I recently received this text message from a happy mother:

I promise you I didn’t say anything, first at all, I wanted to tell you, that he never wanted to daven or do anything in the sidder and now before he went to sleep he asked me for a sidder to say the long Kriyas Shema and he’s reading it from the sidder, things that he’s never read before, not the Shema itself, obviously that is what he knows by heart.

Dovid* age 7 years old

Mr. Schwartz* contacted Shaar Hatalmud regarding his 10-year-old son Yaakov, who was struggling academically and it was now a daily effort to get him to go to school. The Shaar HaTalmud evaluation highlighted Yaakov’s fundamental problems. He was struggling with kriah and reading close-up texts. I recommended that he see a Behavioral Optometrist who specializes in close-up vision using natural therapies and exercises before commencing the reading program. Thereafter, Yaakov and I worked together for just a few weeks when his rebbe called “I have been teaching grade 3 for 20 years and I have never seen such a turnaround so quickly.”

Aaron,* age 14, went through the Shaar Hatalmud kriah upgrade program:

Hi, Rabbi Abenson. I hope you had a beautiful and meaningful Pesach. We just want to express our Hakaras Hatov. It was apparent to everyone at the Seder and over Yom Tov how Aaron’s* kriah skills have greatly improved. His kriah was clear, and fluid, and he had much more confidence and pride. Thank you for all of your hard work, dedication, and patience! With Much Hakaras Hatov, D and K, New York. Parents of a son, age 13.

Chani,* age 15, went through the Shaar Hatalmud kriah & Chumash upgrade program. This is an email from Chani‘s mother 2 years after the completion of the program…

“ B’’H I wanted to let you know that Chani* is doing great! She’s going into 12th grade and has had an excellent few years in high school so far. She does all her Chumash etc. homework by herself and is known to help others in her class read a new mefaresh sometimes. Thank you for the amazing transformation, we frequently tell others about you ”.

Shloime,* age 15, was sent by his Menahel for a Shaar Hatalmud evaluation. He was having a lot of difficulty in school, and as a last resort, the school had him medicated which did not seem to help. After I evaluated him, Shloime showed that he interchanged many letters/vowels and mixed up the pronunciation from Ashkenazi to Sephardi. Consequently, he was using more brain-power when reading, which hampered his learning, translation, and Rashi skills.

Another important factor was that Shloime was bilingual in English and French, however, he would lose focus in English class, since some basic English words were unfamiliar to him. We had to go back to the basics, building foundation skills first, before upgrading him in Gemara skills. The Menahel called a couple of weeks later, amazed at the progress Shloime had made in such a short amount of time, more than they had been able to accomplish the whole year.

My rebbe, HaRav Matisyahu Salomon shlita, Mashgiach of BMG Lakewood New Jersey, asked me to evaluate a bochur. The bochur, Reuven confided, “I had learned all my Bar Mitzvah parsha by heart since I could not read, but because my father was a big Mechanech, I did not want to embarrass him”. I recorded him reading posukim and after 8 sessions of having gone through the reading program, I replayed the first recording back to him and he could not believe the change. Reuven* went on to get married and joined a Kollel.

For over 20 years, Rabbi Y.A. Oppenheimer shlita, a Maggid Shiur in Gateshead Yeshiva, UK has asked me to work with numerous bochurim who have struggled in Yeshiva. I would like to share with my readers the following cases.

Chaim* was on the brink of leaving Yeshiva life to go out to the work field. Rabbi Oppenheimer suggested that he give it one more chance and learn the Shaar Hatalmud upgrade Gemara program. After two months, Chaim was so impressed by his improvement that he stayed on in yeshiva. Three years later I received a phone call from his father, “My son just got engaged and it’s all because of you, you gave him the skills for life. He would not have been where he is today without your help”.

Moshe* had been studying in yeshiva for several years but was not “getting” Gemara. After a few months of learning the program, Moshe was able to go on his own. He asked permission from his Rosh Hayeshiva not to go to shiur winter zman. He found a chavrusa and in 6 months finished the whole Bava Kama with Rashi and Tosafos before any of the 300 bochurim in the yeshiva.

Avrumi,* who after acquiring the foundation’s skills in learning, finished Masechta Megillah and made a siyum in Rabbi Oppenheimer shlita’s house on Purim.

Shmuel* called me: “I have been an Avreich in Kollel for the past ten years and I am losing the cheishek for learning. Can you help me?” Impressed that he was ready to help himself and seek help, I asked him if he had any problems with kriah which he didn’t, so we started learning the Gemara Upgrade Program. After four sessions, his Gemara skills had dramatically improved. I instructed him to open up any Gemara and follow the steps we had covered in the program. He randomly opened up a daf in Masechta Chullin — which he had never learned before — and understood it immediately with clarity. He was amazed!

On Motzei Shabbos I received a text message asking if I am still helping students… I answered affirmatively. He booked two of his sons, a 14 and 17-year old for an evaluation. I inquired as to how he received my name… He replied that I had helped his older son 11 years ago when he was 14. After the evaluation and eight sessions later, the student felt that he had sufficient tools to succeed in his learning; and now 11-years later, as a very dedicated learner and accomplished 25-year-old yungerman, he is suggesting the same help for his younger siblings.

Mr. Feldman* Age 65

I am a 65-year-old FFB; a product of the modern yeshivas of the ’60s and ’70s. My spoken Hebrew language skills are quite good, but when it comes to learning I am very challenged.

I have been learning most of my adult life with various chevrusa’s. For the last 15 years, the majority of my learning has been with my son, a Rebbe in a Yeshivah Gedolah. So all of my learning has been where my chevrusas’ are “teaching me”.

Of course, I attend Daf Yomi and listen to many shiurim. The bottom line is; I do not have a good working knowledge of Loshon Kodesh and Aramaic to be able to learn by myself. Besides my own loss, as my grandchildren have reached an age where they are learning, I cannot properly learn with them from the fear of what I don’t understand myself.

When I started working with Rabbi Abenson, he immediately identified my fundamental weakness in Hebrew grammar.

The first few sessions of mamash toiling over some very basic grammar concepts, and translating some relatively simple pesukim in Parshas Lech Lecha were both challenging and eye-opening. Within several sessions, I was reading Rashi, Onkelos, and even sifsei chachamim with a newfound ability to understand more than just a month earlier.

I’m at the beginning stage of learning to read and truly understand what I’m reading and learning in the Torah. It will be up to me to invest the time and effort, but as I’m already seeing results I’m encouraged to go on to the next level and beyond.

I’m extremely grateful to a personality like Rabbi Abenson and his devotion to this process; to give people of all ages the ability to thrive in learning. I cannot think of a greater gift to give oneself.

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JOIN THE SHAAR HATALMUD PROGRAM TODAY

For a brighter tomorrow in your Torah learning

*Name has been changed

For more information please contact

Rabbi Dovid Abenson

Evaluations / Upgrading / Training

Tel. 15147393629

Cell/Whatsapp 15149935300

Email: [email protected]

Website: HYPERLINK “http://shaarhatalmud.com/”ShaarHatalmud.com

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