Tuesday was Chabura Day in NCSY Kollel. In the morning there were chabura trips and in the afternoon was our third annual Chabura Wars. It is was incredible day from start (which started very early for some) to finish.

The Churva Shul for vatikin, bowling, soup kitchens, scavenger hunts all of over Yerushalayim, ice skating, and the beach are just some of the amazing trips that took place in the morning. Everyone enjoyed spending time with their madrichim and chaburas in a setting outside of the daily chabura learning.

Back in Beit Meir it was time for Chabura Wars 2013! Preparations started onMonday night when all of the chaburas were given instructions and packets about what they will be required to do during chabura wars. Part of the preparations included creating a costume theme for the entire chabura.

Chabura wars started it off with a variation on the classic game of Face-Off called Face-Off Bluff. Teams went head to head in a single elimination bracket until there was only one team remaining. After that the chaburas split up for hot-shot basketball, gaga, and panoply.

The highlight of chabura wars is always the Apache Relay. Our Apache Relay is very unique in what the participants are required to do. Running, diving for coins, eating bananas (without your hands of course), eating apples (the entire apple), and human pyramids were all part of the relay. Congratulations to Marc Poleyeff’s chabura for obliterating the competition with a time of just over 27 minutes.

For the final event of chabura wars we played the classic bar mitzvah game of Coke and Pepsi. It was probably one of the most intense Coke and Pepsi games to ever be played. Avi Feder’s chabura took the Coke and Pepsi crown.  The winner of Chabura Wars 2013 was the chabura of Robbie Schreier with Zev Kahane‘s chabura coming in second place and Marc Poleyeff’s chabura coming in third. Congratulations!

Tuesday was Chabura Day in NCSY Kollel. In the morning there were chabura trips and in the afternoon was our third annual Chabura Wars. It is was incredible day from start (which started very early for some) to finish.

The Churva Shul for vatikin, bowling, soup kitchens, scavenger hunts all of over Yerushalayim, ice skating, and the beach are just some of the amazing trips that took place in the morning. Everyone enjoyed spending time with their madrichim and chaburas in a setting outside of the daily chabura learning.

Back in Beit Meir it was time for Chabura Wars 2013! Preparations started onMonday night when all of the chaburas were given instructions and packets about what they will be required to do during chabura wars. Part of the preparations included creating a costume theme for the entire chabura.

Chabura wars started it off with a variation on the classic game of Face-Off called Face-Off Bluff. Teams went head to head in a single elimination bracket until there was only one team remaining. After that the chaburas split up for hot-shot basketball, gaga, and panoply.

The highlight of chabura wars is always the Apache Relay. Our Apache Relay is very unique in what the participants are required to do. Running, diving for coins, eating bananas (without your hands of course), eating apples (the entire apple), and human pyramids were all part of the relay. Congratulations to Marc Poleyeff’s chabura for obliterating the competition with a time of just over 27 minutes.

For the final event of chabura wars we played the classic bar mitzvah game of Coke and Pepsi. It was probably one of the most intense Coke and Pepsi games to ever be played. Avi Feder’s chabura took the Coke and Pepsi crown.  The winner of Chabura Wars 2013 was the chabura of Robbie Schreier with Zev Kahane‘s chabura coming in second place and Marc Poleyeff’s chabura coming in third. Congratulations!

Dear Parents,

“It’s not over till it’s over.”

Yogi Berra’s unforgettable words have a double implication for us this weekend on the NCSY Summer Kollel.

For starters, the quote serves as a reminder that even with the end of the program looming, there is still plenty of excitement yet to come.  The last Shabbat on the program is always extraordinarily special, and there has been a steadily growing sense of anticipation for the onset of this great weekend.  Motzai Shabbat will not see any letdown in the momentum or energy.  Our closing banquet and last night Kumsitz should provide a real exclamation point to an amazing summer.  Even our departure day on Sunday will have its moments.

But far more significantly, these words hint to a deeper reality of NCSY Kollel.  Even when the El Al jet touches down in New York on Monday morning, the program and its continuing impact will be far from done.

Past summers have consistently demonstrated how NCSY Kollel is more a process than an event.  Of course, this is a major component of our in-summer successes.  More than a single emotionally charged Shabbaton, exhilarating weekend trip, or uplifting shiur or kumsitz, the 6 weeks we spend together allows for messages and ideas to be internalized more gradually and powerfully.  Moreover, the immense amount of time we spend actually living together brings our group dynamic to an entirely different plane and creates opportunities for influence that are unique to the summer.

