Dear Talmidot, Parents and Friends –

1)         This week at Midreshet Moriah

2)         Faculty Dvar Torah – Rav Jason Knapel

3)         Mazal Tov

4)         Mi SheBerach

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This Week at Midreshet

Here at Midreshet Moriah, we welcomed in Rosh Chodesh Shvat with a bang! Literally.

On Tuesday night, a professional drummer came and led the students together with their rakazot, in a 'drumming circle'. Anyone who didn't know how to play the darbuka drum before then, knew how by the end of the evening! They learned various rhythms and techniques and had an amazing and fun time making music together. But that wasn't the end of the celebration; the next morning the girls awoke to a delicious surprise breakfast of waffles and whipped cream!

Midreshet is proud of our students for their excellent performance in this years Kedma Choir Competition. The girls practiced many hours and they were truly sensational on stage.

Midreshet students are looking forward to this weekend, when we enjoy an 'in-house' shabbaton together. They will be joined by Rav Jason and Dara Knapel, Malka and Shlomo Hubscher, Michal and Sam Porath Zibman, Sarah and James Proops, Bracha Krohn (Rav Adi Krohn is recruiting overseas) and their families. It is sure to be an inspiring and fun weekend together full of good food (Fagie Reves is catering!), Torah learning, lots of shmoozing, and solid bonding time together! Shabbat-a-Grams are being sold to add to the fun of the weekend by one of the Rakezet groups to raise money for this years Tzedaka project! Stay tuned for more details on that!

See the latest photos on our website: http://midreshetmoriah.com/galleries/

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Alumnae News

Dr. Yael Ziegler will be in the USA in February and speaking in various locations in New York. Dr. Ziegler would like to personally invite Midreshet Moriah alumnae to attend shiurim and see her at the following locations!

• Riverdale Jewish Center (Shabbat Parashat Beshalach, Feb. 4).

• Cong. Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, Sunday, Feb. 5, 8:00 pm. Topic: “Of Journeys, Wells and Marriages: Hidden Patterns in Tanakh Stories”

• Young Israel of North Woodmere , Monday Feb. 6, Topic: “Samson and David: Who Will Be the King?”

• Columbia University, Tuesday Feb. 7, 6:15 PM.

• Stern College: Tuesday Feb. 7, 8:30 PM. Topic: "Mizmor 145: Two Ways to Praise God."

• Young Israel of Hollywood, Florida (Shabbat Parashat Yitro, Feb. 11).

• Cong. Etz Chaim, Queens Tuesday, Feb. 14, 7:45 pm. Topic: “Where are the Mothers?: Devora, Yael and the Mother of Sisera”

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Endless Possibilities

Rav Jason Knapel

Rosh Chodesh is the first Mitzvah given to the Nation of Israel and therefore there must be special significance to this relatively simple Mitzvah.

Rosh Chodesh celebrates the “New Moon”, the point and time when the moon is most hidden. Over the course of the month the moon becomes more visible until we see the “full moon” and then it starts to slowly become hidden again – until the cycle starts again. This was a very important message to the Jewish people at the beginning of their national life. Just as the moon goes from hidden to visible,  the destiny of the Jewish People often goes from lows to highs. This was an especially important message to ingrain in the slave people who were on such a low level before the redemption came.

There is a second reason why Rosh Chodesh at this juncture was so important. A Rosh Chodesh gives the Jewish People control of THEIR time – we make the Holidays not Hashem – it is in our power. This is counter to the life of a slave who’s time is not his own but totally dependant on his master. By giving this as the first Mitzvah Hashem is showing the world and the Jews themselves that they no longer have the status of slaves, now they are free and as free men they control their own time.

I think there might be a third reason why Rosh Chodesh was given to the Jews at this time based upon the Sfat Emet. When one looks at life through the eyes of “Teva” – nature, there is no chiddush to the world. Everything is already written within the laws of nature, to some degree predetermined. On the other hand, when one views the world through Avodat Hashem, there is a constant feeling of chiddush, there are always new possibilities for growth, new levels to achieve, new closeness to be found and new understanding to be understood. As we have a mitzvah of 'imatatio Dei' – imitating G-d, just as He is Mechadesh BetUvo BeChol Yom – He recreates the universe each and everyday, so too we recreate ourselves everyday in terms of our Worship of Him. That may be the explanation of the Mishna in Brachot that says that you cannot make your Tefillah “Kevah” fixed – because each day should be a chiddush in your Avodah.

This lesson is of the utmost importance to the Jewish People, not only on an individual level, but on a national level as well. If we looked at ourselves through the eyes of Teva – where there are laws to how things happen and you can only play by those rules – I think we would have given up long ago. The odds are against us in the world even today. But those who remain strong understand the lesson of Rosh Chodesh, that for the follower of Hashem there is no Teva, there is always Chiddush, then there is always the possibility to change, and victory. This is why this is the first Mitzvah – if we lived by the rules of Teva we should never have gotten out of Egypt – but if we live by the rules of Chiddush, by the symbol of the Chodesh – then anything is possible.

To get back to the individual – the same is true. We are not locked into the way we have always been – we can rise above our natural limitations to achieve greatness – just look at Moshe – someone with a speech impediment, who had been cut off from the Jews, became the greatest leader of our people and the voice for Hashem.

Let us all look for the Chiddush in our lives and see that we can always achieve more – that the whole is not just the sum of the parts as natural law dictates but something much more!

Shabbat Shalom!

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Mazel Tov!               

Engagements:

Rachel Bloom ('08-'09) and Alex Lowy on the occasion of their engagement  

Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael

Weddings:

Rachel Rosenberg ('09-'10) and Elisha Miller on the occasion of  their wedding

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.  

Miriam Henya bat Rivka (19/1)

Reuven ben Tova Chaya (12/1)

Sorah Leah bat Gittel Chana (5/1) 

Chana bat Sorah (5/1)

Rachel Yehudit bat Minsha Zissel (5/1)

Chaya Shaindel bat Kraindel (5/1)

Leah Golda bat Esther Frimmet (5/1)

Feiga bat Sophie (5/1)

Chane Chaim HaCohen ben Perel (29/12)

Zelda bat Rachel (20/12)

Hayeled Eitan Ze'ev HaCohen ben Leah Binah (29/12)

Batya Emunah bat Bracha Chaya (22/12)

Yosef Dov ben Frieda (22/12)

Chana Fraida bas Faiga Zelda (22/12)

Dorit Chaya Bat Geulah (15/12)

Briget Joan bat Marion Patricia (15/12)

Dorit Chaya bat Geula (15/12)

Dovid Chaim ben Brina (15/12)

Avraham ben Esther (15/12)

Adina bat Rivka (15/12)

Moriel Raizie bat Feige Kaylee (13/12)

Rachel Yehudit bat Mancha Zaisel (8/12)

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)