Dear Talmidot, Parents and Friends –

1)         This week at Midreshet Moriah

2)         Faculty Dvar Torah – Mrs. Leora Bednarsh

3)         Mazal Tov

4)         Mi SheBerach         

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This Week at Midreshet

This past Tuesday, Midreshet students participated in an intellectually challenging and thought provoking day. Organized by the MASA initiative, our students spent a full day in a pastoral conference center on the outskirts of Yerushalayim. The theme of this day was how students could better prepare themselves to be advocates for Israel when the year is over and they return home to their respective college campuses.

There were sessions on how to speak to people who may not be friends of Israel about Israel and its beauty, together with its policies and politics. The girls were filmed on camera while answering questions about their opinions about Israel and then they went over the footage with media specialists, who gave them tips on how to get their points across in a more direct and clear way. Midreshet teachers joined the students for this day and also learnt a lot. It is our hope that our students emerged from this day better equipped and more confident to represent Israel wherever they go!

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

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Not as Obvious as it Seems

Leora Bednarsh

This week’s parsha lists many laws bein adam l’chavero.  Many of them seem obvious – not to harm others, whether their bodies or their property, for example.  But the Torah takes nothing for granted.  Interestingly, human nature might tell us not to harm others, but history shows that especially when it comes to people outside of one’s socioeconomic, ethnic or religious ranking, many basic human rights are ignored.  We can learn much from our parsha about how to treat those who are not like us.

The parsha begins with laws relating to slaves.  We are not allowed to oppress slaves, and the Torah tells us to be very careful how we treat them, with many protections in place.  It might seem obvious – after all, we had just been released from servitude, so why would we want to oppress others?  But history shows time and again that an oppressed people, when relieved of the oppression, often go on to take revenge and oppress another people.  Similarly, we are warned so many times to treat the convert well.  The Torah is setting up a system to protect those of the lower class and not allow us to oppress others.          

Similarly, the Torah teaches us how to relate to those who might be different than us in belief and behavior.  In the laws of returning lost objects, the Torah specifies even the objects of our enemies, and also to help relieve the burden of the animal of someone we hate.  We understand 'the one you hate' to mean someone who you observed doing an avera.  Even such a person deserves our care and concern.  The Chafetz Chayim learns from this that if we are obligated to return one’s lost property, then all the more so are we obligated to return their souls that are straying from the right path.  When we see a fellow Jew “off the derech”, our attitude should be to help them return.  We are expected to care not only for our friends and the people we naturally relate to, but to care for all Jews, particularly those with few defenses.

Shabbat Shalom

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Mazel Tov!               

Engagements:

Rebecca Rubin ('09-'10) and Shimshon Seligson on their engagement

Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael

Aviva Deutsch ('06-'07, '07-'08) and Michael Horwitz on their engagement

Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael

Ariella Freiden ('05-'06) and Adam Schwarz on their engagement

Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael

Births:

Rachel (Chudnoff) ('00-'01) and Uzi Beer on the birth of a girl, Liana Bracha

Yhi ratzon shetizku lgadla lTorah lChupa ulMa'asim tovim.  

Katie (Liefer) ('00-'01) and Ian Lichter on the birth of a girl

Yhi ratzon shetizku lgadla lTorah lChupa ulMa'asim tovim.  

Abby (Rabinowitz) ('02-'03) and David Bienenfeld on the birth of a boy

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

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

Tzvi ben Sara (12/2)

Zev Yitzchak ben Chaya Sarah(12/2)

Dov ben Yachad Frida(12/2)

Chaim Mordechai Ben Shaindel (9/2)

Menachem Mendel ben Maida (9/2)

Miriam Henya bat Rivka (19/1)

Reuven ben Tova Chaya (12/1)

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)
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)

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)