By Shmuel Katz
I had the opportunity to speak with HaRav Yosef Zvi Rimon last week about a very exciting new program he is bringing to the United States. For those of you who are not familiar with Rav Rimon, his body of work is prolific and extremely broad based, and I look forward to sharing more details in future issues of this paper.
Rav Rimon has launched a new project over the last few months. Developed by the Center for Halacha Education, which was also founded by Rav Rimon, the project focuses upon the utilization of modern technology in teaching halacha to today’s modern student. The knowledge of practical halacha is of vast importance to every one of us, being the practical blueprint by which we know how to run our lives in accordance with the Torah’s instructions. The mission of the Center is to identify innovative methods of instructing practical halacha to the public at large.
He has crafted a three-point approach of inspiration, education, and communication to educating today’s modern youth, who have become technologically advanced and easily bored by classic educational methods. Each point of the approach works individually to form a unified system of education for today’s world.
At the core of this new educational system is the understanding that today’s youth is a digital learner. Schoolchildren today have all grown up with an understanding of basic computer operation. Most of them have done schoolwork on the computer in some shape or form and with the proliferation of digital media and forms of games and entertainment; they are extremely comfortable in the computer/digital world.
Yet most of the focus of technology in the classroom has been in secular subjects. Rav Rimon’s vision is for a program in limudei kodesh with broad coverage throughout the country and even throughout the world.
With the launch of this new system, Rav Rimon is in the United States to demonstrate the operation and effectiveness of teaching limudei kodesh, beginning with halacha, using digital media. He is presenting the system in New York and New Jersey over the next couple of weeks at special continuing-education in-session training days for yeshiva educators. He also invites the public (and educators) to come investigate what the Center for Halacha Education has developed. He will be presenting at Yeshivat Noam in Paramus on Election Day (November 6) and will be at HAFTR Elementary/Middle school in the Five Towns the following week, on November 12.
You can find out more about Rav Rimon and the Center for Halacha Education and their new halacha education system (and/or arrange to attend one of the sessions in NY/NJ) by calling 201-645-4670 or emailing info@halachaED.org.
