The Unusual Regular Day of NCSY Kollel
Zach Mainzer
As I meander back to the Beit Midrash for Maariv on a cool summer evening in the Judean mountains overlooking Jerusalem, a faint buzz catches my ear. As my brisk walk progresses, I ask my night shiur rebbe a question and discuss the shiur with some of my friends. During my conversation, I notice that the buzz keeps getting louder and louder. Once I climb the stairs, I stand facing the door of the Beit Midrash, adjacent to what is now a thunderous roar emanating from inside. Once I open the door, the overpowering sound of hundreds of people learning together in chavruta hit me and serenaded me to my place in the Beit Midrash right before Maariv.
Everyday occurrences like this defined my experience on NCSY Kollel. I frequently had opportunities to learn in small groups with some of today’s leading Torah minds and Roshei Yeshiva. I regularly learned with other high school and yeshiva students from across the United States.
My morning shiur provided a strong intellectual challenge that also allowed for me to improve my learning skills. After our morning shiurim, we always had the opportunity to participate in basketball leagues or go on “mini-tiyulim” to different museums or parks throughout Israel. At night, we returned to the Beit Midrash once again for Night Seder, which included an hour of learning with a chavruta, and an hour-long shiur. For me, this slot included two distinct opportunities to learn about fundamental topics in Judaism from some of today’s leading Roshei Yeshiva.
The average day on Kollel contained so many opportunities for growth and learning, and it was impossible not to take advantage of them. While we went on thrilling and exhilarating mountain hikes, rafted in the Golan, and visited historical sites central to the Jewish people, what defined my experience on Kollel was the regular, day-to-day schedule: the frequency with which I had the opportunity to learn from brilliant rebbeim; the time I spent in a Beit Midrash packed to the brim, filled with the sounds of Torah study; and the mere presence of — and opportunity to learn from — some of the preeminent Torah leaders of today.
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