Dear Talmidot, Parents and Friends –

1)         This week at Midreshet Moriah

2)         Alumnae News

2)         Faculty Dvar Torah – Mrs. Bracha Krohn

3)         Mazal Tov

4)         Mi SheBerach

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This Week at Midreshet

What a way to start the Midreshet week! For Rosh Chodesh the girls enjoyed a yummy pancake breakfast to set off the new month with a bang. The madrichot have started to fill the dorms with pre Chanukah festivities including the Doughnut Dare, the famous Midreshet sufganiyot eating competition.

The Kislev fun has most certainly begun....
 

This week we also began our 4th annual learning program with Midreshet Darkeinu ('Our Way'). Midreshet Darkeinu is a program based at Midreshet Lindenbaum in Jerusalem for young women who have special needs. The joint program between Midreshet Moriah and Midreshet Darkeinu was the idea of former Midreshet student Kayla Freilich (08-09) in memory of her brother Max z"l, who had special needs and passed away at a young age.  The program takes place a few times a year. Midreshet Darkeinu students came to Midreshet Moriah and had a joint learning program, where the girls met in small groups and learnt together about Chanukah. Afterwards they went to visit people in the Shaarei Tzdedek hospital. It is a wonderful program and both Midreshet Darkeinu and Moriah students had an amazing time getting to know each other, learning and doing chessed together. We look forward to the continued success of this program in the coming months IY"H.

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Alumnae News

Upcoming Alumnae events in the USA!!!!
 

Rav Eitan AND Vicky will be visiting alumnae to give shiur and shmooze!!!!!

Stern College Tuesday December 6th at 6:30 pm (exact room TBA)
Washington Heights Sunday December 11th at 6 pm at the home of Danielle Goldstein

195 Bennett Ave Apt 1f
 

Alumnae Chaburah at Stern College -- Betsy Magilnick reporting :-)

Two weeks ago was the Midmo alumnae shabbaton at Stern College. A basic theme of the shabbaton was the feeling that a lot of girls had no one or no group to learn with like they had in Midreshet. They missed their "chaburahs"- being part of a group that learns together. Being out of Midmo for almost a year now, I missed my chaburahs as well. After the shabbaton, I and two fellow Midmo-ers, Jenna Spector and Aliza Saltzburg, decided there needed to be a change to that. We decided to make a "Midmo-burah," a chaburah every Tuesday night in the Stern Beit Midrash where any Midreshet alumnae could come and we all could learn together. 

This Tuesday night was our kickoff night. We decided to learn about Chanukah because of Rosh Chodesh Nissan this upcoming week. We learned the Rav's book on Mo'adim, focusing on the miracle of Chanukah. It was a great experience with serious learning, and of course some great laughs. It was great to feel united again. The Stern Beit Midrash is a great place to learn. But as we were learning, I felt that if I could just close my eyes, we were back in Midmo's Beis. It was a great night! Can't wait for next week and the many weeks to come of the Midmo-burah!

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It's Obvious, Isn't It?

Bracha Krohn

In this week's parsha, Leah gives birth to her fourth son and names him Yehuda. She explains that "now she must thank Hashem". Why now? She has had 3 sons already and recognized G-d in 2 of those three names as well, so why only now does she feel the need to thank Hashem? Rashi quotes the midrash which tells us that Leah now realized she was giving birth to more than a quarter of the tribes – this was son number four,  and they should have each given birth to  three!  But is it really so impressive that when one receives so much, he or she feels grateful? Isn't that obvious!

It's clear that these feelings of Hakarat HaTov are something the Torah wants us to emulate. Many times, when someone receives blessings they feel like they must have deserved the good coming their way. The usual tendency is to feel that we deserve it or we don't get enough. Here, Leah is role modeling for us the feelings of humble inadequacy that express the realization that when G-d gives us children, success, wealth and happiness, there is really nothing we did to deserve that kind of blessing!

Rav Yitzchak Hutner pointed out that the word for "thanking" is the same as the word for "admitting". When one says l'hodot – it can mean either. What do these two concepts have in common that explains why they share a root? Rav Hutner taught that when one thanks a person, he or she is admitting that thy needed help or was missing something and now this "helper" came along and provided. When we thank G-d, we are admitting He is the source of all of our blessings and success.

These lessons about gratitude can help us appreciate the blessings in our life. May we always be given more than we deserve, and may we appreciate those blessings and be able to express gratitude in a way that keeps the blessings coming!

Shabbat Shalom!

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Mazel Tov!               

Engagements:

Chaya Berman ('06-'07) and Jake Stone on their engagement

Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael

Simha Hassan ('08-'09) and Gideon Myers on their engagement
Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael

Daphna Lerman ('08-'09) and Yehuda Lisker on their engagement
Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael

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

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Mi SheBerach List

We have started a new list. Please email midmoriah@gmail.com if there is a name you would like to add.  

Aron ben Reizel (1/12)

Yehudah ben Shoshanna (1/12)

Haddasah Leah bat Shoshana (24/11)

Baruch Yehudah ben Leah (17/11)

Charna Leah bat Shaindel (17/11)

Mazal bat Pircha (3/11/11)

Malka bat Tova (10/10/11)

Shimon Dovid Yehoshua bat Rena (6/10/11)

Rifaela Chana Rivka bat Shayna Dena (6/10/11)- diagnosed with Non-Hodgken's Lymphoma

Rachel bat Mindel (6/10/11) - Lymphoma

Tzuriya Kochevet bat Sara - mother of 4 with inoperable stomach cancer (25/9/11)

Chaya bat Zecil (22/9/11)

Perel bat Malka (21/9/11)

Rachaylle bat Turan (21/9/11)

Miriam Leah bat Reizel Dena (21/9/11)

Zechariya Kalman Hakohen ben Yael Margolit (18/9/11)
Refael Matityahu Yaakov ben Gittel Rivka (18/9/11)

Tzipora Sara bat Esther Leah (18/9/11)

David ben Miriam (18/9/11)

David ben Rachel (18/9/11)

Rachel bat Kochava (18/9/11)
Hilda bat Yaffa (18/9/11)

Chana Gitel bat Sarah Chana (18/9/11)
Sarah Sipora bat Shifra (18/9/11)

Moshe Eliezer ben Esther Miriam (18/9/11)
Hilda bat Yaffa (18/9/11)
Moshe Yitzchak ben Shoshana (18/9/11)

Aviva Miriam bat Esther ( 11/9/11)

Osnat bat Clara (11/9/11)

Avraham Yehuda ben Davida Yehudit (11/9/11)

Tziporah Faiga Bat Sima Shaindel (11/9/11)

Chava Deena Etya Bat Chaya Tziporah Sheva (11/9/11)