In New Role, Thinking Big

By COLlive reporter

Over the last several months there have been various op-ed articles, and specifically one entitled “Teaching Kids to Hate Gemara,” which describe the great challenge of Gemara learning for so many and the toll it’s taking on bochurim and their entire yeshiva experience.

The source of this great problem seems to be that many aren’t picking up the skill of Gemara learning. Even if they have listened to many shiurim and may have understood the material, they remain essentially distant from being a Gemara learner, and ultimately, from a bochur that can sit six or seven hours a day and enjoy learning.

A solution for this is being offered by preMesivta Online — a new, live, interactive supplemental learning program which has the exciting dynamic of a stimulating classroom and is led by the acknowledged chinuch expert Rabbi Menachem Mendel Polter of Monsey.

Skills-based, it does not aim to “cover ground” but rather to build the students’ ability to find their way around and gain mastery over the Gemara.

“As many people know, my area of focus and success for the past 10 years has been specifically with bochurim who are struggling with their learning,” Rabbi Polter told COLlive.com about his years as the Rosh Yeshiva Menachem Mendel Lubavitch in Monsey, NY.

“We have so many success stories, B”H, with students who never thought they could learn. As a result of this intensive work, I have developed a method of teaching and explaining that is very, very effective,” says Polter, who is known for his one-on-one counseling and tutoring.

He said that while the schools are teaching many subjects a day to many levels of talmidim – and many succeed and master some or even all of these subjects – “there will be always be those who need additional help.”

Similar to the Kumon or Mathnasium supplemental evening programs for math and reading, PreMesivta is joining this teaching method met with skepticism at first and has become an established part of the educational scene today.

What is currently happening in Mesivtas?
“Today more than ever, most full-time mesivta programs are designed for those who are well on their way to learning independently.”

And those that can’t keep up?
“Those who are not, may be heading for trouble.”

How is that?
“Academic success breeds confidence, love of learning, and the strong connection to Torah and Yiddishkeit that we all yearn to inspire in our children. Yet the opposite is also, unfortunately, quite true. This means skills need to be built up and solidified while still in the pre-mesivta grades. The 6th-9th grade years offer a brief window of opportunity to set the student on the crucial path to fulfillment and achievement in his future.”

And Gemara specifically is crucial to all that?
“Yes. Gemara is the life-blood of the yeshivah system and of the Jewish people itself. It is so important — and it is such a challenge, from pronunciation of the words, the accurate teitch of the words so they lead properly one into another, and the line of thinking so it actually becomes geshmak to understand it, with clarity.”

And how is that done?
“There are so many skills to master that one could almost open an entire training center for Gemara alone. PreMesivta Online is the only program to offer an entire Gemara-focused training method that has already been proven effective both in person and long-distance.”

The enthusiasm that can be offered in a classroom could be transmitted online?
“The excitement of learning well, of progressing, of understanding exactly what is going on in that Gemara – is stimulating, interesting, and fun. I enjoy it, and I make sure my talmidim feel that interest – even online. My kesher with the talmidim is a key component of success.”

What are your goals?
“If I can reach an additional 20 bochurim a year and help them not just survive, but enjoy and confidently look forward to their learning in mesivta, I will feel privileged. And by using the interactive technology of distance learning, it can be many more than 20.”

And you expect parents to make this investment?
“The Rebbe Rashab said “it the absolute duty of every person to spend a half hour every day thinking about the Torah-education of children, and to do everything in his power – and beyond his power — to inspire children to follow the path along which they are being guided.”

“I think there is no better way to practice this than signing up for this program. The investment of time and effort now, at this critical juncture in your son’s life, will pay dividends for his future and all his generations. Aizehu chochom, haro’eh es hanolad.”

When does this program begin?
“PreMesivta Online debuts this summer with two month-long programs, perfect for boys who are home and seeking a productive activity.

“The classes are 45-minute learning sessions (Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday), designed for maximum productivity and minimum fatigue.”

And after the summer?
“It will b’ezras Hashem continue throughout the school year. During the year, the sessions three time slots are offered, to specifically accommodate different grade levels 7 8 and 9.

To sign up for the summer semester from 6 Tammuz – June 26 or to reserve your spot for the fall semester of the shnas halimudim, beginning in mid-Elul, visit www.premesivta.com or call 845-202-1109.