Community Magazine June 2014

SIVAN 5774 JUNE 2014 43 Rabbi Wise explains that Real Clear Daf aspires to extend beyond the standard online Daf Yomi shiur . “Though I believe we try to put a special emphasis on clarity of delivery, this is not just about hearing a class on Gemara. We are working tirelessly to create a service which affords people a true sense of interactivity; a ‘virtual yeshivah,’ if you will. There is nothing like the yeshivah learning experience, and it is our intention to recreate that online.” Harnessing Technology for Torah Rabbi Wise cites in this context the Gemara’s remark (Avodah Zarah 2b): “Everything was created for the sake of the Jewish people so that they delve into the Torah.” In Rabbi Wise’s view, this applies to the internet, as well. “While the internet poses many complex challenges, it also offers enormous potential for connecting people through online Torah learning. I think about people out there who love and appreciate the process of engaging with the subtleties of ‘Abbaye and Rava’ but can no longer find time in their busy lives to participate in a physical shiur . I envision a hallowed space online, wherein people - at the tap of a screen - can enter a virtual community whose members are diverse, but united in their thirst to understand Torah. I am fully committed to making this vision a reality, and thanks to people like Ralph and Limor Madeb, founders of RCD and sponsors of the soon-to-be-released Real Clear Daf app, great strides have already been taken towards this exciting new concept.” Having studied for the past decade under one of America’s most venerated Torah instructors, Rav Menachem Davidowitz, shlit’’a , and working as an 8th grade rebbi by trade, Rabbi Wise knows something about making Torah understandable. “I get positive feedback from time to time from listeners, but I definitely know that one person who is really gaining clarity in his learning is me. Knowing that hundreds of people listening will detect inaccuracies, or a lack of command over the Gemara’s shakla vetarya [‘question and answer’] ‘assembly line,’ really forces me to grasp the material well. Thinking about the most ideal way to say something and be understood has kind of been an obsession of mine for these past two years. Experience and feedback from listeners has taught me a great deal in this area, and I hope to keep on improving.”   Rabbi Wise says that he devotes his entire to this cause of preparing to present the daf in the clearest, most accurate and most accessible way possible. His hard work and self-described “obsession” with unparalleled clarity is helping to ensure that people from anywhere, from any background, and on any level will be able to take part in the great Torah revolution, and achieve the lofty goal of not only studying, but understanding and mastering, the entire Talmud. Rabbi Shmuel Wise, director and lecturer of Real Clear Daf.