Mishmover Recap

For those of you who missed all or some of it, here's a brief recap of Thursday nights festivities:

First, in a shiur entitled "Women are What?!?! Dealing with Troubling Texts," I got myself into some trouble by learning a גמרא that got everyone pretty upset, but hopefully in resolving the problem, we learned a general approach to dealing with sources in the Torah that we find troubling.

After a delicious dinner (thank you, EJ's), we had a choice of activity.  Ma'ayanot alumna Rachel Friedman gave a terrific shiur "Is There Such a Thing as a Bad Question: The Mysterious Saga of Rav Yermiah" to almost 30 Ma'aynoters.  Next door, some of the 14 alumnae who attended Mishmover shared their wisdom with the seniors over a round-table discussion about the year in Israel & college.  Finally, most of the students chose the chesed activity of making bead decorations for kids in need (thanks, Mrs. Weiner & Tali).

Rabbi Rosenblatt was, as always, a real treat.  In a talk entitled "Crossroads," he analyzed the mixed emotions that Yaakov felt as he left C'naan to go see Yosef in Mitzrayim.  He discussed how sometimes even when things are going best in our lives, and we stand on the threshold of great new opportunities, we feel our subconscious insecurities creeping back in (Friday morning I heard about a student who fell asleep in class, only to be awakened by a whiny "Yaakov Yaakov").  Elisheva Cohen dealt with a similar theme this week in another fine issue of Talelei Orot.

After that, we heard a shiur from the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, Harav Moshe Lichtenstein.  He got us all ready for Asarah B'Tevet with a classic chakira about the nature of Asara B'Tevet as either a yom avelut or yom teshuva.  He traced this dispute from the Tana'im to the Rishonim.  He concluded with poignant mussar about our ability to truly feel the pain of human suffering that occurred hundreds of years ago.  Just as we are able to cry with terror victims half way across the world, our emotions must cross the barriers of time as well as distance.

Simultaneously, Rabbi Josh Rossman was entertaining a large portion of the student population with his interactive presentation demonstrating some of the 39 melachot.  To get a feel for this popular and informative program, see Rabbi Rossman's website here.

A highlight of the evening was our teacher panel at which Ms. Gordon, Ms. Kur, Mrs. Kahan, Mrs. Cohen, Ms. Appel & Mrs. Slomnicki shared there thoughts on a wealth of topics including aliya, theodicy, how much of the secular world to let into our lives and their favorite movies (Shawshank, Dead Poets Society, Spiderman II, Awakenings, pass & Gattaca respectively - how did you get that through, Rachel?).  Thanks to Mrs. Block for expert moderation.

After an all-star lineup of Senior Chaburot and with Ms. F's famous midnight shiur about to begin, it was time for me to head home for a few hours (RZP still had some good schmoozing to go).

All in all, over 150 people participated in the biggest (& IMO best) Mishmover ever.  Thanks to the Torah committee (especially Tzippora), Rabbi Prince & Ms. F for their hard work.  Same for the custodial staff who went beyond the call of duty.  Yasher koach to all of the speakers & panelists who participated as well as the alumnae who helped out.  Most of all, thanks again to Michal Novetsky, who as a student came up with the idea for Mishmover several years ago.

MSP Launch - Shoe-less Cops & Rabbis

The title is of course an homage to the socked scholar, RZP.

On Thursday evening, the newly formed Ma'ayanot Scholars Program had its first event.  It was really exciting to have so many students (almost 50!) stepping up, staying after school, committing to taking a leadership role in the school, to taking on a significant Torah Lishma project and infusing a major bolt of energy into our Torah community.  Mrs. Kahan did a great job capturing how heartening this is for those of us who have dreamed of a program like this for a long time.

The highlight of the night was a shiur by Rabbi Prince's Rebbi, Rabbi Azarya Berzon who gave a terrific shiur on matters of Chanuka (you can find his shiurim here, here and here).  I was struck by the following story (which I found here)

One night, during the month of Elul, the month reserved for serious introspection and extreme exactitude in all mitzvos as preparation for the High Holy Days, the Alter of Kelm, Horav Simcha Zissel Braude, zl, had a dream. In the dream, he envisioned that Rabbeinu Yonah, the Rishon who authored the Shaarei Teshuvah, the handbook for repentance, was coming to Kelm to give a shmuess, ethical discourse. Imagine, Rabeinu Yonah himself would speak in the city known for its singular devotion to spiritual integrity, meticulous observance of mitzvos, and character refinement during the month of Elul! This was the opportunity of a lifetime. The time was announced, and word was spread throughout the town. At the appointed time, every Jew in Kelm had arrived and waited patiently, excitedly and with great trepidation to enter the bais hamedrash where the sage would hold forth. Understandably, the
paragon of mussar, ethics, was waiting to enter. The guard at the entrance to the beis hamedrash asked the Alter to identify himself, which he did. One can only begin to imagine the surprise and eventual shock and dismay when the guard did not permit the Alter to enter. "How could this be?" the Alter asked. "I must enter." He began to beg, relating the many z'chusim, merits, he had. He called forth the multitudes of students he had directly or indirectly influenced, his meticulous observance of mitzvos, his illustrious lineage; none of this seemed to impress the guard. Nothing moved him. Rav Simchah Zissel was not going to gain entrance to the shmuess. Finally, the teacher exclaimed, "You should know that my son is Rav Nochum Velvel!" When the guard heard whose father he was, he immediately allowed him to enter the bais hamedrash. It was at this point that the Alter woke up. Disturbed, he immediately called for his saintly son and related the dream to him: "What merit did you have that superseded every argument that I presented? What did you do that was so unique that only because of your merit was I permitted to enter?" Clearly, the Alter had taken his dream quite seriously. When Rav Nochum saw that his father was quite agitated, he related the following story.
Apparently, for quite some time, Rav Nochum had been wearing a pair of thread bare, worn out and torn shoes. There was limited money, and whatever money they could scrounge, shoes were simply not a priority. Once, he had occasion to be at the shoemaker's shop and he saw an excellent, sturdy pair of shoes for sale. Realizing that the price of the shoes would put him back a bit, he decided to save for them. Every week, he would put away a few pennies which he was able to hoard. Finally, the day came, and with great excitement, Rav Nochum took his savings, proceeded to the shoe store and purchased the long awaited pair of shoes. He could now walk wearing sturdy shoes that would allow him to have the necessary support with a certain degree of comfort.
Shortly thereafter, on a freezing cold wintry night, he heard a feeble knock at his door. He rose
from his studies to answer the door, to be greeted by a poor man who was going door to door begging for alms. The man was dressed in tattered clothing with not even a coat to protect him from the inclement weather. Rav Nochum motioned him to come into the house and gave him a warm drink. As the man stood up and was about to leave, Rav Nochum noticed that he was not wearing shoes.  Furthermore, his feet were bloodied and blistered, frostbitten from the cold and snow. "Where are your shoes?" Rav Nochum asked. "They are not my first priority. When one does not have what to eat, he first seeks to calm his hunger pains, then he worries about shoes," the man replied. Rav Nochum did not flinch for a moment. He immediately removed his shoes and gave them to the poor man. "Here you surely need them more than I," he said.
Rav Nochum turned to his father and said, "Probably it was that act of chesed that earned me
the merit, so that you could enter the room to listen to Rabbeinu Yonah's shmuess."
When one performs acts of chesed with no ulterior motive other than to help his fellow Jew, it
demonstrates his overwhelming love for Hashem and His children. Such a selfless act of kindness has the capability of catalyzing an incredible spiritual flow of Heavenly mercy for himself and for the world.

