The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts

This coming Shabbat we read Parshat Vayechi -- the final Parshah in Breishit, thereby completing the first book of the Torah. This is quite an accomplishment after weeks and weeks of consistently reading the parshah in shul from when we started with the first chapter of the Torah three months ago on Simchat Torah.
Interestingly enough, at the conclusion of the book of Breishit (and at the conclusion of each of the five books of the Torah for that matter), the congregation calls out in unison: "Chazak chazak v'nitchazeik" "Be strong, be strong, and we will be strengthened." The power of the words coming from the entire community usually gives me the chills.

But what exactly is so powerful? The truth is, the statement is pretty repetitive and would probably undergo some editing if any of my English teachers got a hold of it. Can't we just say, "Be strong" once? And isn't it obvious that if a person is strong that he will be strengthened?

But the line is teaching us something deeper: that if each individual becomes strong on his own, then the community as a whole will be strengthened. As soon as one individual becomes stronger, he raises the status of the entire community to new heights and his actions raise the bar for those around him. You can think of it as "peer pressure for the good." One person's positive actions to strengthen himself affects the entire community, raising expectations and bringing them to a level beyond where they were before.

As we move forward to the next book of the Torah, and recommit ourselves to learning G-d's word week by week, we turn to the community to support each other in this endeavor. We encourage everyone to let the completed book of the Torah take him to new heights, using what we've learned these past months to strengthen each individual's actions for the future.

We must realize that our actions don't stand alone, but that our entire community is behind us and depending on us.

So we ask every individual: Be strong, be strong! Because if you are, then WE will be strengthened!

[Looking forward to seeing the strength that each one of you brings to NCSY at Conclave!]

Post by, Sarina Miller

Time

As 2012 comes to a close, I've been thinking a lot about my own perception of time. We often find ourselves saying "there should be more than 24 hours in a day" or "that seems like forever" or "where did the time go?" We often question how quickly or slowly time passes.

2012 has been a year of public highs and lows, which have been mirrored by personal highs and lows for many. In particular, in the last few days of 2012, I often find myself thinking about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and other tragic events that have happened.

In only seconds, one person, one young adult, changed the lives of millions. He directly affected every person in the school and every person in Newtown. He indirectly affected every school administrator, every teacher, every policeman, every parent, every child, nearly everyone who heard the news of the shooting. In only seconds, so much damage was done.

Can you think of the last time that that much GOOD was infused into the world?

Tragedies are blatantly tangible and breathtakingly terrifying; goodness is harder to see: it is women into the fabric of every day interactions, of subtle smiles shared between people, of seemingly minute conversations, of family functions, of outbursts of laughter, of simple moments.
Although I sometimes find myself overwhelmed with how scary with this world can be, I am then overwhelmed by just how beautiful this world can be; each and every one of us can help tip the balance far more to the "good" side.



How much good will you add to the balance today, this hour, this minute? How can you make the most of the time Gd gave us?

PostSecret

Recently, I was browsing the Facebook page of "PostSecret" of a specific college. PostSecret is an online community in which anyone can anonymously submit secrets which will then be displayed to the public. I came across this post and it really made me think.


I am culturally Jewish, but not religious at all. I grew up in an area with many “Jews,” but very few that actually practiced Judaism—or at least to a serious extent. Before coming to [college], I have to admit that I had some preconceived prejudices—not about different religions or minorities—but about religious Jews. For whatever reason, I thought they might be weird, and that believing in God or seriously adhering to a religion in this day and age was stupid—and that people who did so might be boring or not fun. However, since I got here, I have met many religious/orthodox Jews, and they are some of the coolest people I have ever met. Contrary to what I had thought, many of them are very similar to me and have become close friends. While being religious might not be right for me, I have gained a totally newfound respect for those who are.



We never know what impact we can have on people by simply being ourselves.

Life Changing Moment

Having a Bar Mitzvah at the Wall in Israel is a life changing event because it helps increase understanding of one's heritage and Judaism. 
I had my Bar Mitzvah at the Wall in Israel, and it changed my life. I was able to have it in Israel, my homeland, and in the most holy place in world. It takes me back to the summer of 2012 on my trip to Israel with NCSY and JSU (two Jewish groups that I belong to). 
The trip was called TJJ (The Jerusalem Journey). This was the best summer of my life and I had lots of friends on my bus and in other programs in Israel too. I was fortunate enough to have my Rabbi, Rabbi Gershie, as the head of Bus 2 . There were nine buses filled with teens from all across the world and my bus had teens from all of the Midwest. While I knew the whole time that the time would come to have by Bar Mitzvah at the Wall, I slowly prepared with Rabbi Gershie for it. The more I prepared, the more nervous I got. The day came and I could not stop thinking about what was to take place in a few hours. My life would change forever!