But here again, the fact that we are engaged in a process of growth as opposed to experiencing a more fleeting kind of inspiration propels us to further growth long after the summer has ended.

This opportunity/responsibility was a main motivating factor in the structure and agenda of our annual Leil Iyun. We endeavored to provide insight into issues that may have been on the minds of our NCSYers now, but would surely be relevant to them in the weeks and months ahead.  Based on conversations with and observations of this year’s group, we zeroed in on questions of personal identity and the increasingly challenging obstacles we face in defining ourselves in the world around us.   Each session and option was designed to be deeply pertinent to the lives we live, and the evening was a resounding success.  We successfully engaged the NCSYers in discussions regarding honesty and cheating, as well as the relationship between personal autonomy and fealty to Rabbinic guidelines.  There were classes on the choices we make in our speech, and also a frank discussion on modesty and propriety in our relationship with our bodies.  We explored the inclination we share towards completed freedom and why we temper that with an allegiance to Mitzvot that can sometimes seem onerous.   There was a shiur that explored the ways to achieve a healthy level of self-esteem without descending into self-absorption.  The night concluded with an unforgettable combination of a concert and conversation, led by Shlomo Katz and our own Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky.  Between songs, they offered perspectives on how music influences and shapes our souls, and how our iPod playlists can affect all aspects of our spiritual pursuits.  The benefit of being moved by the clear and moving examples they provided was remarkable.

But there were also other efforts to direct our attention to life beyond this weekend.  If there was any consistent theme to this weekend, it would have to be the emphasis that was placed on our outstanding madrichim and the dynamic chaburas.  In fact, for one incredible day on Wednesday, there was little to distract us from thinking about the role the chaburas play in the summer as a whole.  Chabura trips started early in the morning and extended into the afternoon.  Of course, one benefit of these outings was the activities themselves.   Each chabura’s carefully chosen itinerary provided some enjoyment, entertainment, and a break from the regular schedule.  But even the most dramatic and memorable of events could not match the simple value of getting out as a chabura and solidifying the bonds that have been developing all summer.  This extended deep into the afternoon as our Chabura Wars provided unparalleled spirit and bonding for each and every chabura.  Once again, the excitement of the Apache Relay or trivia showdown was great, but the chabura unity was even better.  In truth, we make a concerted effort to revolve all NCSY Kollel activities around the Chaburas.  It is our firm belief that there is no better way to inspire an NCSYer.  This is not only because of the charisma and talents of our incomparable madrichim.  Rather, the role modeling provided by our staff allows the NCSYers a glimpse into a time machine and gives a living example of how the lessons of NCSY Kollel can play out over years and years.

For those of us who have been with the program for multiple summers, this played out even more dramatically as our CIT program sent the majority of its participants off to Yeshiva for their year in Israel.  Most of our CIT’s are alumni of the program, and many have been with us for 3 (or even 4!) years now.  As educators we have been elated to watch their growth and to help usher them into the next exciting phase of their lives.  I believe that their quiet influence on the group as a whole is even more profound.  There could be no greater example of the NCSY Kollel process than these outstanding young men.  Last Shabbat we sat with them in the Old City of Yerushalayim and ran a special program for them discussing the year in Israel.  While this was a closed session for the CITs and their Rabbeim, the effects of the CITs has been clearly felt far and wide throughout the program.  All the speeches that we give and pleading that we do to implore the NCSYers to take the experience with them cannot match the effectiveness of watching and interacting with our CITs who have lived it.

And that process marches on and repeats itself.  This Shabbat we will continue what has become something of an NCSY Kollel tradition by honoring the NCSYers and madrichim who have joined us for a second summer.   To be clear, we give them this recognition not as part of a recruitment drive for next summer’s returnees.  Rather, we are highlighting to all that NCSY Kollel can live on, even when the summer is far behind.

It’s true that next Friday won’t have any updates on our summer community or links to pictures of your sons on a blog but we are hopeful and confident that next Friday and beyond lessons and teachings of this summer will still be reverberating in the ears of all of us who have been lucky enough to be a part of NCSY Kollel 2013.

If any parents are in need of special arrangements at the program’s end, please be in touch with our Camp Mother, Shoshie Elllman at kollelmom@gmail.com.

