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#Torah: Using Twitter to Comment on Torah

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torahtweets.jpg

I’m a geek and a rabbi. It’s actually not a particularly common combination. But I like being special:)

With my blog in the doldrums, Twitter surging in popularity, and feeling a bit disconnected from my rabbi persona, I decided to launch a new Twitter account in which I would make comments on the current Torah portion… in 140 characters or less (the size limit of any post on Twitter).

I was recently at Drupalcon in DC where I saw the power of collecting Twitter messages using a form of categorization that was invented by Twitter users themeselves.

The most common way to filter the gazillion messages being relentlessly posted to Twitter is to follow people. But what if I want to follow a lot of people but for a short time? And what if I don’t even know their Twitter names? Or what if I’m more interested in the kind of content being posted than the author who is posting it?

In the case of the Drupal conference, some folks put out the word, and it spread virally, that folks wanting to Twitter conference participants should include “#Drupalcon” in their tweets. And then, using search.twitter.com or any one of the mobile phone Twitter applications like Tweetie or Twitelator, one can filter all those tweets down to the ones that include, “#DrupalCon.” By applying a hash symbol (#) to a fitting category word, the 1400 conference attendees could promote sessions, informal meet-ups, drinking expeditions, real time commenting on sessions…

So I wondered, is anybody using “#Torah” to filter Torah related content on Twitter? Yes, one Rabbi Moshe Goldberger, who daily tweets with a hyperlink to his “Gems of Torah” where he provides a few Torah trivia questions. So this is fairly unclaimed space in Twitter world. Of course, different than an Internet domain name, which you claim and pay for, a hashtag name space is taken up by people who use it at any given time. There is no controlling authority.

So in addition to writing my own 133 character Torah comments (140 characters including the 7 that are used up in “#Torah”), I’m campaigning to get other people to write Torah comments on Twitter and include “#Torah.” It seems like one of the simplest ways for folks, Jewish and not Jewish, to engage in real-time shared Torah associations that are tied to the weekly readings. No moderation, no control… no guarantee of anything interesting coming out of it. But I think it is worth a try.

Join me —> lets see if we can create a flow of Torah tweets that enriches the discourse of Torah. You don’t need to create a new Twitter account for this purpose like I did. Just use your current Twitter account and put “#Torah” anywhere inside it when you comment on Torah. (My sgluskin account is so totally geekish I was afraid of confusing my audience.) Or if you don’t have a Twitter account, create one–I’m sure you’ve been hearing all about it.

My bet is, if this is successful, that the Tagged Tanakh will pull this content in and make it part of its database.

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Twittered Torah

I’ve been on Twitter for only a few months now. I am using it, passively, to learn what’s going on “tech-wise”. Actively, along with Facebook
status I now use it to count the omer.

I’ve noticed that a few other rabbis are on Twitter. So, when I saw this article during Chol haMo’ed I thought more might be interested.

http://www.twitip.com/twitter-for-churches-and-non-profit-organizations/

I shared the idea with a group of rabbis:

The Twitter form, a “tweet”, consists of only 140 characters. Think of it as a poetic form. I wondered if we might put together a group to take turns sending out 140 character “tamtzitim” of the Parshiot. We could take turns.

One responded and after a little exploration we learned that the project has already begun. Thank you.

My first #Torah tweet:

Then, Moses’ bush: unconsumed. Now: weird fire took Nadav & Avihu. Aaron: still. How do fires consume or not lead to: OK/wrong foods? #Torah

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#Torah

I am lovin’ the Twitter Torah Craze! Check out my post on the topic!
http://frumhacks.blogspot.com/2009/04/following-lead-of-hillel-elder.htm...

My first #Torah Tweet!

Go Shai Go!!
This is an amazing way to dip into the collective thoughts about Torah.
I’m going to do my best to Tweet the parsha hashavuah.

Here’s my first, and it’s very appropriate for me.
This week’s portion is all about the peeps who make Raiders of the Lost Ark a meaningful title.

Wisehearted artsy-fartsies unite!

http://twitter.com/peartree4/statuses/1354296838

excellent idea!

I just started Twittering (@harrietg), and am still trying to figure out why… but, oddly, I had a dream about doing this sort of thing a few weeks ago, and am very glad to see that it’s come true! 133 characters is a great challenge, and I know there can be beautiful, poetic wisdom even in a few words of Torah free-association.

Twittering the Torah

I’m intrigued by the notion of Twitter Torah commentary. I like the constraint of the Twitter paradigm — like writing haiku — and there’s an immediacy to the medium which could help one integrate Torah learning into the mundanities of daily life. I’ll be curious to see where this goes, and whether others are drawn to the notion of these very tiny teachings too!

Will this catch on...?

I hope so. Thanks for jumping in!

In response to a rabbinic colleague asking, “Why would you ever want to do this?” I’ve written a new blog post at my personal blog: 6 Reasons to Write Torah Commentary on Twitter.

I think folks are fairly intimidated about the idea of commenting on Torah. Maybe the 140 character limit and the open-source culture pervading Twitter will give people confidence. On the other hand, the super-public nature of this platform might make it harder for some.

I really hope people can feel that

  • there is not a right answer
  • that you don’t have to say something “smart” or enlighten people
  • that you don’t have to meet anyone’s standard
  • that you don’t need to be afraid of revealing that you don’t know something
  • [Fill in the blank]

There are so many reasons to be intimidated in commenting on Torah.

I just want to emphasize that if you put your own experience next to an engagement with Torah text, mix them together… out comes commentary.

If you Tweet it, will they come?

I think the trick is getting into the practice of actually reading Torah and then commenting.
I have to make an effort to even know what the weekly portion is, let alone have the time or intention to comment upon it. The question is not whether people will Tweet Torah but, how do you get people to read Torah and then tweet…

Is this a proselytizing question? I’m not sure…How long will I keep up my tweeting Torah? How do I make this an easy thing to do? That’s the only way, IMHO, this will catch on…(cough-Tagged Tanakh-ahem~)

Love this idea of using

Love this idea of using #Torah tags. I’ve tried to put Torah in #Shabbatreading, but that’s all politics. I don’t want to read politics on Shabbat! In the past I’ve linked to posts with Torah, but it might be fun to try a tweet with no link.

I’m going to print my weekly parsha questions and see if I can come up with something. By the way, you should tweet this early in the morning, when the Israelis are up. Or maybe I should re-Tweet it then since I have a good number of anglo Israelis that follow me.