Why Is Gemara So Central to Orthodox Jewish Life? with Rabbi Yehuda Turetsky [Gemara, Part 1]

The study of Gemara dominates the daily schedule of most yeshivot. Beyond yeshiva, Daf Yomi has become an international phenomenon with people taking time out of their daily schedules to study a page of Talmud. What is Gemara learning all about? Why is it prioritized over the study of Jewish thought or Tanakh? In this episode, Rav David Silverstein is joined by Rabbi Yehuda Turetsky of Yeshivat Sha'alvim to discuss these questions as well as address the different learning methodologies used to convey the profundity of Gemara learning.

Rabbi Yehuda Turetsky serves as a Ram at Yeshivat Sha’alvim, where he teaches Talmud and contemporary Jewish thought. He studied at Yeshiva University and received a B.A. in Psychology, M.S. in Jewish Education, and Semicha as a member of the Wexner Semicha Honors Program. He is also an alumnus of YU’s prestigious Kollel Elyon and currently serves as the associate director of NCSY Kollel. He has given shiurim and presentations throughout North America and has published articles on a wide range of topics, including Talmud, Jewish Education, and the Sociology of the Modern Orthodox community. He resides in Sha’alvim with his wife, Dr. Ilana Turetsky, and their four children.

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Music from "Ashreinu" by Omek HaDavar
Recorded in the Old City of Jerusalem at Yeshivat Orayta (orayta.org) | Facebook | Instagram