The Etta Kossowsky Fund News Update
Chanuka 5770

Dear Friend,

You might say that there is nothing special about women learning Torah – in the widest sense of the word. After all, every Jew wants to share in the privilege of understanding our heritage. And how can we hand on to our children something that we do not have in our possession? From our present-day perspective, we wonder at our earlier seeming disinterest. It would appear that not learning could have been most irresponsible. Rather like the game of ‘postman’, where one child whispers a phrase to another, who whispers what he or she believes they heard to another and so on and where, in the end, a wholly distorted version of the original statement emerges.

I am delighted to report that the learning in the name of Etta Kossowsky z.l. is indeed special. We not only seek to know our sources, we seek to increase the breadth of learning through understanding, a general and a personal understanding. Here are the topics of some of the study groups at present:

The group I learn with in Bet Shemesh has just finished a year of parashat ha shavua, where each week whoever was giving the shiur presented the perspective of one or more commentators. The group has moved on to Sefer HaKuzari, which entails learning about some Greek philosophy, some Medieval thinking and some comparative religion. Fifteen to twenty women learn every Shabbat.

The Gemara shiur in Jerusalem is as lively as ever. The range of topics discussed in Qiddushin is amazing. Recent topics have gone from the subject of ‘honouring father and mother’ to the agricultural injunctions of orla, chadash, kilayim as applying to the land of Israel or outside of it. At least twelve women find time to come on a Monday morning.

In the Golan group, the women are studying parashat ha shavua. "The women enjoy choosing a source from Netivot Shalom on the Parsha or I prepare a ‘mekorot’ sheet…There is always a very lively discussion…we are getting ten or so women...in the summer, we can get over double." writes Rebecca Rubinstein.

Parashat ha shavua is also the topic in another Jerusalem group. Here the emphasis is the perspective of Chassidic texts and of HaRav Kook, writes Diane Bloomfield. The group meets on Shabbatot.

The ‘Nach Chabura’ in Jerusalem has completed an in-depth study of the Book of Jeremiah. They spent two whole years on that project, finishing with a siyum in style, complete with guest speaker; they are now moving on to Yehezkiel, reports Robin Jacobovitz. The group meets in the week and has nine ‘regulars’.

The Annual Memorial Evening of Learning on Etta’s Yahrzeit will be on February 6th 2010 בע"ד in Bet Shemesh. I will send details nearer to the date.

As always, my very sincere thanks for the many kind donations to the Etta Kossowsky Fund. We could not manage without these.

Chanuka sameach,

Esther Ehrman