Just a day or two later I found this article in the Times about a modern day version of the story:

Officer DePrimo, 25, who joined the department in 2010 and lives with his parents on Long Island, was shocked at the attention. He was not warned before the photo went online; the department had not learned which officer was in the picture until hours later.
The officer, normally assigned to the Sixth Precinct in the West Village, readily recalled the encounter. “It was freezing out and you could see the blisters on the man’s feet,” he said in an interview. “I had two pairs of socks and I was still cold.” They started talking; he found out the man’s shoe size: 12.
As the man walked slowly down Seventh Avenue on his heels, Officer DePrimo went into a Skechers shoe store at about 9:30 p.m. “We were just kind of shocked,” said Jose Cano, 28, a manager working at the store that night. “Most of us are New Yorkers and we just kind of pass by that kind of thing. Especially in this neighborhood.”

HEC Thanksgiving Video

Enjoy it.  Did anyone video Rabbi Glasser's talk?

Inspiration from an Unexpected Source

A while back during Monday Morning Mussar, I quoted a passage from Andrei Agassi's autobiography "Open" about the challenges of maintaining effective teshuva.  Here it is, tell me what you think:

Change.
Time to change, Andre. You can’t go on like this. Change, change, change—I say this word to myself several times a day, every day, while buttering my morning toast, while brushing my teeth, less as a warning than as a soothing chant. Far from depressing me, or shaming me, the idea that I must change completely, from top to bottom, brings me back to center. For once I don’t hear the nagging self-doubt that follows every personal resolution. I won’t fail this time, I can’t, because it’s change now or change never. The idea of stagnating, of remaining this Andre for the rest of my life, that’s what I find truly depressing and shameful. 

And yet. Our best intentions are often thwarted by external forces—forces that we ourselves set in motion long ago. Decisions, especially bad ones, create their own kind of momentum, and momentum can be a [pain] to stop, as every athlete knows. Even when we vow to change, even when we sorrow and atone for our mistakes, the momentum of our past keeps carrying us down the wrong road. Momentum rules the world. Momentum says: Hold on, not so fast, I’m still running things here. As a friend likes to say, quoting an old Greek poem: The minds of the everlasting gods are not changed suddenly. 

By the way, the rest of the book was also surprising good and thought-provoking - I highly recommend it, even if you don't care about tennis.

Is Turkey Kosher?

Yasher koach to Rabbi Prince, Rabbi Glasser and HEC for sending us into the long weekend with a Torah perspective on the holiday.  With that in mind, check out some of Why-aanot's greatest Thanksgiving hits, including this article, a link to the New York Times, and a great post from Mrs. Cohen 2 years ago about Thanksgiving in Israel.  This year, check out this article by Rabbi Ari Z. Zivitofsky on whether or not turkey is kosher (you better read fast before dinner starts).  Maybe next year we can talk about whether football is kosher.

While we're appreciating what we have (Modim anachnu lach), it's a good time to remember those who are having a more difficult weekend.  My wife saw an amazing idea on Facebook.  Just a few minutes ago, she called a pizza store in Kiryat Malachi and ordered a pizza & soda for any family that the store owner thought could use a pick-me-up.  It was great.

Finally, I want to remind you all about our annual Black Friday Shiur tomorrow morning with Mrs. Samuels at 10:00 am at Mocha Bleu.  I gave the shiur last year, and we had a really nice mix of students from various grades, alumni and parents.  Kol hakavod to those of you who choose to spend your free time learning.
אנו משכימים והם משכימים...

Hurricane Sandy - the Aftermath by Charlie Harary

Tali Spier sent along this excellent article by Mr. Charlie Harary, who we all remember from his visit last Ta'anit Esther.  Enjoy it.  It offers much to think about both for those of us with power, and those in the dark.

Hope to see you all tomorrow.

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...

A couple of Hurricane related thoughts:

• We got lucky with the timing (I don't mean missing three days of school) that it came after open house Shabbos.  See here for halachik guidelines from Rabbi Kenneth Brander (reflecting the decisions of Rabbi Herschel Schachter) for a Shabbos hurricane.
• Hearing all the warnings about how Atlantic City needed to evacuate in anticipation of being wiped out by the waves, the Parsha immediately came to mind.  Were the evacuees told not to look back?  I hope there are no stray pillars of salt along the New Jersey Turnpike.
• With school being cancelled for the third straight day it reminded me of the Gemara (Bava Kama 82a) that when the Torah says that the Jews went three days without water, on a drash level, it is a reference to Torah.  This is one of the reasons why we read the Torah on Mondays and Thursdays - to ensure that we don't go three days without learning.  While I assume that you all have Torah built in to your Shabbos & Sunday schedules (especially this past week at what I heard was a rocking good time at the Sadeks - thanks to Gali &Yocheved  & YK RZP), these "snow days" are a challenge.  I'm sure that Freshmen & Sophomores have been studying for their halacha tests, but for the rest of you, please make use of the links on the side of this blog (or any other Torah source) to keep things on schedule.
• Towards that end, here is Mrs. Schapiro's post on Vayera from last year, and an interesting debate between Rabbi Eitan Mayer and me against Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and (Ma'aynaot alum) Ayala Carl about the akeida.  For more from Rabbi Mayer (and Mrs. Herzog!) on the akeida, see here.

What Did We Do Now?

Tzipporah Rossman asked the following question: During maariv on motzei Yom Kipur we say "slach lanu avenu ki chatanu." Why do we say this if Hashem just forgave us for everything, and we don't have anything yet to ask for teshuvah?

What a great question! Rav Chaim Feuer provides a great answer in the excerpt below. As Rav Chaim Feuer explains beautifully, each day should bring a new and deeper level of understanding of our old sins and of our relationship to Hashem. Therefore, teshuva is always necessary, even for our old sins for which we have already done teshuva. When we view our old sins from a fresh perspective, we have an opportunity to do a different kind of teshuva for them, one that is directed at another aspect of the sin we may not have noticed before. Therefore, even though we are involved in the teshuva process for the entire duration of Yom Kippur, and are hopefully granted forgiveness for all of our sins, it is still necessary to say "v'hashivenu avinu l'toratecha" and "slach lanu avinu ki chatanu" immediately thereafter, so that we can continue the teshuva process while viewing our old sins from a new perspective.

A Plan

This is the speech that I was referring to today after davening, watch the whole thing (though give it a chance if you think it starts slow).

Happiness

Sorry, that was a little bit of a downer for a welcome back post.  I'll try to make it up to you with this fascinating article in the Times about psychological studies about happiness.  It's not that long, read it.