As always, I can be reached at benovitzm@ncsy.org.   I look forward to hearing from you.

Lastly, for our week six “Week in Review” video please click here.

Have a great Shabbos

Moshe Benovitz

 

 

 

Week 6 in Review

Mazel tov to Evyatar Katz on his siyum of Shas Mishnayot.

Mazel tov to Rabbi Lebowitz, Yaki Lebowitz, and Ruby Marriot on their siyum of Mishnayot Seder Moed.

 

While it is difficult to come to terms with the reality that our summer at NCSY Kollel is coming to end, I’m excited and invigorated by the prospect of Kollel being just the beginning of our shared experiences.  At the start of the summer, our chabura consisted of five NCSYers, ranging from not only all across America, but also across international borders. We were coming from different places, backgrounds, and understandings. We came as individuals that each had their own accompanying story – a story that was packed with ups and downs. To be honest, at first, I wasn’t exactly sure how the five individuals would come together.

When I had the opportunity to get to know each of the NCSYers better, I concluded that there wouldn’t be a problem whatsoever. The leadership of Yitzchak Kaminetsky, the contagious smile of Dani Gruen, the fun loving personality of Zev Markowitz, the sweet and calm nature of Aaron Toledano, and the sincerity and genuineness of Jacob Rifkin, affirmed to me that we would be a group that would come together quite quickly. With God’s help and the wonderful personalities of all of our chabura members, the development of our chabura into a collective group became second nature.

We’d often start off our chaburas hearing a story from our favorite Maggid – Yitzchak – before transitioning into the sugyot of Mitzvot Haben Al Ha’av. We spent most of our time learning about Brit Millah. We’d ask questions like: why does the Rambam believe that only the father can make the bracha of “L’hachniso b’brito shel avraham avinu.” We’d answer that it is reflective of the opinion of the Rambam in general of how strongly he believes in the elevated nature of the father’s obligation. We looked back into the chumash to see the difference in the way the Torah presents the Bris millah of Avraham and Yishamael (Bereishis 17) versus the way it teaches us about the Bris Millah of Avraham and Yitzchak (Bereishis 21).

The passion and sharpness exhibited by all of our members was truly fantastic to observe. On Thursday nights we’d get together over some cake and would do a review of what we learned during the week. Watching the guys remember the nuances and details of what they had learned weeks earlier was quite astounding, and for them was quite an impressive feat.

The chabura trip combined with chabura wars turned into one of the highlight days of the summer. We started out our day waking up at 6:40 and bussing over to the Churva shul in the old city to make the Rosh Chodesh davening. Aftering listening to R’ Taragin give an insightful dvar Torah on Parshat Shoftim, we got some breakfast, and headed to the Machaneh Yehudah shuk for a scavenger hunt. It really turned into an amazing experience – whether it was playing duck duck goose in the middle of the shuk, or dancing like we were at a wedding with hundreds walking by – the smiles and laughs were many. We then stopped off at Gamezone for a half-hour for some chilled out video games before heading to Burgers Bar for lunch. Then the chabura wars began. It’s during these chabura wars that I truly learned about the strength and might of our guys. Whether it was seeing Aaron sprinting to the chadar ochel to then eat two apples including the core valiantly and efficiently, or witnessing Yitzchak pushing himself past his normal limits – running like I’ve never seen someone run before, or watching Zev swim faster than Phelps (no joke), observing Jacob plow through two bananas without hands (just his mouth – sorry for the mothers at home – but don’t worry because I already told him he can’t try this at home), or being floored by the tenacity of Dani Gruen when he drank a ice-cold slushy in record time.

It hit me that these guys weren’t pushing themselves past the limit for themselves. They were doing this for the chabura. They were doing this because they didn’t want to let any of the chabura members; people who they developed true friendships with, down.

All I could say is that it’s been a true privilege to be part of the summer of all of these amazing guys. My hopes and wishes are that the connections that we’ve all built this summer will last for the rest of our lives. I’ve learned so much from each member, and I have such a high level of gratitude to each member.

Shmuel Leman

Mayer Simchha is spending his sixth summer on NCSY Kollel. He attended the Kollel as an NCSYer after 10th and 11th grade. He has worked in the kollel in multiple capacities including sports staff, Junior Madrich, and Madrich. This summer, in addition to his madrich responisbilities, he is also assisting Rabbi Lebowitz with special programming.

