When is it okay to share a secret with which you were entrusted? The answer may seem obvious but consider the stakes. What if breaking your promise saves a life, avoids embarrassment or protects someone from financial malfeasance? Students from six yeshiva high schools debated this question at the Model Beis Din Competition hosted by Touro’s Lander College for Men.
This one-of-a kind, annual, tournament offers high school students a chance to match wits on oft-debated halachic dilemmas. Teams of students spend hours working feverishly to out-argue each other. At the end of the day, Mesivta of Greater Philadelphia in Bala Cynwyd was declared this year’s winner, TABC took second place and Fasman Yeshiva High School in Chicago came in third.
“The Model Beis Din guides students to fully understand the dynamic nature of Halacha—how the Torah can inform and confront contemporary moral and legal challenges in the most sophisticated way,” said HaRav Yonason Sacks shlita, esteemed Rosh HaYeshiva of the Beis Medrash L’Talmud, who directs the program. “My goal is to validate the students’ learning and to inspire them to learn more.”
The Model Beis Din program included close to three hours of actual debating, an awards ceremony and the opportunity for one on one time with HaRav Yonason Sacks who tested students on their knowledge of the topic. All participants received two volumes of Rav Sacks’ sefer on Pesach. The winning team received a set of Mishna Berura, second place team received a three volume set of seforim from Rav Sacks on Talmud Torah, Midos and Mitzvos and third place team received Sefer Ishei Yisroel.
The Model Beis Din program is the brainchild of Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol, the dean of Touro’s Lander College for Men, who wanted to create an opportunity for young men to experience Torah study at a high level. “The Model Beis Din program inspires high school students to deepen their understanding of the chosen topic, while they challenge themselves by competing with other outstanding young men from across the country,” said Dr. Sokol.
