A Mishnah in Pirkei Avot states in the name of the Sage Ben Zoma, "Who is a wise man? One who learns from all men." Ben Zoma stated that an interaction with any person can be an opportunity to learn from that person, however unexpected the interaction may be. In a similar fashion, an exposure to numerous life events and situations, can also be utilized for learning. In their first full year of formally learning Talmud, Rabbi Shapiro's class has utilized various unforeseen situations to discover the wisdom and enjoyment of the Talmud. One great example has been the use of space in the CoLab where the class meets.

The CoLabs at Hillel are designed to utilize space in ways that go beyond a conventional classroom set-up. In a standard classroom, chairs and desks are arranged in an orderly fashion, and used in conjunction with the designated, and sometimes limited, space of a whiteboard or Smartboard for displaying any writing or material. By contrast, the CoLabs at Hillel are designed with flexible, mobile tables and chairs, as well as entire walls and multiple whiteboards. These set ups challenge the class to create alternative situations to promote learning.

Here are two examples of how this has influenced Rabbi Shapiro's class:

With opportunities like this it is no wonder that one day 8th grader Daniel Sentchuk used available writing space to scribble, "Gemara is awesome."