Noach Goldstein, the madrich of our CIT program delivered the second of our Mussar Sederim.

Kivi Naiman is spending his second summer on the NCSY Kollel. Kivi first went on the Kollel as an NCSYer after tenth grade and now he has returned as a madrich. Besides for giving a daily chabura, Kivi’s immense responsibilities include ensuring that everyone is having an awesome time. Kivi was born and raised in Hillcrest, NY. His time spent playing basketball on the courts of Queens seems not to have improved his game at all… At least he has fun.

Kivi’s chabura is an awesome crew that stretches across the globe. Gabi Bean from Denver, CO, Mathew Mark from Woodmere, NY, Yehoshua Lenet from Baltimore, ME, Avi Jacobs from Beit Shemesh, Israel and Yosef Pfeffer from West Hempstead, NY all add their personal hometown touch to the chabura. The cross-globe membership really pushes the chabura over the top.

As a unified unit, the chabura is learning Hilchos Bein Adam Lchaveiro and getting a taste of how every sugya has its own complexity. Each topic needs to be analyzed both independently as well as within a larger picture.

On Shabbos the chabura spends its time tackling life’s big hashkafic questions. But the chabura is about more than just learning… Modeling themselves after Chazal’s statement of “אין המדרש עיקר אלא המעשה” the chabura has taken it upon themselves to work on the middos of achdus (unity) and ahavat chinam (unbiased love) both between themselves as individuals and also in their greater roles as members of Klal Yisroel at large.

“Because of our learning Hilchos Bein Adam L’chaverio, our chabura has become much closer as a group” -Yosef Pfeffer

Check out everything we did in week two!

For our Yom Chesed videos, click here

Dear Parents,

Week two on the NCSY Summer Kollel is in the books, and we have only built on last week’s fantastic start.

If last week gave a glimpse of the potential of this great group, then this week provided an even more tantalizing step towards seeing that potential realized.

There were many highlights from which to choose.  Certainly our opening full tiyul was a popular candidate.  All three tiyul destinations offered tremendous fun with an opportunity to appreciate the beauty and variety of the land of Israel.  From Nachal Yehudiya to Chevron, and from rafting down the Yarden to the chocolate factory, it was a memorable start to our tiyul campaign.

The end of the tiyul provided another special moment.  Bringing everyone together in Tzefat served the dual purpose of ending the tiyul on a particularly high note and allowing us to transition from the energy of the tiyul to the more reflective atmosphere of Rosh Chodesh Av and the 9 days.  Few places could have handled this balancing act as well as Tzefat.

For others, nothing this week could top the meaningful and eye opening experiences of our Chessed/Israel Identification Day.  In Sederot, on the army base, in Shaare Zedek Hospital, packing food, or assisting in the vineyards of Itamar, our NCSYers had transformative moments both helping and learning from different segments of Israeli society.

One didn’t need to leave Beit Meir to find highlights.   It would be hard to top the privilege of listening to Rav Schachter deliver his daily Halacha shiur.  For those in his night shiur, or for any of his numerous chavrusas throughout the day, there would be even more such opportunities to add.

Some might point to either of the two rousing siyumim that were made.  Or maybe to the week’s climactic mishmar program that was invigorated by 150+ NCSYers and fueled by 7-11 themed slushies and parve chulent.  But how could we leave out Thursday night’s Leil Iyun, dedicated to examining themes of exile and redemption and preparing us for Tisha B’Av?  Each component of that program was worthy of it’s own consideration.  We heard from individual participants of each of our Chesed trips as they described their adventures in the field.  There was a choice of interactive panel discussions, one headlined by Rav Blachman and Rav Taragin and the other led by Rav Bronfeld and Rav Mordechai Burg.  Most poignant were the reflections from various staff members on their relationship with Israel.

Naturally, there are those who would argue that the sports highlights were second to none.  Gavi Lashak’s dramatic buzzer beater in basketball was the first “did-you-see-that?!!” sports moment of the summer.  But any of the other thrilling overtime contests in basketball and hockey could also lay claim to the title of the week’s best.

Perhaps a more savvy perspective would lead to the conclusion that these events all fail to capture the essence of the NCSY Kollel.  This approach would suggest that the real highlights are in the day-to-day, “ordinary” moments.  The energy of night seder, the effort and reward associated with working through a difficult text with a chavrusa, the camaraderie at Yummy’s, or the frequent conversations with madrichim, are where the program is in it’s very top form.

But I would humbly submit that even that last proposal fails to hit the mark.  One consistent theme to this week was also the real secret to the Kollel’s success.  And as spectacular as each of the aforementioned moments may have been, they paled in comparison to this overarching motif.

