I want to apologize for not posting in such a long time. I have been super busy with many different things. I promise to catch you all up on what has been going on with me in the past two and a half weeks. I am just going to talk about many different points in no particular order just to give you an idea of whats up.
Chanukah in Israel.
This is my second Chanukah in Israel and it has been just like what I had the first time around. Everyone gathering to light candles throughout Jerusalem. Whether your at the supermarket, a restaurant, a store, everyone takes a few minutes and lights the Menorah and sings songs. As Nativ we all gather in our computer room that has a side room that faces the street. We all put our Menorah on the windowsill and it faces the street and lights up the street and the room. It is quite a site to see, all of the Menorah glowing bright lights for several hours and 80 people light thing together and singing songs. The one sad thing about Chanukah in Israel is that it is very hard to find good Sufganiyot/doughnuts, and it is nearly impossible to find latkes. Nonetheless, I have enjoyed my second Chanukah in Israel and I look forward to having others here in the future.
Shabbat in Yerucham
Last Shabbat, I got on the bus with the rest of my track and we headed down south to visit our new home for next semester, Yerucham. After about a two hour drive, we made it to Yerucham. It is nothing too exciting to look at compared to Jerusalem. It is a very small city of about 10,000 people, but it is a strong city. It has a lot of immigrants from India and Morrocco within the community. We met our main contact in Yerucham that will help us with our volunteering, Yoram. We spent Shabbat at the youth hostel in Yerucham and heard from several significant leaders of the city and they told us their stories for why they are in Yerucham and what they do. On Saturday afternoon, we got a walking tour of Yerucham and the streets and where the apartments that we will be living are. Their is one main street that has a pizza place,a SuperSol(supermarket),community center, a huge playground/park, and several other things. Their are no bars or restaurants like we are used to in Jerusalem. It is going to be very different then what we are used to in Jerusalem, but I am very very excited for it. Motzei Shabbat we all went to a Chanuakah concert at the community center. It was the first performance in their brand new auditorium and we definitely made the minyan. It was a lot of Moroccan and Indian Jewish music, which we didn't understand, but we throughly enjoyed. We were back in Jerusalem on Sunday early evening in time for candle lighting and our regular evening activities.
End of the Yeshiva
This coming Tuesday I finish classes at the Yeshiva for Nativ. It is a bittersweet moment because I really enjoyed my learning at the Yeshiva and I also enjoyed everyone who I learned with at the Yeshiva. It will be different next semester having to learn on my own or with someone else and not be in the class room setting. The Yeshiva was an incredible experience for me and it helped me develop the skills necessary to learn independently and be able to comprehend what I am learning.
Other stuff
Over the past two weeks I have been doing lots of work for college applications and for USY International Convention. Both of these things have been keeping me very busy and very stressed. I leave to go back to the United States in less then a week to be relived of my duties as International President of USY. It is certainly a bittersweet emotion that I have. I am not sure what it will be like when I am finish, but at this rate I won't ever be finish because of th work yet to be done. I am sure I will post my post USY feelings in the next few weeks.
Shabbat Plans
This is one of my last Shababts to be spent in Jerusalem, so I am going to try and make it count. I am probably going to Shul both times at Shira Chadasha and then eating meals at base. I am going to just relax and enjoy Shabbat in Jerusalem. Motzei Shabbat I may be getting together for dinner with a bunch of people who I went to school from kindergarten through 12th grade with that are in Israel for the year and a few that are visiting over their winter breaks from college in the US. That should be exciting assuming it ends up happening.
That is about all that has been going on in the past few weeks. I hope all is well with everyone and that you enjoy your last day of Chanukah. May this Chanukah season brighten each of our lives and bring us nothing but happiness for the future. May your glowing candles be a light for the future. And mother, turn on the menorah above the front door and think of me as you do so.
Love,
David
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Dvar Torah for Parashat Vayeshlach
I wrote this for the USY International Listserv and I would like to share it with all of you. I hope you all have an amazing and relaxing Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom from the Holy Land!
