by Phillip Vedol and Josh Vogel

Shavuot 5771 at Beth Israel of Malden was very special, indeed!

Six students from Yeshiva University’s Torah Tours came to Congregation Beth Israel Malden for the holiday to give shiurim, or classes in Torah, for men, women, and teens.  After a community evening seudah, or festive meal, the shiurim began. A wide spectrum of topics were covered, including two special interactive discussions for the community’s teenagers. The learning went into the morning, sweetened with regular servings of cheesecake.

Throughout the holiday, the entire shul community was charmed by the friendly and conversational nature of the Torah Tours crew. They took a keen interest in getting to know all of the shul’s congregants, with the community immediately making them feel at home.

We wish to thank and commend Dorit Muskin (who was their coordinator), Esti Reichman, Alexandra Grumet, Zach Weiner, Elliot Friedman, and Josh Jay for enhancing our community’s Shavuot experience on so many levels. We were even fortunate to have the voice of one of YU’s Maccabeats to uplift our services. They were excited to bring back word to their friends of the great incentives the Jewish Community of Malden has to offer, like tuition assistance (link), an eruv, and Mikvah under construction (link). They also agreed that Malden’s proximity to Boston, with its jobs and great schools, made it a good choice for any growing Jewish family.

We are also grateful to Rabbi & Rebbitzen Rabinowitz, the Bitran Family, the Goldberg Family, and the Vogel Family for hosting Torah Tours and being such great company during their stay..

The shiurim included topics on  “A Jew’s Role in This World,” “Birchat HaTorah,” and “Pulling An All Nighter….Is It Worth It?,” to mention a few.  Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Rabinowitz, our community’s rabbi, also gave shiurim regarding “Does Everyone Receive a Portion in Olam Haba-The World to Come?,” “Shavuos- a Time for Change,” and “ What Shavuos Did (or Didn’t Do) for Eating Dairy,” along with many others.

We were sad to see them leave and are looking forward to sharing other Chagim and Smichot with them again soon!

by Batsheva Goldberg

When my mother told me that the Torah Tours women would be teaching a special class for the teen girls on Shavuous night, I was pretty excited. In past years, I had generally gone to the dinner at shul, then walked home and read something vaguely related to the Torah for an hour before going to sleep. This sounded like a much better way to get the learning experience I was hoping for. I certainly wasn’t disappointed! The three students visiting our community presented a fascinating lesson, complete with source sheets, and happily answered all our questions (and there were quite a few!). By the end of the night, I felt like I had really received some very satisfactory answers to things I had been wondering about.

The class went so well that they held another one for us the next day. This time we covered a different aspect about what being Jewish meant to all of us, and also participated in an extremely fun activity in which all the teen girls had to work together to connect various objects such as a glove, a doily, and a fork to Shavuous and then build a skit around those objects. By mixing the more serious content of the lesson with an exciting game, we were able to gain a much more comprehensive idea of what they were trying to teach us.

The Torah Tours women created a unique learning experience for the teen girls. This was the first time that a class had been held in the community especially for us, and everyone enjoyed it immensely. The unanimous consent was that we all can’t wait for them to come back next year!