For over 50 years Rabbi Brovender has taught thousands of students from all around the world. This week we introduce you to Beth Ben-Avraham.
Beth and her husband made Aliyah to Be’er Sheva in 2015 from Lower Merion, just outside Philadelphia. She has an MSc and a BSc in Physics from MIT and until recently worked as a medical writer. She is now retired and spends most of her time learning Torah, including a chevruta with Rabbi Brovender.
When did you first meet Rabbi Brovender?
I met when WebYeshiva started in November 2007. I had joined his Gemara shiur and since then, with the exception of the 3 years I spent doing the Halacha Mastery Program, I have continued to study Gemara with Rabbi Brovender in one form or another.
What do you find most important or striking about the “Brovender Method” -his unique way of teaching?
When it comes to Torah learning, what were you most drawn to after learning with Rabbi Brovender?
I’m most drawn to Gemara, with Rashi, which I have really learned to appreciate and to enjoy learning.
What lesson or specific Torah that you learned from Rabbi Brovender do you keep coming back to or carry with you wherever you go?
Review, review, review, and then review some more.
But there is more. There is a great lesson just being in the presence of a Talmid Chacham like him. I find Rabbi Brovender to be a very special person and a true anav. He never makes me feel badly in class, even if I am having trouble; he explains what needs to be explained and then moves on. When I miss a class, or he knows something difficult is happening in my life, he will check in with me to see that everything is ok. He also has a great sense of humor.
And all of that combined is a great lesson for life that I carry with me every day.