When the concept of Bonayich Educational Services, Ltd., was born, the idea was to uncover the original and authentic Masorah (tradition) of Judaism for systematic study of Torah Sheb’al Peh. The goal was not to introduce new, innovative methods invented by modern educational theorists or academic researchers, but to remain true to the roots and development of the Masorah over the past 2500 years. Bonayich was founded to make the Masorah available and intelligible to the widest range of ages and backgrounds in the Jewish community.
It was no easy matter to clearly identify and define the original Masorah. Our teachers, the Tannaim, Amoraim, Savoraim, Gaonim, Rishonim and Acharonim made many remarks about proper methods, but rarely collected their remarks together into a systematic presentation, since those who learned with them were so steeped in study that they absorbed these methods of the Masorah by osmosis from their learning. For our purpose, it was necessary to go back through all the sources, collect as many as could be found, and then piece them back together into a skills theory that was authentic and true to the Masorah, and still intelligible, assessable and completely transparent.
This basic work was done in the years 2000-2002 by Rabbi Hayman and his colleagues, after more than three decades of informal research by Rabbi Hayman himself. The team succeeded in piecing together hundreds and hundreds of sources and recreating what was, as far as can be determined, the original and authentic Masorah for the study and teaching of Torah Sheb’al Peh. In this document, we will summarize the findings and main sources of the search which became the anchors of the Bonayich curricular structure, and have made the Bonayich curriculum the gold standard for Torah Sheb’al Peh studies around the world and in Israel.
Much more detailed descriptions of the theory, including hundreds of sources from our teachers of all periods, may be found in the books and materials offered through the Store on this site. Also, for further clarification of the explanation brought below, you may Contact Us through this site and we will be pleased to answer any and all questions promptly.
Defining Terms
One of the first problems we encounter when trying to clarify the concepts of the ancient Rabbis in the study of Torah Sheb’al Peh is that their learning terminology does not seem to match ours. When we speak of “Mishnah” and “Talmud” we are, of course, referring to the Mishnah of Rabbi Y’hudah HaNasi, and the Talmud of Rav Ashi and Ravina, but the sources of old seem to mean otherwise!
Many people are aware of the famous seminal source in Pirke Avot 5, Mishnah 21:
הוא (יהודה בן תימא) היה אומר:
בן חמש שנים למקרא, בן עשר למשנה, בן שלש עשרה למצות, בן חמש עשרה לתלמוד וכו'...
This source provides a real curriculum outline by age: 5 years old for Mikra (Biblical study), 10 years old for Mishnah, and 15 years old for Talmud. The only problem is, that Rabbi Y’hudah ben Tema lived before Rabbi Y’hudah HaNasi, and could not be referring to a Mishnah that was not yet edited, and certainly not to a Talmud that was at least seven generations away! What was referred to here?
It is notable that many other sources use the same terminology:
תלמוד בבלי מסכת קידושין דף ל עמוד א
אמר רב ספרא משום ר' יהושע בן חנניא:
מאי דכתיב: (דברים ו) "ושננתם לבניך?"
אל תקרי "ושננתם" אלא "ושלשתם", לעולם ישלש אדם שנותיו,
שליש במקרא, שליש במשנה, שליש בתלמוד.
תלמוד בבלי מסכת עבודה זרה דף יט עמוד ב
א"ר תנחום בר חנילאי:
לעולם ישלש אדם שנותיו, שליש במקרא, שליש במשנה, שליש בתלמוד.
In both of these sources, and in other sources as well, this threefold terminology of מקרא, משנה ותלמוד is used by Tannaim and Amoraim who predate Rebbe, or Rav Ashi, and their intentions are not clear.
What is clear, however, is that separation of these stages was considered critical by the leading Amora of all time, Rabbi Yochanan ben Napacha, as explained by his student:
תלמוד בבלי מסכת סנהדרין דף כד עמוד א
מאי בבל?
אמר רבי יוחנן: בלולה במקרא, בלולה במשנה, בלולה בתלמוד.
(איכה ג') "במחשכים הושיבני כמתי עולם" –
אמר רבי ירמיה: זה תלמודה של בבל.
It’s a very serious thing when Rabbi Yochanan and his Bet Midrash consider the mixing of these learning phases to be like walking in the dark like the eternal dead! The Maharshah (Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer ben Y’hudah HaLevi Edels, of Cracow, Lublin and Ostrog, d. 1631) comments on this poignantly:
מתוך גאוותן לומדין בלול ומעורבב לפי הזמן,
דבן ה' למקרא, לומדין משנה,
ובן י' למשנה, לומדין תלמוד,
שבקטנותן לומדין מעורבב משנה ותלמוד מתוך גאוותן וכו'.
