Binah • April 2, 201260

The ClassroomWas Calling

Rebbetzin Malka David reflects on her new teaching experience

Estie Florans

t had been almost fifty yearssince she had taught limudei

kodesh in a girls’ high school when shegot the phone call. Would she considerreturning to teach?

“I need to clarify,” Rebbetzin MalkaDavid explains. “I’d been working manyyears, so although I hadn’t taught highschool for over 46 years, it wasn’t asthough I was suddenly returning towork.”

Indeed, she had never stoppedworking, whether it was in her home asa busy wife, mother, and Rebbetzin orthrough her evolving positions atYeshivah Tiferes Elimelech. But, sheadmitted during our interview, it hadbeen a difficult decision and a fearfulleap into… something remarkable.

I was fortunate to speak withRebbetzin David the evening beforeTaanis Esther, when I caught her inbetween her Tiferes Elimelech job andthe two high school Purim chagigos. Idiscovered that it truly is never too lateto start over, that renewal is achievableand gratifying at any age, and that it’srestorative for those experiencing it.

Born in Shanghai, China, MalkaKrawiec (pronounced Kravitz) wasraised in Seagate, the gated communityat the southwestern tip of Brooklyn,which is surrounded on three sides bywater and lies at the far western end ofConey Island. That physical isolationwas reflected by the Jewish resident’ssense of separation from the larger frumcommunity during the late 1940s and

early ’50s.This gave the family many

opportunities to be involved in kiruv. “Iwas raised with a sense of achrayus,responsibility for another Yid, to betolerant and understanding of others.We had some frum neighbors, but therewere more frum people living in ConeyIsland.”

“Coney Island of the famous Cyclonerollercoaster and Wonder Wheel?” Iasked, surprised.

“Yes. There were three or four shulsin Coney Island at that time, and twoshuls in Seagate. Many of my neighborsin Seagate were Jewish but not frum, andthen there were those in Coney Islandwho were religious but not necessarilyof the same mindset as my parents. I

I

Binah • 10 Nisan 5772 61

knew I was different. My father had abeard when it was unusual for someoneto have one, and my parents werealways vigilant about our chinuch andsheltering us from secular influences.”

Rebbetzin David’s father, Rav MendelKrawiec, zt”l, a talmid of Kletzk, becameRosh Yeshivah of Yeshivah RabbeinuYaakov Yosef (RJJ). Her mother’s fatherran the Vaad Hayeshivos in Europeworking under Hagaon Harav ChaimOzer Grodzensky zt”l. Her mother grewup closely connected to many of theEuropean Gedolim: Harav Baruch BerLeibowitz, zt”l, Harav Shimon Shkop,zt”l, and the Chazon Ish, zt”l. Thesestrong roots enabled her parents to besteadfast in their children’s Americanupbringing.

She attended elementary schoollocally. Her parents’ diligence led themto send their daughter to RebbetzinKaplan’s Bais Yaakov of Williamsburgfor high school, even though it meanttraveling an hour and a half each way.

Rebbetzin David adds, “Girls camefrom all over: Washington Heights, theBronx, Boro Park, and the Lower EastSide.” One of her neighborhood friendswho traveled with her to Williamsburgwas Rebbetzin Feige (Stein) Twerski,currently of Milwaukee.

Rebbetzin David speaks aboutShabbos in Seagate and Coney Island,and her group of Shabbos friends. “Ourfrum chevrah used to get togetherShabbos afternoons. We ran a Bnosgroup for the younger girls. There wasme, Debbie (Bernstein) Miller, Reyna(Feller) Hisiger, Miriam (Levine) Brier,Cheryl (Woller) Knobel…”

She graduated high school in 1960and continued on to the seminary atBais Yaakov of Williamsburg.

While in seminary, Rebbetzin Davidgave a model lesson at the CrownHeights branch of Bais Yaakov ofWilliamsburg, known as the BaisYaakov of Rogers Avenue, where Rabbi

Yaakov Davidson was the menahel. Sheended up substituting there and wassubsequently offered a permanentteaching position at the school. Herfuture sister-in-law, Rebbetzin BeruriahDavid, was already teachingthere, as were RebbetzinShulamis Prager, RebbetzinYona Lederman, and other well-known educators. She was only18 years old and the onlyteacher who was single.

