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Beyond Ourselves
I am proud that our Kehilla is standing with our brethren in Sderot. In coordination with the Orthodox Union, Keter Torah will be sending approximately 20 families to “camp” so that they can get a brief and significant respite from the tensions at home. The Keter Torah community is also working in concert with “Lev Echad” to cover 15 days of transportation costs for teams of volunteers that will go door to door in Sderot to determine the needs of its residents. These volunteers will clean and prepare bomb shelters, shop for the homebound and generate optimism and hope in the face of great challenges. The Ibn Ezra understands Calev as an individual who had the ability and “spirit” to take on new tasks, even in the face of adversity and opposition. His “ruach acheret” empowered him to enable nation building. I sense this tremendous spirit within our community as we express our solidarity with the residents of Sderot, who live with constant Quassam attacks. The people of Sderot are building our nation, with an orientation largely contrary to logic and practical considerations. Despite the high cost of sending our own children to camp, our community has gone beyond itself to enable others to have a manageable summer. Tizku Lamitzvot and thank you for your warm and passionate response to the campaign. Although we have reached our objectives for these two projects, there will be many more opportunities to become involved. Those interested in supporting other initiatives in Israel should contact me.
For Ourselves
With the continued growth of our shul a number of members have asked for more opportunities for the membership to socialize outside the context of already existing programs. I have heard numerous suggestions, including Friday night dinners, Shabbat lunches, Motzei Shabbat classes at homes and adult basketball or baseball games. I value this desire to see more bonding within the Kehilla. Please let me know if you would be interested in joining a committee to explore how such informal programs could supplement the many current shiurim, ATARA offerings, Kiddushim etc…
Making it through Yevamot and Learning
I recently attended a Yarchei Kallah in Chicago sponsored by the Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) of Yeshiva University. This was the sixth consecutive year that I was part of a group of approximately 20 Rabbonim that spent a couple of days learning with Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, the Scholar of the CJF and a Keter Torah member. At this conference, Rabbi Kenny Brander, Dean of the CJF (and a Keter Torah member) shared with us an insight from Rav Soloveitchik, zt”l, which is relevant to all of us, in particular to those of us who sometimes struggle with the difficult elements of Talmud Torah. Rav Chaim Volozhin wrote that the Vilna Gaon had “dreams” in which difficult Torah material was ready to be explained to him by divine “tutors”. The Vilna Gaon would drive them away because of his desire to figure it out himself without Divine assistance. The Rav used this idea to symbolize the value of struggle and process in the Torah learning experience. I have especially benefited from delivering the Shabbat Daf Yomi shiur every week. Although teaching Seder Moed was a bit simpler than confronting Masechet Yevamot, the enduring process is pertinent to every piece of Torah. While we continue to use the many learning tools available to us, it is our own efforts and discipline that will determine the success of our studies. Whatever the subject matter, the ongoing encounter with Torah will greatly enrich our lives. The summer months should give us a little more opportunity to find the time and the drive to learn and struggle!
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