Therefore, it would appear that the stages of learning for children, leading up to and including the study of Talmud, is quite well defined by the Masorah, but we as of yet do not understand the definition.
To ellucidate this matter, we turn to the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, Spain, Israel and Egypt, d. 1204) who slightly altered the terminology in order to explain it:
רמב"ם הלכות תלמוד תורה פרק א הלכה יא
וחייב לשלש את זמן למידתו, שליש בתורה שבכתב, ושליש בתורה שבעל פה,
ושליש יבין וישכיל אחרית דבר מראשיתו, ויוציא דבר מדבר, וידמה דבר לדבר,
ויבין במידות שהתורה נדרשת בהן, עד שידע היאך הוא עיקר המידות,
והיאך יוציא האסור והמותר וכיוצא בהן, מדברים שלמד מפי השמועה,
וענין זה הוא הנקרא תלמוד.
The Rambam is saying that “Mishnah” means Torah Sheb’al Peh, while “Talmud” means learning how to think and reason. The problem is – how do these categories fit our literature today? It can be assumed that everyone would file the Shishah Sidre Mishnah of Rabbi Y’hudah HaNasi under “Mishnah” in this explanation of the Rambam, and most would concur that the Tosefta would go there as well. However, where does the Talmud Bavli fit in here? To say it belongs to the Rambam’s definition of “Talmud” would mean its exclusion from the category Torah Sheb’al Peh, which is unthinkable. On the other hand, if we include it in the Rambam’s category of Torah Sheb’al Peh, then what is “Talmud?” Some modern Rabbis want to explain that the Rambam’s “Torah Sheb’al Peh” simply means everything you learned from your forbears, while the Rambam’s “Talmud” category simply means learning how to think about what you learned. However, this sort of catch-all definition doesn’t help us, because if that is what the Rambam meant, why didn’t he say it? To change the terminology of the ancients from “Mishnah” to “Torah Sheb’al Peh” without defining that this means everything passed down from everyone, is to risk misleading the reader.
The final solution to the terminology problem can be found in the writings of many Talmide Chachamim after the Rambam, but here we will bring only one representative sampling:
שולחן ערוך הרב, הלכות תלמוד תורה, פרק ב'
"...חייב הוא לשלש זמן למידתו שבכל יום ויום:
שליש במקרא,
שליש במשנה,
שהן הלכות פסוקות בלי טעמים שבכל המשניות וברייתות ומימרות האמוראים,
שהן פירוש התרי"ג מצות שבתורה בכל תנאיהם ודקדוקיהם ודקדוקי סופרים.
ובזמן הזה, גם הלכות פסוקות של פסקי הגאונים הפוסקים,
כמו הטור והש"ע והגהותיו בכלל משנה יחשבו.
ושליש בתלמוד,
המבאר טעמי ההלכות שבמשניות וברייתות ומימרות האמוראים.
ובזמן הזה, גם בספרי הפוסקים הראשונים המבארים טעמי ההלכות הפסוקות
שפסקו הטור וש"ע כמו הרא"ש וב"י.
כי אם אינו יודע טעמי ההלכות אינו מבין גופי ההלכות לאשורן על בוריין..."
This remarkable source, from Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi (d. 1813), defines our terms – he says that “Mishnah” means simply halachot without their rationale, and “Talmud” means their elucidation. What is more, Rav Shneur Zalman defines for us what is included from the literature of the Tannaim and Amoraim in the category of “Mishnah” = Halachot: Mishnayot, B’raitot and Memrot of Amoraim! “Talmud,” according to his definition, is the explanation of these three types of sources. Today, we call that explanation “Shakla V’Tarya” or “Stama d’Talmuda” – the Aramaic narrative and analysis of these sources in the Talmud.
This understanding of Rav Shneur Zalman is corroborated in many other sources, not the least of which is that of Rav Chaim Vital (the student of the Rav Yitzchak Luria, d. 1620), two hundred years before Rav Shneur Zalman, and others.
In any event, the above sources and many others bring us to a definition that “Mishnah” means “Halachah” and “Talmud” means the analysis of the Halachot. We now also know what sources are included in “Mishnah.”