Also on this subject, here was one of my book recommendations from the blog's opening:

The Geography of Bliss (Eric Weiner) - I read it on Ms. Socken's advice, and though it took me a bit to get in to, I ended up enjoying it a lot. A reporter for NPR travels to the happiest and least happy countries on Earth to see what lessons about happiness he can learn. The chapters that spoke most to me (though I doubt many of you will choose the same ones) were Iceland (which contains what I consider to be the single most important line of the book - I won't give it away) & Thailand.

(Note to those of you who have been through 11th grade Gemara, remember Rav Dessler's approach to love and compare it to this article.)

We're back!

I was talking with a friend who left teaching after many years in the field.  He old me, that even though he worked all summer, he felt bad for me having to go back to school.  I like the first day of school; seeing friends and students I haven't seen all summer; seeing how much so many people have grown and matured while they were away.  Still, I think I know what he means.  No matter how much I worked and prepared over the summer, I always feel like if I just had another day or two, then I could truly be ready.  What wouldn't I give now to have one of those mid-July summer lazy summer days that wasn't quite as productive as it could have been.  Just one more day.

It's a similar feeling to the one I get on Yom Kippur.  The day didn't sneak up on anyone.  If we didn't notice it ourselves, the call of the shofar each morning reminds us that we have work to do.  Still, somehow when standing on the yemei hadin, I'm often wishing for just a little more time for preparation to finally get this teshuva process right - time that was readily available to me just hours before.  You may have once felt this way about a big test or project that you kind of left for the last minute.

Well, it's too late for the first day of school, but Elul is still very much here.  Now are those minutes whose stock is going to skyrocket in a couple of short weeks.  These are the days we will be wishing we had another shot at come Rosh Hashana.  Why do we need to go through this charade.  Maybe this can be the year that we get it right the first time.  This is what chazal mean when they say
 "יפה שעה אחת בתשובה ומעשים טובים בעולם הזה, מכל חיי העולם הבא. ויפה שעה אחת של קורת רוח בעולם הבא, מכל חיי העולם הזה".
"One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than the entire life of the World to Come."

Let's try to avoid that feeling this year.  Yom Hadin is coming soon, but now is the time to do something about it.

Why don't Jews have confessions like with priests and stuff? I think they could be useful. 
-Sophie


What an interesting question! I think the most useful element of "confession" with a priest is that it is done in the presence of a person (even if one can't see who the person is). That adds a sense of shame/embarrassment for having done the sin because there is another *person* that knows about it, and it also adds some accountability because one will feel worse if they do it again, and need to confess to having done it again.


In Judaism, we actually do have "confession." We have the concept of vidoy-articulating our sins (to G-d, not to a person)-as part of the mitzvah of Teshuva. We often forget that Teshuva is a mitzvah temidi-a constant obligation--not one that just exists around the time of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. 


So why do we not say our sins to a person?
 1) To remind ourselves that it is GOD that we are "disappointing" when we sin, and not another human being. The "danger" of confession is that it is easy to make the mistake that it is the priest we are disappointing. But at the end of the day, who cares? We don't need to answer to human beings; we need to answer to God! That is definitely more challenging and scary, but that's the truth! 


 2) To emphasize that Judaism posits that we can each forge a PERSONAL connection with God. We do not need an intermediary. What an opportunity, to have a direct connection to God! 


 So, while confession in the presence of a priest may help one feel worse about sinning and may be more of a deterrent not to sin again, it ultimately misguides one to believe that she is sinning against the priest, and, if she hasn't already forgotten, that she can only connect to God through the priest.

The Pirkei Avot Challenge

A friend of mine showed me this video last night. Kyrie Irving, the NBA rookie of the year, dresses up as an old man and then joins a pick-up game of basketball. What quote from Pirkei Avot can be a message you take from this video? I presented this "Pirkei Avot Challenge" to some of my classes today, but let's see how the rest of you do.  If you get it right, you win a prize (probably candy from my office - sorry, not so exciting). Good luck!

A New Hatikvah?

Recently, my Jewish Philosophy class discussed the Middle East conflict and spent time playing the game Peacemaker, trying to create a peace treaty between the Israelis and Palestinians. Last class, we watched a video where Neshama Carlebach (at the request of the newspaper The Jewish Daily Forward) came up with a new version of Hatikvah, one that is a little more universal and that both Jews and Arabs living in Israel could relate to. In class, we debated our thoughts about this new version of Hatikvah. Is it important that Hatikvah be an anthem that all citizens of Israel feel comfortable singing? Or, is it ok for Hatikvah to be a uniquely Jewish anthem? Should it make a difference that many Jews feel very connected to the emotional words of Hatikvah and the fact that it mentions the connection Jews feel towards Israel and Jerusalem or is this exclusionary to a large amount of Israel's population who also feels connected to the land? Either way, it's an interesting discussion to be had - especially the week before Yom Yerushalayim! You can read more about it here.

Pesach - the Sequel

Today we celebrated Pesach Sheini by not saying tachanun.  Many have a minhag to eat Matzah as well (I got some at the barbecue I attended -- Thanks Rabbi & Mrs. S.).  The reason there is such a holiday is because back in the desert, Jews who were טמא on פסח, and couldn't bring the קרבן פסח asked למה נגרע? Why should we lose out?  One lesson we can take from their story is in their approach to מצות.  They viewed a mitzva as an opportunity, and the loss of that opportunity something to fight against.  There is great irony in that the chief celebration is omitting Tachanun.

At the same time its important to realize that all they did was ask.  They happened to receive the answer they wanted, so we can't know how they would have reacted had Hashem said no.  Also, it would be Hashem Himself turning them down.  Still, the question of למה נגרע can become a dangerous one depending on where the conversation leads.  At a certain point we have to remember that we don't understand everything.

Yom Ha'atzmaut

In the spirit of Yom Ha'atzmaut, I wanted to share an incredible video which I showed my Gemara class this morning. It's called "The Volunteers: Answering the Call of History" and it tells the story of different young men and women who left their homes in the USA, England and South Africa to volunteer to help Israel in 1947-1948. They helped smuggle Ma'apilim (illegal immigrants) past the British, joined the Palmach and helped smuggle guns to the new Israeli State and put their lives on hold in order to help Am Israel and Eretz Israel. One of the people being interviewed talks about why he left Harvard Law School in order to smuggle immigrants into Palestine in 1947. He says that he couldn't continue life as normal in Boston knowing that Jewish History was unfolding in Israel and that he could be a part of it. I found this to be an extremely powerful statement and I think it sets a tremendous example of the personal sacrifices one can make on behalf of Medinat Israel. Chag Ha'atzmaut Sameach!

Yom HaZikaron

As we are about to start commemorating Yom HaZikaron, I wanted to share two stories that I found to be especially powerful: "The Club No One Wants to Belong To" and "Dudu and Moshe: A True Yom HaZikaron Story".

The Big Day

Here is some material posted in advance of שבת הגדול in years past.

