From March 19-22, 2026, a group of eight high school students joined Rabbi Feinerman and his wife, Raisie, on the Moot Bein Din Shabbaton. Held in Parsippany, New Jersey this year, the Hadar Maimonides Moot Beit Din Competition brings together hundreds of teens from around the world for one weekend every year, uniting diverse Jewish teens with one case and a multitude of halachic sources. The eight students, comprising two distinct teams, spent the year closely studying dozens of halachic sources related to a hypothetical case of organ donation. Each prepared written and oral arguments defending their opinion on the proper halachic course of action.
“Students learn to think quickly on their feet, communicate clearly, and maintain a calm and professional demeanor under pressure,” said Rabbi Feinerman, who is in charge of selecting the teams and organizing their trip every year. “Ultimately, Moot Beit Din helps students build skills that will benefit them academically, professionally, and personally.”
Upon arrival at the hotel on Thursday, the students settled in and participated in icebreaker activities, first socializing with other students and then playing a trivia game, where their team won first place. On Friday, everyone joined together for the welcome orientation, followed by two consecutive learning sessions, in which students got to choose from a range of topics related to the body and ethics in Judaism. That night, students attended Kabbalat Shabbat services, dinner, and oneg. On Shabbat day, there was more learning, board games, and plenty of food.
On Sunday, the two teams split up into different rooms for the final competition. Within each room, six teams presented their oral arguments to a panel of three judges and answered various questions from them and other teams. After the conclusion of the presentations, the closing and awards ceremony took place, which crowned the top three teams from each room. Both Scheck Hillel teams took home third place for their work.
“It was very unexpected, as not all of us were friends beforehand, but we bonded over Shabbat, board games, and lots of inside jokes,” said junior Shira S., who reflected on the trip’s surprising facilitation of close bonding and connection. “I had a lot of fun, and I’ll be sure to keep these memories with me.”
Sophomore Ami K. added to this idea, stating that what was most meaningful to him was “getting to know my peers… and growing closer to Rabbi Feinerman and his wife.” What was most memorable to him, he then included, was “winning third place alongside my amazing team. It was so nice to see our hard work pay off.”