Defining Curricular Sequence
In accordance with the above, we can now define the ages for study of various sources according to the Masorah:
Age 5 – Mikra
Age 10 – Mishnah, B’raita and Memra
Age 15 – Shakla V’Tarya
According to this model, Bonayich Educational Services developed a four phase program of study in Torah Sheb’al Peh, spread over four – five years, give or take a year depending on the experience, background and capability of the students involved:
Age 10-11 – Mishnah
Age 11-12 – B’raita = Torat HaTannaim
Age 12-13 – Memra = Torat Ha’Amoraim
Age 13-14 – Shakla V’Tarya of the Talmud
Age 15 – the full Talmud apparatus
These four stages neatly divide into two pairs: Mishnah and B’raita (which includes all extra-Mishnaic Tannaitic sources such as Tosefta, Midr’she Halachah and the b’raitot in the two Talmudim) deal with the Halachot of the Tannaim, while Memrot are the Halachot of the Amoraim, brought in the Talmud with the Shakla V’Tarya. The Bonayich curriculum therefore divides learning of Torah Sheb’al Peh into two programs: V’Shinantam Mishnah Program which covers the former two above phases, and the V’Dibarta Bam Talmud Program which covers the latter three above phases. The V’Shinantam Mishnah Program is written for Primary Grades 5-6 (although in some contexts it is appropriate for Grades 4-5), and the V’Dibarta Bam Talmud Program is written for Grades 7-9 (although in some contexts it is appropriate for Grades 6-8).
It should be stressed here that the purpose of learning Torat HaTannaim in the second year of the program, and Torat Ha’Amoraim in the third year, is not to separate them from the corpus of the full Talmud as if they were meant to be learned separately. No! These are stages of preparation for the study of Talmud, stages which, when learned on their own for a short period of time, grant the student the skills to deal with parts of the Talmud so that later, when he/she arrives at the Talmudic phase, he/she will be better prepared and able to learn correctly.
The above, in brief, is the theory underlying the creation of the Bonayich curriculum for Torah Sheb’al Peh. It’s development from the above curricular sequence to actual learning and teaching materials was simply a matter of content selection, graphic design and teacher training, which is the work of the Company on a day-to-day basis.
It is the hope of all of us at Bonayich Educational Services, Ltd., that with the above backing from the Masorah, and with creative work to bring the Masorah into reach of all Jews, we will make our small contribution to the building and rebuilding of Torah in Am Yisrael.
When the concept of Bonayich Educational Services, Ltd., was born, the idea was to uncover the original and authentic Masorah (tradition) of Judaism for systematic study of Torah Sheb’al Peh. The goal was not to introduce new, innovative methods invented by modern educational theorists or academic researchers, but to remain true to the roots and development of the Masorah over the past 2500 years. Bonayich was founded to make the Masorah available and intelligible to the widest range of ages and backgrounds in the Jewish community.
It was no easy matter to clearly identify and define the original Masorah. Our teachers, the Tannaim, Amoraim, Savoraim, Gaonim, Rishonim and Acharonim made many remarks about proper methods, but rarely collected their remarks together into a systematic presentation, since those who learned with them were so steeped in study that they absorbed these methods of the Masorah by osmosis from their learning. For our purpose, it was necessary to go back through all the sources, collect as many as could be found, and then piece them back together into a skills theory that was authentic and true to the Masorah, and still intelligible, assessable and completely transparent.
This basic work was done in the years 2000-2002 by Rabbi Hayman and his colleagues, after more than three decades of informal research by Rabbi Hayman himself. The team succeeded in piecing together hundreds and hundreds of sources and recreating what was, as far as can be determined, the original and authentic Masorah for the study and teaching of Torah Sheb’al Peh. In this document, we will summarize the findings and main sources of the search which became the anchors of the Bonayich curricular structure, and have made the Bonayich curriculum the gold standard for Torah Sheb’al Peh studies around the world and in Israel.
Much more detailed descriptions of the theory, including hundreds of sources from our teachers of all periods, may be found in the books and materials offered through the Store on this site. Also, for further clarification of the explanation brought below, you may Contact Us through this site and we will be pleased to answer any and all questions promptly.
Defining Terms
One of the first problems we encounter when trying to clarify the concepts of the ancient Rabbis in the study of Torah Sheb’al Peh is that their learning terminology does not seem to match ours. When we speak of “Mishnah” and “Talmud” we are, of course, referring to the Mishnah of Rabbi Y’hudah HaNasi, and the Talmud of Rav Ashi and Ravina, but the sources of old seem to mean otherwise!
