Of course, it does not make sense to translate every single word into English. It is certainly valuable as much as possible to use original words in Lashon HaKodesh. However, this cannot be done at the expense of students understanding the content of the material. It behooves the rebbe constantly to “check-in” whether he is getting the balance right. Any time a Rebbe or Rosh Yeshiva is repeatedly asked to explain the Gemara after a shiur, he should ask himself if perhaps his shiur was not clear and he made too many assumptions about what words or terms his students understand. Similarly, if a public speaker is not being asked back to speak, the cause may lay with “assumption”.

What if the rebbe does not speak the students’ mother tongue? A mechanech once told me that they were bringing over a Talmid Chacham from Israel to be a grade 10 a rebbe. “He knows everything! The students will love him!“ “Does he speak English?” I asked. “Not at all, he speaks fluent modern Hebrew, but it is not a problem after a few months of his shiurim, the students will pick up the language.” On the contrary, these poor students will suffer for months to understand the Gemara from him. This is a terrible mistake and it happens quite regularly. The same applies to rebbes who do not have a strong command of the language they have to teach in and they mix languages.

Even when teaching in one’s mother tongue, lack of clarity may be engendered by over-expressing oneself when giving over the Torah. That is, using too many words to translate or explain a Hebrew word. Over-expression causes students to lose focus and suggests a certain lack of clarity in the mind of the rebbe himself. My favorite way to check if a rebbe is clear and does not over-express himself is to ask the rebbe to translate the word “patur” in one word in English straight away. If he hesitates or translates it with more than one word, this strongly indicates that the rebbe overexpresses himself. I mentioned this method to my Rebbe, Rav Mattisyahu Solomon, shlita. He replied, “that’s a great way”.

In a similar vein, the overuse of complicated English words to sound “educated” usually diminishes comprehension and makes it harder for listeners to focus.

Rabbi Abenson is the founder and director of ShaarHatalmud, a unique yeshivah-based online program, which incorporates learning all Kodesh subjects, from Kriah all the way up to learning Gemara, Rishonim, and Shulchan Oruch. He also conducts evaluations, remediation, and training, and consults with school principals to improve students’ underdeveloped skills.

Rabbi Dovid Abenson can be contacted at:

Tel. 15147393629

Cell/Whatsapp 15149935300

Email: [email protected]

BROCHURE:

To obtain a copy of his brochure for you or your institution, please complete this form HERE