Kitah Mishnah and Gemara 2024-2025

Mishnah and Gemara form the building blocks for future Torah study and mastery. Each demands important skills for comprehension and understanding.

Mishnah study requires the ability to recognize and understand the topics being studied and the prior knowledge critical for understanding the text. It also requires an understanding of the structure of Mishnayot, and the basic vocabulary necessary for comprehension of the text and its underlying ideas.

Gemara is an analysis of the Mishnah and the concepts that the Sages extracted from the text, as well as other texts. First and foremost, Gemara is in Aramaic, so vocabulary is critical. In addition, the Gemara is a series of logical arguments – so once a student understands the words of the Gemara, he or she must also be taught the Gemara’s logical arguments and conclusion – which often is implied, but not stated.

For both Mishnah and Gemara, each Kitah lesson teaches the concepts, text and explanation for the Mishnah in a clear, concise manner, and provides questions for student feedback to ensure comprehension of the basic words and ideas.

What will my children learn?
Students in the Kitah Online Jewish Studies program receive weekly lessons via the Kitah Google Classroom in the following subjects:

1. Mishnah Berachot with Rabbi Reuven Spolter
2. Gemara Berachot Tefillat HaShachar with Rabbi Spolter

This Track Includes:
1. Two asynchronous, self-guided Jewish studies lesson (approx. 30 min.), with a source sheet, video explanation, and comprehension questions in each subject
2. Ongoing student evaluation to monitor progress
3. A weekly Zoom with Rabbi Nate Fein at 8:00pm (Israel time) on Mondays
4. Ongoing communication with parents

Kitah lessons focus on three key goals:
– Increasing familiarity with core Mishnah and Gemara texts and selected commentaries
– Understanding the basic information critical to understanding the Mishnah or Gemara. In other words, what does the Mishnah assume that you already know before you begin learning?
– Understanding the logical flow and argument of the Gemara
– Building reading and comprehension skills to encourage independent learning
– Knowing core concepts critical to future growth in learning

Watch a Sample Lesson here:
Watch the first part of a lesson from Mishnah Sukkah.

When are the classes?
The 5784 school year begins on Monday, September 2, 2024 and continues throughout the school year through mid-June 2024.

Cost:
The Kitah Mishnah and Gemara plan costs $99/month per child. Payment can be made either via a Paypal monthly subscription, or through the Florida StepUp for Education scholarship program (Kitah is a registered provider).

I’d like to Learn More
Simply fill out the contact form at the top of the page and we’ll get back to you to schedule a conversation.

Wow! Kitah is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I’d like to Register my Child (or Children) and Reserve a Spot for the 2024-25 School Year
Good idea. The year has already started but there are several spaces in this track. Simply fill out this form, and we’ll send you a Paypal link for the registration payment.

 

Kitah Yesodot (Jewish Foundations) 2024-2025

Kitah’s Yesodot (Jewish Foundations) track focuses on the basic ideas, knowledge and practice fundamental to Jewish life. Students learn in English, and do not need prior Hebrew reading skills.

What will my children learn?
Students in the Kitah Online Yesodot (Jewish Foundations) receive weekly lessons via the Kitah Google Classroom on a range of subjects, including the Jewish calendar, Jewish holidays, mitzvot (commandments), basic Jewish texts, characters and figures, and much more!

Who is this track for?
Yesodot is for children in grades 6-9 (ages 11-14), and does not require Hebrew reading skills. Materials come with English translations, and all classes are given in English.

Kitah’s Yesodot track is a great way to prepare your children for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, as they learn about Jewish life and practice.

This Track Includes:
1. An asynchronous, self-guided Jewish studies lesson (approx. 30 min.), with a source sheet, video explanation, and comprehension questions in each subject
2. A live Zoom class lesson where students around the world interact, learn, enjoy great online ed-tech games, and gain a deeper understanding of the material they learned during the week. The Yesodot Zoom takes place at 8:00pm Israel time / 1:00pm EST / 10:00am PST) each Sunday throughout the school year.
3. Ongoing communication with parents

Kitah Yesodot lessons focus on three key goals:
– Learning core Jewish information critical to Jewish practice and knowledge
– Gaining exposure to and familiarity with our Jewish heritage
– Connecting with Jewish learning and ideas, to enhance students’ sense of Jewish identity and connection to their Jewish heritage

When are the classes?
The 5784 school year begins on Monday, September 2, 2024 and continues throughout the school year through mid-June 2024.

