Acceptance of Honor Remarks

Yeshivat Maharat Ordination

June 15, 2014

מודה אני לפניך ה' אלקי ששמת חלקי מיושבי בית המדרש – I thank you God for having given my portion among those who sit in the beit midrash. These words, according to the gemara in ברכות כח: open a תפלה recited upon leaving the בית מדרש and, said in the plural, may be found in the הדרן – the prayer of thanksgiving recited at a סיום. These words speak to the gratitude I feel today.

It was never obvious that I would find my חלק among those who sit in the בית מדרש. It was my dream since I was a young girl to study Torah but, like many dreams, this one seemed fantastical, unreal. Girls and women in my world did not sit in the בית מדרש and they didn’t study gemara. My overwhelming emotion today, as it has been on so many others, days in which I have had the privilege to study and teach תורה, is one of profound thanksgiving and הכרת הטוב to God, to my teachers, to my parents, to my students and to those women who came before me and with me and opened the doors to those בתי מדרש.

My הכרת הטוב does not negate the very real challenges of the enterprise for those of us who are יושבות בית המדרש. This is no simple task, nor is it an always joyful path. We still face significant obstacles – many בתי מדרש are not open to women, it is not a simple matter to find superb teachers of תורה and it is even harder to find our own place as recognized teachers of תורה and religious leaders.

And yet, we are here and here to stay. And we will continue to stake our claim in the שלשלת המסורה – the sacred tradition going back to סיני. We will add our voices to the lively, multi-vocal tradition that is our חלק, our ירושה.

Victoria and Rori, it has been an honor and a pleasure to learn Torah with you and I am so grateful that you have given me a place in what is truly your celebration – I did not have to take any בחינות to get this award. I am so thrilled to be here to celebrate your tremendous accomplishment and to wish you well as you embark on the next steps of your journeys as scholars, educators, and religious leaders. I am particularly touched to be here with you today as the three of us have in common, that our seats in the בית מדרש are not something any of us takes for granted. You have indeed earned your מקומות in the בית מדרש and I wish you great success in the years ahead.

Thank you to the all the students, teachers and staff of Yeshivat Maharat.

Thank you to my students; I am blessed to have so many students who have taught me so very much. Finally, a special thank you to my greatest teachers, to my sons, Kasriel and Netanel, who enlighten me every day of my life, and to my wonderful partner, מורי רבי אשי, Dov – in so very many ways I could not have done much of this without your guidance, your support and your חכמה.