A weekly shiur for fathers with Monsey eighth-grade Rebbi, Rabbi Shimon Dubinsky, is more than just to keep up with their son’s learning. It’s about the deep connection that results when a father and son are on the same page and can really talk in learning together.
At Cheder Chabad of Monsey, we know that there’s no connection quite like the one built over Torah study. When a father and son sit down to learn together, discussing sugyos and Rishonim, their bond goes beyond the typical father-son chat about what’s happening in the world. It becomes something deeper, something eternal.
That’s why, we created an opportunity for this connection to blossom every Monday night in a weekly shiur held for fathers of 8th-grade students, led by the ever-engaging eighth-grade Rebbi, Rabbi Shimon Dubinsky. At the shiur, the fathers learn the Gemara that their sons will be tackling in school in the coming week. The shiur is more than just a class—it’s an invaluable chance for fathers to immerse themselves in the very same Gemara their sons are studying, setting the stage for organic, Torah-filled discussion to blossom at each dinner table, home, and family.
This shiur is more than just keeping up with your son’s learning—though, of course, that’s important. It’s about the kind of deep connection that happens when a father and son are on the same page and can actually talk in learning together.
There are thousands of lines in the Torah, Gemara, and Tanya. Yet, when the Rebbe selected twelve as the most critical for Jewish children the world over to memorize and internalize, he included this Passuk from Devarim: “Veshinantam levanecha v’dibarta bam”, fathers and sons speaking in Torah. Teaching your children Torah isn’t just about handing them the book—it’s about speaking with them, learning with them, and making Torah a part of daily life around the house. When a father feels equipped to discuss Torah at the dinner table, and the shprach becomes Torahdik, he is fulfilling Vedibarta Bam and connecting to his son in an unfathomably profound manner.
As an added perk, many fathers find this shiur to be a rare opportunity to reconnect with their own Torah learning, setting an example for their sons that no matter how busy life gets, Torah comes first. Rabbi Dubinsky’s approachable style ensures that even those who don’t have the strongest background in Gemara can feel comfortable jumping in and learning with confidence.
Cheder Chabad of Monsey continues to stand at the vanguard of Chassidishe Chinuch to the greater Lubavitch Monsey community and to the dozens of Shluchim from New York, New Jersey, and even Connecticut, providing a Chinuch that spills out of the walls of the Cheder building and into the home of each and every Talmid. With this initiative, the Cheder has invited our parent body to buy into our mission and increase our impact through each father setting a tone of learning in his home.
A special thank you to Rabbi Dubinsky for his dedication to this shiur, Rabbi Shaya Itkin for spearheading the program, and Menahel Rabbi Levi Kaplan for facilitating this invaluable program. May the Torah learning of fathers and sons continue to strengthen the families and future of Klal Yisroel.
Discussion
We appreciate your feedback. If you have any additional information to contribute to this article, it will be added below.