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Mrs. Belda Lindenbaum, one of the earliest proponents of women's Torah study, shared her excitement and pride in the advancements that have taken place at Midreshet Lindenbaum

In 1985, there were 17 students enrolled in Ohr Torah Stone’s program for women, which pioneered the study of high-level Talmud, Tanach and chavruta study for women. Today, there are hundreds of women participating in eight different Midreshet Lindenbaum programs on the Chana and Yaakov Tilles Campus.

With the completion of construction of the Hermine and Joseph Reitman Beit Midrash, a special evening of learning highlighted the value of women’s Torah learning and the revolutionary strides that have been made in the realm.

“So much thought went into the concept and design of the new beit midrash to ensure that it would truly reflect the importance of women’s study,” says Tova Rhein, director of Midreshet Lindenbaum’s Maria and Joel Finkle Overseas Program. “Of course we marked the move with a celebration, concentrating on the role that Torah learning plays in women’s lives. And naturally, being Midreshet Lindenbaum, the focal point of the evening was textual study.”

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin explained, “Ohr Torah Stone has always championed the idea that women should study Torah on the highest of levels. Study is the pathway to belief and spirituality, which must be accessible to all Jews,” he told attendees. “Like men, women deserve a learning space that reflects the excellence of their potential and signals the value of their accomplishments. Like men, women deserve to study in a place that instills pride and inspires achievement.”

In her remarks, Hadas Women’s Hesder Program student Racheli Greenblatt echoed Rabbi Riskin’s comments. “When your surroundings are so well-planned and beautifully developed, a powerful, positive message about your role as a woman is projected,” she said. “You internalize the message, ’your learning here is so important that we are investing in it.’”

A slide show prepared for the event illustrated the evolution of the school’s various study halls over the past 22 years, from the tiny, rented apartment on Herzog Street in Jerusalem to the spacious and well-appointed new facility. For Naomi Wadler Berman, this represented a trip down memory lane; she shared recollections of her association with Midreshet Lindenbaum over nearly two decades, as a student in the overseas and advanced study programs, as the dorm mother, and today, as one of the school’s respected and beloved teachers.

ACHIEVING THE PERFECT BALANCE

Midreshet Lindenbaum director Rabbi Shlomo Brown addresses students in the new beit midrash

The new beit midrash was built to resemble a large, open tent. In describing its architectural significance, Rabbi Riskin explained that in the Torah, the word “Ohel,” or “tent,” signifies both Jacob’s tents of learning and Sarah’s home. “These twin themes, of the home and the place of study, must be present at all times in the lives of our students and in the walls of this holy building,” he said. Expanding upon the idea, Rabbi Riskin related that where it was once the exclusive pattern for men to work and learn while women stayed at home looking after the house and children, this is not necessarily the model for many contemporary families. “Each couple must find their own way to balance responsibilities,” he said. ”Obviously, the most important thing of all is that the children be nurtured and cared for, but this should be done in a manner that allows both parents the opportunity to develop their talents, learn Torah and build up a career.”

Challenges faced in the quest to achieve this balance between career, family and learning were addressed by a panel chaired by Rosh Beit Midrash Shani Taragin. She launched the discussion by teaching textual sources relating to the dilemma, then invited her fellow faculty members to reveal how they had overcome obstacles they had encountered.

“It is very important for our students to wrestle now with issues that they will be confronting later in life, and I was delighted that they entered into the debates with so much thoughtfulness and passion,” says Malka Petrokovsky, director of the Women’s Leadership Program (“Chachamot”). “Our first night of learning in the new beit midrash provided the perfect opportunity for such a discussion, which we hope will be the harbinger of many more celebrations of women’s learning. We are especially looking forward to the upcoming formal dedication of the beit midrash, together with the Reitman family.”

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