Rabbi David Mahler gets involved in the late night learning in a packed Kollel Beis Medrash on the first Mishmar of the summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the picture: Moshe Mattehada (L), Judah Cohen (M), Rabbi Mahler (R)

 

“This is my first time in eretz yisroel in 17 years and my son and I have said mah rabu maasecha Hashem many times on the trip, but this one tops them all. Seeing this beis medrash with all the learning — now that’s a Mah rabu maasecha moment.” — Rabbi David Mahler

 

Rabbi David Mahler is the assistant principal at Gindi Maimonides Academy in LA. He also has served as the Director of Student Activities at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in Livingston, NJ, and was the Assistant Principal at Westchester Day School in Mamaroneck, NY.

Rabbi Micah Greenland and his wife, Rivkie, stepped into the Beis Medrash late Thursday night on the first Mishmar of the summer and were taken aback by the buzz of the “Kol-Torah” that lasted through the late hours of the night.

In the picture: Rabbi and Mrs. Greenland (L) Rabbi Benovitz (M) Noam Gershov (R)

 

“This is heaven on earth for me” – Rabbi Mica Greenland

 

Rabbi Micah Greenland of Chicago has been serving as the International Director of NCSY since 2013. His involvement in NCSY, however, has been at the center of his life for over 20 years. He was the high school president of NCSY in 1993 and served as the the Midwest regional director for 12 years.

 

The days leading up to the start of our summers are always filled with a special combination of anticipation, anxiety, hard work, and hope. Our “spring training” is a whirlwind of activity over two continents with a common focus and goal and a common denominator of optimism and belief in the potential of the NCSY Summer Kollel.

So it was, that a staffer found himself in the Beis Medrash on the day before the flights landed in Israel. It was the end of a good number of hours of labor, and the room was finally set up and ready for action. It was also an ideal time for reflection, and modern reflections can sometimes be captured for posterity. This is what he saw:

An empty Beis Medrash, which, when primed and prepped for a glorious tomorrow, can be an incredible sight. The room itself shouts of possibility and promise. Each empty chair is a story. A young man from Cleveland visiting Israel for the first time. An honors student from New Jersey coming to learn a few minutes a day with Rav Schachter. Rav Schachter. A CIT returning for his third summer, to a place that feels like a second home. A staff member who is an alumnus of NCSY’s TJJ touring program (https://tjja.ncsy.org), who visited our program with his group for a day in 2012, and vowed to return sometime soon. A Yeshiva student with some apprehension of our schedule but the resolve to use this summer to advance a proud and strong religious identity. And no fewer than 300 other compelling and unique narratives.

It was the first of the week’s truly breathtaking moments. Without an NCSYer in the room, it was already a highlight. It was a moment to wonder, “What will be?”

And now, a scant 4 days later, some answers to that question have emerged. The seats have been filled, and the discourse has already begun to change. We can describe in clear detail exactly “What has been” and “What is.”

Here are a few snapshots from an unforgettable first few days, and a few answers to “What is.”

· First impressions and meetings, with a handshake, fist bump or just a smile and kind word. NCSYer to NCSYer, staff to NCSYer, Rebbe and talmid. Old reunions and new friendships.

· Opening Chabura Competitions for brawn and brain. 3 on 3, Hockey, Trivia, Pyramid Building, “Basketball Bowling”, and Individual Chabura Challenges. But mostly, good times and great bonding.

· Rabbi Yaakov Danishefsky addressing the Kollel before the first chabura, and acknowledging his own madrichim from his time as an NCSYer, 2 of whom were sitting in the room as Rabbeim. For the record, Rabbi Danishefsky was able to recount with great specificity what he learned with each of them.

· Halacha Shiur with Rav Schachter, with the entire NCSY Kollel spending 5 minutes after davening learning from Rav Schachter about the halachos of wake up and early morning blessings.

· Our opening tiyul with 6 diehard outdoor options. Softball and Soccer, hiking and biking, and NCSYers in every air conditioned gym in the Jerusalem Hills. And yes, water skiing too.

· Tip off and Face off for the legendary NCSY Kollel sports leagues. 32 basketball and 10 hockey teams. 21 games in the books on day one.

· Most recently, and most meaningful as a “full” beis medrash seat, our first night seder and late night mishmar program on Thursday. It’s hard to decide which was more impressive. The quality and quantity of the regular night learning was overwhelming and awesome. And there was no let up with the optional late night component either. 200 shwarmas were distributed in the Beis Medrash at midnight, and there were no doubles or leftovers…all this on our second complete day in Israel.

