About Us - The Chaburah

A group of motivated Talmidim , comprised predominantly of working professionals, who are dedicated to attaining a deeper understanding of the sugyas that we are learning. Led by Rav Barak Saffer , the chaburah 's learning style is a variation of the " Brisker Derech ". Rav Saffer's Rebbi , Rav Yehuda Parnes, Shlita, applied this approach in a unique way to every aspect of the learning process.

Our Mesorah in Learning

What is this “ Derech Halimud ” to which we are so dedicated? The truth is, it is no more than simply striving to understand the Gemorah and Rishonim through careful, unbiased textual analysis. What makes the approach unique is that we are relentless in making sure that all the terms of the Gemorah and Rishonim are clearly defined, and hold up to both the flow of the Gemorah and it's expression in halacha. In so doing, we strive to formulate the ideas that we believe cut to the heart of the sugya, and express themselves in the rishonim and the halacha . By being as precise as possible in defining the underlying concepts that drive the sugya , we often arrive at abstract and complex halachik ideas. Rav Saffer often encourages us to “dig deeper” into the “true” meaning of the text until we have unearthed every nuance and subtlety of the sugya. Once we finally do so, he proudly pronounces that we have “hit bedrock”. One of the "hallmarks" of our shiur is that we are not satisfied with a seemingly smooth "global analysis" of the text. With utmost attention to the numerous approaches of the Gedolei Acharonim of the previous generations and the great Maggidei Shiur of the twentieth century, we focus on analyzing the sugya by inspecting the language of the Rishonim very carefully. In this way we do our best to get at the true intent of the Rishonim in a given sugya .

The Program

Rav Saffer hands out extensive clear references and source sheets for study. Often these will be guided " Mareh Mekomos " posing the critical issues for those who are interested. Rav Saffer's organization of the program enables the chaburah to maintain a reasonable pace even as we dissect each sugya. The Chabura learns together at Beis Tefillah Yonah Avrohom ( located in Ramat Beit Shemesh , Israel), from 8:45-10:15 PM. Shiur is given two nights a week, Monday at 9:15 and Thursday at 8:45. For more information about the chabura and help in finding a chavrusa, e-mail edolavi@aol.com or contact us on the website messageboard 

Yeshiva Atmosphere

The chaburah provides an atmosphere of structure similar to what can be felt inside the walls of a yeshiva. We have a schedule, a Rebbi, a chevra all focused on the same sugya, and same goal of growing in Torah and Yiras Shamayim .