This past week I had the incredible opportunity to travel with a large group of my peers on Kollel to Yad Eliezer. For those of you who don’t know (which I myself did not until that day), Yad Eliezer is an organization dedicated to helping those in need by preparing and delivering boxes filled with different foods as well as any other items these people may require. For the short hour we were there, it was our job to assemble, pack, and wrap as many of these boxes as we could. Every person was assigned to a different station along one long assembly line. The boxes were put together at the beginning, taped up at the end, and along the middle, one person was assigned to pack a specific item into each box.

I was assigned (probably the most important) job of packing the body wash. Like everyone else, I started off excited and enthusiastic about my job. One by one I filled boxes with those ever so important bottles. But after a while I began to ask myself, “What is it that I’m actually doing? In what way is it relevant? How big of a difference can this seemingly tiny and insignificant contribution actually make?” Of course this didn’t stop me from doing my job. I kept packing those body wash bottles until we ran completely out of time. That’s when I finally looked up and saw the over 250 boxes we had prepared (despite the few technical difficulties that had slowed us down along the way) being wrapped up and prepared for delivery. It was then I realized that while the contribution that I, as well as everyone else, had made may have been small on its own, when put together we managed to make a difference large enough to affect the lives of over 250 people. Even making the smallest contribution whenever you have the change can end up taking part in the largest differences.

 – Nachi Fleischaeker (Memphis, TN; 2nd year on Kollel)

After an enjoyable, relaxed free-weekend, Kollel returned renewed and refreshed, geared up for another exciting week that lay ahead.

This morning, following the normal early morning routine of Davening, Halacha Shiur with Rav Schachter, and breakfast, Kollel was privileged to hear from Dr. David Luchins, a lecture that Kollel has the Zechut to hear once every summer.  Dr. Luchins spoke about the significance of the deal with Iran, and the importance of the state of Israel.  The lecture was both informative and enjoyable, and the NCSYers walked away having gained a greater understanding of the situation.

During lunch, Kollel was treated to a meat lunch as part of a beautiful Siyum on Masechet Nedarim by Madrich Ben Zion Feld.

The day continued as normal with great Chaburahs, intense league games, and an amazing mini-Tiyul; a hike along the Burma trail.

Tonight brought a special schedule to Kollel, a brief deviation from the usual night Seder schedule.  Prior to night Seder, Rav Moshe Taragin, of Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush), gave Divrei Hesped for his Rebbe, Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, A”H.   Following the Hesped, the NCSYers split up between two panel discussions as part of Kollel’s Leil Iyun.  On one panel, Rav Taragin and Rabby Yisrael Kaminetsky, Menahel of DRS, discussed the topic of Tefillah and the role it plays in the life of a high school student.  In the other discussion, Rav Mordechai Burg and Rav Yosef Bronfeld discussed issues and difficulties that teenagers in high school face in today’s day and age.  The Leil Iyun was a success in fostering discussions about relevant topics the the NCSYers found interesting and enjoyable.

After a Shabbos recharge and an inspiring Lei Iyun program, Kollel is ready to roll on this week with exciting activities just around the corner!

Yechiel “Michael” Schreck is currently enjoying his 3rd summer as a Madrich on Kollel.  He comes to us this year after a year of learning in Ner Israel Rabbinical College.  Schreck enjoys a “little brother, big brother” relationship with Rabbi Benovitz.

This year’s Chevra is especially strong, focused, and tenacious in their pursuit to learn and grow.  It features 2 returnees – Josh Hertzberg from Pittsburgh, PA (Hillel Academy), and Nachi Fleishhacker from Memphis, TN (Copper High School), Ben Ungar, also from Pittsburgh, PA (Hillel Academy), Avromel Brimm from Chicago, IL (Fasman Yeshiva High School), and our token in-towner, Donny Rozenberg from Monsey, NY (TABC).

The Chabura is learning the first Perek of Gemara Makkos and building Gemara skills while also doing some Jewish Thought, specifically about the 3 Weeks and Tisha B’Av. A dessert course of Kitzur Shulchan Aruch is also delectably delightful, and completes the all-around coverage of the Chabura’s learning.

Have a great summer, because they already are!

Sam Wall started his NCSY Kollel career as a camper in 2010, took a few years off to regroup, and returned as a Madrich last summer and again this summer, 2015. Sam originally hails from Livingston, NJ and attended MTA for high school, but now currently resides with his family in Westport, CT. Sam went to OJ for two years after high school, and then continued learning an additional year at the Mir.