That theme would be integration.  It wasn’t the tiyul or the learning, but rather the tiyul with the learning.  This was not a week of disparate and unconnected moments, but a more unified, and healthy, whole.   Sometimes these connections were obvious and explicit.  Touring the Four Holy Cities with Rav Schachter and Rav Sobolofsky, and listening to Rav Sobolofsky give a shiur about the Kineret, while in the Kineret, would be one such example.  Another would be the way in which the sports courts were transformed into places of learning and religious growth.  Often the unifying forces were more subtle.   These kinds of symbiotic relationships were exemplified by the way each type of activity energized the next.  The shiurim led into the tiyulim, the sports helped animate the night seder, the Leil Iyun breathed life into the late night Mishmar program.

And there is so much more to come…

We are now headed into our first free weekend and a much-deserved break for all of the NCSYers.  Even on an “off” Shabbat, we are offering two Shabbatons, one in the Old City and the second in the Gush at Yeshivat Har Etzion.  No doubt these will help keep the momentum going and propel us into next week.

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

Have a great Shabbos,

Moshe Benovitz

Business continued as usual on NCSY Kollel this Thursday. As it was the final day of the week, everyone made a strong push both in the beit medresh and on the courts to finish the week on a high.
The mini-tiyul, lead by R’ Yosef Ginsberg, was to the Bar Kochba caves where we had the opportunity to see where Bar Kochba hid from the Romans. It was an amazing thing to see as the caves were very cramped and dark.
At night, instead of the regular night seder, we had what has become an annual event, a leil iyun. The topic of the night was “Why Cry?”.
Before the leil iyun got underway we heard from a representative from each of the five chesed trips from Wednesday. Each person spoke about what they did and what it meant to them. Be sure to check out our full post on Yom Chesed here.
The first portion of the leil iyun, an NCSY Kollel exclusive, consisted of a discussion with rabbeim from yeshivot in Israel. One of the discussions was between Rav Mendel Blachman, KBY, and Rav Moshe Taragin, Yeshivat Har Etzion. The other option was to hear Rabbi Yosef Bronfeld, Yeshivat Reishit, and Rabbi Mordechai Burg, Yeshivat Shaare Mivaseret Tzion. The questions they discussed can be found here.

Four members of the Kollel made up the second portion of the leil iyun. R’ Yosef Ginsberg, mini-tiyul leader extraordinaire, Michael Kahn, our Head Madrich, Shlomo Rayman, CIT, and R’ Josh Weinberg, NCSY’s videographer all spoke from their unique perspectives.
Following ma’ariv the beis medresh remained full for our Thursday night Mishmar. Being that it was 7/11, free slurpees were given out to all those learning. Later in the night we enjoyed chulent (parve of course) from Hadar Geulah.
It has truly be an awesome second week on Kollel. We are looking forward to the out shabbos to recharge our batteries and get ready for week three.

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 “Chesed and Israel Identification Day” lead to some extraordinary growth and learning in areas not usually explored. Splitting up into five different groups, the NCSY Kollel left its mark all over the country.
One group of NCSYers visited Sederot where they saw a children’s playground which was surrounded by bomb shelters and heard firsthand accounts of what it is like to live in constant fear of rocket fire. Read Netanel Muskat’s personal account and watch a video of the trip here.
This deep commitment to Eretz Yisrael was also experienced by the group of NCSYers who visited the city of Itamar. This group met with the local citizens of Itamar, gave a hand in the surrounding fields, and visited the Fogel home, where five members of the Fogel family were tragically murdered two years ago. Read Akiva Hochbaums’s personal account and watch a video of the trip here.
A third group made a visit to an army base and then continued their day with a meaningful tour of Yad VeShem, Israel’s national Holocaust museum, and Har Herzl, Israel’s national military cemetery. On the army base, they had the privilege of joining OU Israel for a presentation of well received army gear which was put to use in the field right away. We thank all those parents who generously helped sponsor this gear. These experiences helped the NCSYers learn what it means to devote your life to the Jewish people. Read Zvi Kaminetzky’s personal account and watch a video of the trip here.
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. Additionally, they visited the Gush Katif Museum where they learned about this difficult episode in Israel’s history. Read Yehuda Femen’s personal account and watch a video of the trip here.
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. Read Meir Avracen’s personal account and watch a video of the trip here.
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.
(And of course, the day ended with commitment to our stomachs with a Burger’s Bar siyum in “Yummy’s” where we celebrated with Madrich, Asher Becker on his siyum of Masechet Megillah.)

To see a video recapping the day, click here.

Hi, my name is Netanel Muskat. Yesterday I went to Sderot with a group of NCSYers from Kollel for Yom Chesed. Some of the things we did there were visiting a police station where we saw actual missiles that were fired from gaze to Sderot. Then we were brought to a room where we saw a multi-media presentation about Sderot. After that, we climbed a small hill that gave as a view of Gaza.
We helped out in Sderot by cleaning up and painting a hangout lounge for local teenagers.

