By Rabbi Eli Zoldan

During our recent parent—teacher conferences, I was approached by a ninth-grade parent who said to me, “What did you do to my son?” The parent continued, “I have never seen him this happy or this devoted to school. He is doing shnayim mikrah every Shabbos as well as reviewing Gemara nightly. He loves school.”

We tend to believe that a student needs to love school to succeed. Throughout my years in chinuch, I have discovered that the opposite is true. A student needs to succeed in order to love school.

In the same vein, a student needs to feel successful in Gemara to love learning Gemara. Our limudei kodesh department is designed to facilitate this love of learning. The students are taught by warm and caring rebbeim who live by the principle that students need to know that you care in order for them to care to know what you are teaching. In our mussar and hashkafah shiurim, students are taught about middos through the viewpoint that each of us is created in the image of Hashem. Our “G-dliness” requires a higher ethical standard and moral behavior. They are taught how to have a relationship with Hashem, through the understanding of the power of bitachon and hashgachah pratis.

In iyun shiur, the rebbeim encourage the students to participate and offer their own unique understanding. Students are constantly shown how their thoughts and analysis are discussed by the Rishonim and Acharonim. Seeing this results in a deeper love and appreciation for Gemara. The bekius shiurim place a strong emphasis on students learning how to make a leining of the Gemara on their own. The goal is that every boy should leave the mesivta able to open any Gemara and be able to read Gemara, Rashi, and Tosfos on their own. This is ensured through a daily chavrusa program that has the students honing their reading skills daily.

So when a parent asks me, “What did you do to my son?” the answer is simple: We gave him an opportunity to see his own strengths. We gave him an environment where he feels valued. And we showed him that he can be a leader in Klal Yisrael.

For more information, join our open house/melaveh malkah, December 9, 8:15 p.m., at our beis midrash campus, 1213 Bay 25th Street in Far Rockaway, or contact 718-471-7471 or mesivtayamhatorah@gmail.com.

 

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