One hour before my Bar Mitzvah my NCSY adviser, Michael Kahn, joined me from another program and brought two of my good friends with him, Ricardo and Joey. I ran up to them and gave them a hug and said “Thanks so much for coming.” They replied, “We would not miss it for the world.” Then unexpectedly I ran into NCSY’s National President from two years ago, Amanda Esraelilian. This was so much fun to see her because I have not seen her in a year. Unfortunately, she could not make it to my Bar Mitzvah because she was interning with the OU ( Orthodox Union). I also had another special treat. One of the greatest Rabbis that I know, Rabbi Nissel, came to the celebration with me. I knew at this time that soon I would be Bar Mitzvahed and was once again very nervous.

Everyone walked over to the Wall through the Old City. When we approached the Kotel I heard whispering others praying. At that point the only thing running through my head was this is really happening. As we approached the Wall, I eagerly started preparing for the day that changed my life. As I put on my Tefillin, with the help of Joey and Michael, I felt a feeling of belonging and also felt a welcoming as it was an opening to a new journey. The service started. I was clueless when I was going to go up but then I got the cue. I approached the altar and was sweating and nervous. We called my parents so they could hear me recite some of the Torah. This was the time. I grabbed the tzitzis from my side, pulled them up and touched them with my lips and placed them on the Torah. This was the moment that it all came down to. Then, from the place I touched with the tzitzis I recited the Torah after Rabbi Gershie, “Barchu et Hashem hamevorach (Bless G-d who is the Blessed).” When I finished reciting the Torah I pulled my Tallis over my head everyone threw candy. I smiled and I started to dance as I heard some music beginning to play. Then I danced around the Torah with my friends, This was the start of my new journey.

Post by, Lee Goodman

This Commercial May Change Your Life

Post By, Arieh Levi

Never Say Never

Post by, Sarina Miller

It is safe to assume that over the past week we have all in some way by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. I know I have been thinking about it a lot. We have heard about both the evil and the heros in the story....

This video is a very powerful one... and something to think about.

Cloud Waves

Here is another post showing the incredible beauty of nature. 

Sometimes all we need to do be inspired is to look outside...

Nature

                                   
I am endlessly amazed by the breathtaking nature in and of this world.
                               

How Badly Do You Want It?

The Chafetz Chaim tells over his eye witness account of what happened when the leaders of Brisk came to Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik to ask him to be the Rabbi of their community. Rav Soloveitchik refused, saying that he had his share of being a rabbi of a community and now he wanted to spend his days learning. The leaders of Brisk offered him many things in order to persuade him to come, but Rav Soloveitchik was adamant in his refusal. 

Disheartened, the men turned to leave. Just at that moment one of the men thought he would give it one more try and said, “Rebbe I’ll tell you the truth, there are 25,000 Jews waiting for you that are desperately in need of your leadership.” 

The Rav started to shake and said, “Bring me my stick and my hat, I’m moving to Brisk.” 

Rav Soloveitchik immediately accepted the position when he heard that so many Jews were in need of his leadership. The Chafetz Chaim then asks: Could you imagine if mashiach would hear that the entire Jewish nation couldn't live without him? If we truly cried out for mashiach and wanted him badly enough, could you imagine how fast he would come??

Countdown to Conclave: 10 days!
Who still needs banquet dress up ideas???? I have mine already, and it's going to be EPIC!!! Can't wait to see everyone there!

Do We Really Say Goodbye?

Chanukah may be officially over, but do we really say goodbye?

Sometimes when look at the world we see it as such a dark place. Then we think that how can little me make such a difference in a world that's so big and so confusing??

Shlomo Hamelech wrote in Mishlei that a mitzva is compared to a candle. Every time we do a mitzva it is as if we are lighting a candle. And what happens when you light a candle in the dark? The room will become a little brighter. Every candle that you continue to light will light up the room even more until it becomes fully illuminated.

It is now more than ever that we should never give up, because every mitzva we do not only brings us spiritual fulfillment, but will also light up the whole world!

Dreaming in Reality

Many times we caught up in the details of specific events in the parsha. For a moment let us reflect on a general yet significant douple-aspect of Yosef.

Last week we saw how Yosef was a man of dreams. Dreaming of his future leadership and position relative to his brothers. This week we read in Parshas Mikeitz how Yosef is super-resourceful and practical decision-maker in Egypt. 

There seems to be here a dichotomy in Yosef's personality. On one hand he lives with a vision, dreaming about a far-off goal. On the other hand he sees his role in this world as one which is very practical.

To each on his or her own level, we must all strike this balance. We must not be complacent and stagnant in our growth, but rather always strive for more with a goal in mind. At the same time, we must implement a plan to get there and accomplish in a practical way that which we meet in reality. 

