In so many ways, it seemed that the entire summer was leading up to our final Shabbat together. Themes and elements of the 6-week experience were woven into the Shabbat, leading to an incomparable weekend of ruach, learning, growth, and good feel. Of course, the special camaraderie that emerges from sharing such an intense and powerful time together was also a big part of our final Shabbat.

Spending this Shabbat with Rav Schachter added yet another wonderful dimension. Rav Schachter spoke at the Friday night Tisch and also offered a insightful question and answer session on Shabbat day. Rabbi Kaminetsky led his trademark ruach, both in an awesome Friday night davening and in the tisch later that night.

One of the real highlights of Shabbat- and maybe of the entire summer - was our special Shabbat afternoon “Learning from Each Other” session. We heard from various Kollel members who have encountered special opportunities and/or challenges in their lives. The presentations included a number of NCSYers who have made aliyah in recent years, a group of our Public School attending NCSYers, Madrich Mordy Prus speaking about his experiences with the Maccabeats, and Ben Auerbach who recounted his life experiences with Tourette’s Syndrome. These talks were riveting and thought provoking and very moving.

Motzai Shabbat was our closing siyum and farewell ceremonies. We kicked things off with a siyum made by Eli Deutsch, Gavi Sragow, Tzvi Villinsky, and madrich Jake Steinmetz. These 4 have dedicated time each night after maariv towards learning Gemara Makkot, and over the course of the summer managed to complete the entire Masechta.

The evening continued with plenty of time to reflect, enjoy, and celebrate. We concluded with an unbelievable Kumsitz where we heard from many of the NCSYers and traced back through the summer with song and reminisces.