In Memory of Rav Kahn

Ilana Bauman I had the zchut of learning with Rav Kahn for only a short time. I started learning in GPATS this year, and he taught us this semester with every ounce of strength he had until he was unable to continue. And that was the most painful decision for him. Because Torah energized him. Because teaching energized him. And it also was physically exhausting for him because he put his all into it. But I see that that is what it means to לעסוק בדברי תורה, to engage in the words of Torah. It’s an experience that allows one to transcend their bodily limitations and allow their heart and soul, their emotion and spirit, to take over and overcome for as long as the body can sustain. You could see it on his face — his physical exhaustion, but his eyes wide and curious to see what we had learned and his smile so large to express his joy in his Talmidot’s learning. It was an immense blessing to watch someone push through in order to pursue the passion that was so true to their heart. I lea...

Tamar Beer Horowitz Today we mourn the passing of Rabbi Moshe Kahn, a gadol and a tzadik. Many can and have spoken about Rabbi Kahn’s derech halimud, and his impact on am yisrael and on Torah learning. If your feed hasn’t yet been graced with these posts, I will link them below. But what I want to contribute to this conversation is something more personal, the influence that Rabbi Kahn had on me. I want to try to somehow express, knowing full well I cannot do the topic justice, the loss I feel now that Rabbi Kahn is no longer with me. Rabbi Kahn changed my life. I say without any exaggeration, that I would not be the person I am today without him. As many have stated, he really believed in his students. It didn’t matter who you were or what your background was. He had high expectations. His class was not easy for me. I really struggled, and in the beginning I even failed some of the tests. But I think his goal in making his class so challenging was to instill a sense of humility and re...

Miryam Kiderman I’m overwhelmed with the need to join the multitudes of women who are students of Rabbi Moshe Kahn. I told a colleague today that since I can’t attend the shiva, zooming into the funeral felt like the least I could do to show up- and writing here feels the same- the least I can do to show respect and honor and to do something with my sadness and grief. I want to say that I am unworthy- I was his student formally for only one year- but the clear message of speeches at the levaya today is that R Kahn believed that we are all worthy. It is incredible that the attributes that come to mind when I think of R Kahn are the same ones that have been echoing in speeches and posts- kindness, humility, commitment to Talmud Torah. Respect for everyone. In a world where so many of us have personas, what a rarity it is to reflect on a person who was so truly himself. Rabbi Kahn’s impact on the world of women’s learning and teaching can’t be understated. To paraphrase Rabbanit Sally Ma...

Dean Shoshana Schechter ממשה למשה לא קם כמשה There was no one like Rav Moshe Kahn.  He dedicated his life to connecting women to Torah on the highest of levels. And that's all he ever wanted.  His agenda was Limud Torah and to teach the עמילות בתורה that is essential to really learn.  He was the paradigm of a rebbe- the perfect balance of אהבה and יראה. We all adored him but were also terrified to be called on in shiur if we weren't fully prepared.  While he was a pioneer is Gemara learning for women, he was also a pioneer in teaching Halacha to women. He didn't just tell us what was in the משנה ברורה as so many Halacha teachers did. He taught us the halachic process and a דרך הלימוד that has stayed with us forever and has been a cornerstone and foundation of our learning and the way those of us who went on to teach Torah, teach our students.  Rav Kahn- you were the quintessential rebbe of hundreds of Mechanchot- mechanchot who went on to themselves teach hundr...

 Dr Erica Brown What difficult news to swallow: the death of a precious teacher, Rabbi Moshe Kahn, zt'"l . Every semester we sat, a small group of women, with our gemarot open, working hard to understand the text and the rishonim and achronim . Rabbi Kahn was our steadfast guide. He challenged us. He tested us. He expected a great deal from us, but always with warmth and concern. Most importantly, he took our learning seriously and because he took it seriously, we took ourselves seriously. Words are not enough - tears are not enough - to thank you, Rabbi Kahn, for all you did for a generation of women who now teach your Torah.

Dafna Levine Dear Rav Kahn, I always put a lot of pressure on myself to write the perfect thing when expressing my gratitude to people, which is why I unfortunately haven’t sent you such an email other than a short thank you at the end of each of the last six semesters. Especially for you, such an influential person in my life, there are so many things I want to say which makes me that much more scared to limit my thoughts to one email. I decided, though, that many disbanded thoughts are better than nothing. On that note, please forgive me for my lack of organization and clarity, and for anything important that I missed.    First off, I just wanted to discuss how much I appreciate the way you ran your shiur. There are so many great things about the fact that you cold-called on your students, but one thing I especially now appreciate about it is that you gave a voice to some people who lacked the confidence to speak up. Being in gpats now with many of the women who were in your...

