Wednesday, January 22, 2014

hand gestures of lomdus

This article in Wired reports that researchers observed and cataloged seven specific hand gestures were used repeatedly by members of academia in lectures and talks.  Want to look smart?  Make sure to use these gestures when you speak.  You can learn them all using this website.

Someone needs to catalog the appropriate hand gestures for use in learning.  A sevara said stam just doesn’t have the same force as a sevara while sweeping one’s hand in an arc downward and then upward with one’s thumb raised.  (I hope you can picture what I mean.)  If you want to look like a lamdan, make sure to use the appropriate arm, hand, and thumb motions.

2 comments:

  1. This is a b'feirushe gemora in sotah and elsewhere: when Moshe saw that Yehuda "לא הוה קא ידע משקל ומטרח בשמעתא בהדי רבנן" he was mispallel ידיו רב לו

    Thus it is clear that learning involves the hands.

    I get very suspicious when I see someone learning without his hands. It is said that the way to torture a Litvishe talmid chochom is to tape down his thumbs.

    But, after all is said and done, it is a b'feirushe gemora [he said, thumbs orbiting appropriately]

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    1. If there was a comment of the year award I think this would definitely be a finalist... but then again, there is always the chance you might outdo yourself : )

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