On June 5, the Julius Wrubel Beis Medrash Katan held its final farher with Rav Hershel Schachter, shli”ta, rosh yeshiva and rosh kollel of Yeshiva University. “This test is truly the climax and culmination of a year of ambitious growth by the talmidim in the Beis Medrash Katan,” remarked Rabbi Tanchum Cohen.

Rav Schachter asked the talmidim questions on sugyos in iyun, bekius and additional material in Maseches Gittin that they learned outside of shiur. With more than half of the shiur on pace to complete the masechta, the volume of material was substantial. After two hours and 15 minutes of questions, interspersed with short segments where Rav Schachter gave shiur, the talmidim celebrated with siyumim by two of the talmidim on Maseches Gittin and enjoyed a delicious seudas preida at the Cohen home.

“Not only were we motivated to review for the farher, but we were also inspired by the genius and unparalleled bekius of Rav Schachter to continue shteiging in our learning,” said Ezra Halpert, a talmid of the Beis Medrash Katan. Elisha Price remarked, “How privileged we were to be able to hear shiur by Rav Schachter, a true gadol b’Yisrael.”

This event underscored one of the great advantages of being part of MTA. Situated on a yeshiva campus, the talmidim have the unique opportunity to be in the presence of gedolim and older talmidim who influence and set the environment for learning.

After the farher, Rabbi Cohen congratulated his talmidim on an excellent performance in the farher and throughout the year, and gave them advice to take with them to yeshiva in Israel and for the years and decades to come.

The farher at the Julies Wrubel Beis Medrash Katan was not merely a test, but also a celebration of learning and an enriching experience that allowed the talmidim to interact with and draw inspiration from one of the gedolim of our generation. This day will undoubtedly remain a cherished memory and a milestone in the educational journey of all who participated.