About the Mishnah Project.
,אָמַר רַבִּי בְּנָאָה לְעוֹלָם יַשְׁקִיעַ אָדָם עַצְמוֹ בְּמִשְׁנָיוֹת, שֶׁאִם יְרֻתַּק, יִפְתְּחוּ לוֹ אִם לְתַלְמוּד לְתַלְמוּד, אִם לְהַגָּדָה לְהַגָּדָה
Rabbi B’naah taught: One should always invest oneself in learning Mishnayot; for if you knock, they (the Mishnayot) will open the doors. If you knock on [the doors of] Talmud, the Mishnha opens those doors of Talmud; if you knock on the doors of Aggadah, the Mishnah opens those (Vayikra Rabbah 21:5)
Mishnah is the foundational text of the Torah Sheb’al-Peh (Oral Law). Both concise and comprehensive, it presents virtually all major topics of traditional halakhah, sometimes adding “aggadic” material of ethical-spiritual content. Deep engagement with Mishnah, therefore, can indeed ‘open the doors’ into the world of Torah Sheb’al-Peh. This is true for the beginner and advanced learner alike: whether one has never studied Talmud or has spent decades doing so, (re)turning to the Mishnah itself will enrich one’s learning, opening doors at all levels of the pursuit of Torah.
Join Drisha's Mishnah Yomit community
Working with the most standard daily mishnah study schedule, you will join a group of committed learners who dedicate time each day for the study of 1-2 mishnayot. Succinct and broken into small units, Mishnah is ideal as a text for “kevi’at itim la-Torah” (establishing time for regular Torah study). Over a period of weeks and months of regular study, you will complete Tractates and even entire Orders of Mishnah!
To anchor and support your individual learning, Drisha’s Mishnah Yomit program will include a weekly Mishnah Yomit b’Iyun/ in-depth shiur. In this shiur, you will have the opportunity to review portions of the past week’s material, and to go deep into select elements of the text (e.g. core concepts discussed; how the mishnayot interpret and interact with the biblical background; the literary structure and reception history of the unit) — all within the context of a collaborative community of fellow learners.
About Rifka Rosenwein
Rifka Rosenwein, a’h, was a celebrated and beloved writer, journalist, wife, mother and friend. She grew up on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and attended Ramaz. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Barnard College, Rifka was one of the first female editors of the Columbia Spectator and held a master’s degree from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Rifka’s journalism career began at the Wall Street Journal. In addition to business coverage, she wrote personal features on topics ranging from meeting Natan Scharansky to learning to drive on New York’s mean streets. Rifka went on to cover law and media and also served as managing editor for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Rifka’s most lasting literary legacy may be her monthly “Home Front” columns for The New York Jewish Week. Over a seven-year period, Rifka detailed the joys, challenges and changes experienced by a Jewish suburban family. Her columns, while rooted in their time and place, transcend them and years later retain their immediacy, passion and humor. A collection of Rifka’s columns, Life in the Present Tense, has been published by Ben Yehuda Press.
Rifka wrote about her son’s siddur party and her daughter’s love of dolls. She wrote about Days of Awe and days of soccer, feminism and friendship, about sending her kids off to camp and talking with them about God. And when she was diagnosed with cancer, Rifka wrote about that as well. By then, her columns had become her front porch and her readers were her worried neighbors.
Rifka died in 2003, leaving behind her husband, Barry Lichtenberg, three children and countless friends, admirers and readers. Rifka’s lifelong dedication to the study of Mishnah was exemplified by her 18-year partnership with her chevruta. May her memory be for a blessing.
