A Beginner's Framework for Studying Tanach
Leveraging AI for Torah learning - 1
AI is a wonderful tool to help us learn Torah. We’ll be releasing a series of prompts, based on our learning frameworks, that you can plug in to help you learn the right way. Of course, all these frameworks are already baked-in to our Torah coach, RabbAI. Sign up to gain access!
To learn Tanach properly, you need to pay attention.
The key to effective learning lies in a structured, step-by-step approach. As with all approaches like this, it’s too prescriptive and confining for the expert, but is a perfect place for a beginner to start. Learn it, make it second nature, and then forget about it.
Step 1: Understand the Context
Grasping the context is crucial for any text in Tanach. This involves things like identifying the historical period, understanding the cultural and geographical setting, and recognising the key figures involved.
Familiarise yourself with the broader story arc or the book’s purpose to fully appreciate the text’s significance.
What to Do: Start by setting the scene. Just like you wouldn’t watch a movie without knowing its genre or background, you shouldn’t dive into a Tanach text without understanding its context.
How to Implement: Research the historical era and cultural setting of the text. Is it set during the time of the Kings? Is it a part of the Exodus story? Read different commentaries, both traditional and modern. They offer various perspectives and enrich your understanding of the text.
Why It Matters: This step helps you understand the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’, giving depth to your study.
Step 2: Narrative flow and character analysis
Understanding the story as it was written is a crucial step.
You might think this is elementary, but a quick example might show otherwise. To start, a question: who sold Joseph into slavery?
If you said the brothers, you’re in good company, but you’re also wrong, at least according to the Biblical text.
The text reads, in part, as follows:
19 And they said to each other, “Here comes that dream-master! 20 And so now, let us kill him and fling him into one of the pits and we can say, a vicious beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will come of his dreams.” 21 And Reuben heard and came to his rescue and said, “We must not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood! Fling him into this pit in the wilderness and do not raise a hand against him”—that he might rescue him from their hands to bring him back to his father. 23 And it happened when Joseph came to his brothers that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the ornamented tunic that he had on him. 24 And they took him and flung him into the pit, and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. 25 And they sat down to eat bread, and they raised their eyes and saw and, look, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, their camels bearing gum and balm and ladanum on their way to take down to Egypt. 26 And Judah said to his brothers, “What gain is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and our hand will not be against him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed. 28 And Midianite merchantmen passed by and pulled Joseph up out of the pit and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they brought Joseph to Egypt. 29 And Reuben came back to the pit and, look, Joseph was not in the pit, and he rent his garments, 30and he came back to his brothers, and he said, “The boy is gone, and I, where can I turn?”
Read the text carefully—who sold Joseph? The Midianites! The brothers had no idea what happened to Joseph. The text later on emphasises that the Midianites sold him1:
But the Midianites had sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s courtier, the high chamberlain.
By taking the time to read the story carefully, we can ensure that we *actually* understand what’s happened.
What to Do: It’s time to map out the story and understand the characters.
How to Implement: Create a simple timeline of events or a diagram showing how characters are related to each other. Visualise or role-play scenarios to better understand character motivations and dynamics.
Why It Matters: This helps you follow the story more easily and connects you with the characters on a deeper level. It will also allow you to understand the Biblical story more accurately.
Step 3: Utilizing Tools for Literary Analysis
Various tools and resources can enhance understanding for those delving into literary analysis. Commentaries from renowned scholars provide insights into language and thematic elements. Dictionaries of biblical Hebrew elucidate word meanings and connotations. Cross-referencing with other texts in Tanach can also reveal recurring themes or contrasting viewpoints.
What to Do: Now, focus on the text itself. Pay attention to how things are said as much as to what is being said.
How to Implement: Analyse the language. Why did the author choose these words? What impact do these literary devices have? Utilise resources like lexicons or online platforms like sefaria.org or alhatorah.org to delve deeper. They can unveil meanings and nuances you might otherwise miss.
Why It Matters: This analysis uncovers layers of meaning, making your study more insightful.
Step 4: Synthesise and reflect
This is where the real work is, as you work to go beyond the simple level and really work to understand the piece as a whole.
What to Do: Bring together everything you’ve learned and ponder on it.
How to Implement: Write down your overall understanding of the text. How do the context, literary elements, and narrative fit together? Formulate any questions or insights that arise. These can be great starting points for further study or discussion.
Why It Matters: Synthesis solidifies your learning and encourages deeper reflection and curiosity.
Step 5: Apply and extend your learning
What to Do: Use your newfound knowledge as a springboard for further learning.
How to Implement: Apply what you’ve learned to other texts in the Tanach or to real-life scenarios. Join study groups or discussions to share your insights and learn from others.
Why It Matters: This step helps you integrate your learning into a broader understanding and keeps the learning process dynamic and engaging.
Remember, studying the Tanach is a journey of discovery. Each step builds upon the last, providing you with a comprehensive and enriching learning experience. Don’t be afraid to dive in, ask questions, and explore.
Leveraging AI to help you
We can leverage AI to help us approach the text this way on a consistent basis. Let’s say we wanted to learn about the story of Pilegesh B’Giv’ah. We plug in our framework in the form of a custom prompt (below) and our AI Torah Coach helps us through:
The prompt
We’ve done the heavy lifting for you and packaged this framework into a succinct prompt you can give your AI tool of choice to get you started.
Of course, this prompt, like our others, is baked right in to our custom AI Torah learning coach, RabbAI, which you get access to when you subscribe.