Learning and maturing at Midreshet Shalhevet High School for Girls

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At Midreshet Shalhevet High School for Girls in North Woodmere, senior year is packed with a rich variety of special classes and programs that help to prepare students for life beyond high school. With this wide breadth of offerings, MSH students graduate with a strong foundation to keep their passion for Torah and learning alive.

A favorite senior course is Nashim B’halacha, which is taught by Hindy Feder, a fellow in Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center’s U.S. Yoatzot Halacha Program. This course delves deeply into a variety of topics that women should have familiarity with by analyzing text-based primary and secondary sources, both practical and conceptual aspects of mitzvat asei shehazman gramma, agunot, ketuba, limud Torah, tzniut, and nidah.

As the end of the course nears, students went to the Grove Street Mikvah in Cedarhurst to experience first-hand the mikvah and to talk with the women there. After their visit, students had brunch at Principal Esther Eisenman’s house and reflected on their years at MSH and all of the knowledge and skills they have gained.

Mitzvat asei shehazman gramma —Women and Positive Time Bound Commandments. Women are exempt from all time bound positive commandments (Mitzot Aseh Shehazman Grama) with a few exceptions. If a woman wants to do a mitzvah that she is exempt from she is permitted and encouraged to do so.

Agunot — literally “anchored” or “chained”, a halakhic (Jewish laws) term for a Jewish woman who is “chained” to her marriage. The classic case of this is a man who has left on a journey and has not returned, or has gone into battle and is missing in action.

Ketuba —a special type of Jewish prenuptial agreement. It is considered an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the bride.

Limud Torah — to learn Torah

Tzniut — modesty or privacy

Nidah — describes a woman during menstruation, or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirement of immersion in a mikveh (ritual bath).
—Julia Grossman