By Shira Adler

The Shabbatot of May 13 and June 10 were very special weeks in the Bergen County community. On each of these weekends, a different shul hosted a Graduate Program in Advanced Talmudic/Tanach Studies (GPATS) shabbaton and welcomed female scholars from the Yeshiva University graduate program as scholars in training. These weekends were part of a national GPATS shabbaton program that was generously funded by the Walder Foundation as well as Micah Philanthropies, Ann and Jeremy Pava Trustees. Ten GPATS weekends were held this year in communities throughout the country, including Chicago and Silver Spring, Maryland.

The YU GPATS program is a two-year master’s program for women that gives students the opportunity to advance their Torah knowledge and skills, and learn Talmud and Tanach at a high level. In addition to the time spent in the Stern beit midrash, GPATS students receive pedagogic training, with program placements at schools, college campuses, and local shuls.

On the Shabbat of May 13, Congregation Rinat Yisrael, under the leadership of Rabbi Chaim Strauchler, invited GPATS students to speak at the various minyanim that take place there on Shabbat. Leora (Moskowitz) Orenshein, a Teaneck native and second-year student in the GPATS program, shared an inspiring drasha after both the hashkama and main minyanim, while classmate Tamar Koslowe spoke eloquently after the 8:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. minyanim. To close out an incredible Shabbat, first-year student Neti Linzer, a Bergenfield resident who spoke on Shabbat morning after the teen minyan, delivered an enlightening iyun shiur between Mincha and Maariv.

Just a few weeks after an inspiring Shabbat at Rinat, the Bais Medrash of Bergenfield (BMOB) hosted a similar event featuring GPATS Director Nechama Price, a BMOB member, in addition to the student speakers. Price also serves as one of the two yoatzot halacha for Rinat and a number of other Teaneck shuls. To kick off the event, Price gave a wonderful drasha on Shabbat morning, after the main minyan, about the seemingly special treatment of Shevet Levi in the Torah. Shabbat afternoon featured returning speaker Tamar Koslowe, whose talk on the intricacies of the relationship between Moshe Rabbeinu and Yehoshua was beautiful as well as educational. The final speaker of the day was second-year student Sara Krishtul, who spoke at seudah shlishit, and whose insightful words were the perfect way to end another inspiring GPATS shabbaton.

Price explained that the GPATS shabbaton program is designed to benefit both the host communities and the GPATS students who speak. These weekends, in addition to giving participating communities an opportunity to learn Torah at a high level, “give the world the opportunity to see, or to be exposed to, Torah being taught by women, and to be exposed to GPATS as a program,” she said. “At the same time, we wanted to give the students more opportunities to teach Torah within the community.” Price noted that all participating students volunteer to speak at the programs, and do so on the weekends that work best for them.

Each shabbaton resulted from a shul rabbi reaching out and asking to host GPATS for a Shabbat, Price said. She added that Rabbi Chaim Strauchler of Rinat and Rabbi Neal Turk of BMOB were both wonderful to work with. Not only were they both extremely supportive of the GPATS program, but they have also expressed interest in the GPATS shabbaton becoming an annual event at their shuls.

Price felt that the weekends were a success, and looks forward to repeating them in future years.

“As one of the yoatzot of Rinat, and a member of BMOB, I am so proud to be part of a community that allows my GPATS students to share their Torah, giving them opportunities for giving drashot and shiurim,” Price said. “Watching my students shine while teaching Torah on these GPATS shabbatons has been a major source of pride for me, and I look forward to enabling more communities to have these shabbatons in their shuls.”

Shira Adler is a Jewish Link summer intern, and a rising junior at Stern College. She lives in Teaneck.