A bride and groom standing close together, with the bride laughing and holding a bouquet of white flowers, while the groom smiles and appears to be singing or speaking. The bride is wearing a white wedding dress and veil, and the groom is dressed in white with a black kippah.

The Married Couples Program

Join the program designed exclusively for married couples seeking to gain the spiritual, textual, and philosophical foundations to build Torah homes.

Designed Just For Couples

Immerse yourselves in a shared journey of growth and learning that deepens your relationship.

Gain practical tools and communication skills to navigate family life with clarity and resilience.

Explore Jewish teachings and traditions as you grow spiritually and personally, together.

Experience transformative self-discovery that strengthens your understanding of one another.

What’s Included in the Program?

A smiling man and woman standing outdoors with a green leafy background.

A comprehensive learning curriculum at MRC for the wife and Shapell's for the husband

Two individuals sitting at a table outdoors, smiling at the camera, with green foliage and fruit trees in the background, appear to be enjoying a social gathering.

Bi-monthly social and educational programming, shabbatot, holidays, and trips.

Two women smiling and looking at open books on a table. One woman is wearing a light-colored headscarf and a green shirt, and the other is wearing a black and purple headscarf with a patterned blouse. They are indoors, with framed black-and-white photographs on the wall behind them.

Weekly married women's class taught by MRC Educational Director and trained kallah teacher, Yaffa Moskowitz

Group of men with religious attire and books, sitting at a table in a library or study room, engaged in discussion or learning.

Weekly class for married and engaged men taught by the Roshei Yeshiva

A couple standing close together, smiling, at a large gathering holding Israeli flags. The crowd is in front of a government building, with flags waving in the air and a blue sky with some clouds overhead.

Grow Together, Wherever You Are

Whether you can join for a month, a semester, or a full year, we’ll work with your schedule to make it possible for you to join us.

As long as one of you is learning at MRC or Shapell’s, you’re both welcome to join the Married Couples shiurim, Shabbatonim, and other programming, growing together through meaningful learning, practical guidance, friendships with other couples, and community connections.

Married Couples Program FAQs

  • A couple can still participate in our couple’s programming even if only one spouse is learning in MRC or Shapell’s, but they will certainly benefit more from all that the program has to offer if they are both learning in our Yeshiva and Midrasha.

  • No. Although most of our participants are relatively newly married, the program is open for couples at any stage.

  • No. Dates can be flexible to suit your schedule.

  • Yes. It will just take advanced planning to arrange childcare.

  • For our two fellowship couples, we have two apartments available on the Yeshiva campus. These are partially subsidized, meaning you’ll be responsible for a portion of the rent. All other couples have to organize their own accommodations. We recommend finding apartments in neighborhoods in close proximity to Shapell’s and MRC.

  • No. Part-time schedules can be coordinated.

  • Yes. 

A couple stands close to each other in front of a stone wall and large green palm leaves. The woman has long blonde hair and is wearing a light-colored sweater and skirt, and the man has short hair, a beard, glasses, and is wearing a beige sweater and dark pants. They are smiling and looking at each other in a romantic moment.
Four people standing together outdoors, smiling. They are on a paved area with a stone wall and green bushes behind them, along with trees and a building. The group consists of two men and two women, wearing casual and smart-casual clothing.

Learn More about the Married Couples Program

Please fill out this brief form and we will be in touch to discuss the Married Couples Program.

A man and woman stand together, smiling, in front of a wall of wooden wine barrels filled with wine bottles in a winery.

Married Couples Fellowships

Yearly, Shapell’s/Darché Noam awards two fellowships to couples with outstanding academic and leadership potential as well as demonstrated commitment to both Jewish growth and the Jewish community.

For more information about our Married Couples Fellowships: Rabbi Yitz Lerner
WhatsApp | +972 58-540-6633
rabbilerner@darchenoam.org

We’re Looking For Future Community Leaders

What’s Included in the Fellowships?

Fellowship FAQs

Everything in the Married Couples Program

Full tuition for both husband and wife

Partially subsidized on-campus housing

Special shabbatonim and events

  • Fellowships are for married couples who will commit to an entire academic year of full time study at Shapell’s and MRC. Fellows are expected to maintain excellent attendance, pursue their studies diligently, be role models for their fellow students, and play a leadership role in the Yeshiva and Midrasha community.

  • Fellowships do not cover:

    • travel to and from Israel

    • other food not listed above

    • other apartment expenses

    • transit within Israel

    • cell phones

    • child care

    • insurance

    • and other daily incidental expenses

    Students who qualify for additional needs-based scholarships from MASA Israel are encouraged to apply to MASA. Any needs-based funds received will be credited to the Fellows in the form of a monthly stipend which can be used to pay their subsidized rent or for other needs.

  • All applicants must first complete the standard application for admission to Shapell’s and MRC. Upon acceptance to the Yeshiva and Midrasha, candidates for a fellowship will then be invited to complete a supplementary application.

    Fellowship finalists then are interviewed by the Dean/Rosh Yeshiva for a final decision.

  • Yes. We never want to turn students away for financial reasons. Financial aid is available for those who qualify.

Testimonials

David & Julianna Sommer, Dayton, OH - 5783

“The program was a phenomenal way for my wife and me to gain a Torah perspective on the central facets of Jewish life: how to run a home and properly fulfill our roles [as husband and wife]. It increased our shalom bayit.”

Dan and Edna Ritz, Passaic, NJ; Charter Supporter, David Shapell z"l Memorial Married Couples Fellows

“We came to Darché Noam as a newly married couple. We were observant, but really beginners when it came to Torah learning. Looking back on our first 30 years of marriage and appreciating the beautiful family we have built together, I see just how much it has all grown from our start at Darché Noam.

We’re here to answer your questions!

Rabbi Yitzchak Lerner
WhatsApp | +972 58-540-6633
ryl@darchenoam.org