Rav Zvi Sobolofsky’s daily gemara shiur to madrichim.

Rav Zvi Sobolofsky’s daily gemara shiur to madrichim.

Michael, a native Chicagoan, is a graduate of Yeshiva University and current RIETS student, who now lives in Israel. After his year in Yeshivat Torat Shraga, Michael became involved with NCSY and never looked back. Throughout college, Michael had the opportunity to be an advisor working for Midwest NCSY and Midwest JSU. He is spending his 5th summer on the NCSY Kollel. He previously served on the sports staff, as a madrich, and the Head Dorm Counselor but this summer, Michael is back as the Head Madrich of Kollel. After graduating YU, Michael spent a year studying in Yeshivat Hesder Hagolan in Chispin. Michael is very excited to be working for the best summer program in the world.

The NCSYers in Michael’s chabura are Elliot Fuchs (Teaneck, NJ), Noam Levy (West Hempstead, NY), Alex Maryles (West Hempstead, NY), Akiva Meyerowitz (Chicago, IL), Yehoshua Rosner (Beit Shemesh, Israel), Ariel Sacknovitz (West Hempstead, NY), and Moshe Spirn (Lawrence, NY).

The Chaburah is broken down into four units: Eretz Yisrael, parallel and interrupting stories in tanach, philosophical Jewish topics, and mussar discussions. The unit on Israel focuses on the Mitzvah to live in Israel, different perspectives and views of Religious Zionism, and Yeshiva students fighting in the army. The philosophical topics include a discussion on free will, why bad things happen to good people, as well as understanding how to relate to the mourning of Tisha B’Av. The tanach topics are based off the work of Rabbi David Fohrman, an expert in Tanach. His revolutionary style of learning gives the NCSYers an opportunity to improve their critical thinking skills and to gain new insights on stories in Tanach that they are already familiar with.

The main goal of the chaburah is to come out of the summer with a greater appreciation for seeing many different perspectives and views on hot topics in Judaism as well as developing a more critical way of thinking in Torah and to discover deeper levels of meaning in Judaism.

“There are many answers to difficult questions in Judaism, we may not always agree with everyone’s perspective but we should at least be accepting of other’s views.” – Elliot Fuchs

Although we can certainly say that there is never an ordinary day on the NCSY Kollel, today was actually the first day of the ordinary Kollel schedule for the summer. After Shacharit, we were privileged to hear the first of the daily Halacha shiurim delivered by the world renowned Rabbi Herschel Schachter. (Rabbi Schachter’s shiur on The Laws of Rosh Chodesh can be found here.)

The beis medresh was packed, and truthfully inspiring, as the NCSYers continued to learn in Gemarah shiur with their fantastic morning shiur rabbeim. Chaburas also continued today with the first full-length chaburas.

Taking a break from the learning, we headed to the courts where we had a great time playing in both competitive basketball and hockey leagues. But the day was not over there.

Tonight marked the inauguration of our wonderful Night Seder Program where each NCSYer had a one-on-one chavrusa with a staff member and attended an exciting night shiur, choosing from nine different options.

In addition to the shirum offered by our very own Roshei Yeshiva, Rav Schachter and Rav Sobolofsky, many other rebbeim, known for their roles in many premier Israel yeshivot joined the night seder staff. (This list includes: Rabbi Moshe Taragin of Har Etzion, Rabbi Mendel Blachman of Kerem BeYavneh, Rabbi Mordechai Burg of Yeshivat Shaarei Mevaseret Zion, Rabbi Horn from Yeshivat HaKotel, Rabbi Bronfeld of Yeshivat Reshit, Rabbi Hartstein of Lev HaTorah.) Two exciting new shiruim added to the Night Seder Program this year are Rabbi Elyadah Goldvicht’s shiur “Technology Meets Halacha” and Zev Kahane’s shiur “The Sweetness of Chassidus”.

The day was still not over. Even after ma’ariv the beis medresh was still filled with NCSYers eager to continue learning, and the canteen, “Yummy’s”, served some delicious Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.

By: Ari Zwiren

It wasn’t very long ago that I was imagining spending the weekend of July 6-7 in New York on my way to Poland, Denmark and Israel  on another amazing NCSY Summer Program, JOLT (Jewish Overseas Leadership Training). Instead, I found myself in Beit Meir on the Ohr Yerushalayim campus on the first weekend of NCSY Kollel.

