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

It has been a very busy Midreshet week!
 
Sadly we had our last meeting of the year between Midreshet  Darkeinu and Midreshet Moriah. The program, which is in memory of Max Freilich z"l, brother of Midreshet ’08-‘09 student Kayla Freilich, has been an amazingly successful chavruta program with both Midrashot gaining so much by getting to know each other and inspiring each other through sharing mutual experiences and learning Torah together.

On Tuesday afternoon Rav Berg from NCSY came to speak to our girls to offer them the opportunity to be advisors on NCSY Shabbatonim. He gave them chizuk on the importance of kiruv and explained how it helps strengthens and empowers our own Judaism.
Later that evening the Shalom Task Force came to Midreshet to inform our girls and help them be aware of ‘red flags’ and potential dangers in relationships.
 
On Wednesday night our girls danced the Hora with an Israeli dance instructor to help prepare them get into the spirit for Yom Yerushalayim this coming Motsei Shabbat and Sunday.

We’re all excited and looking forward to celebrating that very special day right here in Jerusalem!

Wishing everyone a great Shabbat.

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

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Striving for it All

Rav Jason Knapel

Rashi makes the famous comment on the opening of Bechokotai:

“Im Bechukotai telechu; ve’et mitzvotai tishmoru, ve’asitem otam”

Rashi explains that you should be amel in Torah – you should be laboring in Torah. In other words you should be putting in a tremendous effort into learning Torah.

Where does Rashi see this in the pasuk? He explains that the pasuk must be speaking about Torah and not Mitzvot because Mitzvot are already mentioned in the pasuk. We may explain this on a deeper level - we can readily understand that the Torah must be studied in order to know the laws that are presented within. That is not a chok – it is readily understandable. What is not so simple is that there is a level of Torah study that has nothing to do with actual practice – but the study itself represents a religious obligation with spiritual rewards. This idea is not as simple. This can be seen by the number of people who do not get the idea of studying non-practical Torah - what is the point of studying the laws of korbanot or tumah if they do not apply today? This is the chok that is mentioned in the pasuk - there is a spiritual gain in studying the Torah not because it is rationally applicable but because it is the word of G-d to mankind and that in and of itself is a spiritual / religious experience.

But how does Rashi understand that it is not enough to study – but one must be amel – labor - giving of all of one’s power, effort and energy to study Torah. Rashi explains the word telechu as going. Telechu doesn’t mean just walking; it means striving to get somewhere. The benefits of Limmud Torah as a spiritual influence come not from the dabbling in Torah or the mental gymnastics of learning but the constant striving for greater and greater understanding and connection to the Torah.

In actuality, this idea is not only an idea within Limmud Torah but it is the essence of who we are as Jews. We are the people of telechu, of striving. Throughout our history we have striven as a people for more than we had and in fact often we have striven for things that were quite illogical – a chok type of thing.

For 2,000 years we have been striving for a home of our own when all other people would have given up.

We have been striving to impact the world even though we are such a small and often disliked percentage of its population.

We have been striving to keep a tradition alive and thriving – a tradition that makes it harder to live in the world around us.

We have been striving to rebuild a destroyed nation on a homeland in enemy territory so that all Jews have a place in the world that is safe for them to be Jews.

On Sunday we will see the partial fruition of some of our striving – Yom Yerushalayim where once again the Jewish people can walk freely in the city of their dreams. As one Rav said recently – if you would take a picture of the flags, people, kosher restaurants, shuls, batei midrashot in Jerusalem and took it back 150 years, the people you showed it to would think that you were living bezman HaMashiach.

As individuals we also need to be people of telechu, of striving. We should not be satisfied with our ruchaniyut – we should always be striving to attain greater heights. For some, this seems like a chok – something illogical because they think they “are not on the level” anymore. For some, they feel that they have strayed and for others they think they have reached all they can – But we are the telechu people, we are the people with the history of doing things that seem impossible.

We are the people that can reach and achieve greater and greater heights. We all need to look inside and have a little faith in ourselves and realize that it is part of the essence of our neshamot to go to greater levels.

May Hashem reward our striving with all the brachot found at the beginning of the parsha and may we all be zocheh to uncover greater and greater depth within ourselves.

Shabbat Shalom & Yom Yerushalayim Sameach

Rav K

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Mazel Tov!               

Engagements   

Liz Sinnreich ('04-'05) and Jono Panitch on their engagement 

Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael 

Ayelet Ross and ('04-'05)Jonathan Pelzner on their engagement 
Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael

Ariella Wruble ('03-'04) and Jason Bloom on their engagement

Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael  

Miri Colman ('07-'08) and Daniel Brooks on their engagement

Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael 

Weddings    

Avi Varnai ('07-'08) and Ashy Levinson on their wedding 

Yhi ratzon shetivnu bayit ne'eman bYisrael   

Births

Merissa (Goldstein) ('05-'06)and Craig Shapiro on the birth of a baby boy

Yhi ratzon shetizku lgadlan lTorah lChupa ulMa'asim tovim  

Condolences

Condolences to Lori Fagelston (Staff) on the loss of her father  

Shlomo Meyersdorf   

May Hashem comfort you along with all of the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

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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.  

Names added this week:

For complete 5772 list, please go to: http://midreshetmoriah.com/alumnae/?id=464