Remarkably, what might be most exciting is that we are still in the “before” stage, with plenty of ground to cover before properly appreciating “after.” We are still anticipating, dreaming, and contemplating the possibilities. What will the first NCSY Kollel Shabbos reveal? What kind of energy will be created and what will the effect be? What relationships are beginning today that will last a lifetime? What daf is being turned as a step towards hundreds of more? What will be the historical significance of our hundreds of NCSYers and staff spending such a formative 6 weeks in the center of Jewish destiny in Israel?

No, the Beis Medrash won’t have a rest until August 21. The rows are not as neat and the aisles less clear. It is full with the great group of NCSY Kollel 2016 and full with the possibility of greatness to come.

Have a wonderful and blessed Shabbos

Moshe Benovitz

What an amazing day!

Today the NCSYers enjoyed their first real trips of the summer!  This morning, Rabbi Schachter began with the first Halacha Shiur of the summer, a short discussion about the ideas of always remembering God and saying Berachot.  After another morning of Seder,  Shiur with their Rebbeim, and Chaburahs, Kollel departed to six(!) different, incredible trips, each NCSYer choosing to attend one of the six!  Whether it be to play softball at the beautiful Gezer field, water skiing, soccer in Jerusalem, mountain biking in Beit Shemesh, or basketball in a variety of gyms, the sports trips were as intense, fun, and exhausting as ever!  All of the trips enjoyed some free time in the mall upon completion of their tournaments, rides, and tours.

The night was capped off with our first night Seder program and a special late night Mishmar.  For night Seder, each NCSYer spends half of the night learning with an individual Madrich and the second half enjoying a Shiur from one of our amazing night Shiur Rebbeim.  The Beit Midrash remained packed into the late hours of the night by NCSYers and Madrichim alike, all continuing to learn together to end off what was an amazing first week.  While the sound of Torah being learned filled the Beit Midrash, the NCSYers were also treated to Shwarma and refreshments to enjoy as they continued to learn away.

It was an incredible first week on NCSY Kollel, and the NCSYers and staff look forward to continuing this amazing summer!

What an incredible first full day of Summer 2016! The day began with a full orientation for all NCSYers and staff members. Following orientation, each NCSYer was introduced to their morning shiur Rebbe. Each Rebbe welcomes his shiur, introduced himself, and began to explain the shiur and morning Seder process to each of the guys.

After lunch and Mincha, Kollel had our first official Chaburahs of the summer! Each Chaburah, led by a Madeich, consists of about 5-6 NCSYers who learn together, hang out together, and build relationships with one another that will hopefully last a lifetime. Chaburahs were introduced by Rabbi Yaakov Danishevsky (a morning shiur Rebbe, and former Madrich and NCSYer on Kollel himself), and each Chaburah met up to discuss and begin Chaburahs for the summer.

Later, NCSYers had the option to go to the beach, where they enjoyed some great football, volleyball, frisbee, and time in the water. And after a packed day filled with excitement, the night was capped off with an awesome night activity! Each Chaburah participated in a series of challenges against other Chaburahs. The challenges were exciting, competitive, and fun, ranging from trivia challenges, to hockey challenges, to basketball challenges.

It was truly an amazing first full day on Kollel, we can’t wait to get deeper into the Best.Summer.Ever tomorrow!

What an amazing start! After months of anticipation, Kollel 2016 is finally here!!

This morning, flight from JFK and LAX arrived safely in Ben Gurion airport and headed to our beautiful campus in Beit Meir.  Upon arrival, the NCSYers had time to unpack, meet their roommates, and relax and gather their bearings. Later they were given a brief orientation (with a full one to follow tomorrow morning), followed by Mincha and dinner in Beit Meir.

After dinner, it was time to head to the old city of Jerusalem for an amazing introduction to the summer.  Kollel visited the rooftop of Yeshivat Hakotel, the highest point in the old city, and, while overlooking the Kotel, were privileged to hear words of Chizuk from Division Head Binyamin Kaminetsky about the amazing summer that lies ahead.  We then headed down to the Kotel itself for an inspirational Maariv, one of the highlights of the summer in the very first hours spent in Israel.  After Maariv, the NCSYers were given some time to get food with their Madrichim before finally returning to Beit Meir.

After a long, exciting, and exhausting first day, Kollel has gone off to bed, getting ready for the incredible first full day that awaits them tomorrow meaning!