Mayer Simcha has the great privilege to be learning and spending time with an all-star lineup which includes Yoni Friedman (West Hempstead, NY), Aaron Kingsbury (Thornhill, ON), Ilan Steinmetz (Teaneck, NJ) Judah Wagner (Woodmere, NY) and Yosef Wildes (New York, NY) each day.

The Chabura has been analyzing and studying different mitzvot that fall under the general category of בין אדם לחבירו, interpersonal relationships. Some of the mitzvot they have thus far discussed are כיבוד אב ואם (to honor one’s parents) and ביקור חולים (to visit the sick). One of the goals of the chabura is to understand and analyze the texts and sources on a conceptual level and to translate the newly learned lessons into actions. We stress the importance of learning and acting, as Pirkei Avos teaches ללמוד על מנת לעשות, “to learn in order to do.”

Another goal of the chabura that Mayer Simcha continues to stress is the relevance of the Mishnayot and Gemarot they learn. He shows the NCSYers how texts dating back hundreds of years have practical applications in the 21st century. He wants them to come away with a sense of accomplishment in their learning and the realization that Torah is fun, exciting, and for everyone.

Rabbi Moshe Benovitz – “Freedom! The Case for Boundaries and Limitations in our Religious Life” from our leil iyun.

Shabbos in the Old City of Yerushalayim is always guaranteed to be exciting and beautiful. Add a third ingredient to the mix – Shabbos in Yerushaliam on NCSY Kollel – and the excitement and beauty is taken to a whole new level. From start to finish there were so many amazing opportunities and experiences to take part in.

After a short drasha from Rabbi Tani Cohen about the connection between Shabbos and Yerushalayim, the entire Kollel danced down from Yeshivat HaKotel to the Kotel for davening. Our high energy Kabbalat Shabbat was filled with song and dance. The energy continued during the meal with zemirot and eventually made its way back to the Kotel for a beautiful post-meal kumzits. While the specialness of the memorable Tisha BaAv Kumzits was a result of the many different, and different types of, Jews who joined us in our singing, the specialness of this Friday night Kumzits was a result of just the opposite. By this point in the night the Kotel was completely empty. This created an intimate, and therefore special, opportunity for the Kollel to come together and sing to Hashem.

The night continued with even more exciting options. For those who chose to continue singing, Rabbi Kamentsky lead an amazing tisch back in Yeshivat Hakotel. Those looking to visit some usually unvisited sites in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City joined Rav Gordon for his famous “Magical Mystery Tour.” And those looking to take part in the unique experience of a Chassidishe Tisch, trekked with madrich Zev Kahane to Meah She’arim and visited the tisches of Slonim, Tolne, and Stachin.

After Shacharis we all found a spot in the Old City with our madrichim where we learned together as a chabura. In the afternoon we came together to hear some inspirational words from one of Aish HaTorah’s most thrilling and captivating speakers, Rabbi Gav Friedman. Rabbi Gordon and Rabbi Horn led  walking tours of the Old City. Visiting historical shuls and houses where Jews have been living and learning for thousands of years gave us the opportunity to connect with Eretz Yisrael in a very real way.

The beautiful song and divrei Torah which with we greeted shabbat, continued throughout the day, and increased during seudah shlishit as the special day began to depart. We were privileged to hear from Rabbi Avi Schneider to close out the incredible Shabbos.

Shabbos in Yerushalayim with NCSY Kollel certainly was exciting and beautiful.

Rabbi Ari Cutler – “The ‘I’ of the Storm: Balancing Self Esteem and Self-Centeredness”

Below are the links to recordings from our incredible leil iyun that took place last night. (More links will be added later.)

“The ‘I’ of the Storm: Balancing Self Esteem and Self-Centeredness”
– Rav Ari Cutler

“The Mighty Mouth: How our Speech Defines Us”
– Rav Yisroel Kaminetsky

“The Plain Truth: Honesty and Dishonesty in Every Day Life”
– Rav Tanchum Cohen

“Freedom! The Case for Boundaries and Limitations in our Religious Life”
– Rav Moshe Benovitz

“Autonomy and Allegiance: The Parameters of Daas Torah”
– Rav Zvi Sobolofsky

“Music from the Depths of the Soul”
– Rav Yisroel Kaminetsky and Shlomo Katz