Join us for a fascinating discussion with a third-year student at our Beis Midrash and high school Jewish history teacher, Tzivi Greenbaum. Tzivi has always had a fascination with the development of women's Torah education in both formal and informal settings throughout the ages. In this episode, she shares some of the research she has done on the topic and discusses these questions and more: What was the common standard of education for Jewish girls through the various periods of Jewish history? What did girls learn? How did they learn? How have those standards shifted over time? What a ..read more

In this episode, Devorah Silberstein shares with us some of the fascinating women she's encountered in the process of researching sources for the new book we're putting out on women's Torah learning. In this conversation, we address these questions and more: Why is it important to see a precedent for women engaging in Torah study throughout Jewish history? How does that change our hashkafic perspective on women's education today? What trends do we see throughout the ages for which women had the privilege of a Torah education? Is the desire amongst women to study Torah something ..read more

Torah Ohr Parshas Vayeitzei Some people are naturally driven to engage with the world, while others prefer to retreat into their own spiritual oasis. Which one does Judaism prefer? This week’s parsha is our first introduction to Rachel and Leah, the two sisters who marry Yaakov and become the last two matriarchs of the Jewish people. In this maamar, we’ll explore the message behind each of their life stories and how we can incorporate both of their roles within our own lives ..read more

Join us on a 12-week journey through Torah Ohr on Bereishis. Explore the stories of Bereishis through a fresh lens and discover the inner strengths you never knew you had. Find out more at batshevalearningcenter.com/bereishis ..read more

This episode is sponsored by Leia Baitelman. This episode discusses the requirement for a woman to wait five days from when she sees a flow until she can perform a hefsek tahara. We’ll trace this five day wait back to the story of Matan Torah and understand how the practice evolved from waiting three days to four and eventually five. As we explore the fascinating history behind this halacha, we'll see an example of where the divergence between Sefardi and Ashkenazi custom originates and learn a lesson about the value of having a personal relationship to Torah along the way. ***Please note th ..read more

Why do we name the holiday of Purim after the lottery that Haman threw to destroy us? How can the randomness inherent in a lottery symbolize a miracle Hashem deliberately orchestrated to save us? In this episode of our monthly maamar series, Shaindle Sharfstein and Hadassah Shemtov explore a profound maamar on what the core of the Purim story is all about. They discuss the nihilistic perspective that Haman represents, the flaw in his reasoning and what that tells us about the nature of free choice. They share the practical implications these concepts have on own lives and on current world even ..read more

What is the essence of תפילה? The תפילות in our סידור, in general, and especially the תפילות on ראש השנה, appear to have two opposing themes. On the one hand, תפילה is a time of standing before Hashem, of acknowledging His greatness, of praising His majesty.  On ראש השנה, this is especially true: the theme of the day is crowning Hashem king. The liturgy in our מחזור is dotted with proclamations of Hashem’s sovereignty over the universe, and pleas that His dominion be revealed and apparent to all. On the other hand, תפילה is about asking for our personal needs. Thirteen out of the nineteen ..read more

Up to this point, this podcast series discussed what the mitzvah of kisui rosh is, who it applies to, and how and where it applies. In this final episode of the series, we start exploring why?  What is the mystical meaning behind hair covering? Menucha takes us through a few Chassidic sources that discuss the symbolism of hair in Kabbalah in general and how that sheds light on the obligation for married women in particular to cover their hair. This eye-opening conversation offers a novel perspective that can change the way you approach this mitzvah and your relationship with Torah observ ..read more

This is the second episode in our 3-part Tishrei series with Chana Hirschowitz.  In this episode, Chana introduces another maamar from Likutei Torah on Shobbos Shuva that looks at teshuva from a cosmic perspective, drawing a parallel between our own individual experience of teshuva and the world's global journey towards Moshiach. Within the miniature world of the human psyche, we examine the role that our thoughts play in bringing us to teshuva. While our thoughts are separate from our identity, they are the language our soul uses to communicate our perception of the world to ourselves an ..read more

This is the fourth episode in our new podcast series exploring a woman's relationship with Talmud Torah. In this episode, we interview Dr. Tali Loewenthal, a professor of Jewish studies at University College London and an academic whose research focuses on the history of Chassidic women. We explore the origins of the tradition amongst the Kabbalists to educate their daughters and how that has impacted the evolution of Chassidic women's Torah learning from the start of the Chassidic movement until the modern era. We discuss these questions and more: The Frierdiker Rebbe's Memoirs mentions an an ..read more