We're just a couple of hours from שבת הגדול.  My daughter thought that it was שבת הגדה, which is not that far off, as one of the only minhagim for the day is to say a portion of the Hagada on שבת afternoon.  (It also makes a nice parallel to the commonly misstated שבת תשובה.)  You might also have thought that it got its name from the other minhag - that the Rav (or Gadol) gives a דרשה - a lengthy talk usually divided between lomdus, halacha and hashkafa.  Really it is called שבת הגדול - "the Great Shabbat" - because it is when the great miracles started in Mitzrayim.  That year, the 10th of Nissan, when the Jews took the קרבן פסח into their home while the angry Egyptian could do nothing but watch, was on שבת.
It is curious that we celebrate it on the day of the week (like Thanksgiving or Memorial Day), rather than celebrating the calendar date - like all other significant days in Jewish life.  The באר היטב asks the question, and points us to the חוות יאיר (I assume), which I haven't had a chance to look up yet.  If anyone knows the answer, please let me know.

And a response from Tzipporah Herzfeld:

So I don't know if this is the answer, but I read something that Rabbi Yossi Marcus wrote online that the 10th of Nissan, when we should be celebrating the mitzvah of the korban Pesach, was also the date that Miriam died. So we celebrate the mitzvah of the korban on the Shabbos before Pesach because the 10th of Nissan was established as an unofficial fast day to commemorate Miriam's death, therefore we shouldn't be celebrating anything on that day.

And the post-script:

• On the advice of our lunch guest, I found Tzipporah's answer to Friday's question in the ערוך השולחן.  He also gives another answer:  The splitting of the Yarden, a lesser miracle, also took place on י' ניסן, and we don't want to dilute the celebration of the miracles of מצרים by adding other miracles.  It was apparently quite a day.  It's interesting that we don't find a similar concern for אבילות on Tisha B'av or י"ז תמוז, where we have many reasons for mourning, some more powerful than others.  Even at the ליל הסדר, we associate the night with other historical miracles that occurred through the generations - see ויהי בחצי הלילה.
• An anonymous student also pointed out that the Drasha by the Rabbi (= Gadol) is one of the suggested reasons for the name שבת הגדול.

• Rabbi Zev Rifkin, a local Rosh Kollel spoke about בדיקת חמץ.  He asked, no matter how good a בדיקה we do, it's not fully sufficient - are we re-examining the oven?  So he defended the current "minhag" of doing only a cursory / ceremonial search, and says that once we have spent weeks cleaning and searching for chametz, all of the rooms in our home are בחזקת בדוק, and no longer require בדיקה at all.  If so, how do we justify our ברכה?  Isn't it לבטלה?  Therefore, he said that it is appropriate to leave a small section of your home uncleaned at all  (a cabinet, a knapsack etc.), and do that during בדיקת חמץ, in addition to the charade of finding the 10 pieces of chametz that are set out.  I mean to check with other Rabbanim to see if this is a mainstream view.

 

A Nice Thought on the Parsha

In honor of '90s day during breakfast, there was no Mishmar AM today, so here is an idea about Parshat Tzav from my friend Rabbi Dan Lifschitz.

"Command Aaron and his sons, saying, 'this is the law of the olah-sacrifice...'"  (Lev 6:2)
The midrash on this verse comments:  "Command (tzav) is always a language of encouragement... the Torah had to give extra encouragement here because of the monetary loss involved."  Subsequent commentators have struggled to explain what the midrash had in mind.  Ostensibly, the mitzvah of the olah-sacrifice doesn't stand out as a particularly costly one; why does this mitzvah require more encouragement than everything else?
R' Yosef Shaul Natanson (cited by R' David Silverberg) explains that unlike other sacrifices, the olah had to be burned completely, requiring a large amount of firewood.  The Sages teach that the firewood on the Temple altar was actually unneeded, since G-d would always provide a miraculous flame.  Despite this, the kohanim were commanded to purchase and place it there.  Not only were the kohanim spending a lot of money for firewood to burn the olah-sacrifice, they were spending it on something seemingly superfluous.  That was the uniqueness of this "monetary loss;" unlike the mitzvah of matzah, where unless you buy or bake matzah you won't have it, the expenditures for burning the olah could feel like a waste of money, and that's why the extra encouragement was important here.
There is a general lesson for us to draw from this technical explanation.  In one sense, the firewood on the altar was not needed since G-d would keep the fires burning at any rate.  But in another sense, it was necessary for the kohanim to provide the wood in order to take an active role in sustaining their relationship with the Almighty.  G-d desires to be close to us, but for that to happen we need to put in effort too.  We have to make sacrifices (monetary or otherwise) and play our part.  These sacrifices need encouragement, but they are well worth it in the end.  Shabbat shalom.

This is a beautiful thought, that is particularly relevant to many of us.  People often wonder why Hashem needs our tefillot.  The answer is that He doesn't, but that they are essential anyway.
Have a great Shabbos.

What is so "Gadol" about this Shabbat?

This week is the Shabbat before Pesach. This Shabbat is called "Shabbat HaGadol." It is NOT one of the "arba parshiyot" (this used to confuse me a lot!), meaning that it does not have a special maftir, but it does have a special haftarah. Traditionally, shul rabbis give a lengthy d'rasha in the afternoon (The Shabbat HaGadol Drasha) dealing with some of the halachot of preparing for and observing Pesach.

I have long wondered why this Shabbat is called "HaGadol"; there is no other Shabbat HaGadol before any of the other chagim. One would think, if anything, that the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah would be special The Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah actually passes unremarked. It doesn't even have "m'varchim hachodesh" (blessing the upcoming new month) that all the other months of the year have. Even though Sukkot also requires a great deal of preparation--building a sukkah, buying arba minim-doesn't get its own "Hagadol". (Remember that it used to be very difficult to build a sukkah and even more difficult to obtain an etrog.) It seems that not onlyLeil HaSeder is different from all other nights; why is Chag HaPesach so qualitatively different from all of the other Chagim in the Torah?

I know that there are many answers given. I would like to offer the following thought. Pesach was the first chag. It was the first time that we, as a nation, as people free from any master other than Hashem, were able to celebrate together. It was our "Birthday" so to speak. You don't remember the day you were born. You look back on it, however, every year and celebrate it. You anticipate you birthday. You think about how you will spend it, who will spend it with you, are you going to have a party, are you going to get presents. On the day itself, you can be the center of attention, and the day is punctuated with "happy birthday" wishes, maybe some cake, maybe some presents, but all around, a sense of celebration.

The Shabbat before Pesach begins the countdown, the anticipation for our national Birthday. We are getting excited (and overwhelmed) by what Pesach really means. Pesach is the freedom to practice our religion, have our calendar, serve our G-d, speak our language, use our names, and raise our children as free people to do the same. (Living in America, that freedom is sensed even more, because it is legal and protected by the government.) Even during the depths of all the horrible persecutions Jews have endured throughout history, they have still marked this Birthday and have praised Hashem for it. That really IS a "big deal".

The word "Gadol" refers to magnitude--it can be size, weight, height, numbers or importance. Perhaps this is why this Shabbat, the Shabbat the inaugurates the week of our Birth as a Nation (thank you D. W. Griffith for the title!) really deserves to be called "HaGadol."

Shabbat (HaGadol) Shalom!

Mrs. Leah Herzog

So What's Wrong with Cheating?