Students will register for the Zoom sessions on Sundays at 8pm Israel time, 12:00pm EST and 9:00am PST. Asynchronous lessons will arrive in your child’s inboxes on the Monday prior to each Zoom lesson, to be completed at the students’ own pace during the week. 

Cost:
The Kitah Yesodot plan costs $129/month per child. Payment can be made either via a Paypal monthly subscription, or through the Florida StepUp for Education scholarship program (Kitah is a registered provider).


Watch part of a Yesodot Sample Video Lesson here:

I’d like to Learn More
Simply fill out the contact form at the top of the page and we’ll get back to you to schedule a conversation.

Wow! Kitah is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I’d like to Register my Child (or Children) and Reserve a Spot for the 2024-25 School Year
Good idea. Space is limited. There’s a $20/child registration fee Simply fill out this form, and we’ll send you a Paypal link for the registration payment.

 

Kitah Chumash and Navi 2024-2025

Kitah is a comprehensive online Jewish learning program for Middle School (Grades 5-8) students at an affordable price.  

What will my children learn?
Students in the Kitah Online Jewish Studies program receive weekly lessons via the Kitah Google Classroom in the following subjects:

1. Chumash Bamidbar with Rabbi Reuven Spolter
2. Navi Melachim with Ariella Nadel

This Track Includes:
1. An asynchronous, self-guided Jewish studies lesson (approx. 30 min.), with a source sheet, video explanation, and comprehension questions in each subject
2. A live Zoom class lesson where students around the world interact, learn, enjoy great online ed-tech games, and gain a deeper understanding of the material they learned during the week. Choose between Sunday or Monday Zoom (each takes place at 7:00pm Israel time / 12:00pm EST / 9:00am PST)
3. Ongoing communication with parents

Kitah lessons focus on three key goals:
– Increasing familiarity with core Tanakh texts and selected commentaries
– Building reading and comprehension skills to encourage independent learning
– Engaging with the Tanakh as part of our personal, national, and religious heritage

When are the classes?
The 5784 school year begins on Monday, September 2, 2024 and continues throughout the school year through mid-June 2024.

Students will register for the Zoom sessions on either Sunday or Monday at 7pm Israel time, 12:00pm EST and 9:00am PST. Asynchronous lessons will arrive in your child’s inboxes on the Monday prior to each Zoom lesson, to be completed at the students’ own pace during the week. 

Cost:
The Kitah Chumash & Navi plan costs $149/month per child. Payment can be made either via a Paypal monthly subscription, or through the Florida StepUp for Education scholarship program (Kitah is a registered provider).


If you’d like to know a bit more about how Kitah Zoom lessons work, watch this short video:

I’d like to Learn More
Simply fill out the contact form at the top of the page and we’ll get back to you to schedule a conversation.

Wow! Kitah is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I’d like to Register my Child (or Children) and Reserve a Spot for the 2024-25 School Year
Good idea. Space is limited. There’s a $20/child registration fee Simply fill out this form, and we’ll send you a Paypal link for the registration payment.

 

Course Description: Chumash Bamidbar Part 2

Course Description: Chumash Bamidbar Part 2

Course Name: Chumash Bamidbar Part 2
Teacher: Rabbi Reuven Spolter
Text Studied: Sefer Bamidbar, Chapters 12-20
For Grades: 5-8
General Course Description:
Sefer Bamidbar chronicles the counting of the Jewish people, as they make the slow transition from a nation of slaves to an army capable of conquering the Holy Land.

This course covers:

  • The punishment of the rabble-rousers
  • Miriam’s lashon hara and punishment
  • The meraglim, their sin and the punishment of the Jewish peole
  • The mitzvah of tzitzit
  • Korach’s uprising and punishment
  • The well of Miriam and her death
  • Moshe hits the rock

The student will learn the following during this text-based course:

  • How to read and translate the text of the Torah
  • How to divide up pesukim in order to better understand the chumash
  • How to recognize and decode verbs in the chumash and identify shorashim (roots)
  • Understanding selected comments of Rashi, Midrash and selected mefarshim
  • How to identify key words (milah manchah) that repeat in the text and understand their importance

The student will learn the following Judaic knowledge

  • What caused the nation to believe the spies’ wicked report?
  • What are the forces that lead to challenging of leadership?
  • Lashon hara: About Moshe, about the Land of Israel: Why do we do it, and what’s so terrible about it?
  • Why did Hashem prevent Moshe from entering Eretz Yisrael?

