This past Tuesday, the freshmen and sophomores in TABC’s Distinguished Scholars Program had the great privilege hearing from Rabbi Shlomo Zuckier.

This independent honors program is designed for students who have demonstrated the critical thinking and academic skills, as well as ambition, required for broader intellectual engagement. Students in the program identify and master a field of study by working on an in-depth project in that particular discipline. As part of the program, students participate in discussion groups and are exposed to lectures from a variety of experts in their fields throughout the year, with a focus on creativity and innovation across the disciplines.

Rabbi Zuckier is a paradigm of a scholar in both Torah and academics, as he is currently a member of YU’s Kollel Elyon while simultaneously pursuing a PhD at Yale in ancient Jewish history. While the TABC students munched on a delicious Chickies lunch, Rabbi Zuckier shared a presentation on, “How I Researched My Dissertation, in 30 minutes,” about how his own research journey developed, and the step by step process he engaged in to come up with his PhD. He emphasized the importance of closely analyzing texts and not taking the truth of any assertions made by sources, primary or secondary, for granted. He also discussed the importance of remembering your audience and writing in a way that can be understood by others, and all the while being receptive to constructive criticism and feedback. TABC’s Distinguished Scholars look forward to putting many of Rabbi Zuckier’s ideas into practice in their own research.