A Torah Scroll Begins Its Journey At The Mayanot Women’s Program
Mayanot was honored to take
part in a Torah scroll inauguration commissioned by a student, all the way from
Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Debra Hacker, a founding member of the Chabad
of Waukesha, decided to gift herself a week of Torah study at Mayanot’s
Executive Learning Program, in Jerusalem. With grandchildren on the way and ever growing
obligations, she used this special opportunity to formally initiate a
project she had undertaken at her Chabad house, under the guidance of her Rabbi
and Rebbetzin Levi and Freidy Brook.
Debra and Chabad of Waukesha are writing a Sefer Torah (a
Torah Scroll). In loving memory of her mother and grandmother, Ruth bat Runcha
and Runcha bat Gella, two women who lived exemplary lives of devotion and
loyalty and who gave of themselves wholly to their families, expressing their
Jewishness both in life and in death.
Debra commissioned the writing of a Torah scroll that will be the
first Torah owned by this growing Chabad community. It was an immense honor for
Mayanot to be a part of this incredible project along with Debra and the Chabad
of Waukesha.
The highly trained scribe who was commissioned to write Debra’s
Torah scroll, lives in Israel and has studied for many years to master
the skill of safrut (the sacred art of writing holy scrolls). Mayanot
was therefore able to coordinate with Rabbi Levi Brook, to have the scribe come
for Debra’s afternoon class.
In a spirit of great celebration, Debra, the students, and the staff,
met the scribe at the Mayanot Women’s Beit Midrash (the women’s study
hall). With much joy and heartfelt tears Debra inaugurated the writing of her Torah
Scroll.
For the students at Mayanot who have spent years studying at
colleges across the world but have only recently begun to learn Torah, this was
an event of great excitement and importance, one that will surely be remembered
for years to come.
Written by: Mrs. Freidy Yanover, the Mayanot Women's Program Dean of Student Affairs
Written by: Mrs. Freidy Yanover, the Mayanot Women's Program Dean of Student Affairs
