What is havruta?
Havruta (from Aramaic for "friendship" or "companionship") is a method in which two partners read a text together, question each other and argue toward its meaning. It comes from the tradition of Talmud study in the yeshiva. In Korea it became widely promoted from the 2010s as a model for question-centred classroom discussion.
📌 At a glance
- Meaning
- "Companionship" (Aramaic)
- Origin
- Paired Talmud study in yeshivas
- Unit
- Pairs
- Core activity
- Read → question → debate → summarise
Core practices
Educator Orit Kent (2010) describes three pairs of practices: listening and articulating, wondering and focusing, and supporting and challenging.
Fit with learning theory
Havruta resonates with constructivist learning and the zone of proximal development, but works best when students are taught how to ask good questions first.
Frequently asked questions
- What is havruta?
- A Jewish tradition of studying a text in pairs through questioning and debate.
- How can teachers start?
- Give pairs a short text, have each write a question, then swap and discuss with reasons.
References
- Kent, O. (2010). A theory of havruta learning. Journal of Jewish Education, 76(3), 215–245.
- Holzer, E., & Kent, O. (2013). A philosophy of havruta: Understanding and teaching the art of text study in pairs. Academic Studies Press.