“It changes the way you learn. It changes the way you teach. And ultimately, it changes the way you live.” That’s how Mrs. Rivky Slonim, author, lecturer, and Shlucha to Binghamton University, describes the power of text-based learning in a promo video for Batsheva Learning Center’s Beis Midrash.
The all-new, in-person program is set to launch in Crown Heights in Fall of 2022. It’s geared toward young women in their twenties who are looking for consistent learning past the seminary level. The leadership at Batsheva Learning Center say this program is filling an important niche in women’s learning in Crown Heights and that there is unique inspirational power in text-based learning that can’t be replaced by the periodic shiurim and farbrengens that are already commonplace.
Mrs. Chayale Tzukernik, director of the Chassidus curriculum at the Beis Midrash program, put it: “Delving deeply into chassidus, by studying the texts in a committed and through way is the only way I’ve found to create real, lasting impact.” Mrs. Rivky Kaplan, seminary teacher and Batsheva board member, agrees: “Every single area of your life will be enhanced [through text-based learning] because of the sense of ownership… the sense of empowerment, the sense of commitment…It’s a gift that keeps on giving.”
Batsheva Learning Center also sees this program as a step toward the vision laid out in the Rebbe’s sicha given on Lag Ba’omer נ“תש]” :In today’s day and age,] it is not just that women are allowed to study Torah Sheba’al Peh… they must be taught, and not just the bottom line Halacha without the underlying reasons, but the reasons as well as the back-and-forth behind it.” Further on, the Rebbe emphasizes that this development is a sign of Moshiach. “The reason why we have merited to add in womens’ learning specifically in later generations…is because at the end of the time of golus is the time of preparation for geula…when ‘the world will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem.”
The Beis Midrash program is set to run four days a week, Monday-Thursday, from 1:15-4:15 PM. The first hour and a half of the Beis Midrash program will be dedicated to Chassidus, and will focus on an in-depth study of Hemshech Ranat. The second hour and a half will focus on in-depth Halacha, tracing the halachos of challah, Shabbos candles, kiddush and havdalah from their original sources in the Gemara until the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch.
Batsheva Learning Center has already launched a pilot online program that offers just the Chassidus curriculum. Students have been meeting for an hour and half every day over the course of four months to study the entire Hemshech Ranat. Their schedule consists of chavrusa learning, guided by Mrs. Yitty Gniwisch and a weekly shiur taught by Rabbi Reuven Leigh. Joining a program that was so focused on student-centered learning was revolutionary for many of the students. In the end, they came out feeling that it built their skills and confidence in ways they could never have imagined.“This course showed me that I am more capable than I thought, and with time and consistency I can make real progress,” says Chaya Sherman, a student at the program, “What’s unique about the course is that the students dive headfirst into the text no matter the skill set, and there is no spoon-fed style learning. You are pushed as an individual to invest and be involved in the learning process, which in the end leaves you feeling the most fulfilled and accomplished. The skills I’ve gained through this program will enhance the way I learn forever.” Another student, Chani Mochkin, shared, “Every day my ease in reading and studying Chassidus grew. Learning every day was a satisfying challenge and it’s awesome to reap the benefits of your labor. Joining this program has been a life changing experience because it has built my confidence. I can bravely open any sefer on the shelf and try to learn it!”
One student, Chana Colin, is a mom of three and a future shlucha to Towson, MD. Making such a large commitment to learning at this point in her life was challenging, but extremely rewarding. “This course has been completely transformative for me. Thanks to our very talented, patient and warm teachers, I have not only advanced in my text skills tremendously, but have gained a renewed appreciation for Chassidus through the intense style of learning, very much unique to this program.” Chana Colin found that the concepts discussed in this Hemshech particularly resonated with her given her life stage.“The concepts we’ve covered in Ranat have deeply impacted me in my role as a wife and mother. They “live” with me every day, providing me with meaning, purpose and a deeper understanding of self.”
While the online program is geared for women who live outside of New York City or who are looking for the flexibility of an online platform, the in-person Beis Midrash will offer a more intensive schedule as well as the opportunity to be part of an active learning community in Crown Heights. The directors of the program are excited to create a warm, vibrant space for women to grow and connect over deep, authentic text-based learning.
Registration for the in-person program is now open, until June 12.
(Registration for next year’s online program, starting after Tishrei, opens this summer.) www.batshevalearningcenter.com/beismidrash
What is Hemshech Ranat.?