Dear Talmidot, Parents and Friends –

1)       This week at Midreshet Moriah

2)       Faculty Devar Torah – Leora Bednarsh

3)       Mazel Tovs

4)       Mi She-Berach List

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This Week at Midreshet

What a busy Midreshet week! Continuing with our themes of the month in Adar aleph we are concentrating on the holy Shabbat. Melanie Srour and Alix Greenberger have been posting shabbat fun facts around the building so that we can all have our daily dose of hilchot shabbat. Kol HaKavod for the initiative!

The first ever Midreshet alumnae chessed project took place this winter! Under the leadership of Ashley Small (06-07), Avichayil Arfe (06-07). Ally Levy (07-08) and Rebecca Rubin (09-10), the 'Bring a sweatshirt to Israel' campaign was an amazing success. The alumnae collected sweatshirts from people on their college campuses, and arranged for people who were coming to Israel to leave a little extra room in their suitcase for sweatshirts. Close to 100 sweatshirts were distributed in Yerushalayim this week by current students Sarah Bayer, Sarah Yager, and Leora Prince. We are very proud of our alumnae who ran this chessed project and enabled so many needy families to have a warmer winter.

The shalom task force came to present a seminar on healthy relationships which was very helpful and informative.

The girls are all looking forward to their mystery late night tiyyul tonight. Catch next week's maor for all the details... Have a great Shabbat!

Pictures from our year can be seen at http://midreshetmoriah.com/pictures/

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Parshat Ki Tisa

Leora Bednarsh

Sometimes I think – how would I react if I found out that people that I cared about, did something that was so at odds with my values.  Would I continue my relationship with them, or withdraw?  Would I investigate their behavior before attempting to defend them, or would I “see for myself” and then decide how to proceed?  This week’s parsha contains one of the most moving examples of deep, committed leadership, which is expressed by Moshe Rabbenu in the most trying of circumstances.  After 40 days spent in complete dvekut to Hashem, on the most spiritual high possible, we would expect Moshe to come crashing down when informed of the terrible news that his beloved people have sinned so grievously in chet ha’egel.  How could one possibly respond to such news?  It seems obvious that the chasm between the leader, Moshe, and his people, b’nei Yisrael, is so vast – how can he possibly relate to them, who are so distant from Hashem, and he who is so close?  What is there to say?  And it seems that when first confronted with the news, Moshe is speechless.  The torah divides Hashem’s speech informing Moshe of the news into two parts, the first opening with “Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe”, and then again “Va’yomer Hashem”, without a word from Moshe in between.  In the second statement, Hashem says “Hanicha li” – leave me alone, which seems out of place since we haven’t yet heard a word from Moshe!  At this point Moshe seems to be woken from his shock, takes the hint that Hashem is open to prayer, and, site unseen, begins a powerful and successful tefilla of defense of b’nei Yisrael, begging Hashem to save them. 

Moshe’s tefilla has many components.  He minimizes the sin by placing the blame on the influence of their surroundings in Mizrayim; by pointing out that it’s not in Hashem’s best interest, kivyachol, from a PR point of view to wipe them out; by recalling Hashem’s promise to the avot.  He is successful in this tefilla, and Hashem is appeased.  Now that the danger of the nation being wiped out is averted, Moshe immediately turns to the nation to observe their behavior, rebuke and punish them.  But this is but a brief pause in his words to Hashem.  After he sets into motion the initial response to their sin, he again turns to Hashem, and continues to beg for His forgiveness.  He does not want the relationship of Am Yisrael to Hashem to be simply that Hashem will not destroy them, he wants more – he wants true forgiveness and repairing of the relationship.  And what is so moving about this second part of the prayer is that Moshe completely links his fate with that of his nation.  In the initial telling of the news, Hashem gives Moshe the option of separating from them and starting again with Moshe alone.  In the initial reaction, Moshe does not even address that as a possibility.  And we might think that after seeing bnei Yisrael in all of their wildness, he might agree.  But no, in Moshe’s commitment to bnei Yisrael, even in their wildness, even at their lowest, he staunchly rejects this as a possibility.  He says a complete viduy on behalf of bnei Yisrael, and then says, if You forgive them, fine, and if not, erase me from Your book.  Moshe has no future if there is no future for bnei Yisrael.  In this test of Moshe’s leadership, we see his unconditional commitment and devotion to his people, in this, the greatest display of leadership.

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Mazel Tov 

Engagements:

Jordana Birnbaum (06-07) and Aryeh Amsel

Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael

Birth:

Lauren (Schiowitz) (95-96) and Jason Segelbaum on the birth of a daughter

Yhi ratzon shetizku lgadla lTorah lChupa ulMa'asim tovim.

Michal (Klapper) (07-08) and Mark Ghermezian on the birth of twin boys, Judah and Jacob

Yhi ratzon shetizku lgadlo lTorah lChupa ulMa'asim tovim. Kshem shenichnas lBrit kein yikanes lTorah lChupah ulMa'asim tovim.

Please help us stay informed - http://midreshetmoriah.org/send-mazaltov.asp 

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Mi SheBerach List

**** Due to the length of the list we started a NEW list.  Please email midmoriah@gmail.com if there is a name you would like to add or remove!  

Shira bat Deena Miriam – premature baby on a ventilator (2/19/2011)

Noa Batya bat Daniella Rut – 7 month old with leukemia (2/5/2011)

Leah Alona Bat Tziporah (2/5/2011)

Leora bat Sarah (2/5/2011)

Frimit bat Devorah (2/5/2011)

Rivah bat Jane (1/29/2011)

Amitai Yaakov ben Bracha - a 16 yr. old just diagnosed with leukemia (1/29/2011)

Dina Eta bat Chaya Tzippora Sheva (1/22/2011)

Aharon Yitzchak ben Deena Yehudis (1/6/2011)

Adi bat Zahavit (twin baby who is sick)

Reut bat Zahavit (twin baby who is sick)

Chaim Yissachar ben Chaya Mushkit (26 year old with 2 children, leukemia)

Shraga Feivel ben Sasha

Ari ben Rivka (young husband with brain tumor)

Inbal bat Nelya

Zacharia Kalman HaCohen ben Yael Margalit

Shai Ben Meital - 4 yr old with brain damage and seizures

Aviva Miriam bat Esther - 9 month old baby with cancer going through chemo

Tzipora Fayga Bat Sima Shaindel- 33 year old mother of 3 with Leukemia(9/19/2010)

Ester bat Rivka- baby undergoing treatment for rare heart condition (9/19/2010)

Tzvi Ilan ben Gita (8/12/2010)

Chaya Tziporah Sheva bat Faiga (8/12/2010)

Chisha Bayla bat Miriam

Chaya Meira Mindel bat Chava Golda - Midreshet alumna with cancer

Refael ben Nomi- 10 month old baby who has meningitis

Avraham ben Elka (5/21/10)

Rivka Bracha bat Yehudit - mother of 6 with cancer, doing better BH

Rivka Margalit bat Ita - 12 year old girl with a brain tumor (5/27/2010)

Rachel bat Re-ayah - mother of 7 with cancer that has spread

Batya Leah bat Sara - cancer

Noa Chaya bat Nava Yehudit - baby

Yehuda Moshe Yosef ben Miriam

Rayzel bat Rifka

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Midreshet Moriah

The Educational Wing

Shaare Zedek Medical Center

P.O. Box 3235, Jerusalem, Israel

tel: 972-2-652-7449 fax: 972-2-651-1524

www.midreshetmoriah.com

דף זה יוצא בסיוע משרד הקליטה

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