When you spend all year preparing for one thing and end up making  a spur-of-the-moment decision that changes your life, it is hard to adjust, as was the case with my situation. It was only as I sat in the chader ochel (lunch room) singing with the other Kollel guys that I was able to relax.

As the bright pink, orange and yellow setting sun streamed in on the Ohr Yerushalayim campus, Rav Netanel Leibowitz spoke about Moshe Rabbeinu. He mentioned that the reason Moshe didn’t go in to Israel was not as a punishment for hitting the rock, as opposed to talking to it, but in fact because Moshe’s attitude proved not to be the ideal demeanor for a leader of an Am Yisrael that didn’t leave Egypt, but rather an Am Yisrael of the desert.

As I thought about that lesson, I realized I was not completely unlike Moshe Rabbeinu on a much smaller scale. Moshe planned fo most of his life to lead the Jewish people into the land of Israel. I, in turn, planned to attend JOLT. Both of our paths were diverted. Hashem decided that Moshe was not the leader that was needed to bring Am Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael. Following that same idea, I believe Hashem diverted my path and put me on NCSY Kollel so that I may learn the lessons of Moshe Rabbeinu and pass them on… So here goes…

Just because you prepare for something and end up somewhere else doesn’t mean the preparation was useless. In the words of my Shiur Rabbi, Rav Mickey Ellman, the journey is often more important than the endpoint itself. Often the best lessons we learn are in the preparation, not the destination, but when you finally get to where you are going, don’t let it go to waste. I leave with a quote that has become a part of Kollel 2013, a quote from Matthew Broderick in Ferris Beuller’s Day Off: “Life moves by pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

What do the four holy cities, chocolate, kayaking, and the Black Canyon have to do with each other? NCSY Kollel tiyul day, of course. Today was our first awesome full tiyul day.

There were three options for everyone to choose from.

Option #1 – The Four Holy Cities

The day started out with shacharit in Chevron at Maarat Hamachpela. Rav Sobolofsky spoke about how Avraham and Kalev stood up to peer pressure and thye drew their strength from Chevron.

Overlooking the Old City of Yerushalayim and Har Habayit on the Tayelet, Rav Schachter discussed Kedushat Yerushalayim and its importance to us.

In Tevaria we had an amazing time on the beach playing football and swimming in the Kineret. We had the unique opportunity to learn about the Kineret from Rav Sobolofsky while we were in the Kineret. At the kever of Rebbe Meir Ba’al Haneis he told us of the fascinating history of our mesorah and how both the Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi are connected to Tevaria.

Option #2 – Kayaking and Chocolate Making

Kayaking down the Yarden and making your own chocolate was the second of the three tiyul options. We were able to get out of our rafts and swim in the refreshing waters of the Yarden, taking advantage of the awesome weather, for much of the journey. After drying off we went to a nearby chocolate factory and everyone got to make theirown delicious bar of chocolate.

Option #3 – The Black Canyon

For those looking for a more physically intense option, they found it at Nachal Yehudiya in the Black Canyon. The seven hour hike included jumping into pools of fresh, clean water, rappelling down cliffs, and climbing up and down rocks. It was not for the faint of heart.

Everyone Back Together in Tzefat

We all met up after our separate tiyulim in Tzefat.  There we had many options for dinner at the various Tzefat eateries. In order to bring the Four Holy Cities option to a close, and to give everyone a chance to get more of an understanding of Tzefat, we split up into groups to meet some of the personalities of Tzefat. Some of us were given a review of kabalistic art and others had the opportunity to meet some special residents of the city. For those that wanted, there was a tour of the Tzefat cemetery where they learned about some of the great Jewish figures of Tzefat’s past with mini-tiyul leader extraordinaire Yosef Ginsberg.

We again came back together as a full Kollel for Maariv. Rabbi Lebowitz prepared us for this davening explaining that tonight is Rosh Chodesh Av and therefore the Nine Days begin today.

 It has been a long and invigorating day. We hope to take that energy and channel towards our first regular day of NCSY Kollel 2013 tomorrow. 

Shabbos on NCSY Kollel is unlike any other and the first one of Kollel 2013 was no exception.

Everyone gathered in the beis medresh for mincha and kabbalas shabbos. Rabbi Benovitz introduced shabbos speaking about the importance of working together. He quoted the San Antonio Spurs coach, Greg Popovich, who said, “They have all the talent, but we have each other.”  

