Over 100 young women celebrate completion of Talmudic tractate
Over 100 female Talmud students mark completion of Tractate Taanit in the Daf Yomi cycle.
Israel National News, 16.12.21
In one of the more inspirational events in recent memory for the pioneering center for women’s Judaic studies, over 100 women learning at Ohr Torah Stone’s Midreshet Lindenbaum Seminary commemorated the completion of Tractate Taanit in the daily Daf Yomi cycle this week.
While Talmud study has long been a central aspect of the program at the seminary’s three branches, this is the largest collection of students thus far to have come together to participate in the Daf Yomi program and together complete a tractate.
Even as Talmud study is integrated into the curriculum for both Israeli and overseas students studying at Midreshet Lindenbaum, participation in the Daf Yomi program is completely voluntary, so that all of the young women took the initiative upon themselves.

“Seeing the many students that participated in the siyum on Masechet Taanit was awe-inspiring,” said Jessie Tuchman from East Brunswick, New Jersey. “Something special about Midreshet Lindenbaum is how motivated the girls are to challenge themselves. For many of us, it was our first time finishing a masechet. Knowing that so many others were doing it alongside me created a sense of excitement and really encouraged me to continue on until the finish line.”
Ohr Torah Stone has chosen to salute the dedication of the students by presenting each young woman who participated in the siyum (completion ceremony) with a 400 shekel voucher that they can use to purchase other Jewish texts.
“Completing Masechet Taanit was not just an academic experience for these women, it was a spiritual and emotional experience,” said Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, President and Rosh HaYeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone. “To see the intellectual rigor and the spiritual ecstasy being achieved by so many young women together was incredibly powerful and nothing short of inspirational. The Midreshet Lindenbaum siyum was made on the tenth of Tevet, a fast day which marks the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem and the day established by the Chief Rabbinate to observe as a ‘general kaddish day’ to allow the relatives of victims of the Holocaust whose yahrtzeits are unknown to observe the traditional practices for the deceased. What better response to these two tragic events than for over 100 young women to complete learning a tractate of Talmud. Am Yisrael Chai!”