The Chabura is made up of five awesome and personable guys: Yoni Deutsch from West Hempstead, NY (DRS), Uri Gordon from Cedarhurst, NY (DRS), Yehuda Colton, from Teaneck, NJ (MTA), Aryeh Weis, from Hillside, NJ (JEC), and last but certainly not least, Yosef Borochov from Cedarhurst, NY (DRS).

The Chabura has already developed into a warm, tight knit unit, has developed a strong sense of camaraderie, and is aiming to grow as a team through both physical and spiritual experiences this summer.

The Chabura is learning a tough, but very entertaining Sugya in Maseches Bava Kamma, with hopes of realizing the beauty of Torah through hard work and engaging discussion.

The Wall Chaburah also ranks very well in post-Chabura garbage -can basketball (which they hold to a much higher regard than the regular leagues themselves!).

Check out a recap of our first two weeks on NCSY Kollel 2015!

What an amazing first full week of leagues!  While the season has been short thus far, there have been so many incredible games, and as the standings show, most teams, if not all, are right in the thick of it!  Just today so many thrillers took place out on the courts:

Tzvika Septimus hit a game-winning 3-pointer to lead Team 22 to a shocking 2-point victory over team 6, and sustain their perfect record;

Shuki Weinstein scored a game-tying goal for Team Fork with 10 seconds remaining in the game to salvage the 1-1 tie and remain “undefeated”;

Rabbi Benovitz and his Team 17 eked out a 2-point win over Team 15 in a nail-biting double overtime victory.

As you can see, there has been no shortage of drama in the sports department, and we look forward to continuing what is already an awesome season.  Keep following for more updates on both our basketball and hockey leagues!

An amazing first full week of Kollel ended off with another incredible day today.

Having begun acclimating to its regular daily schedule, Kollel had no shortage of exciting events taking place this week.  NCSYers’ first Shiurim, Night Seder chavrusot, and league games were followed by an amazing full-day tiyul and an inspiring Yom Chesed.  The schedule was also highlighted by a variety of mini-tiyulim almost every day this week.

As we head into our first free weekend of the summer, Kollel is showing no signs of losing steam.  Morning Shiurim were in full force this morning, and the Beit Medrash was electric as NCSYers continued to see what Gemara Berachot has to offer.  The afternoon included continued Chaburahs and sports as intense as we’ve seen them all year, as teams begin to figure out their style and attempt to assert their dominance in the league.  The afternoon’s exciting activities also included a well-attended jeeping mini-tiyul in Ramat Beit Shemesh.

Regular Night Seder Chavrusot and Shiurim were preceded by a once-in-a-lifetime Mussar Seder from Rav Sobolofsky and were followed by an outstanding Thursday night Mishmar that made the perfect ending to the week.  The Beit Medrash was packed well past midnight with NCSYers looking to end the week strong, and needless to say, they succeeded.

Tomorrow, the NCSYers will head out for their first free weekend for a chance to relax, regroup, and head into next week fresh and ready to keep up the intensity.  We’re looking forward to another jam-packed week filled with excitement, enjoyment, and growth!

This summer marks Robbie Schrier’s third summer as a Madrich on NCSY Kollel. Like his last two summers, Robbie is again working on his signature mustache and goatee that makes him look uncannily similar to a Musketeer.

Robbie has an all-star Chaburah with a serious mission to understand the Sugyot that they are learning, ripping apart Robbie’s explanations in the process. Most of the Chaburah hails from Robbie’s hometown of Woodmere, New York. This includes Avi Skurnik, who attends Rambam Mesivta, Rafi Thalheim, who attends DRS, and Shmuel Aidelson who attends MAY. Eitan Kaszovitz also attends DRS and hails from Cedahurst, New York. Don’t forget Akiva Akerman who also attends DRS, hailing from West Hempstead, New York. Finally, the only member to come from a foreign state by the name of New Jersey, there is Meir Yaakov Sobolofsky who hails from Teaneck.

Robbie’s Chaburah has been studying the Sugyot that culminate in Matan Torah, including Shabbos and Amalek. They enjoy learning on such a high level, and find the Chaburah to be challenging and mentally stimulating.  Robbie is looking forward to defending his two-time Chaburah wars championship title this summer.

Wednesday’s break from our usual learning and the walls of the beit medresh was in no way a break from the amazing growth of the NCSY Kollel. If anything, today’s “Yom Chessed” lead to some extraordinary growth and learning in areas not usually explored. Splitting up into six different groups, the NCSY Kollel left its mark all over the country.