Just like the oil in our very special menorah rises above the water, 

the Jews rise above their challenges and their enemies and always succeed. 

When you look at those tiny lights, remember that you are like the 

oil and the flames of your menorah. You have the ability to rise up.

We think its a miracle that the oil lasted for 8 nights. It certainly is. 

But who said oil was supposed to light? That in itself is a miracle.

Those little flames should remind us that HaShem is always there for 

us, and makes miracles for us every single day.

Have an amazing last few nights of Channukah! Take it in, and light 

up the world with your little flame. 

Hey Everyone! Happy Chanuka!

First Off, I am sooooo excited to be submitting on the blog! This is such an awesome website. I saw two things recently that I thought I would share with everyone. One of them is the comic strip, just because it's hilarious.




























Aside from that, I saw a very cool article about the neurological response to prayer that Elisha Karan sent me and I found it very profound. 
It points to the idea that the brain uses the same parts during prayer as it does in the experience of friendship communication. 

In other words, prayer is actually deepening your 'relationship' with G-d quite literally. To see more on this.. here is the link to the article. It's really interesting: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/this-is-how-your-brain-reacts-during-intense-prayer/

Anywho, Happy Chanuka! If anyone has thoughts on it, I'd love to hear from you guys.

Post by, Rabbi Gershie Meisel

Bringing Light into the Darkness

Chanukah is about bringing light into the darkness.

This idea of bringing light has always fascinated me. Partially because I happen to love fire, particularly how one spark of light can make an entire room brighter. Taking that physical phenomenon into an intellectual concept, though, we can infer that even one ounce of "goodness" will light up a room, a school, an entire world. I guess it's no coincidence that NCSY's logo is a flame. It's such a beautiful symbol of passion, intensity, and illumination.



Story time:
I am a freshman at WashU, a secular university in St. Louis (Washington University in St. Louis is its full name, but it's a bit long to use all the time). In my dorm, I am the only Jewish girl who considers herself "religious." In the beginning, it was daunting; in the beginning, sometimes it's hard to be different, to stick to what you believe. As time went on though, I became more comfortable with my floormates, and they with me. We started to have open and stimulating conversations about religion; they were absolutely fascinated with ideas about keeping kosher, keeping shabbos, and being shomer nigea.
After plenty of conversations, and also just hanging out, a few of my new friends even said to me, "Sarah, you're the first Jew that we can really ask questions to!" I was speechless. Although I often see myself as small, as one of billions of people, for my floormates, I have become the one Jew they feel comfortable asking questions to. It's a pretty unbelievable honor, in my opinion.

Sometimes, we are presented with daunting yet awesome opportunities of bringing light into the darkness. Every night, we add a candle, we add more light; with more time, we can spread more light, we can bring more light into the darkness.

The miracle of channukah

In the Jewish calendar there are two holidays which we have that were established by the Rabbis and not by the Torah: Purim and Channukah. However, there is a difference between the two of them that seems strange at first. We know that we have a tradition that when good things happen to the Jewish people we say a special prayer, called Hallel, which gives thanks to HaShem for all the good things He does for us. On Channukah, along with all the holidays from the Torah, we say this special prayer, but on Purim we don't. What is the reason for this difference?

The Sfas Emes offers a beautiful explanation. He writes that on Purim we were, after the war, still under the leadership of Achashveirosh, whereas on Channukah we were no longer under the rule of the Greeks. However, history tells us that we were not completely free from the Greeks after the war. The Sfas Emes explains further that after the war with the Greeks we were able to serve HaShem by lighting the Channukah candles despite still being without a Temple and still in the feeling of Galut (exile), and do so with a tremendous feeling of happiness and Jewish pride. This, says the Sfas Emes, was the true miracle of Channukah that lasted from the very beginning of the first night through to the very end of the last and even beyond-that we were able to overcome the world around us and still realize what was meaningful in the world and that is the serving of HaShem.

We should all merit to take the light of the Channukah candles and internalize it and see the candles as a message to help us remain strong in our serving of HaShem throughout the rest of the year.

Jewish All Stars

Think being an observant Jews conflicts with your career dreams? 9 times out of 10, think again!

Hear from high up there Jews who've made it happen!

Post, by Sarina Miller

Eight Miraculous Days

My daughter came home from school with this question, and I don't have anybody to answer it:

Why is the first night of Chanukah also considered a miracle if there was originally enough oil to burn for the first night of Chanukah? It is understood that there wasn't enough oil for the other nights, but what was so special that we call the first night of Chanukah also a miracle? Thanks.