David
Parashat Vayishlach ~ December 5th, 2009/Kislev 18, 5770
Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Yisachar, Zevulun, Dan, Naftalii, Gad, Asher, Yosef, and Benyamin. These are the twelve sons of Jacob, the twelve tribes of the people of Israel. But where are the women in this group? We all know that Jacob had 12 sons. But did you know that he also had a daughter?
In this week’s Parasha Vayishlach, Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, goes out to visit the daughters of the land. Shechem the Hivite takes her and sleeps with her by force. He asks his father Hamor to arrange his marriage to Dinah. Meanwhile, Jacob waits until his sons come in from the field to tell them about what just happened to Dinah. Jacobs’s sons tell Hamor that it would be improper for their sister to marry anybody who is not circumcised. Hamor agrees that all the men of his community will be circumcised, the two communities will trade with one another, and they will marry into each other's families. On the third day, as the Hivite men were recovering from their circumcision, Simeon and Levi took their swords and slew all the Hivites. Jacob criticizes his son’s actions, fearing an attack on him and his people. But the brothers respond harshly to their father by saying, “shall our sister be treated like a whore?”
The story of Dinah is violent and tragic. Who is the villain of this story? At first glance it appears to be Shechem, the son of Hamor, who took Dinah and forced her to sleep with him. He is considered to be a rapist who deserved a harsh punishment. Yet Dinah’s brothers exacted a punishment far beyond what we would consider fit for the crime when they killed the entire male Hivite population. But the story could also be read differently. It could be that Dinah went willingly to Shechem's tent and was not really forced to sleep with him against her will. In that case, would Shechem really be the villain?
Just prior to the story of Dinah, Jacob brings all of his wives and his sons to greet his brother Esav. But once again Dinah is nowhere to be found. Rashi asks “But where was Dinah? Benjamin was not yet born, but Dinah should have been accounted for. Jacob put her into a chest and locked her in, so that Esau should not set eyes on her. Therefore, Jacob was punished for withholding her from his brother, because had Esav married Dinah perhaps she would cause him to improve his ways.” Jacob made a bad judgment call when it came to visiting his brother Esav. He decided what he thought would be in the best interest of his daughter Dinah. But God did not see it that way. Dinah was a good person and meant well. She just did not know the difference between right and wrong because she was never taught.
Jacob was not an ongoing presence in his daughter Dinah’s life. Could it be that the story of Dinah is a story about parenting, particularly the parenting of a daughter? Could it be that Jacob is the villain here? That Dinah went willingly to Shechem because she had not been taught by her father the difference between right and wrong? Parenting is of particular importance in the raising of children. If a child has the constant presence of a parent in her life, as an adult she will yearn for that same love and affection in a partnered relationship, and strive to provide the same commitment to others. Jacob needed to teach Dinah the fundamentals of life, but he didn’t because he wasn’t there for her. This all goes to show us the importance of a dugmah…a role model… in the life of a child. It is important for children to learn how to make choices in their lives…to know the difference between right and wrong, and to challenge their role models when they see their role models falter.
So how do we make sense out of all of this? How does all of this fit together? And what does it mean to us?
The story of Dinah tells us that each of us is responsible for his or her own actions. No matter how often someone tells you to do something or not to do something, in the end the decision lies in your own hands. At the same time it is important to remember that what we do, or don’t do, is influenced by our role models.
Think about the presence and influence you have in the lives of your family and friends – is it positive, negative, or non-existent? In every place you go, whether at school or USY, at home or just walking on the street, you can be a positive influence for others. Even without knowing it, you have the power to change someone’s life for the good. So always do your best and what you think is best, not only for you but for the benefit of others. Never give up on the opportunity to be a good dugmah. This is the lesson that Dinah’s story teaches us in her relationship, or lack of one, with her father. Dinah’s encounter with Shechem teaches Jacob about the importance of being a dugmah. And from that we learn that we also have an obligation to be a role model to others. May this Shabbat be the beginning our quest to become the future dugmaot of Am Yisrael, the people of Israel.
Shabbat Shalom from the Holy Land!