We are thrilled to update you that the group flight from NY and the flight from Los Angeles have landed safely and are on their way to our campus in Beit Meir.

This is a historic day, first and foremost because of the deep significance in welcoming such a remarkable group to the Jewish Homeland. More specifically, we are incredibly proud and excited to begin a summer with record breaking numbers of participants. This is the largest group we have hosted in Beit Meir, and we look forward to getting to know each and every one of them and to providing them with the summer of their lives.

After settling the NCSYers on our campus, we plan to head to Old City of Yerushalayim for maariv and an opening program. There is no better “first stop” in the world, and no better way to introduce the NCSY Kollel experience.

Please feel free to be in touch with us with any questions or concerns.

Welcome!

A recap of the #Best.Summer.Ever.

It is hard to believe that this update will be the final one for the summer or that NCSY Kollel 5775 draws to a close in just two days.  The disbelief is not from looking back and feeling how time has flown by or from a sense that the six weeks feel much shorter.  Rather, it is simply hard to imagine the impending abrupt end to an environment, lifestyle, and system that we have become beautifully accustomed to.  The rhythms of learning and davening, of playing and touring, have become second nature for our group, and we are sad to see it end, at least in its Beit Meir form.

 

It is also somewhat improbable that our final week could have surpassed the already spectacular days we have shared.  But this week did exactly that, and we are ending on the high that all of the NCSYers have earned.  Moreover, there was again a specific theme and focus to the week, that we hope and pray will make a lasting impression on all of us.

 

We often describe our activities as “unforgettable.”  In fact, in planning our tiyulim and other events we will frequently design for something that an NCSYer might still be talking about decades down the line.  This is true for the things we do, the ideas we hear and consider, and the relationships we form.

 

Our summer witnessed an impressive list that fit this criterion.  Even a partial list would have to include the following:

 

Our first gathering on the roof of Yeshivat HaKotel and group maariv at the Kotel…Filling the streets of Yerushalayim with laughter and energy…NCSY Kollel Football/Soccer/Basketball/Softball/Biking across the country…The incomparable spirit of our first Shabbos Tisch…The stirring words from Rav Mordechai Burg at that same Tisch…The awesome trek through the Black Canyon…Walking the streets of Tzefat at twilight…Welcoming so many friends from multiple busses of TJJ to our Beit Medrash…Learning for two intense days with TJJ Ambassadors…Welcoming Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau to address NCSY Kollel and TJJ in Beit Meir…The joint TJJ-NCSY Kollel siyum…The first (but certainly not last) “One More Day Till Shabbos” dance…A Shabbos Chazon of dreaming and introspection…Tisha B’Av from start to finish…Watching Rav Schachter relate and explain the Kinos…The Kotel Kumsitz…The spectacle of 1000 NCSYers at Yom NCSY…Fireworks and Shlomo Katz…The grace and inspiration of Racheli Frenkel…Our time with Rav Schachter, Rav Sobolofsky and Rav Twersky all together in our Beis Medrash…Breathtaking Sunrise on Har Shlomo…Refreshing water and exhilarating water sports in Eilat…A Shabbos in the Old City like no other…Rav Gav Friedman for over an hour and leaving us wanting even more…Team NCSYer knocking out the staff in 200 man dodgeball…Beating the soaring temperatures while rocking with Simply Tzefat…Yerushalayim like never before during the Chabura Wars Scavenger Hunt…Reaching new heights at IJump…The pageantry and excitement of the 3 on 3 Tournament and Festival…Learning and playing with Sulam…”The Goal Heard ‘Round the World”…

 

Of course, as we have claimed in prior discussions, even this incredible list does not include the most likely candidates for long term recall.  Morning seder chavrusas and a taste for Gemara learning, relationships with Rabbeim, chabura interactions and participation, the roar of the beis medrash during the night, and late Thursday mishmar sessions are the day to day fare that will not soon be forgotten.

 

“Unforgettable” appears frequently (at least six times) in the Torah as a specific directive to remember particular events.  Whether it is to keep in mind our battles with Amalek or the awesome vision of Mount Sinai, it is clear from this context that there are two levels of memorable.  In the first, an event or person is held somewhere in memory or subconscious.  Yet on this basic level, there is not necessarily consistent application or constant focus.  On the higher second level, these unforgettables are something more.  Even when not the specific center of attention, they are always actively shaping and molding our beliefs and behaviors.  They won’t be forgotten because once experienced they persist with ongoing impact.