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Your daughter has asked one of the most famous questions in rabbinic literature! Rabbi Yosef Karo (16th century Israel) offered three possible answers, and scholars have offered an endless stream of answers through the years. There is even a book called "Ner L'meah," by Rabbi Yerachmiel Zeltzer, that lists 100 answers to this question! Here's a sampling:

(1) The oil was divided in eight parts, and the Kohanim lit only one-eighth of the oil each night. But this small amount miraculously burned throughout each of the eight nights - including the first night. (Beit Yosef)

(2) Since the Temple had been desecrated with pagan idols, the Maccabees lit their Menorah outside in the courtyard. Normally, a flame exposed to the open air will burn more quickly than one sheltered indoors. Nevertheless, on all eight nights, the oil burned as long outdoors as it would have inside the Temple. (Chasam Sofer)

(3) Having returned to the Temple and found it in shambles, the Maccabees had no reason to think they would find pure oil. But they were so eager to perform the mitzvah of lighting the Menorah, that they began what seemed like a hopeless search - and they succeeded! This commitment to battle all odds for the sake of a mitzvah is what we commemorate on the first day of Chanukah. (Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik)

(4) The first day commemorates the miraculous military victory. (Pri Chadash, Kedushas Levi)

(5) We tend to take "nature" for granted, yet the burning of oil is inherently no less miraculous than would be the burning of water. Therefore, the first day commemorates that even the "normal" burning of oil takes place only because God created it so. (Rabbi David Feinstein)

Have a happy Chanukah, and may your daughter's future be as bright as the Chanukah lights!

-Aish.com

Keep Moving Forward!

The Parsha this week tells us of the story when the brothers threw Yosef in the pit. When the Torah tries to emphasize how hurtful this was to Yosef it adds that "The pit was empty, there was no water in it". Why must the Torah tell us there was no water? It just told us it was empty!

Rashi tells us that the pasuk specified that there was no water to imply that there were other things, like snakes and scorpions. The Gr"a explains that this lack of water may also be a reference to Torah (Mayim zu Torah). If someone lacks the Torah, it does not mean he is the same person just without Torah. If there is no Torah, there are inevitably other, more dangerous things which affect a person.

On a general and conceptual level, this idea is very fundamental to how to guide our Jewish lives. If we do not pursue those things which are fundamentally important, it does not merely mean we stay at neutral and can call ourselves "fine" (as opposed to great). If we do not push forward there will inevitably be something pushing us backwards. 

Have a great Shabbos!

New Maccabeats Chanukkah Song!

SHINE

What Dr. Seuss Taught Me

(Picture from allinfographics)

Jacob and the Guitar Man

Recently, a friend of mine sent me a link to this YouTube video. The video shows the interaction between a street performer and Jacob, a blind eight-year old with autism. The street performer, Tyler Gregory, treats Jacob with utmost respect and even lets him touch his guitar. It's a truly magical performance.

From Tyler Gregory's website: 
"It was an ordinary day, walking to my regular spot to busk when I don't have a gig that night, and play music on the corner for a rotating crowd. When Jacob came over I felt excited about having another kid listen to the music. (Makes my day when kids dance to the music on the street... I already had a couple come over that day so it was already nice). However, unlike most kids that come up to me with curiosity, I felt so much energy coming off of him and I was completely overwhelmed. His hand on my leg was very powerful and about brought me to tears while playing. Not because he is blind or autistic.. but because of a connection I have never felt and one that is impossible to explain. Honestly, a feeling that came from my toes all the way up my body and surrounded me. I can't begin to explain it. I want to try to put it into words, but there is no way to tell how powerful his energy felt."

I never cease to be amazed by the amount of goodness in this world. While headlines might screen of corruption and terror, there are so many moments of breathtaking, pure, and genuine kindness and compassion. To me, these moments are undeniable proofs of Gd's will, Gd's existence, and Gd's intended purpose for us. 

An Unstoppable Spirit

We all have expectations for our lives -- of the life paths and opportunities that should come our way, and where they should lead. But what happens when those expectations come crashing down? Janine Shepherd, an aspiring olympic medalist, tells her moving story of what it means to not let your life circumstances take control of you, but for you take the reigns and take control of your life.

"It wasn't until I let go of the life I thought I should have, that I was able to embrace life that was waiting for me." 

Janine's inspiring and empowering story proves that though our bodies are limited, our spirit is unstoppable.

Post by, Sarina Miller

I Am The Flame

I am the flame!

I am the flame which burns in every Jewish heart.

I am the flame which is kindled in the deepest recesses of the heart.

I am the flame which from a match is kindled and becomes a consuming blaze.

I am the flame which though it may flicker will never be extinguished.

I am the flame which throughout the ages has flickered in the wind of oppression.

I am the flame, which flickers despite attempts to extinguish it.

I am the flame which in the Ghetto burned for eight nights.

I am the flame which burned as a symbol of defiance in the face of oppression.

I am the flame, the flame of burning desire.

I am the desire for a world redeemed. 

By, David Selis

It's almost time for Chanukah!!!