One group of NCSYers visited an army base in in Chevron, where they got to meet many soldiers – some American teenagers who volunteered for the army – and learned about what it means to devote your life to the Jewish people.

Another group of NCSYers volunteered in Yad Eliezer where they helped package boxes of food and supplies for families throughout Israel who are struggling financially.  The NCSYers enjoyed the challenge of packing as many boxes as they could in such little time, and felt a sense of accomplishment upon finally completing it.  Similarly,  a separate group of Chaburahs went to a pantry to package food to be sent to people in need.  They enjoyed preparing fruits and vegetables, as well as other foods, and packaging them, knowing that a family in need would be benefitting from their hard work.

A third group visited an organization called Leket Yisrael, an organization dedicated to the Mitzvah of picking fruit grown specifically for the purpose of sending to families in need.  The NCSYers picked around 1,700 lbs of apples, enough to feed over 200 families!  This specific trip this year had more meaning given the fact that it is currently a Shemittah year.  The NCSYers saw what it means to be so dedicated to Torah and Mitzvos that you entire fields lie barren since Rosh Hashanah.  After some words regarding Shemittah from Rabbi Sobolofsky, the NCSYers danced and sang in the fields about the beauty of Shabbos and the year of Shemittah.

The NCSYers that joined project JIVE (Jerusalem Volunteers for the Environment) helped to clean up a community in Jerusalem .  Project JIVE uses cleanups like this in an effort to turn the environmental and social values rooted in the Jewish tradition into the foundational building blocks of Israeli culture and society.

The final group spent their day in Shaare Zedek Hospital where, through singing and clowning, they were able to uplift some of the patients who were going through difficult times by putting a smile on their face.

These trips were deeply inspiring, but perhaps what was most inspiring, or at least equally inspiring, was the way we spent our night. After being out and about all day, many of us engaging in some tiring work, we all came back to Beit Meir for an amazing night seder. After being encouraged by so many different types of Jews all over Israel, and their commitment to Am Yisrael, we too showed our commitment to Am Yisrael in the NCSY Kollel beit medresh through our Torah learning.
Today’s experiences, both on the trips and in the beit medresh, showed us all what a commitment to Am Yisrael, Torat Yisrael, and Eretz Yisrael is all about.

Eliezer Feder is returning for his fourth consecutive summer on the NCSY Summer Kollel, and his third as a Madrich. His Chabura is comprised of six members: Akiva Fink from Woodmere, NY (DRS), Dovid Gelbtuch from Lawrence, NY (DRS), Tzvi Koenig from Spring Valley, NY (Heichal HaTorah), Jacob Minkin from West Hempstead, NY (DRS), Benny Persin from Passaic, NJ (Heichal HaTorah), and Tzvi Sabo from Bergenfield, NJ (MTA); all whom have shown tremendous growth and excitement for the learning so far.

Together, they are delving into the 6th Perek of Gemara Brachos, discussing the concept of making Brachos on food in general and different Brachos in particular. Faced with challenging questions and thought-provoking discussions, the Chabura together tackles each Gemara with much enthusiasm. The Chabura is finding the learning to be stimulating and engaging. One member in particular, Jacob Minkin, has risen to the challenge and has been soaking in all of the learning that he can get.

Besides the fun that the Chabura enjoys learning together with Eliezer, they are a mighty unit outside of the Beis Medrash as well. On Wednesday, when the entire camp split up to do different Chessed trips, the crew went with Eliezer to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Yirushalayim to cheer up the patients there. The guys dressed in bright and colorful clothing to make themselves look silly (for example, Benny Persin wore a neon orange t-shirt). They went from room to room turning frowns into smiles!

It was truly a rewarding experience. “I feel like a hundred bucks now!” Tzvi Koenig exclaimed after leaving the final room. Later, Dovid Gelbtuch eloquently explained that “the most precious think in the world is to make someone else smile,” and that is what they did so well today.

Before the trip, some members were hesitant about the idea. One such member, Tzvi Sabo, had such an amazing time that even after the group finished, he wanted to go back to a specific room which they had missed!

When moving through the halls, the Chabura was called into a room where the doctors were about to draw blood from a young boy. The boy’s mother heard the troop and called them in so to distract the boys during the shot. Akiva Fink knew exactly how to distract the boy by engaging him with a funny dance and skit.  The experience was truly an amazing one!

Eliezer is looking forward to an amazing continuation of the summer. It is only the beginning with so much more to come!