Many people are aware of the famous seminal source in Pirke Avot 5, Mishnah 21:
הוא (יהודה בן תימא) היה אומר:
בן חמש שנים למקרא, בן עשר למשנה, בן שלש עשרה למצות, בן חמש עשרה לתלמוד וכו'...
This source provides a real curriculum outline by age: 5 years old for Mikra (Biblical study), 10 years old for Mishnah, and 15 years old for Talmud. The only problem is, that Rabbi Y’hudah ben Tema lived before Rabbi Y’hudah HaNasi, and could not be referring to a Mishnah that was not yet edited, and certainly not to a Talmud that was at least seven generations away! What was referred to here?
It is notable that many other sources use the same terminology:
תלמוד בבלי מסכת קידושין דף ל עמוד א
אמר רב ספרא משום ר' יהושע בן חנניא:
מאי דכתיב: (דברים ו) "ושננתם לבניך?"
אל תקרי "ושננתם" אלא "ושלשתם", לעולם ישלש אדם שנותיו,
שליש במקרא, שליש במשנה, שליש בתלמוד.
תלמוד בבלי מסכת עבודה זרה דף יט עמוד ב
א"ר תנחום בר חנילאי:
לעולם ישלש אדם שנותיו, שליש במקרא, שליש במשנה, שליש בתלמוד.
In both of these sources, and in other sources as well, this threefold terminology of מקרא, משנה ותלמוד is used by Tannaim and Amoraim who predate Rebbe, or Rav Ashi, and their intentions are not clear.
What is clear, however, is that separation of these stages was considered critical by the leading Amora of all time, Rabbi Yochanan ben Napacha, as explained by his student:
תלמוד בבלי מסכת סנהדרין דף כד עמוד א
מאי בבל?
אמר רבי יוחנן: בלולה במקרא, בלולה במשנה, בלולה בתלמוד.
(איכה ג') "במחשכים הושיבני כמתי עולם" –
אמר רבי ירמיה: זה תלמודה של בבל.
It’s a very serious thing when Rabbi Yochanan and his Bet Midrash consider the mixing of these learning phases to be like walking in the dark like the eternal dead! The Maharshah (Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer ben Y’hudah HaLevi Edels, of Cracow, Lublin and Ostrog, d. 1631) comments on this poignantly:
מתוך גאוותן לומדין בלול ומעורבב לפי הזמן,
דבן ה' למקרא, לומדין משנה,
ובן י' למשנה, לומדין תלמוד,
שבקטנותן לומדין מעורבב משנה ותלמוד מתוך גאוותן וכו'.
Therefore, it would appear that the stages of learning for children, leading up to and including the study of Talmud, is quite well defined by the Masorah, but we as of yet do not understand the definition.
To ellucidate this matter, we turn to the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, Spain, Israel and Egypt, d. 1204) who slightly altered the terminology in order to explain it:
רמב"ם הלכות תלמוד תורה פרק א הלכה יא
וחייב לשלש את זמן למידתו, שליש בתורה שבכתב, ושליש בתורה שבעל פה,
ושליש יבין וישכיל אחרית דבר מראשיתו, ויוציא דבר מדבר, וידמה דבר לדבר,
ויבין במידות שהתורה נדרשת בהן, עד שידע היאך הוא עיקר המידות,
והיאך יוציא האסור והמותר וכיוצא בהן, מדברים שלמד מפי השמועה,
וענין זה הוא הנקרא תלמוד.
The Rambam is saying that “Mishnah” means Torah Sheb’al Peh, while “Talmud” means learning how to think and reason. The problem is – how do these categories fit our literature today? It can be assumed that everyone would file the Shishah Sidre Mishnah of Rabbi Y’hudah HaNasi under “Mishnah” in this explanation of the Rambam, and most would concur that the Tosefta would go there as well. However, where does the Talmud Bavli fit in here? To say it belongs to the Rambam’s definition of “Talmud” would mean its exclusion from the category Torah Sheb’al Peh, which is unthinkable. On the other hand, if we include it in the Rambam’s category of Torah Sheb’al Peh, then what is “Talmud?” Some modern Rabbis want to explain that the Rambam’s “Torah Sheb’al Peh” simply means everything you learned from your forbears, while the Rambam’s “Talmud” category simply means learning how to think about what you learned. However, this sort of catch-all definition doesn’t help us, because if that is what the Rambam meant, why didn’t he say it? To change the terminology of the ancients from “Mishnah” to “Torah Sheb’al Peh” without defining that this means everything passed down from everyone, is to risk misleading the reader.