A question was asked to the blog: What is wrong with cheating?

I actually thought about this question for a while before I decided to respond. On its face, cheating, especially the more "benign" version that occurs on school-given exams, doesn't seem so terrible. As a matter of fact, one could even see cheating as a form of collaborating or helping. If we encourage group work in class, why not "group work" on exams or other situations where you are expected to do your own work? Who really cares if you cheat in elementary, middle or high school? It isn't going to hurt anyone...

But it does. And on so many levels.

First of all, cheating is theft. You are stealing from whoever is giving the exam, who is assuming that the work that has your name on it is, in fact, yours. In halacha, this is caled "g'neivat da'at". If you and your friend collude (agree) to cheat, you are both stealing from the examiner. You are both partners in crime. If you cheat off an unwilling classmate, not only are you stealing from the examiner, you are stealing from the other person. In American law, that is called intellectual property and lawsuits abound in this realm. It is theft, it is subject to prosecution, and, in this technological era, it is very serious business.

But on a deeper, more profound level, you are stealing from yourself and from the community as a whole. You are putting your name to something that you didn't do. You are taking credit for somthing that is not yours. You are lying to yourself, to your teacher and to everyone in your class. You are breaking a rule. Like them or not, rules are necessary to keep society functioning. There is a great children's book called "No Rules for Michael." Michael hates rules, so one day, his teacher decides that there should be no rules in the classroom or on the playground. At first, Michael is thrilled--he can take whatever he wants. But so can everyone else--he gets pushed off the swing, the tricycle, gets cut in line and ends up just as miserable as when there were rules. No one likes to be told 'that's the rule", especially when the rule doesn't work in your favor. But the rules that protect others also protect you. If you steal from someone else, then whey shoudln't they steal from you? That's what a society of "chamas" (like during Noach's time or Ninveh at the time of Yonah) is: a society where there is no respect for things (including spouses, property and lives) of anyone else.

I know, I know--cheating is not murder or adultery or even grand theft. Or is it? It has come out that Bernie Madoff starting cheating--and getting away with it--in high school. The Gemara talks about what happens when one does an aveira, even the most seemingly benign one: the first time you feel terrible, the second time you can rationalize and by the third time "na'aseh lo k'heter." So by the third time you cheat (or allow someone to cheat off you) it no longer seems like a big deal It no longer seems wrong. "Everybody does it." And until your spot on a team or in a college is taken by another cheater, it isn't. Until you are treated by a doctor or lawyer or other professional who has cheated through school, it isn't. Until you buy what you think is the "real deal" and then realize that it isn't, it doesn't matter.

Finally, this is what I tell my own children and my students: At the end of each day, the only one you have to answer to is yourself. You have to be at peace with the you in the mirror. If you can look at yourself in the mirror, look at who you are and what you've done that day, and can honestly say that you have done your best that day, then you can go to sleep content with yourself. If you feel that you haven't done your best, then you can strive to do better tomorrow. So if you can go to bed at night knowing that you have cheated, that you have taken credit for something that isn't yours, knowing that you'd be okay with having something of yours taken or taken credit for, then you can go to sleep.

If you can't, then strive to do better.

For the record, I have never cheated in my life. I can say that honestly. I make many, many mistakes every day and have made many, many, many over my life, but cheating is not one of them. I am proud of that.

Shabbat Shalom.

Mrs. Leah Herzog

Pesach on Youtube

Let's start with one that I love and post every year:

Aish makes a lot of videos - this one is particularly well done:

Here's one that was going around last year:

And one more on the symbolism of chametz an matza:

Hope these start to get you into the mood.

Congratulations!!! 25,000 Page Views

At some point over the weekend, we had our 25,000th page view.  To be fair, it's a lot more than that - they started counting about 5 months in, and those were some of the biggest months that we had around here.  Hope to re-post another of our greatest hits soon, as well as some pre-Pesach material.  Thanks to all of the contributors, and most importantly to you readers out there, and here's hoping we hit 50.000 a little faster.

More on Starbucks

Seeing Mrs. Block's post on Starbucks, and especially in light of the fascination my Freshman Gemara class with my own coffee habits, I wanted to chime in.  On the other hand, there are still two juniors who are doing their project for Hilchot Kashrut class on this exact topic, so I don't want to do all of their homework for them.  Here are some sources for further review:

• The CRC out of Chicago recommends avoiding almost all products at full service Starbucks stores, but is lenient regarding kiosk-type stores.
• Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz is more lenient regarding the full service stores, but listen for details.  A quick word on this and other of his shiurim: Rabbi Lebowitz has a series of ten-minute shiurim on a wealth of topics that allows you to gain a real (if second hand and somewhat superficial) understanding for the minimal investment of just ten minutes - highly recommended.
• I found a website devoted to the kashrus status of Starbucks.  It allows you to enter in your kashrut criteria, which you should get from your own posek, and then adapts it to the facts as they are in Starbucks.  I can't vouch for their reliability, but at first glance it seems like they know what they are talking about.
• My understanding after a conversation with the OU a while back is that it depends on different types of dishwashers in different stores, but I need to refresh my memory before restating it authoritatively.

In the end, happy drinking and be careful out there.

Starbucks

An anonymous student asks "what exactly is kosher at Starbucks?"


Just like most things, it definitely depends who you ask. The Star-K (one of the major kashrus organizations in America) recently published an article and chart discussing this issue after having conducted their own research.

This is the link- www.star-k.org/Starbuckschart.pdf to the chart and from there you can click on their article.

I would ask you LOR, since I'm not sure everyone agrees with the Star-K's conclusions.

Screen Smasher

Rabbi Meir Orlian (Mrs. Orlian's brother in law), publishes a weekly column about practical חושן משפט (money & business) issues.  I often find them as part of a pamphlet that is distributed in some local shuls.  It is a very readable presentation of the rules working off of realistic, contemporary stories starring his hero, Rabbi Dayan.  Here is this week's installation about someone who caused his friend to damage his own laptop screen.  I think you'll enjoy it.

Size Doesn't Matter--Why Shavuot is Short

Ilana Techer, from the yellow (Regalim) team, asks:

Why is Shavuot so short compared with Pesach and Sukkot? This is especially puzzling since Shavuot celebrates our getting the Torah.

In the style of the Gemara, let me deal with the second question first. Shavuot actually does not celebrate Matan Torah. We do not know the exact date of Matan Torah, as it is not explicitly mentioned in the Chumash. What we do know is the Bnei Yisrael arrived at Har Sinai on Rosh Chodesh Sivan (see Shmot 19:1) and that Moshe went up on the mountain to speak with Hashem. There is a debate in the Gemara as to how many times Moshe went up and down, and whether each time he went up it was a separate day. Furthermore, Hashem tells Bnai Yisrael to prepare for "three days" and to be prepared for "the third day" (see Shmot 19). It therefore emerges that Matan Torah could have been the 5th or 6th of Sivan. Then it seems that Moshe added another day of his own; thus, Matan Torah was either the 6th or the 7th of Sivan. It is never explicitly mentioned. (Why this is so is a separate topic.)

