Talmud Master

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Talmud Master Screen Shot

The Talmud Master

Overview:

The Talmud Master is a program written Masterfully by Rabbi Krupnich. I've seen several programs that search the Gemora, several that try to teach it. This is the beautify program I've seen to date that teaches the fundamentals of Gemora Learning, using full multimedia capability, hyper text, music, graphics, and patients in teach one how to learn. The most frum person will be comfortable with this program, as would the non-religious beginner. It is absolutely unique and breathtaking.

Installation:

I have a 486SX33 PC AST with 170meg hard drive, windows 3.1, a CD ROM, 16 byte sound card and a zip drive. Being that I have such a small hard drive, I installed this program on my Zip drive which is considerably slower than a hard drive. The installation went poorly. Perhaps this was a function of my zip drive. The program comes on 4 disks. Slip disk 1 into your floppy disk, and then, while in windows, click on the word "File" on the upper right of your screen. The pull down window comes down, and then you can click the browse button. Select drive "A;, which is the floppy (for some people this is drive "B") and choose install.exe.

Now what should happen is that a sub program comes into action, and tell you that - blah blah blah - this is an installation program and we're going to install Talmud Master and your hard drive and create a icon and a group. OK?

If yes "OK" you click "continue" and then it asks you were you want to install Talmud Master. I selected to put the program on drive "E" which is my Zip Drive. I walked away from the machine and let it do it's thing, then I can back and it was prompting me for disk 2, and 3 and so on.

When I finished, it gave me a strange message to remember to lable my disk and my installation disk. Right away, I knew I had a problem. My machine should not know that my zip drive is a removable disk. Then I click OK and nothing happened. I clicked cancel, and the installation program gave me a a thank you message, and ended. But the installation program didn't create an Icon. Using the "File" again on the top, I look for an Executable DOS file, which ends with a "exe" to try to run it. Their was none. So I tried to reinstall it again, and the program was caught in some sort of loop. Finally, just before giving up, I entered into the windows program manager and tried installation again. This time, it went smooth as silk, it create the icons and it was smooth sailing!

Requirements:

For an IBM - this program requires a 386 or higher, windows 3.1 or higher, a VGA or SVGA monitor, 2 megs of free RAM, and a sound card is recommended by me.

For a Macintoch, you need a 13 inch monitor, and 2 megs free ram.

Starting up the program:

The installation program creates an icon that looks like a book. Double click it and the program fires up with some soothing music, and introductory credits from the Rav, a memorial for his father and a thank you for is mother, the fact that the program has been approved by Rav Kamininsky Z'L ect, and then introduces you to the Gemora.

Upon starting up the program, the main menu opens and gives you a choice of things to select from. The selections are as follows:

1. Background information
2. Components
3. Maps and Charts
4. Bibliographies
5. Pre Game Quiz
6. Game Demo
7. Game Settings
8. Start the Game

The menu is very professionally laid out, what I've come to expect from Jeff Millgram's company, with a little animation, which I'll leave you to discover when you purchase the program.

Background information:

When clicking background information the screen changes and a Welcome to the Talmud text appears in the background of a book. This hyper texted discussion goes into details of the Talmud(see above image), the Oral Law, and the composition of the Gemora. It starts by discussing the origins of the Oral Law, the language that the gemora is written in, and the Sugiyos. If you don't know what the Sugiyos is, fret not, the program will tell you. Since the Gemora has no punctuation, it works in a framework, so to speak, called the Sugiyos. Using Hyper text, examples, and clear terminology, this section does a fantastic job of explaining the breakdown of the logic of the Gemora. Terms that are explain in Hebrew and english are

• Tanaim
• Rabbi Yehuda Nassi
• Braisos
• Amoraim
• Ravinu
• Rav Ashi
• Oral Law
• Aramaic
• Pairoos
• Shimatsah
• Shialah ooTishoovah
• Kosheeyau ooPaerook
• Seyooah
• R'Meeyah
• Hautzrahcah
• Heelch'sah and more.....

Each term is explained in detail with lots of Hyper text. It can take hours just to master the introduction. Time well spent, to prepare you for the learning to come!

Paroos for example is explained by teaching that often when the Gemora states out it asks the question Ma. Then it gives you an example of this, and shows you in the text of the Gemora, how this is used. You can click to see the text itself, and then flip the page to the next topic. All in all *very well done*.

When finishing learning this section, one will be able to recognize the basic structure of the Gemora, and understand the reasoning why certain things are laid out as they are. You well then be ready to tackle learning the Gemora itself. and utilizing the rest of the program. This program takes the time out to do what few programs, or even instruction booklets do. That is, it familiarizes the student with the nuts and bolts of the Gemora, and how to learn from it. Rabbi Krupnick can now be screened and boxed, to learn with YOU, in your livingroom, the basics of Gemora learning. This is a very exciting prospect indeed!

Maps and Charts:

This is a very helpful section which compellingly brings the student to understand and appreciate the depth of the history of the Torah.

The menu is as follows:

• Torah centers in the Mishna and Talmud times
• Time line of the 2nd Beit Hamikdash
• Transmission of the Oral Law (Tanaim) - documents the learning of
• Torah for person to person over the generations.
• Timeline Tanaim
• Transmission of the Oral Law (Amoraim)
• Timeline of the Amoraim
• The six orders of the Mishna
• A page of the Gemora with hyper text.

Bibliographies:

This section is really misnamed as it is really a historical record of the the people and places of Talmudic times that is set-up in a tineline format. Very nice to read, and extremely helpful in learning Jewish history of this time period. You will find yourself coming back to it, regardless of the level that you achieve in learning.

The Game

Now we discuss the heart and soul of the program, which is a game designed as a learning toll for Gemora Students. Start with the 25 introductory questions. How you answer these questions will determine at what level the game starts you on. If you study and learn the introduction, some of the questions will be familiar. I believe that all levels of Torah scholars will find the game useful and invigorating.

The game has nice graphics and starts out with questions asking you to identify components of the Gemora for beginners, and reviews of the daf (page) for more advanced learners. It is very difficult to become bored of the game, and it patiently moves you to more and more advanced learning. It appraises your progress and work, and it incites you to further and further study, This program will put you through your paces. It is not a fun and games program. It is about serious learning and it makes you work. Often I am asked if I have a game for teens or young adults with Jewish content. Normally I'm at a loss, and find it hard to recommend anything which is superior. This is no longer the case. This program is professionally done, brightly interfacing with the student, and fuels to Yiddish flame of any Jewish program. It will quickly become one of the most used programs in your house, It is nearly a perfect learning tool. Reviewing this program, it is hard to put in words the importance that a program such as this will have on the learning of future generations. The program is so well conceived, and so well done, that no matter how fast the machines become, and no matter how fancy the equipment becomes, it will never be excelled