It is 9:00 at night, and in homes across the country, that means one thing: It is time for Torah@Twilight! In this amazing and engaging program, boys in 6th-10th grades spend 20 minutes, at the end of their day, participating in a very exciting halachah program.

The program is the initiative of Rabbi Shlomo Pfeiffer. “The program really started several years ago, when Covid hit, and all the yeshivos were closed. The boys felt so isolated and yearned for more connections. So, I started running the program nightly, and we have not stopped.“

During Torah@Twilight, which is available either via Zoom or with a call-in option, Rabbi Pfeiffer teaches halachos based on the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, but brings in interesting shailos and scenarios to capture the boys’ interest.

“The program becomes very interactive,” says Rabbi Pfeiffer. “For example, we were learning about ‘ein maavirim al hamitzvos.’ I told them about a refusenik in the Soviet Union who was in solitary confinement for 30 years (!). Due to international political pressure, he was granted one day a year reprieve and could choose whichever day he wanted. He asked a shailoh, which day should he pick. I asked the boys, ‘Which day do you think he was told to pick?’ There was a lively discussion in which the boys discussed the merits of picking different yomim tovim – Yom Kippur, Pesach, Purim etc. But the answer, according to one posek, was ‘tomorrow,’ because ‘ein maavirim al hamitzvos.”

The participants hail from all across the country, including Dallas, St. Louis, Toronto, Miami, Lakewood, Baltimore, Toronto, Waterbury, Passaic and more. There are even boys who participate when they are in Eretz Yisrael and join at 4:00 AM! The boys have formed their own community and friendship from being together nightly.

Feedback from the program has been extremely positive. One family wrote, “We just wanted to let Rebbe know that we had my sister-in-law’s wedding tonight and Yossi didn’t want to miss Torah@Twilight! We left the dancing and went to a side room so he could log on! It’s absolutely amazing that you do this for the boys, and I wanted you to know how much Yossi loves it and looks forward to it!”

Rabbi Pfeiffer includes many incentives to keep the boys coming to the program. There are nightly raffles, and the boys earn points for each night they attend which gives them entry to the Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum or Diamond Clubs.

In addition to the nightly raffles, the club memberships entitle the boys to many prizes including a skiing trip to Big Snow, sushi/pizza/indoor swim party, Shabbos retreat (geshmake learning aqua park, go karting). There is even a special separate winter retreat for boys in 8-10th grade.

“The emphasis is always on making the learning geshmake. Halacha becomes alive every night.” notes Rabbi Pfeiffer. 

Torah@Twilight runs Sunday – Thursday nights at 9 PM EST and Erev Shabbos at 5 PM. The program begins this year on Monday, September 11 at 9PM EST. To join or find out more, go to TorahTwilight.com.