“I taught ninth and tenthgrade Chumash and Navi,” she notes,“and in the afternoons I didbookkeeping in an office belonging to a

chassidishe family, a block away from myteaching job.

“In the beginning, my studentstested me, the young teacher straightout of seminary, wondering what Icould offer them,” Rebbetzin Davidspeaks of the challenge of teachinghigh school girls. “They were good, frumgirls, coming from schools that hadhigh learning standards.”

She taught there for two years untilJune 1963, when she married HaravHillel David, shlita. Rebbetzin David’shusband learned in Kollel Gur Aryeh ofYeshivah Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin in East

Flatbush, where they lived.“Once I became engaged, Istopped teaching, butcontinued with my officejob. In 1964, when I had myoldest, my father, who feltthere’d be a future in theMidwood section of

Flatbush, suggested that we move thereand open a beis medrash. We hadbachurim learning there, as well as akollel and shul. When people asked mewhere Flatbush was, I’d say it wassomeplace between Crown Heights andBoro Park. No one had heard of it then.Yeshivah Chaim Berlin arrived later;Mirrer Yeshivah was in theneighborhood, but further away.”

For ten years she continued being abusy wife, mother, and Rebbetzin…

Then, in September 1975, YeshivahTiferes Elimelech was established.

“Their first meeting was in our shulbecause Rabbi Rafoel Wallerstein, oneof the founders, davened with us. RabbiMoshe Feigelstock, shlita, ran theyeshivah from the Upper West Side,where he lived. Two weeks after theschool year began, the school still hadno secretary. I was hired temporarily towork part time, taking my youngest,then two years old, to work with meeach day until they could find apermanent secretary. I brought along atwo-ounce jar of coffee to keep there,figuring that by the time I’d run out ofthe coffee, I wouldn’t be at TiferesElimelech anymore…”

Rebbetzin David is still there… 37years later! We both laugh.

She continues. “My job evolved fromsecretary, to administrator, to fund-raiser — coordinating the dinners — tomanaging the buses and ordering

“I brought alonga tw-ounce jar ofcoffee, figuringthat by the time

I’d run out ofcoffee, I wouldn’t

be thereanymore...”

books, until 25 years ago, when Iofficially became the English principalof grades one through four.”

“Was this different than teachingBais Yaakov girls?” I ask her.

“It was a different world,” sheresponds immediately. “But I had muchsiyatta diShamaya and I worked withphenomenal rebbeim, menahalim, andteachers.”

Rebbetzin David didn’t have asecretary, worked six days a week, andwas there bright and early in themorning when the first buses came in.Twelve years ago, when the schoolmoved to a new building, a full-timesecretary was hired, which eased herworkload and hours. She continueddoing what she was doing, utilizing herskills in limudei chol while stillconnected to the limudei kodeshdepartment, unifying both sectors andfortifying future bnei Torah to be 24/7ovdei Hashem.

Her father, who had influenced hertremendously, passed away 20 yearsago. When her mother had a stroke inAdar seven years ago, Rebbetzin Daviddevotedly spent time with her motheron a daily basis, visiting her eachmorning before going to her job in

Tiferes Elimelech. That time spenttogether was enriching for both ofthem, and when her mother was niftarfour years later, Rebbetzin David felt adeep void.

Suddenly, this busy bubby,Rebbetzin, and principal had some freetime, and she missed her motherterribly.

It was sometime during the next fewmonths, when Rebbetzin VitalKalmanovitz was in the process ofopening a new high school, thatRebbetzin David’s good friend,Rebbetzin Tzippy Weichbrod, principalof the Ateret Torah Elementary School,suggested, “Malka… why don’t youapply to teach in this new high school?”

“Come on, why would anyone hireme? I haven’t been in it for so manyyears!” was her response.

During that year, one of the teachersat Tiferes Elimelech unexpectedly leftand Rebbetzin David filled in, teaching

It is her goal thateach student

learns to applythe teachings of

Dovid Hamelechto her own life.

the class until a permanentreplacement could be found. Thisrequired preparing and being in theclassroom on a daily basis, somethingshe hadn’t done for a long time.

