For the first twenty years of Yitzchak Hagler’s life, NCSY Kollel was but a legend—a paradise imagined but never experienced. This summer, all of that changed. In his rookie year on Kollel, Yitzchak has the privilege of being the madrich of an awesome group of guys, an opportunity he has been taking full advantage of.
A resident of Bergenfield, NJ, Yitzchak attended MTA for high school before spending two years at Yeshivat Sha’alvim. Next year, he plans to complete the hat trick (or chazakah) with his third year at Sha’alvim. Yitzchak’s goal in chaburas is to delve into the depth and sophistication present in all areas of Torah. Using the weekly parsha as their launchpad, the chabura journeys across a wide range of topics the Torah world has to offer, from machshavah to contemporary issues, Chumash be’iyun, and famous shas lomdus. Along the way, they make pit stops for chabura jeopardy, chabura basketball, adventures with mekubalim at the Kotel, “intentional” long waits for the last bus to arrive, and lots of candy.
As the saying goes, “The pilot is only as good as the plane he is flying” (if this isn’t a saying, it should be), and this is certainly true of Yitzchak’s chabura, which consists of a diverse group of guys united in their motivation to learn and have a good time together. First up, we have Noam Bieler from Teaneck, NJ. Noam, a rising junior at TABC, is known for his proficiency in soccer and ping pong, and he contributes greatly to chaburas with his strong opinions and sense of humor. Next is Zvi Goldscheider from Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh. Zvi attends Orayta (a high school in the Old City of Yerushalayim) and sets himself apart with his consistency and devotion to minyan and learning, as well as his lights-out shooting performance in chabura basketball.
Another NCSYer means yet another country, as next up is Dovid Knopf from Montreal, Canada. Dovid, of MTA, always has a good story to tell, and according to some counts, he leads the kollel in dap-ups and high fives per day. To round out the chabura, we travel to the West Coast, the land that Binyamin Malk and Dovi Tsarovsky call home. Binyamin, a big free agent pick-up for MBY this year, is known for his laid-back and easygoing nature. Whether he is exploring Israel, pounding away at Maseches Gittin, or selling pizza, Binyamin is someone you want to be around. Finally, we have Dovi Tsarovsky, a proud student at YULA. Besides being a great ball player, Dovi takes his learning seriously and loves a good vort on the parsha, contributing greatly to the chabura.
All in all, Yitzchak’s Chabura is having an amazing time on Kollel, and they can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store!
