This was our first week of the new semester at Midreshet Moriah. Although we are all very sad without Shana bet here with us, it’s been great greeting all the Midmo alumnae who came to visit and learn with us during their winter break. Meanwhile, we are all having a blast trying out our new classes! Midreshet Moriah provided us with over 30 new classes this semester!!

Last shabbos was the Old City Shabbaton. Friday night was very meaningful as we davened and held kabalat Shabbat at the Kotel. We were pleasantly surprised when strangers, also davening at the Kotel, joined us as we sang. It was spiritually uplifting to come together and show our unity. Later that night we came together and shared personal stories in a group circle;  Discussing our experiences that led us to attending Midreshet Moriah, the effect of seminary and being independent thus far. Shabbos morning we had the opportunity to choose a Yeshiva to daven at, followed by a day of sightseeing, walking around the Rova, and multiple influential speakers. It was a beautiful uplifting shabbos and one we will never forget.

This week we had a Yom Iyun about tzniut. We had an amazing opportunity to hear from the fantastic speaker, Mrs. Nomi Levy. Mrs. Levy's topic was called “It's a beautiful life".  Many girls were fascinated by how Mrs. Levy traveled all around the world and her personal journey to Orthodox Judaism. Struggling to find places to keep kosher, she found Chabad houses and also brought it upon herself to be tznius.

A Round Robin was held by Bracha, Leora, and Malka and they shared different sources and ideas about tzniut. Lastly, we had an inspiring panel about tzniut where we were able to ask questions.

On Monday, in a special Shiur klali, we had a special guest speaker, Rabbi JJ Schachter of Yeshiva University,   who spoke about the blessings and challenges of the internet. We discussed the pros and cons of social media. In a society where information can be attained by a click of a button, we must ask ourselves: Where does one draw the line between what is true and false? Rabbi Schachter navigated the topic towards the invention of printing and how that affected Torah and sefarim (hand written pieces of writing). We learned that although there are many benefits to spreading knowledge, one must take precautions and not allow the internet to have complete access and power in our lives.

Natalie Frances and Meitar Glas, Shana Alef