At the dedication ceremony of the new Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies, opposite Sacher Park in Jerusalem, Rivka Gestetner shared the following story:
“When I first met my husband,” she recalled, “literally on our first date, he told me he had a dream: to establish a yeshiva for young Jews from abroad who had never learned Torah. Not just to give them tradition, customs, and holidays, but to bring them into a serious period of study. To help them take responsibility for their Jewish identity. To teach them how to learn.”
Rivka decided to marry that man with the long-term dream and they made Aliyah. Over the years thousands of young people from around the world have passed through Mayanot’s various programs. Today, *Rabbi Shlomo Gestetner, together with Rabbi Kasriel Shem Tov,* his partner, finally dedicated the new and impressive Mayanot Institute for English-speaking young adults from abroad, opposite Jerusalem’s Sacher Park.
“Thirty-six years have passed since that first date,” Rivka said. “You need patience.”
After the mezuzah was affixed and the ribbon cut, I approached one of the students. His name is Josh. He is 25, studied at a university in the United States, encountered antisemitism and hostility toward Israel, and found himself with no answers. He had never received any real Jewish education. So he enrolled at Mayanot.
I asked him what speaks to him most in his learning: Torah, Talmud, Chassidut?
He smiled, a little embarrassed, and said: “What moves me most? Learning the Hebrew alphabet. I know almost all the letters already.”
Wow. It made me wonder where he will be in another 36 years...
Thanks are due to all the donors and partners behind this moving event, held on the 19th of Kislev, the date traditionally associated with the spread of Chassidic teachings. May we continue to teach and expand the ma’ayanot — the wellsprings. I, too, learned important lessons this evening.