 

And this brings us to the fantastic storylines of our last week.  Three events (or series of events) stand out as representative of this idea.

 

First and foremost was the meaningful special night learning program we conducted on Monday.  This annual Leil Iyun is always designed to highlight our outstanding Torah Personalities and to give our leaders a chance to directly address the group.  But perhaps even more significantly, the topics for the night are chosen with an eye towards relevance and impact on the lives of the NCSYers.  As such, this year’s Leil Iyun examined the different influences on our lives, and their proper place in Judaism.  Topics included the way we respond to friends, music, general culture, and our attraction to the opposite gender.  There were also shiurim that focused on Rabbinic Authority, parameters and philosophy of honoring parents, and the role of personal freedom in serving God.  As always, the evening was well received with enthusiastic participation.  It is placed at the end of the summer to emphasize the need to translate the learning and inspiration of the summer into practice the rest of the year.  This is a key element towards fulfilling our ambition for unforgettable moments and lasting impact.

 

But on NCSY Kollel these objectives are never limited to the Beis Medrash.  Our last major tiyul day also was memorable for all the right reasons.  The two main highlights each were consistent with this point, in markedly different ways.  The hike through Nachal Darja is our 3^rd and final of our series of master level hikes.  These provide the dual benefit of profound exhilaration and feelings of accomplishment and a super-developed connection to the beauty of the environment and Eretz Yisroel.  It is near impossible to traverse Nachal Darja and think of a mountain or our planet the same way again.  When these experiences are set in the sanctity and holiness of the land of Israel, they take on an entirely new dimension of significance. 

 

Others displayed their intrepid side in a different way.  Our Food Tiyul was a hit from start to finish, culminating in a lamb shechita.  Not for the faint of heart.  Each stop on the day included instruction and inspiration, and was designed to heighten our appreciation for the culinary bounty we enjoy and the blessing of modern Israel.  In the cheese factory and on the berry farm, and in the bread baking and at the closing shechita, there was a great combination of halacha, hands on experience, great food, and fun.  But there was also impact and something lasting.  This tiyul was designed to affect our approach to food, Eretz Yisroel and berachos and to be remembered long after the summer ends.

 

And even (?) a basketball or hockey court can provide memories for a lifetime.  This week most explosive moments were all during the thrilling league playoffs that surpassed any summer in the history of NCSY Kollel.  It would be easy to point to the buzzer beaters and multiple overtimes that will long be part of any discussion regarding NCSY Kollel sports.  But these were thrills with a purpose and contests with a message.  While there were no shortage of exceptionally intense encounters, there was only an increase in camaraderie and personal growth.  It was extremely gratifying to see how the entire Kollel celebrated with victors and joined in the consoling those who came out on the losing end.  I would venture that some of these too rare moments of connection will be remembered for even longer than the miracle shots.

 

Naturally, this will remain our focus over our last Shabbos and final day on Sunday.  We go home on Sunday night, but we are confident that it will be a very happy and productive form of an endless summer

 

We wish you a great and special Shabbos, and look forward to any and all feedback you wish to share.

 

Shabbat Shalom from Beit Meir and the NCSY Kollel!

 Moshe Benovitz

 

The only thing more exciting than playoff hockey?  Overtime Playoff hockey!  The first round of the playoffs lived up to expectations, and the games were intense, competitive, and thrilling.

In the first game, two-time defending champions ET Lustiger (G), Sam Gelman (C), and Team Cup faced off against the Commissioner, Tzvika Poleyeff (C) and Team Napkin.  While the game remained scoreless for most of the time, Tzvika fired a goal from the point late in the third period to put Napkin up 1-0.  As Cup fought hard to punch in the tying goal, it  was to no avail, and Napkin would hold on to win 1-0, preventing the rare three-peat.  The remaining games would prove to be even more tense than the first.  While Knife took a 1-0 lead over Fork in the first period, Fork would tie the game on a one-timer in the second.  After a scoreless third period for both teams, the game headed to OT.  Captain Josh Fagin would wrist in a put back shot off the rebound halfway through OT to defeat Knife 2-1.   While the game between Bowl and Spoon was more of a scoring fest, the game continued to shift back forth, both teams scoring 3 goals through the regulation time.  After two exhausting, intense periods of OT, Zev Markowitz fired a slap shot that found the back of the net for a 4-3 victory for spoon.  In the final game of the first round, Table proved to be too much for Plate to handle, and soundly defeated them by a score of 4-0.

With the Semi-finals being played tomorrow, be sure to check back and follow the updates!