About
The purpose of TanachYomi.com is to aid and encourage more widespread learning of the Tanach.
What is the Tanach?
The word TaNaCh is a hebrew acronym (תנ”ך) that stands for Torah (תורה - the five books of Moses), Nevi’im (נביאים - Prophets) and Ketuvim (כתובים - Writings). This encompasses the Bible (or what non-Jews may refer to as the “Old” Testament). See Wikipedia for more background information.
Why is it important for a Jew to learn Tanach?
The Tanach encompasses the core of the Jewish religion and national identity - from the origins of the world, the forefathers, leaving Egypt, entering Israel, through the period of the kings, the destruction of the first temple, the first exile and subsequent return. Intimate knowledge of Tanach is a prerequisite for any serious delving into Jewish scholarship, and is essential in order for a Jew to be familiar with his/her history and people.
So why the website?
Up to a few hundred years ago, every Jewish school child was extremely familiar with the breadth of Tanach by a young age. Unfortunately, over the years this type of knowledge has become harder and harder to find. It has come to the point where most observant Jews, even those who are familiar with Halacha, Mishna, the Talmud and other sections of the Jewish tradition, know Tanach on only a rudimentary level. This site and program are an attempt to help Jews get back to their roots and refamiliarize themselves with the most important of books.
What is the program
Initially we will be posting summaries, review questions and points of interest, going chapter-by-chapter, starting in the beginning of Nevi’im (Prophets), with the goal of covering five chapters a week.
I see the word “Yomi” in the title. So where is the schedule? When is the Siyum?
Hold on. We are just getting started. As of know, the word yomi (daily) is being used to describe the basic intention to post information on one chapter every day. Sometime soon we hope to releade a schedule in for a worldwide chapter-a-day Tanach learning program
So if this is about Tanach, why are you starting with Nevi’im (Prophets) and not the Torah?
Of course, the Torah is the most important part. However, it is also the section of Tanach that has the most coverage all over the Internet in terms of summaries, research, articles, etc. The current lacking is felt most in the Nach area. So that is where we are starting.
Whose idea was this?
The idea behind the site is from Yaakov Ellis and Binyamin Miller. The site was developed and designed for Wordpress by Yaakov Ellis, with the template based on Pragmatic 1.0 by MerT UraL. All current content (and everything else) is by Yaakov Ellis, unless otherwise noted.
I want to contribute/conplain/suggest/correct/praise/etc
Use the contact form.