Just when the Limmud girls thought shnat couldn’t get any better, the Midrasha period proved us wrong. This past month, the limmud girls have had the absolute honour of spending time at Midrashet Nishmat. Situated on a beautiful campus in one of Jerusalem’s neighborhoods, south of Katamon, Nishmat encapsulates a safe space for women’s leadership, social responsibility, learning and questioning. Furthering this, Nishmat has created a new path for women in Jewish life, further igniting the passion and power that us women have in Judaism. We were able to question and debate with very learned Rabbis, Rebbetzins, madrichim and other educators. With gratitude to Hashem and our coordinators, we were provided with a unique opportunity, where our group, who comes from all different backgrounds and nationalities could study Jewish texts in a safe and intellectually stimulating environment.
Although the Midrasha period proved difficult at first, with wake ups at 9:30 to begin the walk and arrive at 10, the skills that we all got out of it overrode the initial challenges to the day and become a routine that we actually enjoyed doing. I was exposed to valuable skills in order to understand and analyse classic texts, and to reflect on how they inform modern Jewish thought and practice.
Personally, my main goal for the Midrasha period was to strengthen my own connection to Judaism whilst creating and mapping together a deep personal understanding of what it means to be a Jew and how the Jewish traditions can be relevant in modern life and Western society. I am forever grateful for my time at Midrashet Nishmat. Coming out of this period, I can whole heartedly say that this period did give me the opportunity to express my Yiddishkeit and explore my passionate interests in Halacha and Judaism.
Amyless Assness, Perth, Limmud