Number of lessons: 20
Sample Lesson: To view a sample lesson click here

Chumash Bamidbar Part 1 Sample Lesson

Below you’ll find a sample of the seventh lesson in the Chumash Bamidbar Part 1 course. In this lesson students learn about the three different camps that the Jewish people organized into in the Midbar.

Chumash Shemot Part 1 Lesson 7 – The Three Camps

Course Description: Chumash Bamidbar Part 1

Course Description: Chumash Bamidbar Part 1

Course Name: Chumash Bamidbar Part 1
Teacher: Rabbi Reuven Spolter
Text Studied: Sefer Bamidbar, Chapters 1-11
For Grades: 5-8

Number of lessons: 20
General Course Description:
Sefer Bamidbar chronicles the counting of the Jewish people, as they make the slow transition from a nation of slaves to an army capable of conquering the Holy Land.

This course covers:

  • The counting of the Jewish people
  • The structure of the camp in the Midbar
  • The Levi’im, their camp, counting and swapping for the first-born
  • The Nazir
  • Birkat Kohanim
  • The Gifts of the Nesi’im
  • Travels in the desert
  • Moshe and Chovav
  • Signs of trouble – the complainers and the Asafsuf

The student will learn the following during this text-based course:

  • How to read and translate the text of the Torah
  • How to divide up pesukim in order to better understand the chumash
  • How to recognize and decode verbs in the chumash and identify shorashim (roots)
  • Understanding selected comments of Rashi, Midrash and selected mefarshim
  • How to identify key words (milah manchah) that repeat in the text and understand their importance

The student will learn the following Judaic knowledge

  • What was the purpose of dividing the Jewish people into camps?
  • How long should it have taken the Jewish people to reach the Land of Israel?
  • Why would a person become a Nazir? What are the drawbacks?
  • What caused the Jewish people to question Moshe’s leadership?

Sample Lesson: To view a sample lesson click here

Home-based Learning Plans for the 2023-2024 School Year

Choose the plan that fits your child’s needs and learning style.

In the “Chumash and Navi” plan, students will study Chumash Bereishit and Navi Shoftim and meet for a weekly Zoom on Sunday’s at 12:00pm EST. This plan is appropriate for children in grades 5-8.

In the “Mishnah and Gemara” plan, students will study Mishnah Rosh Hashanah and Gemara Pesachim. These subjects are more advanced, and most appropriate for children in grades 7-8.

Cost: Each plan costs $119/month per child, giving Jewish families around the world meaningful Jewish learning at an affordable price.

Chumash Shemot 1 Course Description

Course Description: Chumash Shemot Part 1

Course Name: Chumash Shemot
Teacher: Rabbi Reuven Spolter
Text Studied: Sefer Shemot, Chapters 1-9
For Grades: 5-8
General Course Description:
Sefer Shemot is the story of the birth of the Jewish nation. The Jewish people transform from a tiny family to a huge nation, and suffer through centuries of slavery before Hashem chooses Moshe to free them from Par’oh and the Egyptians.

This course covers the enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt, the birth of Moshe, his flight to Midyan, and his encounter with Hashem at the burning bush. It also covers Moshe’s return to Egypt, the initial failure to free the people, and the first series of the Ten Plagues.

We will learn the structure of the first half of the Sefer

The student will learn the following skills during this course: 

  • How to read and translate the text of the Torah
  • How to divide up pesukim in order to better understand the chumash
  • How to recognize and decode verbs in the chumash and identify shorashim (roots)
  • Understanding selected comments of Rashi, Midrash and selected mefarshim
  • How to identify key words (milah manchah) that repeat in the text and understand their importance

The student will learn the following Judaic knowledge

  • The early history of the Jewish people as described in the Torah
  • Why was Moshe chosen as the leader of the Bnei Yisrael? What were some of his important qualities?
  • What was the purpose of Yetziat Mitzrayim? Why did Hashem free the Jewish people?
  • The struggle between Moshe and Par’oh

Number of lessons: 20
Sample Lesson: To view a sample lesson click here