Is anyone's memory of study hall a fun one?

Either you were the studious type, who really wanted to use that hour of enforced peace and quiet to get some work done, or you were the kid that was bored, trying to think of ways to sneak out, send notes, shoot spit-wads, or otherwise somehow liven up that deadly hour.

But the shushings of study hall monitors and librarians aren't common to all cultures.

At traditional Orthodox yeshivas, the bais midrash, the study hall, is filled with noise. Not just noise, but debates and sweat, as matched chavrusas - learning partners - verbally battle it out over how best to interpret the texts and traditions of the Jewish faith. The "bais midrash," the study hall or library that holds all the necessary reference books for the yeshiva students, was NEVER…