Shavuot, on the other hand, is clearly the 50th day after the first day of Pesach (see Vayikra 23:15). In the Torah, Shavuot is a harvest festival, culminating the period when the an Omer (specified measurement) is waved and a Karban Omer is brought. It signifies the end of the spring harvest and it is celebrated as Mikra Kodesh (no m'lacha), with the regulatory karbanot. In addition, Bikurim, the first and choicest "fruits" of the harvest, are brought to the Kohen, who recites a special t'filla over them. We celebrate Shavuot to thank Hashem for a successful harvest and to publicly proclaim our dependence on Him for our survival. There are many parallels between Sukkot and Shavuot, as well as between Pesach and Shavuot. Some opinions see Shavuot as the culmination of Pesach. Some see Shmini Atzeret and Shavuot (also called Atzeret) as parallel.

There may be a practical reason why Shavuot is only one day: it is the middle of the busy spring/early summer harvesting and plowing seasons. The barley harvest is done and the wheat is being planted. Pesach is at the end of the winter, and Sukkot is at the end of the harvest. In both cases, we have the seven days to celebrate. Hashem is careful with the kavod of His nation, so Shavuot is only one day.

Finally, we know that in the Torah, size doesn't matter. It is quality rather than quantity that matters. A one day chag is not less kadosh that a seven day chag.

Go Regalim! (And Shabbat and Yamim Noraim!)

Mrs. Herzog

מלחמת הצבעים II

Two years ago we had Color War at a similar time, and I noted how ויקהל - פקודי were appropriate Parshiyot for it.  Here's the highlight:

 I once saw (I can't remember where) a nice explanation about why the main cloth colors were red, blue & purple.  He pointed out that red represents humanity, and blue symbolizes Hashem.  The purple is the combination of the two - the areas where we meet.  There is much rich Torah content to our next couple of days, highlighted of course by our 5th (now 7th!) annual  Chazara Bowl.  

Is it permissible to teach non-Jews Torah?

Everyone agrees that for the possibility of conversion it is mutar. L'shem learning,
Tosafot says that it is always assur. Rambam and Meiri write that it is only assur when the non-Jew is using it to start a new religion. The Seridei Eish has famous teshuvah where he relies on this view to allow Torah lectures in university to non-Jewish students. The Midrash Tanchuma Parshat Noach suggests that only Torah Shebe'al peh is assur because of the covenental relationship between Hashem and Klal yisrael, but Torah She'bichtav is mutar.

Adar Madness: A Postscript

A really nice article on the final game of the tournament.  Some highlights:

When someone peddles the script of Mirwis, Zach Yoshor and Isaac Buchine's run, they'll be asked to change the ending to something happier. The team that stood up for the Sabbath — and religious tolerance — the one that wouldn't stop believing even after it was told it would have to forfeit twice cannot get all the way to championship game and then lose, can it? 

No one in TV or the movies is ever going to accept this.

But in some ways, it's an even more perfect ending. For this was never about winning it all. It was about getting the chance to compete...

          My 6- and 4-year-old sons will likely never be regulars at a synagogue.

But I would have loved for them to see this Beren Stars team.
In victory. And even more in defeat.
Even as they wrestle with the emotions of falling just short in the big game, Mirwis and Co. could not be more complimentary to Abilene and its "stifling defense" and "great players."

Once again, yasher koach.  As a probably too big sports fan, it's nice to see a real kiddush Hashem on the court.

Bayamim Hahem, Bazman Hazeh - Update on the Beren Academy Basketball Team

They can play!  This is a wonderful resolution to the story, now they just have to win it.

And thanks Rachel for the passionate & insightful comment (see below).  I guess that's what happens when I don't edit my own writing, but I certainly did not mean to minimize the magnitude of what they did.  It's a great and inspiring story.

Go Stars!

Tamar Berger (Maayanot '11) on the Parsha

This week’s Parsha is Parshas Tetzaveh. In this Parsha it says, “You shall command Bnei Yisroel that they should take for you pure olive oil pressed for illumination.” (27:20). The question on this Pasuk is why would the Torah say “For You” instead of saying “For Me” (for HaShem). Maschechect Menachos 86B (Gemara) says that this Pasuk makes complete sense and that the way the Pasuk is written is that way for a specific reason.  The reason being that the Menorah is for YOU not for HaShem! That the light of the menorah is for YOU and NOT for HaShem!

            It says in Mishlei that the mitzvot are shining lamps and that the Torah is light. Therefore just like HaShem says that the Menorah should be for our purpose and not His. So too should the Torah be for our purpose and not His. HaShem wants us to use the Mitzvos for our benefit. He wants us to use the mitzvos to get the most we can out of life.

There are two questions I have on this though. The first question I would like to ask is what does it mean that the Torah is for OUR purpose? I think this means that Torah is a present for us. This means that everything that HaShem gives us is a present. Therefore we can never be angry at Him or upset with Him and not follow His Torah because of how we feel towards HaShem. This is true because if we did not follow HaShem, HaShem would not love us less and He would not stop offering His present and asking us to take it but rather WE would not receive His present because we would say “No thank you” to it.

Last year Ma’ayanot brought in Rebbetzin Chana Reichman before Purim to speak about the chag. She said that the epitome of Amalek verses Klal Yisroel is the word Mikrah. She says that this word is of major significance because it can be read as Mikrah, coincidence, or Rak M’HaShem, only from HaShem. If we look at the Mitzvos as something that is a “coincidence” and boring we can be like Amalek but if we recognize that everything is a present from HaShem we will be able to receive that present and treat it as if it is a true gift. The gematria for Amalek is doubt and if we treat the Mitzvos as a coincidence and something that is not holy and something that is not special we will have more doubt and it will be harder for us to accept the Present. But if we recognize that the Mitzvos are a truly special gift. This will not be the case and we will truly serve HaShem to the best of our ability because we will recognize it is all for us.

My last question though is how do we look at Mitzvos in this way? What tools are we supposed to use to relate to Mitzvos as gifts. That I believe the second part of the Pasuk says. I believe that when the Pasuk says “Olive oil pressed for illumination” this also has a greater meaning. In the book Peninim on the Torah by Rabbi A.L Schneibaum, it says that the oil for the menorah was pressed in a light and delicate manner. As previously stated the Menorah is the Torah. This Sefer says that the reason why the oil was pressed delicately is because that is how we have to treat our students and their learning. We can’t just shove it down their throats, make them memorize, or make them abide by the laws that we wish them to abide by but rather we must present the material to them in a level headed manner. We must show them the preciousness of the Torah and with that hopefully they will truly learn the beauty of the Torah. We must show them the Torah is a gift and that the Mitzvos are for us!

Chevi Garfinkel says, HaShem can never love you more or less then he does but your relationship can be strained and your relationship can be weakened. HaShem is never going to take away the gift of His Torah. He is going to present it to us and we are going to decide if we want to accept it. He wants us to accept it more than anything but it is our gift and it is up to us what we want to do with it. We have to decide if we want the gift. We have to decide if we want to be close with our father.

Good Shabbos,

Tamar Berger

Why Command?

