News Highlights Teen Beit Midrash Sends Team to Moot Beit Din

Last month, Hebrew College’s Teen Beit Midrash program recently sent a team of three to participate in the 2024 Maimonides Moot Court High School Competition.

Asked about the teens’ experience, HC Rabbinical Student and Moot Beit Din Advisor Talia Young shared the following:

“The word halacha comes from a root meaning to go or walk. Halacha helps us move through the world. It’s how we apply Torah to the contexts and choices we are faced with everyday. Our teens engaged deeply with these ancient sources, applying them to modern questions of privacy rights on social media. They added their voices to an ancient conversation and made these texts their own.

It was incredibly inspiring to work with Teen Beit Midrash’s Moot Beit Din team and witness their argument in the competition. Our team spent two months learning the sources and developing their case. They traveled to New York to attend a Shabbaton with over 200 teens, and present their argument at the competition (in front of a panel of judges which included esteemed rabbis and a federal judge). The Shabbaton was full of singing, davening, and connecting with teens from across the country and was deeply impactful for our teens. I’m so looking forward to this program continuing to grow as a part of Teen Beit Midrash.”

For Moot Beit Din team member Adam Michael, working on their argument and attending the Shabbaton was a highlight of the year:

“The Moot Beit Din Shabbaton was one of my favorite events of the year. The vibe in New York was mesmerizing. Discussing Jewish texts and bonding with hundreds of Jews around the world over songs and traditions was amazing. Additionally, the engaging MBD sessions were a highlight of my week.”

Join us in congratulating our Moot Beit Din teens for their hard work!