Avodah Sheb'lev Winners

This past month, the assignment was choose a passage from Hallel. Here is one of the winning submissions, by Zahava Rothschild. The other co-winner to follow soon.

כי חילצת נפשי ממות, את עיני מן דמעה, את רגלי מדחי - For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.

It was Yom Hashoah, and all of the students flocked into the auditorium. There was large chatter and small thoughts, all enjoying a peaceful day filled with the average tribulations of an average school day. Nobody shifted significantly when the teacher called for silence in order to begin the program. The lights were shut and the projector was uncovered. Nobody expected their peace to be shattered by the same pictures they have seen annually. Though the silence in the room shown thick, it was empty all the same. The solemn music caused everyone to jump a bit, but the sequence was the same nonetheless. Some squinted or turned away, some blinded their eyes, and some stared, whether with sympathy or apathy. I watched the screen trying to notice something, anything exceptional, about the photographs to cause me to feel something different, something more significant, about this specific commemoration of the Shoah. The pictures of empty children, the shots of naked dreams, they seemed so apart from me. Then, there was this one picture that seemed extremely odd. There were people in bunkers, stripped of their life and possessions, carrying striped shirts in their hands. Something seemed very strange about it. I continued to watch the next few slides, and I still could not conjure the difference that had existed in that picture. The lights flipped on, and before I knew it, the program had ended.
I kept the still-frame inside my vision and studied it for as long as it took. I noticed that picture had a spark, unlike the others. I had never seen color in black and white, until I realized in that specific picture, one man, that had been stripped of anyone he had ever been, was smiling.
It had been a miraculous gesture, an inward hope that maybe, somebody would realize that there was life in death’s camp, there was color in the darkness, and there was a future of students to look after.

Memorial Day

Given that hakarat hatov is definitely a universal value that Judaism upholds, I think that it is important to take a moment to think about and thank the people who gave their lives so that we can live safely in America. Have a meaningful and enjoyable day!

Yom Yerushalayim

In the spirit of Yom Yerushalayim, I wanted to share with you the link (and transcript) of the broadcast of the paratroopers as they first reached the Kotel and Har HaBayit in 1967, forty-two years ago today. It's really an incredible broadcast to listen to, if your Hebrew is up to it, otherwise, the English translation is found below. You can hear the paratroopers' reactions at first seeing the Kotel, Rav Goren blowing the Shofar and leading everyone in the Brakha of Shehekheiyanu, followed by the singing of Hatikva. You can also watch it on the video posted below.

The link can be found by clicking here. Another good site with some reflections of paratroopers at that moment can be found by clicking here.



If you think about it, since Churban Beit Hamikdash, for most of Jewish History, Yerushalayim has lain in ruins. Even when we established the State of Israel in 1948, we lost the Old City, the Kotel and Har Habayit to the Jordanians, who destroyed many of the batei knesset and holy sites during their reign over the Old City from 1948-1967. Today, walking around the Old City, it is amazing to see the many Jewish homes, the Yeshivot and Midrashot filled with men and women learning Torah and destroyed batei knesset (like the Churvah) being rebuilt. One can see the nevuot of Zekharia (8:4-5) of עוד ישבו זקנים וזקנות ברחבות ירושלים... ילדים וילדות משחקים ברחבותיה coming true in front of our eyes! These tremendous opportunities all started in 1967, and that is what we are saying Hallel for on Yom Yerushalayim. Chag Sameach!!

Finals L'shmah?

Talia Stern asks the perfect question for the season of finals and Z'man Matan Torateinu:

In Birchat HaTorah, in the brachah of "hamelamed Torah l'amo Yisrael", we make a plea to G-d of "may we and our offspring...all of us...study Your Torah for its own sake" (V'Lomdei Toratecha L'shmah). We see very clearly here that we have the responsibility to learn just to learn. Don't we (in general) violate this when tests are given in the subjects of Tanach, Gemara, and Halacha?

Since I'm really busy writing my finals, I can't give a comprehensive essay-like answer to this important question, so here are just a few points to ponder.

1) "Torah L'Shmah" is a very complex concept. Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, Chancellor of YU, has a whole book called Torah lishmah : Torah for Torah's sake in the works of Rabbi Hayyim of Volozhin and his contemporaries, which is dedicated to exploring its meaning. Chassidim interpreted "l'shmah" as "l'shem deveikut," for the sake of getting closer to God. Mitnagdim (like R. Hayyim of Volozhin) interpreted it as "l'shem Torah" - Torah for its own sake. But "Torah l'shmah" is not so simple to define.