The beginning of this week's parasha presents and interesting juxtaposition with the beginning of last week's parasha. The parasha begins with the words "Ve'ata t'tzaveh et Bnai Yisrael v'yikchu eilecha..." (And you will command Bnai Yisrael and they will take for you...) Last week's parasha began as follows: "Daber el Bnai Yisrael, v'yikchu li trumah" (Speak to Bnai Yisrael and they will take for Me a contribution.) Last week's parasha talks about gathering supplies for and the dimensions of the Mishkan; this week's focuses on the priestly vessels and garments. Last week's parasha focused on the general population, while this week's focuses on the Kohanim. Therefore, why does this week's parasha begin with commanding and last week's begins with speaking and volunteering? Shouldn't it be the opposite? Wouldn't you think that it is Bnai Yisrael that have to be commanded to give a contribution from their gold, silver, copper mirror, linens, silks and other goods, as well as their skills? They had just left Mitzrayim and faced an uncertain future; wouldn't they want to hold onto whatever commodities they now possessed? Yet we are told that they gave willingly; in fact, Moshe had to tell them to stop at one point. On the other hand, wouldn't you think that anything related to the kohanim and to the avodah would involve love and fervor? And even though the first pasuk is directed at Bnai Yisrael and not Aharon, it still sets a tone for the whole parasha. Furthermore, a few p'sukim later Hashem says "hakreiv et Aharon..." ("Bring Aharon near..") The word "hakreiv" is in in hiphil--the causative form. It implies that Moshe had to do something to Aharon to cause Aharon to come near. Wouldn't you think that Aharon, who is referred to a "rodeif shalom" (one who pursued peace) would be running to Moshe, pursuing his mission to be the holiest servant of Hashem and the leader of the avodat hamishkan?

There is a concept in the Gemara "gadol ha'm'tzuveh v'oseh mi'she'eino m'tzuveh v'oseh" (the one who is commanded and does is greater than the one who is not commanded and does.) This is a concept that I have always pondered. Wouldn't you think that the one who volunteers is greater? The one who gives of her time. money, talent, skill WITHOUT being asked? Isn't altruism one of the greatest traits that a person can possess? Yet this concept is explained as follows: when one is commanded to do something, there is an automatic yeitzer to NOT do what has been asked. Being commanded violates our ultimate drive for control and our belief that we are each the masters of our destiny. So if Hashem commands something, and we STILL fulfill the command, we are both doing His will and pushing our own yeitzer away. It is a double act.

So who was greater--the Kohanim or Bnai Yisrael? Is a gift greater than a tax? Food for thought: tzedakah is actually a mitzvah. G'millut chasadim is rewarded. Are we really altruistic?

Shabbat Shalom

Mrs. Herzog

Pre-Purim Reading Material

• First and Fohrmost, as many of you already know, last year I read what I consider by far the best analysis of the megila that I've read (my memory is poor enough that I now need to reread it), The Queen You Thought You Knew by Rabbi David Fohrman (it's cheaper on the OU website).  Just read it.
• The year before, I really enjoyed Yoram Hazony's "The Dawn: Political Teachings of the Book of Esther."  As you can guess from the title, it is a political analysis of the story.
•   Finally (for now at least), YU's Purim To Go is generally a good read.

Just like you wouldn't want to take a test without studying, your Purim experience will be far richer if you take the time to  prepare for it.  Happy learning.

Adar Madness

We often hear stories of people of our grandparents  and great-grandparents generation who gave up jobs and faced real economic hardship to keep Shabbat.  In modern-day America these concerns have, thank God,  all but evaporated.  With that in mind, it was surprising but interesting to read about a Yeshiva high school in Houston who is missing its playoffs because it insists that they won't play on Shabbat.

The Robert M. Beren Academy, an Orthodox Jewish day school in Houston, won its regional championship to advance to the boys basketball state semifinals this weekend in Dallas. But the team will not make the trip.
Beren Academy's basketball team had hoped to travel to Dallas early and play its semifinal game before sundown on Friday.
The Beren Academy players observe the Sabbath and do not play from sundown on Fridays to sundown on Saturdays. Their semifinal game is scheduled for 9 p.m. Friday.
“The sacred mission will trump excellence in the secular world,” Rabbi Harry Sinoff, Beren’s head of school, said Monday in a telephone interview.

I don't think anyone is doing anything particularly evil or heroic here.  I would like to think that in a similar situation other Yeshivot would reach a similar decision.  And while we have gotten used to larger organizations accommodating our special religious needs (SATs, universities, most workplaces), in many instances they aren't obligated to.  Still, while I feel bad for the players to be missing out on the opportunity that they worked so hard for, in a way they got an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is and demonstrate the kind of religious commitment to Shabbat that for the rest of us is just theoretical.  Yasher koach to the whole school (especially Rabbi & Dr. Pollack - a Ma'ayanot connection!  Keep up the great work.)

Chagiga Time!

Thoughts on the Parsha with Tamar Berger (Maayanot '11)

This week’s Parsha is Parshat Truma. In this Parsha it speaks about the building of the Mishkan and the structure of how to build the Mishkan. This Parsha is one that truly shows us the proper actions we must take in order to fulfill HaShem’s command and the process in fulfilling HaShem’s command. I would like to share with you four actions I feel we all should remember when trying to fulfill HaShem’s command.

#1- Love Mitzvos- “And let them take for Me a portion, from every man whose heart motivates him.” (25:2). Many Mefarshim comment on this Pasuk and ask the question, what does it mean that we should “take for Me a portion”? Shouldn’t it be give?

Rav Dessler says in his SeferMictavM’Eliyahu that a person that gives will love more. A person that invests in something will love the item more than the person who takes from something. This is like a mother and child relationship in which the mother gives and the child takes. In this relationship the mother loves the child more than the child loves the mother because the mother gives more to the child than the child gives to the mother.

This concept is also true to the Mishkan and to all Mitzvos. If we invest ourselves into the Mitzvos, than they will mean more to us instead of us just taking from HaShem. If we invest in our relationship to HaShem, then our relationship to HaShem will then mean more to us.

That is why Rav Schlessinger explains that when it says “Take for me a portion” it truly means take even though the person would be giving. This is because the true form of taking is to give and our relationship only becomes stronger if we give rather than if we take.       

#2- Inspiration- The context of the Pasuk above is that it was said, according to some Mefarshim, right after Na’aseh V’Nishma (24:7) was said.

The Baal Shem Tov says that this is extremely important to recognize. This is because right after we said to HaShem that “we will do and we will listen” (which by the way I love because it is not that we will listen and then do, notice the order, we must follow HaShem regardless of our own feelings towards a Mitzvah) we followed what we said and we did exactly that. We built a home for HaShem, a place that is filled with such Kedusha.

This is important because we acted with zrizus. We took our inspiration and ran with it. We realized that we were inspired and we listened to that inspiration and followed HaShem’s commands. We acted immediately. We took action.

