using the Internet & e-mail, we have gained access to religious & general resources beyond our wildest dreams. There is a ‘dark side of the force,’ which takes the form of inappropriate web content, hackers, viruses, and their related mutations. The challenge, then, is to separate the holy from the profane and harness computer technology to assist the students in becoming better, stronger, Jewish adults. Two Yeshivat Rambam rebbes have been bringing their classes to the computer lab. This fusion of ancient tradition with modern technology has born wonderful – albeit permitted – fruits.
Rabbi Ronnie Halibard, Middle School Coordinator and Judaic Studies teacher has been teaching his class hilchot safrut (the laws of ritual scribes). These laws affect StaM (Sifrei Torah, Teffilan & Mezuzah). The sofer must carefully examine the parchment for any inaccuracy that would invalidate the parsha. Nowadays, some use computer-scanning software to search for missing or broken letters. Every student was presented with the parshiyot of the Shema in the DavkaWriter program, using the Stam font. Rabbi Halibard made sure that there were many typos, missing & extra letters and other inconsistencies. The students used the program to catch as many mistakes as they could during the period. The exercise helped the students gain a stronger appreciation of the Shema as well as a greater awareness of the DavkaWriter program.
Rav Orenstein, Middle School/High School Judaic Studies teacher and a member of the Torah Mitzion Community Kollel of Baltimore, introduced his class to the Bar Ilan Responsa program. Students learned how to look up material in Tanach, Talmud Bavli & Yerushalmi, various mefarshim, etc. All material is cross-linked making the research process almost ‘too easy.’ The students sampled many of the program’s features and were truly amazed. One student even remarked, “This is the coolest program I’ve ever seen!” Future sessions will include research assignments to make certain that the students know how to “let their fingers do the walking.”
For generations, scribes have examined religious scrolls, unaided visually. In fact, the Mesoret HaShas, several hundreds of years ago, noted on the sides of the Talmud cross-references between tractates – and that was done without the aid of a computer. There is no inherent contradiction between our traditions and the contemporary world. We must be the bridge, as we’ve always been a cutting-edge people.
Micah Males is Director of Information Technology at Yeshivat Rambam