Something must have beenpercolating in her subconscious,because shortly afterward, whenRebbetzin Kalmanovitz’s daughterwalked into the school’s office toregister her twin boys and they got intoa conversation about her mother’s newschool, Rebbetzin David found herselfsaying, “I have cheishek to teach highschool girls…”

The next day she got the phone callfrom Rebbetzin Kalmanovitz, invitingher to join their staff.

“But I didn’t have the confidence andI was really afraid,” she admits. “On onehand, my husband and childrenencouraged me to do it — I would teachTehillim, and it would only be once aweek. I had the time, so why not? Yet,there were those who warned me thatI’m older now, the girls of today aredifferent and might behavedisrespectfully.

“One week later I called RebbetzinKalmanovitz to tell her yes. I felt that itwould be a zechus for my mother, whowould never leave the house withoutsaying her daily Tehillim, and it wouldfill an emotional void for me…”

Rebbetzin David spent the followingsummer delving into sefer Shmuel inorder to learn as much as possibleabout Dovid Hamelech, the author ofTehillim. Then, with the help of severalsefarim and tapes of the Rav’s shiurim,she probed further into the words anddepths of Tehillim, preparing the perakimshe’d be teaching.

Rebbetzin David set three conditionsin order to teach this Tehillim class: Nohomework; complete a perek eachweek; and only two tests per year, withan open sefer.

She aims to present a central themeto each perek, and tries to end eachlesson with a relevant story or parable.

It is her goal that each student learns toapply the teachings of Dovid Hamelechto her own life.

Rebbetzin David clarifiesthat she teaches specificperakim throughout the year;obviously not the wholesefer. She mentions that sheisn’t a storyteller by natureand that her hatzlachahcomes from siyatta diShmaya,consultations with her husband, theRav; from the mechanchim at TiferesElimelech whom she is always learningfrom, as well as her own daughters.

When she first started, she’d testvarious ideas on her daughters… andevery Wednesday (the day she taught)when she’d walk through the door, thephone would inevitably ring. “Ma, how’dit go?”

Rebbetzin David emphasizes that sheconstantly experiences unbelievablesiyatta diShmaya with thoughts and

stories cropping up in her mind, on theway home from Tiferes Elimelech or inthe middle of the night, that relate to

the perek she is teaching. Shemakes sure to ask the Rav for abrachah each time she goes toteach a class, and never entersthe classroom without firstsaying a perek of Tehillim.

She recalls the importantdirective Rav Feigelstock

imparted throughout the years at thechinuch meetings at Tiferes Elimelech:not only to say the right things to thestudents, but to also avoid saying thewrong things.

“How long do you prepare for eachlesson?” I ask.

Long pause. “I prepare over a periodof time.”

“How about discipline?” I want toknow. “How does disciplining girlscompare to dealing with boys?”

“With the boys, I could be busy

breaking up fights. You don’t have thatwith the girls.”

“Do you feel that there is ageneration gap between yourself andthe girls?”

“Not really. I tell the girls that I’m abubby, an eltera bubby. I share with themmany life experiences, some things thatI’ve observed as a Rebbetzin… Ofcourse, there are differences betweenthe girls 46 years ago and today.

“For example, when we werediscussing a kapitel Tehillim that speaksof Yerushalayim and I asked which girlshad been there, around half the classraised their hands. This was a shock tome. To an extent, life is easier for girlsnowadays, going to places that wereinaccessible years ago.

“Yet, the girls also have a certaintemimusdig’keit that I didn’t see yearsearlier. They say Tehillim, they’reinvolved with learning the halachos ofshemiras halashon, and they display a

real connection to ruchniyus. I really likethe girls,” she says. “I treat them withwarmth and respect and they respondin kind.

“And yes… teaching the girls Tehillimhas filled that hole in my heart,” shesays softly. “Of course I still miss mymother, but I’m learning so much. Atmy age, it’s keeping my brain active. Idon’t read notes when I teach, so I haveto mull it over in my mind until I knowit well. I’ll wake up in the middle of thenight, figuring out how I’ll explainsomething, and even though I’msometimes tired, the Eibershter gives methe strength to continue.