We had a rocking kabbalas shabbos filled with singing and dancing. The z’miros were strong, the dvar torah by second year NCSYer Gabe Barishansky captivating, and the achdus and unity was palpable.

The tisch is always a highlight of the shabbos. Rabbi Lebowitz led us in inspiring songs.

Before lunch on shabbos day, there were three different shiurim. One by Rav Schachter, another by Rabbi Benovitz discussing the significance of the mitzvah of tzitzis and their connection to Michael Jordan, and Mini-tiyul leader extraordinaire, Yosef Ginsberg, gave the final of the three options.

At lunch, an unforgettable dvar torah was  delivered by another second year NCSYer, Shlomo Stark. He spoke of his experience’s from last summer and advised everyone to stop and look around once in awhile so they don’t miss anything on Kollel.

In typical NCSY fashion, our seuda shlishit was an inspirational moment. The ru’ach and singing were strong.

A more informal meet-and-greet took place after shabbos as the NCSYers traveled to their morning shiur rebbe’s house for a melava malka. Everyone enjoyed some great homemade food and had a chance to get to know their rebbe and the other NCSYers in their shiur better.

Daily Halacha Shiur from Rav Schachter on the topic of Rosh Chodesh

Dear Parents,

It has been a breathless and exhilarating opening few days on the NCSY Summer Kollel.  The amazing start has exceeded our already high expectations, and we are more excited than ever about the promise of the rest of the summer.  On the programming side, it’s been one highlight after the next, but the real source of the fantastic start is the group itself.  The staff and NCSYers have been phenomenal, and are beginning to come together as an even greater whole.

As always, you can follow along daily on our blog to receive detailed information about the program and to enjoy the links to pictures, video and audio recordings of events on the Kollel.  The site is updated regularly, and will be the next best thing to actually being on the NCSY Kollel!

I look forward to sending a weekly email with some additional “behind the scenes” perspective on the NCSY Kollel events.

It’s hard to believe that we’ve only been here for a few short days.   The program is already in full swing and the NCSYers have gotten more than a taste of a variety of components that contribute to the overall NCSY Kollel experience.  They’ve had a chance to learn with Rabbeim and madrichim, we’ve been out of Beit Meir each day since our arrival, providing an early does of Israel and our touring, and the courts have already come alive with the sounds of basketball and hockey.

A few moments stood out.  At the top of that list would have to be our first visit to the Kotel where we davened on Tuesday night.  The spirit that accompanies all prayers at that special spot was accompanied by a unique sense of purpose and anticipation.  Equally obvious as a highlight, but in a very different way would be the incredible night we spent at the water park, bonding and enjoying under near ideal conditions.

But there were more subtle moments as well.

The first morning seder, on Thursday morning, always offers a chance for reflection on the extraordinarily special ambitions of the NCSY Kollel.  How to describe the sight of 150+ teens spending their summer in a traditional learning environment?  This was a morning seder with world class instructors and top level learning.  There was energy and enthusiasm and a palpable sense of pride and accomplishment.

Thursday night, long after we returned from the water park, was another chance to appreciate the opportunity we have been given.  We announced an optional late night mishmar, and were overwhelmed by the response.  At 11:30 there were over 100 people still learning, staff and NCSYers alike.  This was a grassroots and clear statement about the quality of group we have this summer.  Not far away, under midnight darkness, our esteemed sports staff was hard at work (flashlights and all) putting the finishing touches on our courts for Friday’s opening day of league games.  It struck me as a pretty good snapshot of what makes the NCSY Kollel special.  Here were dozens of teenagers, spending a late Thursday night in an inspiring Beit Medrash, and a few of our community’s finest young scholars and leaders spending the same time out on a basketball court, making sure that the relationship between the two will be strong.

Of course, there were regular adjustment issues along the way, and not everyone is completely and perfectly acclimated yet.  We are working with each and every NCSYer, and we greatly appreciate your feedback and patience.  We are anticipating an uplifting first Shabbat together as we just welcome Rav Schachter and his wife to Beit Meir, and we are raring to go.

We look forward to hearing from you.  Please contact our Camp Mom, Mrs. Shoshie Ellman with any technical issues.  She can be reached at kollelmom@gmail.com.  And as always, I can be reached at benovitzm@ncsy.org.

Have a great Shabbos

Moshe Benovitz

Check out our first week of Kollel in this video!