Sometimes, the silent heroes deserve even greater praise than the celebrated heroes.
The Nshei Kollel Chatzos Melave Malka, celebrated for both the Kollel Chatzos of Monroe and Monsey in their respective locations, was an opportunity to shine the spotlight on the Nshei Kollel—the kollel’s valiant silent heroes.
You see, for the kollel yungeleit, Kollel Chatzos is an exhilarating, uplifting privilege. In this precious oasis of time, removed from daily distractions and obligations, they truly accomplish, amud upon amud, masechta upon masechta. Night after night, they learn, shteig and delight in the joy of Torah.
In contrast, for the Nshei Kollel Chatzos, the experience is somewhat different. To enable their husbands to learn uninterruptedly, these nshei chayil contend with interrupted sleep as they are the sole caregivers of their children night after night. To enable their husbands to dedicate their nights to Hashem, these women often attend simchos solitarily. To enable their husbands to complete masechta upon masechta, these women give their husbands support, encouragement and flexibility.
And while the kollel yungeleit reflect upon the greatness of their accomplishments every time they celebrate a siyum and progress to the next masechta, these valiant women continue their same avodas hakodesh night after night…
Until the Nshei Kollel Chatzos Melave Malka.
It’s a unique tribute, a celebratory testimony, a special occasion.
And while every woman writes her own masechta every night, there is a certain yegia and aliya, a certain shared struggle and sweetness, that only the nshei kollel can share. And so, only they can truly congratulate each other for their unsung accomplishments. “When we gather together,” says Mrs. Schwartz, a proud kollel wife, “we connect so easily. We share a unique lifestyle and life mission. And we really can understand and support each other.”
In addition to the peer support, when the women enter the hall and see the festively decorated room with the thoughtfully displayed gifts, the message speak volumes; their avodas hakodesh is truly precious. Mrs. Schwartz sweetly said, “The gift I received is a tangible expression of chizuk that inspires me long after the event is over.”
Most notably, the women garnered tremendous inspiration from the dynamic speakers at the respective events; Kiryas Yoel’s Rebbetzin Werzberger, wife of Rav Duvid Yitzchak Werzberger, shlita, dayan in Kiryas Yoel, and Monsey’s Rebbetzin Josefowicz, wife of Rav Shlomo Yaakov Josefowicz, shlita, av beis din of Ohel Torah in Monsey. In their own signature style, both speakers impressed upon the women the greatness of their accomplishments, as partners and enablers of their husbands’ aliya in Torah.
And so, this Nshei Kollel Chatzos Melave Malka was transformative in two ways: it gave the women the much-deserved recognition and appreciation for their previous accomplishments, and inspired the women with the strength to continue their noble undertakings for the future.
The Nshei Kollel Chatzos Melave Malka was a song of appreciation and inspiration for the kollel’s unsung heroes… so that they will have the strength to continue to enable their husbands to make the shir of Torah delight the world for many nights to come.