“Like today, while I’m talking to you,I finished putting up my holepshes. I’msoon heading out for another Purimchagigah. I came home from work at tento five today.You could imagine how theafternoon is in yeshivah with the boyshaving a masquerade in the morning,”she chuckles. “So each night, I thank

Hashem for getting me through the day.“I always say Tehillim before walking

into the classroom,” she reiterates whatshe told me earlier, but this time adds,“and I advise the girls to do the same…to pick their own pesukim so that if theyhave the need, they’ll be prepared withsome that they know by heart.”

I ask her if she could share with ussome of her specific pesukim and herresponse is immediate. “‘Esah einai elheharim’ or ‘liyshuascha kivisi Hashem.’ IfI’m walking on an icy street orin a neighborhood that makesme feel uncomfortable, I’ll say,‘Habotei’ach baShem chessedyesovivenu,’” Rebbetzin David’svoice fills with enthusiasm.She says “In perek 16, ‘Michtaml’Dovid, shamreini Kel ki chasisibach’” — her passion for Tehillim echoingthrough the telephone wires as sheexplains the words to me. “Michtam is acrown. How did Dovid get that crown?

By saying that passuk seven times,‘shamreini Kel ki chasisi bach’ (protect me,Hashem, because I take refuge in You.)The words encircled Dovid like a crown.Isn’t that beautiful?” she exclaims.

“My father said in the name of RebChaim Brisker, zt”l, that when a personis in a fearful situation, he should say‘liyshuascha kivisi Hashem, kivisi Hashemliyshuascha...’ If I’m nervous about badnews and especially anxious, I’ll saypassuk 7 in perek 112, ‘Mishmuah ra’ah lo

yirah, nachon libo batu’achbaShem…’ I’ll say it over andover again until I feel calm.This is what I tell the girls.Prepare yourself with yourarsenal of pesukim. In fact, thefirst day I walk into class, Itake out my pocket Tehillim

and I tell the girls, ‘I want to introduceyou to my best friend.’

“Nowadays, the girls are more

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exposed to tzaros than the girls wereyears ago. Yes, there was communism,but America was a safe country. Israelwon the wars of ’56 and ’67. Today, theworld is a more vulnerable place…Then there was no 9/11, no fears ofIran… There are many more kidstoday who’ve lost parents. At thesame time, the kids want to have agood time. There’s all the technology,

with microwaves and instantcommunication and access to anything— kids today are less willing to workhard.”

“Would you say that by introducingthe girls to Tehillim you’re teachingthem that with Tehillim you could getinstant responses?” I ask.

“Yes.” She thanks me for pointingthat out. “Tehillim can give you aninstant sense of security andcomfort…”

I think about that arsenal she’sarming her students with in the twohigh schools she teaches in. Thosepesukim of Tehillim are weapons tofight the spiritual challenges as wellas the physical vulnerabilities we’reexposed to. They are a cache ofammunition, providing refuge andstrength, giving one the ability to startsomething new at any point in her life.I tell her that I’m grateful to have hadthe zechus of having her share this

continued from page 65

with me and the opportunity to passon this message.

“I have been zocheh to makephenomenal friends with the parentsin the yeshivah and I’m grateful forthe zechus to be working with Yiddishekinderlach,” Rebbetzin David shares. “Icould walk in Eretz Yisrael or inLakewood and former talmidim willcome over. Sometimes women willsuddenly approach me and say, ‘MalkaKrawiec?’ I hear the voice, and look a

bit closer, and realize that I taught thisgirl 50 years ago. Some of the girls Itaught back on Rogers Avenue senttheir sons years later to TiferesElimelech and we still maintain ourrelationship.”

“And now…”“Now I have a new world, a group of

wonderful girls… a void that isconstantly filled.” I could almost smellthose holeptshes through the phonewires, and I could hear the smile in

her voice as she concludes, “I thankHashem for it all.”

———————Estie Florans, a freelance writer of

fiction and nonfiction, is the author ofConquer the Darkness(ArtScroll/Mesorah) Set Me Free(Feldheim), and the soon-to-be releasedLift Me Higher (ArtScroll/ Mesorah), atrue-to-life, contemporary novel forwomen and girls of all ages.

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