Midreshet Moriah
Second Zeman Begins!!
After intersession break in the beginning of the week, Midreshet began Zeman Aviv (Spring semester) with an incredible day on Wednesday. We take great pride and nachat in our alumnae, and we were so thrilled that so many of them joined us for Alumnae Day this Wednesday! It was a "Yom SheKulo Torah," a day devoted entirely to Torah learning. Our former Midreshet students had a day of shiurim with some of their favorite teachers: Malka Hubscher, Vicky Berglas, Dr. Yael Zeigler, and Rav Eitan Mayer.
The day was full of fantastic highlights for this year’s students as well. The highlight of the morning was a panel discussion led by Midreshet alums from recent years. The purpose of this panel was to give current Midreshet students concrete advice as to how to make the best of Zeman Aviv (second semester). The panel responded to questions like, “What was the most fun Shabbat experience you had?”; “What made your Midreshet experience unique?”; “Looking back, what do you regret?”; “What do you miss most about Midreshet Moriah?”; and many other questions asked by both students and teachers.
We would like to thank Jessica Roffel (05-06, 06-07), Chavie Lieber (06-07, 07-08), Ailie Cooper Schmulevitz (04-05, 05-06), Racheli Waltuch (07-08), Alyssa Spira (07-08) and Sarah Taylor Proops (06-07) for being a part of this panel and inspiring our current students to take full advantage of everything that Midreshet Moriah, Torah learning in Yerushalayim, and Eretz Yisrael have to offer them this year!
Special hakarat ha-tov to to Jessica, Ailie, and Chavie, for being part of the second panel as well, and to Elana Mittel (06-07, 07-08), Tamara Sonnenschein (06-07, 07-08) and special guest and former Shana Better (and now Em Bayyit) Fagie Reves for sharing their thoughts and feelings with us.
Naturally, like every good Midreshet Moriah function, at the end we enjoyed home-baked (by Midmo staff!) cookies, brownies, and cake. Thanks to Rachel Slovin, Leora Bednarsh, Malka Hubscher, Ruthie Gershinsky and Michal Porath Zibman for baking!!! The alumnae then joined the staff of Midreshet for lunch and to shmooze and catch up.
Later that day, Midreshet Moriah was honored to have Rabbi Mordechai Willig, Rosh Yeshiva and Rosh Kollel at RIETS (Yeshiva University), address our student body. The Beit Midrash was filled with current and former students who came to hear Rav Willig address the topic of the importance of having a posek (halakhic advisor, rabbi), and “Emunat Chachamim.” Rav Eitan, a longtime student of Rabbi Willig, introduced Rabbi Willig, and the shiur was interesting and informative.
After Rav Willig’s shiur, ***over sixty*** current students and alumnae continued learning late into the night, with a special Wed-night “mishmar” given by Michal Porath Zibman. Although mishmar is usually on Thursday nights, being that it was so much a part of their Midreshet experience, we couldn’t have a Yom SheKulo Torah without it…
To end this great day of learning on a high, we kicked off a first-of-the-year special event, an age-old Midreshet Moriah late-nights-in-the-Beis tradition... Kiddush!!!! For many years, after the late-night Beit Midrash, there has been a tradition of having a little Kiddush, usually baked goods or other goodies, sponsored by different students each week in honor of an occasion. This year's first Kiddush was sponsored by Sarah Lukin (05-06), dedicated to the refu’ah sheleimah of one of her neighbors, who was injured over Chanukkah in the Chabad House in Long Island. Sarah gave a beautiful Devar Torah, and then Fagie’s chulent was served, as well as potato kugel, yerushalmi kugel, and the one and only Me’ah She’arim popcorn!!! It was a special and beautiful way to end a fantastic day, for both former and current students.