Tuesday Night Live @ Stern

The Kol Torah was loud, clear and beautiful. There were sounds of students studying Kiddushin perek Aleph, Nach Yomi, Hilchot Kashrut, Mesillat Yesharim — name a sefer, it was being learned. Every single chair was taken, as chavrusas sat across from one another, delving into the Torah they were passionately learning. The excitement was palpable in the Stern beit midrash. Taking place in the heart of New York City, with special guests and delicious food, Stern College is excited to introduce the premier of TNL (Tuesday Night Live).

The program is set to begin at 7:45 p.m. every Tuesday evening with an opening 10-15 minute sichat mussar. These talks are meant to discuss different topics that relate to the Stern community and ways that individuals as well as the community as a whole can grow. Each week, a faculty member or Stern student will speak about an important idea on their mind. The incredible learning commences after late night snacks such as sushi, poppers and cholent are served. Whether learning on one’s own, with a chavrusa, taking part in the Beren Itim L’Torah program or attending a chabura led by staff or student-led, there is an option for everyone. 

With a strong emphasis on the importance of community, the nature of the program allows each individual to benefit by learning something of their choice, surrounded by others doing the same. While the guest speakers that Stern hosts each night are incredible, TNL offers something unique by strengthening the primacy of making Torah personal by investing one’s own time and effort in learning something they connect to. In the beit midrash on Tuesday night, everyone is enabled to be involved in the specific areas of Torah study that inspire them as an individual, all within one greater context of Torah learning and community.

Shoshana Fisher (SCW ‘26) attended TNL last week and had a wonderful experience:

“My Chavrusa and I are learning Shir HaShirim. In this time before Rosh Hashana we want to step up our Torah learning and challenge ourselves by learning it through the lens of multiple meforshim. Learning with a chavrusa adds a level of understanding that can only come from talking ideas out and working together to find answers!”

TNL is in its first year, but the ideas that ultimately culminated in its creation were in the works for quite a while. Initiatives with similar goals had taken place in different capacities in the past, but this year, with the encouragement of students and a shared passion between the Fine’s and Schonbrun’s TNL has made its debut. Discussions with student leaders, TAC (Torah Activities Committee), BMC (Beit Midrash Committee) and others helped crystallize the best format for success.

Rabbi Azriel Fine told The Commentator that a “vibrant Torah environment” gives people the ability to grow, whether through picking up a sefer, schmoozing with friends and teachers or simply by actively participating in creating such a special atmosphere in the room. The beit midrash is a place where we can bring three things together: community, an energy of growth and learning.

“Any individual in the Stern community can come in and do something that they find meaningful,” shared Rabbi Fine.

Students are incredibly excited about this new opportunity. As the program came to a close on the first Tuesday night, students were eager to carry on with their learning, and looked forward to the following week of TNL. 

As Eliana Diamond (SCW ‘25) told The Commentator, “The energy in the beit midrash on Tuesday was like tikkun leil Shavuot. It gave me such an extra appreciation for the people at Stern who are committed to learning, as well as for the campus couples who so successfully implemented this clearly desired opportunity. As a place of rigorous secular and Torah study, it is so fitting for there to be a night like this, and hopefully this will lead to many more!”

Stern College’s new Tuesday Night Live is off to an incredible start, and with the devotion and love coming from the student body, Tuesday night in the beit midrash is something that no one will want to miss! 

Photo Caption: Students learning in the beit midrash on the opening night of Tuesday Night Live

Photo Credit: Rabbi Azriel Fine