| Shalom!
Each year at this time, we prepare to sit down on the floor and mourn the destruction of our holy Bet HaMikdash. For many of us, these are difficult days - we attempt to infuse them with meaning, but find it quite challenging to genuinely feel sadness for something which is so far removed from our experience and consciousness. Particularly in our generation, when we have been priveleged to live in a city of Jerusalem that is largely rebuilt, the difficulties of connecting to this day are especially pronounced.
I've often thought about this problem, and realized that this itself is perhaps the greatest tragedy of all. The fact that we have such a hard time mourning because we simply don't understand what we are missing - we must mourn for this, before anything else.
At this sad time as we connect with our past so that we can look with hope to the future, it behooves us to remember our time in the bet midrash in MMY, to reconnect with the truths we see there and remind ourselves of what our true priorities are. To that end, it is our hope that these divrei Torah and articles about various things going on in the MMY family will be of value to you.
B'tzipia l'geula shleima,
Rabbi Haber |
| Breaking Bad Ankles: Lessons for
Tisha B'av by Yoanna Freedman - MMY 5767 | |
Perhaps the most ironic email I received this month was the one from the MMY alumnae listserver, asking anyone who was not receiving the emails to please update their contact information. (It parallels questions like "You asleep yet?", "Sanka, you dead?" [Hamevin Yavin] or "If you hate audience participation please raise your hand." I think you get the point.)
In Parshat Matot, Moshe rebukes Bnei Yisrael with a similarly ironic statement upon their return with spoils from war with Midian, saying "Did you let every female live?' Behold!-they caused the Children of Israel, by the word of Balaam, to commit a betrayal against Hashem regarding the matter of Peor (Bamidbar 31:15-16)." After Moshe's rebuke, the parsha continues on with the laws of kashering utensils. The narrative seems to have a natural flow: Bnei Yisrael goes to war, they bring back spoils, and this is how you make some spoils kosher. However, viewing this juxtaposition through a different lens, with weighted importance shows a deeper meaning.
|
|
| Alumnae Profiles/Testimonials
Ashira Loike (MMY 5763) | |
 Currently I work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Objects Conservation department. Conservators are art specialists who research the physical aspects of art. They explore the materials and techniques of production and, when appropriate, clean or restore the art. A range of art comes through my department - at the moment there is an Egyptian cat mummy, fifteenth century Venetian glass, and excavated pottery from an archeological dig in Iran.
Sitting in the MMY bet midrash in 5763 (2002), I never could have imagined my future career path. Looking back at my time in MMY I have come to appreciate how I was able to build my learning skills and develop a more personal connection to the texts that I studied, which has made my quest for Torah knowledge richer. Most importantly, in MMY I began to develop a general perspective on knowledge acquisition, which has influenced my approach to learning and the world at large. My personal hashkafa is intertwined with a methodological approach that I first encountered in Mrs. Isaacson's parshanut class.
|
New "Tochnit Shiluv" Option
for Shana Bet |
 MMY is pleased to announce the formation of a new and exciting option for Shana Bet students. Tochnit Shiluv will create an opportunity to spend a second year learning in MMY while also taking major steps towards " Shiluv" - integration into Israeli society.
This full-year program involves two mornings each week of Sherut Leumi (National Service) volunteering under the auspices of the Aguda L'hitnadvut - the oldest and largest organization in charge of coordinating Sherut Leumi for religious girls. The rest of the week they will learn in MMY as full members of the regular Shana Bet program. During the second semester, the Shiluv girls will also take a part-time Ulpan to improve their Hebrew skills.
The program, which will begin as a pilot project this fall with a small group of students, is an especially attractive option for students who want to remain in Israel and attend university afterwards. It will give them the opportunity to improve their Hebrew substantially and begin to integrate into Israeli society and culture, while continuing to learn and grow in the comfortable environment of MMY. |
13th Volume of Kol Mevaseret
Published |
 Each year, MMY publishes a Torah Journal called Kol Mevaseret, with most articles written by the students themselves. The purpose of this journal is to showcase our students' accomplishments, and to allow others to learn from them as well. Each of these articles is the culmination of many hours of probing analysis and reflective thought within the walls of our Bet Midrash. We are extremely proud of Kol Mevaseret, as we feel it is one of the best ways to demonstrate what MMY is really all about.
This year, 5770, made Kol Mevaseret history - it was the first time that the journal was edited, typeset and published all during the school year itself. Copies were handed out to the students right before the last Shabbat of the year several weeks ago. A very fitting way to end a year of learning!
Special thanks to the Editors-in-Chief, Rachel Benaim and Chana Sinensky, and to the Faculty Advisor, Mrs. Elana Dvinsky.
The 5770 edition spans 147 pages, and includes thirteen articles by Talmidot and four by teachers. You can read the articles online or download them here. Or click here to get to the entire online archive of previous Kol Mevaseret editions. |
|
|
| Tisha b'Av Shiurim on mevaseret.org |  | |
If you are looking for something meaningful to do on Tisha b'Av, we have a number of audio shiurim you can download or listen to online.
Click here for shiurim by Rabbi Haber, Rabbi Lerner and Rabbi Avishai David, and for lengthy explanations of Eicha and Kinot by Rabbi Katz and participants of the MMY Summer Program 5768.
Click here to read Rabbi Haber's reflections on the expulsion from Gush Katif five years ago. |
| Rabbis Katz and Haber Visit Summer Programs | |
As he does every summer, Rabbi Katz traveled to the United States to visit our talmidot working in various summer camps. This year's trip brought him to Camps Stone, Morasha, Sternberg, Shoshanim, Nesher, Moshava IO, HASC, SEG and Mesorah. He also gave a few shiurim in New York and visited Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.
Back in Israel, he gave shiurim on NCSY summer programs Michlelet and GIVE, and Rabbi Haber spoke to the Bnei Akiva programs Mach Hach Hesder and TVI. |
|
|
