Once again, this year, RKYHS juniors and seniors had the opportunity to broaden the scope of their Torah learning by participating in a Judaic studies elective program. In addition to their Foundations classes of Tanach, Talmud and Ivrit, upperclassman had the opportunity to explore various areas of interest as well. This program is aimed at allowing students to focus on areas within the Talmud that they find to be the most interesting to them—in spirit of the dictum of Chazal that “a person only learns in an area that his heart desires” (Avoda Zara 19).

The range of topics spanned from cosmology and the age of the universe in the context of Sefer Bereishit (in “Torah and science” area of study), to the proper thing to do if you accidentally eat your chulent with a milchig fork in (in the arena of Kashrut). Students learned about the lives and teachings of great Hasidic masters, explored ideas as to why Hashem created the world in “Derech Hashem” and discussed the Torah’s approach to women in modern society along with other contemporary issues facing the Jewish world. It is the school’s hope that this learning experience will inspire the students to pursue their areas of interest in Talmud.