Chavruta

Studied every year at Limmud Conference and taken home for further study by participants, these books are first-class educational resources, containing a range of classic and modern Jewish texts centred on a main theme.

Chavruta (one-to-one) learning is about discussing texts with a study partner of similar ability, embarking on an educational journey together. Each set of sources has a double-page spread containing the main text (in both Hebrew and English) and questions, as well as additional contemporary material putting the ideas into perspective. These books are written and edited by Anglo-Jewish educators from many diverse backgrounds. Their ability to go beyond their differences and collaborate for the sake of studying our Jewish heritage lies at the heart of the Chavruta Project and indeed the whole of the Limmud organisation. Thousands of people in the UK and abroad are already avid users of this exciting series.

Books available for sale:

Responsibility (2006) £10
Edited by Maureen Kendler and Steve Miller
A study guide for chavruta (one-to-one) learning about Responsibility.

Chavruta Collection (2005) £10
edited by Maureen Kendler
A celebratory collection of individual days from four previous years.
The four sections are: (1) Zachor - Memory and action - In which we investigate the effect our memory has on our actions and vice versa. (2) Lashon - Speech - In which we look at the potential and perils of speech, consider its place in our lives, and seek to understand lashon hara and its remedy. (3) Dorot - What do parents owe their children? - In which we learn the responsibilities of being a parent and dealing with rebelliousness. (4) Ahava - Love your neighbour - In which we learn how much love we can give our neighbours and how much they are like us.

Limmudim (2004) £10
edited by Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz and Deborah Silver
A study guide for Chavruta learning on the theme of studying Torah.
The four sections are: (1) The dimensions of study - In which we explore the nature of study and what it involves. (2) Students - In which we discover who should study and what sort of person they should be. (3) Teachers - In which we investigate what sort of person should teach and how they should go about it. (4) Seeking God in study - In which we map the paths that lead us to encounter God in study.

Archive, books no longer available for sale:

Avodah (2003)
edited by Gila Sacks and Paul Turner
A study guide for Chavruta learning on the theme of Avodah, meaning service, slavery, worship and work.
The four sections are: (1) Slavery - In which we remember our slavery in Egypt, and consider what it means to serve man and to serve God. (2) Serving God (Avodat Hashem) - In which we ask how and why we serve God, and how this has changed. (3) Work Ethic - In which we discover a Jewish work ethic - the attitudes and values with which we approach our work. (4) Business Ethics - In which we consider how to act ethically in work, and in doing so, transform our work into service of God.

Guf (2002)
edited by Claire Mandel
A study guide for Chavruta learning focused on our bodies.
The four sections are: (1) Body and ritual - In which we learn how we use our bodies in ritual. (2) Tzniut (modesty) - In which we explore the meaning and limits of modesty. (3) Body and soul - In which we consider the distinction between, and interrelationship of our body and soul. (4) Intervening with the body - In which we reflect on when we should and should not intervene with our bodies.

K'dushah (2001)
edited by Chani Smith
A study guide for Chavruta learning centred on holiness.
The four sections are: (1) ‘You shall be holy' - In which we investigate the nature of holiness and how to achieve it. (2) Kiddush Hashem, Sanctifying God's Name - In which we explore the nature of God's Name and how to sanctify it. (3) Holy time, holy place - In which we explore holiness in time and place and how to create it. (4) Kodesh v'Chol, Holy and not holy - In which we reflect upon the importance of distinguishing between Kodesh and Chol and how they interrelate.

Ahava (2000)
edited by Julian Gilbey
A study guide for Chavruta learning centred on love.
The four sections are: (1) Love your neighbour - In which we learn how much love we can give our neighbours and how much they are like us. (2) Love in relationships - In which we investigate romantic and not-so-romantic love. (3) Loving God - In which we look at ways of expressing our love for God and their underlying meanings. (4) Is love all you really need? - In which we investigate hate, jealousy and the darker side of love.

Zachor (1999)
edited by Daniel Oppenheimer
A study guide for Chavruta learning about how we remember.
The four sections are: (1) Memory and action - In which we investigate the effect our memory has on our actions and vice versa.
(2) Commemoration - In which we look at how our historical festivals recall the past. (3) God's memory - In which we investigate this paradoxical idea means. (4) Remembering and forgetting - In which we consider the role of forgetting: both its costs and benefits.

Lashon (1998)
edited by Raphael Zarum
A study guide for Chavruta learning centred on verbal communication.
The four sections are: (1) Speech - In which we look at the potential and perils of speech, consider its place in our lives, and seek to understand lashon hara and its remedy. (2) Rechilut, Talebearing - In which we learn what happens when we tell tales and how hard it is not to do so. (3) Do it yourself rebuking: A guide to being an effective admonisher - In which we explore the dilemmas surrounding our obligation to rebuke other people. (4) Standards for media behaviour - In which we consider what Judaism has to say in contemporary debates about the behaviour of the media.

Dorot (1997)
edited by Raphael Zarum; second edition (2003) Julian Gilbey
A study guide for Chavruta learning centred on parent-child relationships.
The five sections are: (1) What do children owe their parents? - In which we learn the responsibilities of children for parents and analyse how to act in trying circumstances; (2) What do parents owe their children? - In which we learn the responsibilities of being a parent and dealing with rebelliousness. (3) Who wants to be a parent? - In which we consider the obligation to have children and see how some biblical figures handled this. (4) Dedication to education - In which we focus on Jewish education. (5) Relating to the aged - In which we are guided on how to treat our elders.

Tzedaka (1996)
edited by Jonnie Cohen
This was the first in the Chavruta series. It is a study guide on the theme of giving charity.
It is divided into four sections: (1) Who should receive tzedaka? (2) The relationship between the giver and the receiver; (3) How much to give; (4) The ultimate purpose of tzedaka.