The final solution to the terminology problem can be found in the writings of many Talmide Chachamim after the Rambam, but here we will bring only one representative sampling:
שולחן ערוך הרב, הלכות תלמוד תורה, פרק ב'
"...חייב הוא לשלש זמן למידתו שבכל יום ויום:
שליש במקרא,
שליש במשנה,
שהן הלכות פסוקות בלי טעמים שבכל המשניות וברייתות ומימרות האמוראים,
שהן פירוש התרי"ג מצות שבתורה בכל תנאיהם ודקדוקיהם ודקדוקי סופרים.
ובזמן הזה, גם הלכות פסוקות של פסקי הגאונים הפוסקים,
כמו הטור והש"ע והגהותיו בכלל משנה יחשבו.
ושליש בתלמוד,
המבאר טעמי ההלכות שבמשניות וברייתות ומימרות האמוראים.
ובזמן הזה, גם בספרי הפוסקים הראשונים המבארים טעמי ההלכות הפסוקות
שפסקו הטור וש"ע כמו הרא"ש וב"י.
כי אם אינו יודע טעמי ההלכות אינו מבין גופי ההלכות לאשורן על בוריין..."
This remarkable source, from Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi (d. 1813), defines our terms – he says that “Mishnah” means simply halachot without their rationale, and “Talmud” means their elucidation. What is more, Rav Shneur Zalman defines for us what is included from the literature of the Tannaim and Amoraim in the category of “Mishnah” = Halachot: Mishnayot, B’raitot and Memrot of Amoraim! “Talmud,” according to his definition, is the explanation of these three types of sources. Today, we call that explanation “Shakla V’Tarya” or “Stama d’Talmuda” – the Aramaic narrative and analysis of these sources in the Talmud.
This understanding of Rav Shneur Zalman is corroborated in many other sources, not the least of which is that of Rav Chaim Vital (the student of the Rav Yitzchak Luria, d. 1620), two hundred years before Rav Shneur Zalman, and others.
In any event, the above sources and many others bring us to a definition that “Mishnah” means “Halachah” and “Talmud” means the analysis of the Halachot. We now also know what sources are included in “Mishnah.”
Defining Curricular Sequence
In accordance with the above, we can now define the ages for study of various sources according to the Masorah:
Age 5 – Mikra
Age 10 – Mishnah, B’raita and Memra
Age 15 – Shakla V’Tarya
According to this model, Bonayich Educational Services developed a four phase program of study in Torah Sheb’al Peh, spread over four – five years, give or take a year depending on the experience, background and capability of the students involved:
Age 10-11 – Mishnah
Age 11-12 – B’raita = Torat HaTannaim
Age 12-13 – Memra = Torat Ha’Amoraim
Age 13-14 – Shakla V’Tarya of the Talmud
Age 15 – the full Talmud apparatus
These four stages neatly divide into two pairs: Mishnah and B’raita (which includes all extra-Mishnaic Tannaitic sources such as Tosefta, Midr’she Halachah and the b’raitot in the two Talmudim) deal with the Halachot of the Tannaim, while Memrot are the Halachot of the Amoraim, brought in the Talmud with the Shakla V’Tarya. The Bonayich curriculum therefore divides learning of Torah Sheb’al Peh into two programs: V’Shinantam Mishnah Program which covers the former two above phases, and the V’Dibarta Bam Talmud Program which covers the latter three above phases. The V’Shinantam Mishnah Program is written for Primary Grades 5-6 (although in some contexts it is appropriate for Grades 4-5), and the V’Dibarta Bam Talmud Program is written for Grades 7-9 (although in some contexts it is appropriate for Grades 6-8).
It should be stressed here that the purpose of learning Torat HaTannaim in the second year of the program, and Torat Ha’Amoraim in the third year, is not to separate them from the corpus of the full Talmud as if they were meant to be learned separately. No! These are stages of preparation for the study of Talmud, stages which, when learned on their own for a short period of time, grant the student the skills to deal with parts of the Talmud so that later, when he/she arrives at the Talmudic phase, he/she will be better prepared and able to learn correctly.
The above, in brief, is the theory underlying the creation of the Bonayich curriculum for Torah Sheb’al Peh. It’s development from the above curricular sequence to actual learning and teaching materials was simply a matter of content selection, graphic design and teacher training, which is the work of the Company on a day-to-day basis.
It is the hope of all of us at Bonayich Educational Services, Ltd., that with the above backing from the Masorah, and with creative work to bring the Masorah into reach of all Jews, we will make our small contribution to the building and rebuilding of Torah in Am Yisrael.