Leora Ore nshein (Moskowitz) Today in daf yomi, we are finishing masechet Nedarim. When I opened my gemara to start the masechet, I saw that I already had notes on the first daf-- circles and little underlines all over the page, with a few words in pencil, squeezed between the small lines of the Ran. I looked at it and wondered, what are all these circles and underlines? Then I looked at the words and realized it was all the words that I didn't know yet, and R' Kahn said we should learn every word on the daf that we didn't know. I looked back now and smiled, seeing  all the words that had been so daunting to learn then, but of course after learning in R' Kahn's shiur, how could I not know them? In Pirkei Avot, we learn that a great teacher is one who is מעמיד תלמידים הרבה. It is often pointed out that the mishnah doesn't say, מלמד, to teach, but rather מעמיד, to stand up. The greatest of teachers do not just teach their students Torah, but teach their students h...

  Sara Schatz Rav Kahn was a legendary melamed (teacher) with unparalleled dedication towards his students. Since the 1970s, he believed in furthering women’s Talmud Torah, and did not stop until he physically couldn’t this semester due to his waning health. I’ll never forget Rav Kahn’s speech at my GPATS graduation last year, when he expressed that belief so eloquently and fervently, despite the fact that he was ill and it had been two years since he had stepped foot in the Stern Beit Midrash due to COVID. Without Rav Kahn’s keen ability to push us to think critically and deeply, I would quite honestly still be afraid to open up a Gemara. The tools he gave me opened up my mind and heart to a world of Torah I previously didn’t know I could ever have access to. The impact that he made on my life, and the lives of many women of Klal Yisrael, will forever stay with me. ברוך דיין האמת. (Sarah is a Gemara teacher and Assistant Programming Director at MTVA.)

  Miriam Schwartz Today, I had the devastating displeasure of burying my rebbe.  He was buried along with a passul Sefer Torah from Rinat, a fitting accompaniment for a man who shared last year that teaching Torah was keeping him going. It is comforting to know that he’s learning Torah once again in the Olam shel Emes, learning a Milchamos along with the Ramban himself.  So many of my friends have shared about his impact on klal Yisroel. And I don’t have the ability to write coherently about that. But I hope that by sharing my stories of his impact on me I give those of you who did not have the privilege to learn from him some insight into the tremendous gadol that was Rav Moshe Kahn.  During my time in GPATS, Rav Kahn went from being a person who taught me Torah to being my rebbe. I began to wonder, as is customary in many Yeshivos, whether I should address him in third person.  I stuck around after shiur to sheepishly ask what he thought.  He answered “Mi...

Zahava Rothschild Bauer What a privilege to have been Rav Kahn’s student for 5 years. What a loss to the Jewish community that his neshama is no longer in this world. Rav Kahn insisted on teaching in Stern so that women’s learning would be rigorous and demanding, and Rav Kahn always taught the women the same masechet as was being taught in YU. His search for truth and understanding kept us on our toes- always pushing us to learn, relearn, and dig deeper. Rav Kahn did not need to stand on a podium to push forward his values. He simply acted upon them. I am a better person for having been his student. Yehi zichro baruch (Zahava is a Middle School teacher in Caskey Torah Academy in PA.)

Mindy Schwartz Zolty There is so much to say about Rav Kahn, Zecher Tzadik L’Veracha. Like countless other women today, I am still processing this huge loss and the profound ways Rav Kahn impacted my life. For now, I will say simply as a wholly incomplete but partial tribute to his greatness: There is nothing quite so powerful as having someone, especially a teacher, totally and completely believe in your ability. The way Rav Kahn believed in me, and in all of the women he taught, and our capacity to learn Gemera at the highest level, to parse every word and every sentence, and take ownership over our learning, has left its mark on me forever and is the gift of a lifetime. In his honor and memory may we all be blessed to receive this gift in our lives, and to offer it, at least in some way, to others as well. (Mindy formerly served as community scholar at Lincoln Square Synagogue, currently a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Adelphi University.)  

  Zissy Turner I learned with Rav Kahn in GPATS from 2015-2018. I sent this remembrance to my colleagues and friends. Today, the world lost a gadol. A man who affected unbelievable torah learning, religious growth and influenced countless Talmidot. My rebbe, Rabbi Moshe Kahn went to the olam haemet today, and I'm sure there will be many, many hespedim about his greatness and anava but I thought I'd share how he personally changed my life.  I was 21, newly graduated from college, bursting with a desire to learn more Torah. For various reasons, I couldn't go to Israel and was looking for a place in the US. GPATS was the top and natural choice. I emailed Nechama Price for an interview, and she accepted me on the condition I passed a bechina with Rabbi Kahn. I hadn't learned much gemara then. I had one summer of Drisha under my belt. But I wanted it. I wanted to get in so badly.  I studied as hard as I could, knowing I still had many gaps in my understanding and took a taxi...