And the Winner is...MMY!

MMY Wins Annual Kedma

Interseminary Choir Competition

After months of hard work , MMY 5772 has been crowned the first place winner of the annual Kedma/Yeshiva University Inter-Seminary Choir Competition!

When third place and second place were announced, we all held our breath... and let out a high-pitched scream when the students of 5772 brought the trophy home to MMY's new home on 60 Derech Chevron. 

This is MMY's fourth victory in the 13 years since the competition was founded. That is an all time record. And after a 4 year dry spell - our longest one of those as we won in 5760, 5764 and 5767.  In fact the whole idea of the competition and its inauguration back in 5760 was the brainchild of an MMYer - Rahel (Bayar) Lwowski - who decided to take this on as her Chesed project (the competition raises large sums of money for tzedaka). So the nachas for us is compounded. 

We wish the girls in the choir a big Ysher Ko'ach for their unbelivable performance: creative, energetic and beautifully harmonious!

Click here to read more and see photos>>

Receiving Torah in the Desert

by Rabbi Alan Haber 

This dvar Torah was originally said at Seuda Shlishit at the MMY Shabbaton in the city of Arad, on Shabbat Parshat Beshalach 5772.  We spent an uplifting Shabbat there at the culmination of our four-day tiyul to the Negev.  The beautiful desert photos accompanying this article were taken during that tiyul. 

Why was the Torah given in the desert?  

In many places in the Torah, the midbar is described as a harsh, inhospitable and uninhabitable place.   Just this past Shabbat we read that Par'oh was convinced that Bnei Yisrael would not be able to leave Egypt because "sagar alehem hamidbar" - they were closed in by the uncrossable desert (Shmot 14:3).  Later on, Moshe Rabbenu spoke about the wonders of having crossed "hamidbar hagadol v'hanora hahu" (Devarim 1:19), filled with "nachash, saraf v'akrav, v'tzimaon asher ein mayim" - "snakes, serpents, scorpions and thirst for lack of water" (8:15).   And when the prophet Yirmiyahu (2:2) wants to praise Am Yisrael for their dedication to Hashem, he says "Ko amar Hashem, zacharti lach chesed ne'urayich, ahavat kelulotayich - lechtech acharai bamidbar, b'eretz lo z'ruah" - praising us for being willing to trust in Hashem and follow Him into the barren desert where survival by natural means is impossible.  Indeed, the entire second half of Parshat Beshalach describes the trials and tribulations of a nation forced to confront the impossibility of life in the desert, requiring miraculous assistance to receive the basic necessities of life, eating man that falls from heaven and drinking water that comes from a rock. 

Perhaps, then, the point is exactly that - the desert is a place where life is impossible, and crossing it was necessary in order for Bnei Yisrael to learn - and demonstrate - their complete dependance on Hakadosh Baruch Hu. 

Only a nation willing to cross the desert is worthy of receiving the Torah.  

Upon further reflection, however, it becomes clear that this is not the entire story.  After all, the Torah was given in the desert itself - not in the eretz zavat chalav u'dvash that lay on the other side.

Read entire article>>  

Meet Shmuel - MMY's In-House Carpenter!
Shmuel is Designing Custom Furniture
for the Bedrooms  

After building bookcases for the Bet Midrash, custom-made furniture for all our offices and desks in all the classrooms, Shmuel has now moved on to his next project: designing new custom-made furniture for all the bedrooms in the dorm!  He is currently working on a prototype for the pieces - a matching bed and closet set for each student.  Built out of strong and beautiful material, the sets are being designed to maximize comfort and utility, providing ample storage space in a way that also increases the floor space and comfort of the dormitory. 

Read full article>> 

Rina Olivestone hails from Teaneck, NJ and is currently a fashion designer based in Manhattan.  Rina recently completed her degree in fashion from FIT.  During her studies, she also served as the Associate Regional Director and Head Advisor for the Northwest Region of NCSY.  We recently interviewed Rina to find out what it is like to work in the field of fashion design. 
  

MMY:  Tell us a bit about your background. 
RO:  I'm from Teaneck NJ, went to Maayanot for high school and then on to a year and a half at MMY.  After that I pursued my dream to study fashion design at FIT.   

MMY:  How long have you been interested in fashion?  How did you decide you wanted to use your artistic talent towards fashion design? 
RO:  When I was younger, I used to create clothing for my dolls.  I was also very artistic and took art lessons in my free time.  Eventually, these two hobbies combined and I realized that my doodles in class were actually clothing designs!  By sixth grade I was convinced I knew what I wanted to do with my life.  I didn't realize that some people don't know what they want to do even halfway through college; for me it was always a given that this was the direction my life was heading.  

MMY:  Looking back, what aspects of your time in MMY had the biggest impact on your future?   In what way is your kesher with MMY important to you today? 
RO:  MMY was a foundation for my life.  MMY helped me solidify my morals, my views and my goals.  It made me who I am - and who I'm still becoming.  I know that if I ever have a question or a problem, that there are rabbeim and teachers at MMY who will gladly answer me or talk out whatever I need, still to this day.  I know that when I visit Israel, I can visit MMY and teachers will greet me excitedly and make me feel at home. MMY goes above and beyond to keep up a kesher with former students through alumnae shiurim and friendly, warm emails.  This makes a very big difference to me! 

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