Shabbat Recap and Learning Content

So, Shabbat is over. We had an interesting time, praying and sleeping and whatnot. I started Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," which is an interesting book. Cholent II was excellent, even better than Cholent I. Played some backgammon, and I've heard that someone is showing the film "Dodgeball" tonight. So, either that or basketball, hopefully. And... that's it. Hope everyone has a relaxing and meaningful shabbat.

Over the past couple of entries, I have been describing the teachers, the daily life, and some activities. But I have yet to go into details about what I am actually learning. So since I have nothing that interesting to write about now, I'll tell you about the Torah wisdom I am currently accumulating:

Gmara B'Iyun: learning the eighth chapter of Sanhedrin, in the Order of Nezikin*. This chapter deals with ben sorer u'moreh, the wayward and rebellious son who is executed. It is written that this case never happened and never will, but we are still learning it. So far, we have learned how old he must be to be eligible (13 to 13-and-3-months), what he has to do (not listen to his parents by stealing food from them), and deducing if it is possible for an eight-year-old to have children by doing the math for biblical stories of Abraham, Noah, and Bathsheba (don't ask). We are going slow, so I'm learning some Talmudic skills. I have not yet found a chevruta, so I haven't really found a rhythm yet. But the shiur with Rav Yitzchak is great.
Gmara B'Kiyut: learning the sixth chapter of Bava Metziah, also in the Order of Nezikin. This book deals with monetary laws, this chapter specifically with contractual obligations. I'm learning this with Eitan Rubenstein, my mail-order chevruta from Harvard (class of '05). I'm learning gmara skills here too.
Other classes: I'm taking other classes too, but they don't meet as often. They include "Halacha and Reason" with Rav Elisha; "Torah and Science" with Rav Yitzchak; Parshat HaShavua (the weekly Torah reading) with Rav Yossi; the American lecture with Rav Bigman; b'kiyut Tanach and Exodus with Chezi; and an introduction to Chasidut with Rav Zevik.

More later.

*There are seven orders to the gmara: zera'im (literally "seeds," deals with agricultural laws and blessings); mo'ed (literally "times," deals with holidays); nashim (literally "women," deals with marriage and divorce); nezikin (literally "damages," deals with monetary and property laws); kedoshim (literally "holies," deals with holiness, I guess); taharot (literally "purities," deals with family and national purity); and The Order of the Phoenix. Well, not really the last one, so I guess there are only six orders to the gmara.