2) As crazy as it sounds, a test can also be l'shmah. L'shmah does not mean "with no review or accountability." It's a question of every student's attitude. When you are in class or reviewing for a test, are you interested in the ideas for their own sake, or just for the grade? L'shmah is something everyone can create for herself, whether there is an externally imposed test or not. Each student can make her school learning l'shmah with her own approach: does she ever ask a question or explore an issue that's not covered? Does she say - "I'm going to study this and throw out the notebook the minute the final is finished," or does she say "I'm going to keep this notebook in case I want to review or ever have a shailah that we discussed in halacha class"?

3) The brachah may be saying that a school student has the responsibility to learn on her own - for example on Shabbat afternoon, with a friend or a parent, in addition to the learning she does for school.

4) The day will come when you will not be students anymore, but responsible for your own religious growth. The foundation you receive here (including tests which mandate review and allow both teacher and student to assess how well the student has learned) will allow you to maximize your learning when you are responsible for doing it on your own - when it's l'shmah.

Seudah Sh'lishit

Hi all, welcome back. Before addressing the question at hand, just a quick note about our unfortunate and unscheduled vacation. As you all begin to feel the pressures of the year end, we teachers feel it too (those exams don't just write themselves...) and the blog has suffered, both in terms of a lack of fresh material and a back log of unanswered questions. To try and address both problems, while keeping the schedules of us bloggers in mind, we're going to (B"N) be doing a bit less of "original reporting" (I feel like the editor of Newsweek), and will sometimes link you to a different source that already addressed your issue on-line is a way that we think is accurate and comprehensive.

Toward that end, Daniella Grodko asked:

Hi! I was wondering, do you have to have shalashutis (the third meal that you eat on Shabbat) on other holidays like Pesach and Succot? If not, why do we apply other shabbat halachot to these holidays and not this one?

While it doesn't address your question directly, here is a nice summary of the laws of Seudah Shlishit. It begins:

"One of the elements of ONEG SHABBAT is to have (and enjoy) three meals on Shabbat. This idea is linked to the pasuk from this week's sedra (16:25): "And Moshe said: Eat it (the Manna) today, for today is Shabbat to G-d; today you will not find it in the field." The threefold use of the word HAYOM (today) in reference to eating the Manna is considered an ASMACHTA for the Rabbinic rule requiring three meals on Shabbat."

This source is specific to Shabbos, and therefore there is no obligation to eat it on Yom Tov.

Yasher koach for the question and the excuse to discuss an often neglected mitzvah.

Dress for Davening

I heard that when you're davening, you should wear clothing that you wouldn't mind wearing in public. If you are davening at home, would you have to make sure you are as presentable as if you were going out in public too (i.e-brushing your hair, etc.)? - Layla Blenden

The Aruch HaShulchan Orach Chaim 98:5 writes:

Prayer is in place of sacrifices. And it is appropriate for one to have nice clothing for prayer like the clothing of the Kohen, however not everyone is able to afford it. Whowever can afford it and is wealthy should definitely do so. Nonetheless, one should have special pants for Tefillah because of cleanliness, as well as clean shoes that are appropriate for davening, and prepare yourself for the God of Israel.

The idea that Aruch haShulchan expresses is that davening, no matter where it takes place, is an event that we should dress up for. After all, we are meeting God! Even though the Aruch haShulchan does not specifically address the issues of brushing hair, etc., it seems that he would also think that it is appropriate that all aspects of how we dress be geared toward meeting "the God of Israel."

The Jewish Jordan

Here is a great clip by NBC Sports on "Where is the Jewish Jordan Now", about Tamir Goodman, the guy who spoke to all of us at Ma'ayanot on Chanukah. A great message about the potential to make a Kiddush Hashem in everything you do.

Deep Thoughts from Patch Adams

What follows is a quote from Patch Adams. It's a great movie with a great message, for those of you who have not seen it.

The context of this quote: Patch Adams is talking to a Corrine, a beautiful woman whom he loves. She has been playing "hard to get" and finally opens up to him regarding why she is so afraid to enter into a relationship with him. She discusses how difficult it was to be "that beautiful girl that all the guys always looked at."

She says:
"When I was a girl I would look out my bedroom window at the caterpillars; I envied them so much. No matter what they were before, no matter what happened to them, they could just hide away and turn into these beautiful creatures that could fly away completely untouched."

This is not to say that beauty is a bad thing--the opposite--it is a gift from God that one can and should be thankful for! The idea that I took away from it is that acting and dressing in a modest "caterpillar" way is a means for us to protect ourselves from the difficulties of being "that girl"--from being taken advantage of by guys who are not looking at who we are inside, but just at our external beauty.

Is something good just because God commanded it, or is there an independant notion of "good?"

This is a classic philosophical issue that is discussed most famously by Plato in the Euthyphro. Here is a link to a quote from Jonathan Sacks' book where he discusses this topic. Interesting food for thought...

http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2009/05/euthyphros-false-dilemma.html