Rabbi Shaya First

Rabbi Shaya First serves as TABC's 11th Grade Dean and Co-Director of the Scholars program, in addition to teaching Navi, Physics, and Math. A Teaneck native, Rabbi First joined the TABC family in 2016. He received his BA in Mathematics from Yeshiva College in 2011 and spent the following six years studying at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, completing the RIETS Semicha Honors program and then continuing on as part of the Israel Henry Beren Institute for Higher Talmudic Studies, a division of the RIETS Kollel Elyon. He received his MA in Medieval Jewish History from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies in 2016 as well as his MS in Jewish Education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration that same year. Rabbi First spends his summers running the kollel program for high school and college age students at Camp Morasha, where a number of TABC students join him each summer. In his spare time, Rabbi First enjoys exploring national parks, making groan-worthy puns, and playing tennis. He lives in Washington Heights with his wife Ayelet and their son Elisha.