#3- Help from HaShem- “You shall make a Menorah of pure gold, hammered out shall the menorah be made, its base, its shaft, its cups, its knobs and its blossoms shall be hammered from it.” (25:31)

Rashi comments on this Pasuk, which begins “You shall make a menorah” and ends with “shall the menorah be made”, and says that this is because HaShem asked Moshe to do something that was impossible for man to do. HaShem asked Moshe to make the Menorah all together. God instructed Moshe to put it in the fire and the Menorah through this emerged into the correct form. This is because HaShem made it that way.

HaShem saw it was impossible and therefore HaShem helped Moshe and told Moshe that if Moshe put it in the fire HaShem would form it to be a Menorah. HaShem knew that Moshe was not going to be able to do it and therefore HaShem finished the product. Moshe went the first half and HaShem finished him off.

#4- Build a House for HaShem- “They shall make a sanctuary for me, so that I shall dwell among them.” “Va’asu Li Mikdash V’SchnatiB’Tochem” (25:8)

Shelah HaKodesh says that this Pasuk truly means within them. He says that B’ means within and therefore this Pasuk is saying HaShem shall dwell within them.

Each person MUST have a Mikdash Ma’at (small temple) in themselves. We must each have that place, that home, for HaKadoshBaurch Hu within us and we must reach and nurture that place.

I think that the previous 3 actions help us do that. With the love that we have from doing Mitzvos and taking the responsibility of doing the Mitzvah, from the inspiration we get to put forth and do Mitzvos, and from our help from HaShem we really can build and nurture that Mikdash inside of us and have it blossom.

May we all merit seeing the coming of the Beis HaMikdash through the building of our Mikdashim inside of all of us.

Good Shabbos,

Tamar Berger

The Amazing (but assur?) Race: Reality TV & Halacha

Rav Shlomo Aviner argued that an Israeli couple's participation in "The Amazing Race II" violated Jewish Law.  I clicked on the article sympathetic to the sentiment, but curious exactly what the issur involved is.

"The exposure in itself isn't modest. A man must be modest and humble; he shouldn't have a video camera follow him and see what he does." 

"We're not that modest, and sometimes we take pride and behave in such a certain way as to make an impression. We're not okay and may God have mercy on us," the rabbi said. "But here we see a man who invited the television crews on purpose and they follow him and his every move...that's the opposite of being modest." 

Very interesting.  We keep talking about how Tzniut is more than skirt lengths & necklines, and here is a perfect example.  We have become somewhat desensitized with our webcam mentality, but isn't there something inherently immodest of broadcasting one's every move to any audience member who cares to tune in?  What do you think?

Why-aanot's Greatest Hits - Choosing a College

On Friday I stumbled into a conversation among a group of Sophomores in the hallway about choosing a college.  Setting aside the peripheral issues with this story (Doesn't anyone go to class?  Why are you worrying about this in 10th grade?), it of course reminded me of some of the glory days of this modest blog, which I'll now re-post for this new generation of Maayanoters.  Enjoy:

It started with a long post by Mrs. Knoll about the advantages and disadvantages of  Stern as compared to other college campuses.  Mrs. Sinensky followed up with a response.  Then the students started getting involved.  Jennifer Herskowitz made a passionate defense of her decision to apply to Stern, but then Rachel Friedman immediately responded to all of the Stern love, playing devil's advocate (I would be fascinated to hear, now that they are both where they thought they would be, if they would amend any of their comments.  Interested in a follow up).  Ms. Appel (who chose to go to Penn) and Ms. Wolf (who switched from Stern to Barnard) added their unique perspectives. I then piped in as "the only one in the discussion who couldn't have gotten into Stern,"  and promptly brought an end to the conversation.  Hope you find the discussion helpful even if it ultimately complicates your decision making process.  Good luck (and enjoy the vacation).

What Inspires Me - Zisse Hanfling

A while ago we introduced the "What Inspires Me" program, in which we will be sharing our personal inspirations and hopefully inspire others as well.  I started by reading a  passage from Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau's newly translated memoir, "Out of the Depths" (go here and search inside the book for Naboth - go back to page 162 and read the story about his Rebbi Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach).

Here is our second installment - Zisse shared this with the school after tefilla last week but agreed to write it up for the blog.  Yasher koach.

This video is of Ayelet who was two years old and was diagnosed with a rare bone marrow disorder.

I got the idea to show this video to you because a friend of mine from who did a really special act. She took an initiative.... she went to ayelets shiva, and I was so impressed how she was so moved by ayelets story and I thought if this one girl can make a diffence and an impact on me that she took this step of kindness -Maayanot as a school can make a diffence together.

I'm going to read a part of the article that I found written by the Rabbi from the Harvard Hillel about Ayelet Z''l, its to your benefit to listen:

The loss of Ayelet is not just the loss of one beautiful little girl. It is not just the loss of the potential for her life and all that she might have accomplished. It is both of those things but also so much more. Sanhedrin teaches us that the loss of a single life is as if an entire world was lost forever. There are generations of descendants from Ayelet the world will never know. There are countless people who would have been touched by her life who will not have that experience. In chaos theory there exists a concept called the butterfly effect in which one small change can bring about tremendous results that would be impossible to anticipate. The loss of Ayelet is not just a small change to the world, it is an enormous change, and the impact that she would have brought to her family, her people and the rest of humanity, will never be known.

Yet, the Mishnah also teaches us the converse as well. One who saves a life is as if she or he saved the entire world. And there is no doubt that the heart wrenching struggle for life waged by Ayelet and her family, broadcast to the world has brought about so much good. One often wonders how much they can truly impact the world. What difference can I really have in a global community of over seven billion people? The story of Ayelet is the loudest protest possible against the proposition that our lives do not and cannot matter. Each one of us can make such a tremendous difference.

Countless cheek swabbing drives to add people to the bone marrow registry.... Because of those cheek swabbing drives, when Ayelet tragically left this world on Monday morning, 21 people had found their lives saved through the bone marrow registry and the registration of all those new people. Twenty one people in this world owe their lives to the good will of complete strangers who were inspired at the very deepest levels to act because of Ayelet Galena zt”l. In other words, because of Ayelet there now exists another twenty one worlds of human life and meaning.

This is the impact of one person. -

Anytime you feel your life does not matter, anytime you are confident that the world would be no worse or better with or without you, remember Ayelet. The struggle of one small child restored life to twenty one people. Ponder and reflect on that because you never know how and in what way you will make that difference.

Each one of us can make a difference

I say we dedicate our learning on Februray 9th in memory of Ayelet Galena. 

There are countless people whom I'm sure have done so much for her, and Maayanot can do that to! It might not be money and it might not be saving a life, but as a Yeshiva is shows that highschool girls can take an initiative.

This special girl and her family impacted me in ways I couldn't have realized before.

There grace and humor through this hard struggle is what made me want to this share this with you. To look at life through a positive light is so much more fulfilling than anything in the world. There small positive outlook on their young child even reached celebrities. I believe whole heartily ou can make a difference to the girl sitting next to you…just by being the awesome you- and as a growing teenage girl you should never forget that…

My step of standing up here is not what is going to change your life. But me standing up here telling you that you can change someone elses life is what im hoping to accomplish. Maayanot feeds us the skills to grow into a adult throughout high school- and as adult women going out into the world soon- we all matter and we all can make a difference- if a two year old can do it i'm sure we can all to!