David
Parashat Vayishlach ~ December 5th, 2009/Kislev 18, 5770
Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Yisachar, Zevulun, Dan, Naftalii, Gad, Asher, Yosef, and Benyamin. These are the twelve sons of Jacob, the twelve tribes of the people of Israel. But where are the women in this group? We all know that Jacob had 12 sons. But did you know that he also had a daughter?
In this week’s Parasha Vayishlach, Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, goes out to visit the daughters of the land. Shechem the Hivite takes her and sleeps with her by force. He asks his father Hamor to arrange his marriage to Dinah. Meanwhile, Jacob waits until his sons come in from the field to tell them about what just happened to Dinah. Jacobs’s sons tell Hamor that it would be improper for their sister to marry anybody who is not circumcised. Hamor agrees that all the men of his community will be circumcised, the two communities will trade with one another, and they will marry into each other's families. On the third day, as the Hivite men were recovering from their circumcision, Simeon and Levi took their swords and slew all the Hivites. Jacob criticizes his son’s actions, fearing an attack on him and his people. But the brothers respond harshly to their father by saying, “shall our sister be treated like a whore?”
The story of Dinah is violent and tragic. Who is the villain of this story? At first glance it appears to be Shechem, the son of Hamor, who took Dinah and forced her to sleep with him. He is considered to be a rapist who deserved a harsh punishment. Yet Dinah’s brothers exacted a punishment far beyond what we would consider fit for the crime when they killed the entire male Hivite population. But the story could also be read differently. It could be that Dinah went willingly to Shechem's tent and was not really forced to sleep with him against her will. In that case, would Shechem really be the villain?
Just prior to the story of Dinah, Jacob brings all of his wives and his sons to greet his brother Esav. But once again Dinah is nowhere to be found. Rashi asks “But where was Dinah? Benjamin was not yet born, but Dinah should have been accounted for. Jacob put her into a chest and locked her in, so that Esau should not set eyes on her. Therefore, Jacob was punished for withholding her from his brother, because had Esav married Dinah perhaps she would cause him to improve his ways.” Jacob made a bad judgment call when it came to visiting his brother Esav. He decided what he thought would be in the best interest of his daughter Dinah. But God did not see it that way. Dinah was a good person and meant well. She just did not know the difference between right and wrong because she was never taught.
Jacob was not an ongoing presence in his daughter Dinah’s life. Could it be that the story of Dinah is a story about parenting, particularly the parenting of a daughter? Could it be that Jacob is the villain here? That Dinah went willingly to Shechem because she had not been taught by her father the difference between right and wrong? Parenting is of particular importance in the raising of children. If a child has the constant presence of a parent in her life, as an adult she will yearn for that same love and affection in a partnered relationship, and strive to provide the same commitment to others. Jacob needed to teach Dinah the fundamentals of life, but he didn’t because he wasn’t there for her. This all goes to show us the importance of a dugmah…a role model… in the life of a child. It is important for children to learn how to make choices in their lives…to know the difference between right and wrong, and to challenge their role models when they see their role models falter.
So how do we make sense out of all of this? How does all of this fit together? And what does it mean to us?
The story of Dinah tells us that each of us is responsible for his or her own actions. No matter how often someone tells you to do something or not to do something, in the end the decision lies in your own hands. At the same time it is important to remember that what we do, or don’t do, is influenced by our role models.
Think about the presence and influence you have in the lives of your family and friends – is it positive, negative, or non-existent? In every place you go, whether at school or USY, at home or just walking on the street, you can be a positive influence for others. Even without knowing it, you have the power to change someone’s life for the good. So always do your best and what you think is best, not only for you but for the benefit of others. Never give up on the opportunity to be a good dugmah. This is the lesson that Dinah’s story teaches us in her relationship, or lack of one, with her father. Dinah’s encounter with Shechem teaches Jacob about the importance of being a dugmah. And from that we learn that we also have an obligation to be a role model to others. May this Shabbat be the beginning our quest to become the future dugmaot of Am Yisrael, the people of Israel.
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