What really hit me was when we went to the local park. Like any other park there were swings and slides. However, in addition to the normal things you would find at a park there was also a giant cement caterpillar that seemed to be a tunnel that kids can run through. The tour guide explained that it was actually a bomb shelter.
At that point I thought to myself how crazy it is that they have to live with this reality on a daily basis. Even the smallest things, like going to the park with your kids, can become a nightmare.
Another thing that hit home was when I asked the tour guide, “Why, out of the thousands of missiles that were fired, did only a few hit their target?” He responded that I was mistaken and many streets throughout Sderot had been hit. However, he pointed out, there have been zero casualties. The reason for this is because the Israeli government has spent over half a billion dollars to create a missile warning system to keep the residents of Israel safe. The tour guide continued that the media chooses not to report on the challenges facing the residents of Sderot and that is why our coming to Sderot and learning about it is so important.
The lesson that I took out of the day was not to take anything for granted, especially the little things like going to the park with friends.
-Netanel Muskat

To see a video recapping the day, click here.

This past Wednesday, I along with several peers and madrichim spent the day visiting the Lamed Hey Army Base in the Gush, as well as taking a tour around Yad Vashem and/or Har Hertzel. At the base, we took a tour around the facilities and thanks to generous donations from many parents of NCSYers who visited, we did not come empty-handed. We gave the soldiers over eighty camel-back water backpacks, which provides easy water access to soldiers on a long, hot summer day. It was inspiring to see what a difference this made to the chayalim as their hakarat hatov was evident throughout the day, and reaffirmed by the base commander who took time out of his demanding schedule to speak to us.

Some of us visited Yad Vashem, while others went to Har Herzel. This could not have been a better ending to the day as we heard stories of people who made the ultimate sacrifice for the Jewish land and the Jewish people. Everyone came out of the day awe-struck and it was truly an experience that the NCSYers will never forget.
-Zvi Kaminetzky

To see a video recapping the day, click here.

Two days ago, our Madrich, Eliezer Feder, told us that we were the single chabura selected to go medical clowning in Shaare Zedek Hospital. (Editors note: Eliezer Feder has been a Medical Clown for over five years and has led many groups.) We were not enthusiastic about this, especially when he told us that we would have to sing and dance. He promised that it would be a lifetime experience to behold, and he was right.
In the hospital, it was truly wonderful making people laugh when they most desperately needed it. It was incredible to enter a room full of frowns, and leave it with fresh, huge smiles etched upon the patient’s faces.
What was most remarkable was the message I took out of the entire experience: no matter how upset you are in life, there are many worse things that you can go through; don’t take anything for granted, and be Misameach Bichelko.

My chabura and I were walking down the hospital hall after clowning for an hour when a visitor of a patient came out of a room and urged us in. We entered finding an unhappy looking patient, and we managed to put a smile on his face. He even decided to sing a song for us.
Soon after this, we left the hospital to eat, and afterwards walked to a bus stop where a free transportation service was scheduled to take us to Yad Vashem. A mini bus pulled up, and we asked the driver if it was the Yad Vashem bus. He answered no, but took us anyways for free. And who was this driver? It was the visitor of the patient who urged us into his room.
He told us something amazing that will stay in my mind forever. The man who we visited has had cancer for years and has been in tremendous pain and constant treatment. The previous day, he announced he was going to commit suicide. He was detained by the police, handcuffed, and brought to the hospital. An officer stood guard outside his room until five minutes before we came. We were able to bring the joy into the room which he so desperately needed, and perhaps helped him with his severe despair. Clearly, the apprehension my chabura and I had prior to the trip was incorrect. It was a meaningful, fun, and inspiring day which may have made my summer.
-Meir Avracen

To see a video recapping the day, click here.

Today in NCSY Kollel we had Yom Chesed and Israel Identification day. This day was dedicated to going to different places, and doing various acts of chesed while creating a connection with Israel. My group started the day with the unique experience of going to both the Gush Katif Museum and Yad Eliezer where we packed food.

As we started going to the Museum, I started thinking about the “disengagement.” I had been young at the time and was not really aware of what was going on. This visit changed everything; I became immersed within a world in which 9,000+ Jews were being evicted from their homes. We were shown a short video, documenting the situation at the time, and how the residents bravely resisted until the very end. This visit really created a strong connection for me with the residents of Gush Katif. It also renewed a strong conviction to do as much chesed and to help as many people as possible.
Our second stop was to the Yad Eliezar warehouse, to assist with the packing of food packages for the needy residents of Yerushalayim. We each had a few boxes in front of us, and began putting in simple necessities that we take for granted; olive oil and shampoo among many other items. This experience really put into perspective how much we have to be grateful for.
We ended our trip with a bit of time walking around the streets of Yerushalayim, reflecting on the events of the day.
-Yehuda Femen