This past month, the Yeshiva Toras Chaim/Dr. Abe Chames High School seniors went on a trip to learn and tour in Eretz Yisroel. The nine-day excursion was replete with experiences that only such a land could afford. However, the seniors did not only gain a lifetime's worth of memories while on their trip; they also grew a tremendous amount in their ruchniyus.
The seniors had the z"chus to daven at the Kosel almost every day. As a Kohain, I was able to do Birchas Kohanim just a few hundred feet from where the Beis HaMikdash stood. Davening in such close proximity to the Sha"ar HaShomayim, so close to where our greatgrandparents offered korbanos to serve Hashem, helped evoke previously untapped emotions while davening.
The Thursday morning after our arrival in Israel, we woke up a little before daybreak and went to daven with HaGaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv Shlit"a, one of the Poskei and Gedolei Hador. During Krias haTorah, Rav Elyashiv was called up for the shlishi aliyah. "Hearing one of the elite Talmidei Chachamim , who has dedicated his whole life (Rav Elyashiv is over 100 years old) to following the Torah, say the words "asher bochar bonu"- a brocha thanking Hashem for choosing us as the exalted nation and graciously giving us the Torah, was truly inspiring," remarked Moshe Levy. Our visit with Rav Elyashiv proved to be one of the more memorable highlights of our trip.
One of the days in Eretz Yisroel, we traveled to the North to visit some of the famous kivrei tzadikim. The first kever at which we stopped was the kever of the Tanna, Rebbi Meir Ba'al HaNeis. He was the Tanna who was referred to in Torah SheBa"al Peh as "Rebbi Meir". In shiur, we had just learned the sugya of פלגינן דבורא, notorious for its difficulty. The primary machlokes featured in the sugya involved Rebbi Meir. At Rebbi Meir's kever, we said Tehilim and then reviewed the Gemara. Avi Rhodes was particularly moved. "We poured blood, sweat, and tears into understanding Rebbi Meir"s position in the sugya. Now, being able to learn his Gemara at his kever and ask him to take our tefilos to Hashem really brought our efforts around full circle."
Our inspiring trip to Israel would have been relegated to the world of fantasy were it not for the indefatigable 12th grade Rabbeim, Rabbi Goldman and Rabbi Winter. Sleep deprivation did not seem to have an effect on them; they would stay up into the early hours of the morning planning our next day's ventures. But the Rebbis did not stop there. They constantly were "pumping us up" and getting us excited and energized for the upcoming activities. It goes without saying that they made our trip - not only from an administrative, technical angle, but even the practical execution would not have been as successful without them.
"Many of us had already been to Israel before," Yossi Turk commented. "But going with Rabbeim that we share a very special bond with, who care so much about us, really altered the trip into something that none of us had expected. Any other Israel experience pales in comparison."
