WITS Weekly |
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What's up at WITS
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November 2, 2008 Parshas Chayei Sarah
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Sponsor Student for a Week with Paypal-$180
Sponor Student for day with Credit Card-$50
Quick Links |
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Mishmar Thursday Nights in WITS is really geshmak. From the learning to the food that comes out at twelve, is there anything better do on a Thursday Night? Rabbi Rennert patiently going over shiur, and Allan's delicious cakes is a formula for a good time. Chulent? Email me at alumni@witsyeshiva.com and sponsor a great fleishich chulent.
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Lifecycles this Week:
Mazel Tov to Mordechai and Ruthie Cohen (Class of 1992) on the birth of a girl.
Mazel Tov to Menachem and Adina (Fink) Ambers (Bais Medrash) on their wedding.
Mazel Tov to Yossi Wachsman (Class of 2001) and Mindy Frank on their engagement.
Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Raphael Wachsman on the engagement of their son Yossi.
Mazel Tov to Nosi and Esther Berman (Class of 1997) on the birth of a girl.
Please keep me updated about any alumni simchas- alumni@witsyeshiva.com.
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WITS Alumni Basketball Night- POSTPONED
Motzoai Shabbos, November 3rd
8:15-10:15 RSA Gym, 76-01 147th Street in Queens
This event has been postponed due to scheduling difficulties. I hope to reschedule it in the near future. So stick to the treadmill this Motzoai Shabbos, or of course you can do some learning.
Please RSVP to witsbball@gmail.com if you're interested in playing in the future.
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Rabbi Akiva Males (Class of 1992) Organizes Solidarity Kiddush for Rabbi Baruch Lederman's (WITS '81) Shul in San Diego
Rabbi Akiva Males in his new position as Rabbis of Kesher Israel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, organized sponsorship by Kesher Israel for a Kiddush this Shabbos in Kehillas Israel, Rabbi Lederman's shul in San Diego which over the past week was faced with the stress of many having to evacuate their homes due to the wildfires in the San Diego area. Rabbi Males said, "As hard as it is going through life's challenges, it becomes even harder when one feels all alone. We are doing this to show that this shul in Harrisburg cares about a shul across the continent."
Rabbi Baruch Lederman wrote in his weekly e-mail:
SOLIDARITY KIDDUSH: In a beautiful show of solidarity, Kesher Israel
Congregation of Harrisburg Pennsylvania is sponsoring a "Kiddush of
Solidarity" to show that we, the Jewish people, are all connected.
We all feel each other's joy and each other's pain. Kesher Israel is
showing that they are right there with us, as we heal from the fire
devastation.
This special Kiddush will take place Shabbos morning
November 3 after Kehillas Torah services at the Doubletree Resort;
14455 Penasquitos Drive. All are most welcome to participate.
DVAR TORAH: Chayei Sarah
Eliezer
looked for Divine signs that Rivka was the right wife for Yitzchok.
Eliezer was keenly aware that Hashem's Divine Providence runs all
aspects of our lives with precise care. Hashgacha Pratis (G-d's
watchful guidance) is a foundation of our faith, and, if we look, can
be found all around us in good times and bad, as the following true
story illustrates:
Debra Trestman, an expectant mother, was a
busy housewife with a growing family. An engineer by profession, she
applies logical organization to manage her never ending chores. For
example, she keeps only one phone in her house which is located
downstairs in the living area. She reasoned that if the phone is more
accessible, it will become a time draining distraction, keeping her from finishing all her tasks. A true engineer's solution.
There
are many joys of being an expectant mother. These include nausea,
tiredness, and a plethora of aches and pains. One night she was
particularly under the weather. She needed to lie down and she also
wanted to speak to her mother on the phone. Accomplishing both things
at the same time, she took the phone upstairs, got into bed and spoke to her mom while lying down, till she hung up and fell asleep.
Debra
was woken up at 4am by the phone ringing. It was now early Monday
morning, October 22. The Trestmans lived in Rancho Bernardo, what would
become one of the hardest
hit areas of the 2007 San Diego Wildfires. It was a call from
Reverse-911, an automated system that phones people to advise them of emergencies. They were ordered to evacuate immediately.
The
winds suddenly shifted and the fires moved from the Wild Animal Park
area to Rancho Bernardo, a distance of over 15 miles, in less than 15
minutes. Everyone including emergency workers was caught off guard.
They couldn't alert people fast enough. Debra woke up her husband
Yehuda and the children and they got out a.s.a.p.
During this
frenzied process, Debra managed to call a few friends to warn them. One
of those calls was to Neal & Barbara Levine. The Levines had been
asleep. They were aroused, only to find that the fire had already
reached the back of their house. They ran out immediately. Their house
burned to the ground, but their lives were spared in a nick of time by Debra's call.
The
Trestman phone was normally not upstairs. If Debra hadn't gotten sick,
the phone would have been downstairs and they would not have heard it.
As a result of a severe bout of morning sickness (or in this case
evening sickness), the Trestmans avoided a lot of smoke inhalation, and
the Levines avoided the fatal flames.
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Alumni-WITS Basketball Game January 5th,2008
Start practicing now and save up your frequent flyer miles if your flying in for the game-the alumni team needs you. Contact me at alumni@witsyeshiva.com to purchase your jersey. Go to midwestairlines.com for tickets to Milwaukee for the weekend. Your are welcome by alumni in Chicago or Milwaukee for Shabbos.
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Directory Assistance
Where are you? If you didn't receive a fall newsletter, or know that we need to update your address for the WITS directory, email me at alumni@witsyeshiva.com. Don't wait for me to call and get your address! The alumni association hopes to complete a new updated directory by the end of the school year.
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Mach-WITS a Shekel Automatic Club Update
Thank you to Rabbi Dovid May (Class of 1992) for joining the club this week raising our total membership to 46. Help us get to 50 next week! There is a new option this week designed for everyone to join so that everyone can get the opportunity to see Wisconsin Institute for Torah Study on their credit/banking statement. It is designed for those that can't commit to higher amounts and are already giving to numerous other WITS funds- it is the $10 a month option.
I can't wait to see the remainder of our 811 alumni sign on for this one. If you give tzedaka through a donor advised fund at intervals for tax related purposes, you can still be part of the club. Just contact me at alumni@witsyeshiva.com. Members will be receiving their club cards soon in the mail. (not this Shabbos)
Join now with a click of the button for $10 a month.
For higher demonations or to answer questions:
Email me at alumni@witsyeshiva.com for more info.
Cell- (347)870-2089
Office-(414)963-9317 ext 124
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| Mach-WITS a Shekel Club Drive
We now have a variable one time donation option. Donate as much or as little as you wish. And you can even join the Mach-WITS a shekel monthly club with a lump sum for a year's payments-(a year at $10=$120, $25=$300, $50=$600, $100=$1200) So make a year's payments and join the club. Sure WITS won't be on your credit card statement every month, but you'll have the peace of mind knowing that you've paid for the club for the year. Both the monthly and one-time donations go the alumni scholarship fund.
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