Ilana Bauman: Tribute to 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 learned immensely from that.

 

I spoke with Rav Kahn over the phone last year to talk about GPATS. We discussed how I wanted to study Gemara on a higher level, and how I wanted to study social work, and connect the two — the psychology of learning and teaching people, of building up individuals and communities through Torah knowledge and connection. He shared with me about his background in Psychology, and how he finds that the two enhance each other. Hearing this from a well respected teacher meant a lot to me.

 

I prepared for my bechina, an oral entrance exam for GPATS, with only a Gemara and a dictionary as per instruction. And I’m grateful to my middle and high school Gemara teachers for giving me the skills to parse a daf, a page of Gemara. When I got on the Zoom and started to review the sugiya, the section of Gemara, with Rav Kahn, he explained to me so gently that while I properly understood the structure of the sugiya, I had misunderstood much of the content. I knew that was my weaker point, and the reason I wanted to join GPATS was to work on this skill. So instead of ending our Zoom there, Rav Kahn suggested that we just learn the sugiya together, in real time, the two of us in chavruta. It was supremely intimidating and also incredibly humbling. Especially as a teacher myself, I learned so much from that moment. A teacher is not just someone who checks their students’ understanding, but someone who delves into the beautiful and challenging messiness that is the learning process along with their students, so their students feel encouraged to try and mess up and try again. It was a very intimidating Zoom call, and I am deeply grateful for it.

Rav Kahn was a pillar of women’s Torah learning in a way I was unaware of until he stopped teaching this past semester. One of his matmidot and dear students, Dr. Shana Strauch Schick, taught our class, which was comforting both to us as students and to him as s teacher — knowing that his legacy was continuing. Rav Kahn taught Gemara at Stern for over 40 years. That’s a mind boggling amount of time to do a revolutionary act. That women now have the opportunity to learn Gemara at a high level and have access to this part of Torah is not something to take for granted. Rav Kahn gave his hundreds of students the skills to continue their learning, and, if you look at who his students are, it is clear that they have continued their learning, and many have continued on to teach as well. He took Torah which was in his hands and he gave it to those who, for many years, only dreamed of grasping it.

 

A quiet revolutionary. With humility that was beyond. I hope he recognized his greatness. I hope he sees his students now and is glowing in the בית מדרש של מעלה while looking at the world that is women’s Torah study today. I hope he knows that world exists largely due to him.

 

Rav Kahn paved the road less traveled, and it truly made all the difference.

 

יהי זכרו ברוך ויהי זכרונו לברכה

May his memory be blessed and for a blessing

 (Ilana is currently pursuing a Master’s in Social Work at Wurzweiler while studying in Tagel Beit Midrash in Israel.)