September 2005 - Yeshivat Reishit

Reishit Newsletter Sep. 05 9/19/05 1:40 PM Page 1ALUMNI DINNER HIGHLIGHTS 2005

Reishit Newsletter Sep. 05 9/19/05 1:40 PM Page 3REISHIT Alumni UpdateROSH HASHANA 5766 VOLUME 3 NO. 1Tenth Anniversary Gala and Scholarship Dinner a Huge Success!Yeshivat Reishit Yerushalayim held its Tenth Anniversary Gala andScholarship Dinner on Monday night, June 20, 2005. Over 425people – alumni, parents, family and friends of Reishit attended thedinner, which was held in the grand ballroom of the beautifulSheraton Newark Airport Hotel, Newark, NJ.The evening began with a delicious reception held on the hotel’sterrace. Friends and classmates had a chance to reunite andreminisce. Alumni also took this opportunity to greet and talk to allthe Reishit Rebbeim who were in attendance, including R. Jay, R.Ari, R. Elie, R. Doni, R. Chaim, R. Judah, R. Landau, R. Benovitz, R.Simcha Hochbaum, R. Willig, R. Schulman, R. Soleveitchik, R. Myersand R. Brazil.Once inside the ballroom, the eveningbegan with welcome remarks fromDinner Chairperson Martin Vegh. Hewarmly greeted the participants whohad gathered to celebrate theremarkable milestone of the first decadeof YRY and asked them to renew theircommitment to this Yeshiva so that allqualified young men who want theincomparable experience of Torat EretzYisrael can attend YRY, through theScholarship fund.R. Jay then introduced guests ofhonor, Steven and HeidiSchwartz. He praised them fortheir overwhelming middah ofAhava, love for Hashem, ToratYisrael, Eretz Yisrael and AmYisrael. Proof of this, R. Jayexplained are their two sons,Shloymie and Andy whoflourished at Yeshiva together, astalmid and madrich. Steven Schwartz accepted this award full ofgratitude for the dynamic Rabbis at YRY that guided his sons torealize their full potential as Jews.R. Chaim had the uniqueexperience to then introduceSarah Lachs, the Aishet ChayilAwardee. Sarah is not only themother of Reishit talmid David,but also an active member of R.Chaim’s shul CongregationIsrael in Springfield. In hisremarks, R. Chaim comparedthe positive attributes of SarahLachs to those of the original Aishet Chayil, Sarah I’Manu. Sarah, inaccepting the award, relayed her thanks to YRY for instilling in herfamily the differences between materialistic rewards, which can befleeting versus spiritual ones which last a lifetime.Center stage was then passed toShloime Dachs along with specialsurprise musical guest ChaimDovid. The dance floor filled withalumni, Rebbeim, honorees andguests who sang and danced.Chaim Dovid, in tribute to thetenth anniversary of Reishit playedan extra special rendition of“Yamamai” to celebrate hisaffiliation with YRY since thebeginning.After dinner, Martin Veghreturned to the podium tocontinue the dinnerprogram. R. Ari recalled theearly days of Yeshiva tenyears ago and repeated abracha given to the firstyear talmidim early on. Hesaid that because of theirparticipation in the birth ofReishit, the Talmidim wouldreceive rewards from all the learning of Torah at Yeshiva that wouldfollow. He also introduced R. Kalman Topp, first year madrich toaccept an award on behalf of all of the talmidim that attended YRYin 1994-1995. R. Topp, who was praised by R. Ari for being ableto successfully combine the roles of Rebbe and friend, commendedthe YRY administration for its exceptional ability to understand thepsyche of its talmidim and thereby create lifetime connections withthem.The evening was concluded with more lively music and dancing,dessert, Birchat Hamazon and Maariv. A special Yasher Koach toour assistant Dinner Chairperson Susan Vegh, for all of her effortsas well as all those who participated!!The Reishit Family wishes you a year of peace, prosperity,and personal growth. A year of health and happiness.un,j,u uc,f, vcuy vbakRabbi Yaakov & Barbara MarcusRav Ari, Rav Elie, Rav Doni,Rav Chaim, Rav Judah & Families

Reishit Newsletter Sep. 05 9/19/05 1:41 PM Page 5End of the Year Siyumim & BanquetErev Shavuot marked the end of the Zman and gave the Yeshiva an opportunity to recognize and honor the special accomplishments and growth ofTalmidim this past year. We are extremely proud of all those talmidim who excelled in their performance on the rigorous tests on Massechtos Berachos andTaanis. Over twenty sets of Shas, Rambam and Mishna Berura were presented as prizes for their exceptional accomplishments.The evening’s program was highlighted by a Siyum made by Shana Alef Talmidim Michael Kurin and Shirel Danieli, who completed the entirety of ShasMishnayot by learning for a few minutes each day during their lunch breaks. Talmidim were addressed by Rav Ari and enjoyed an inspiring story from RavSimcha Hochbaum. The festive Seudat Mitzva concluded with dancing and Sheva Brachos for our beloved Mordy Rosby and his Kallah, Michal. During theculminating program, the Rabbeim had a chance to express their appreciation to all of those who helped make 5765 at Reishit such a special year.Chesed Activities ExpandedChametz for chesedThree years into our partnership with Yad Eliezer,talmidim worked as hard as ever- packing andshlepping boxes, going on truck routes andmaking deliveries. Over the course of the Yeshivayear, talmidim went on close to twenty deliveryruns, and delivered literally thousands of boxesof food to needy families in Yerushalayim andBnei Brak. Since the start of our joint program,we have saved Yad Eliezer over $50,000 in overallexpenses. Hard work really does pay off!In May we began a new Chesed project andhave teamed up with Table to Table, a foodrescue organization that directly provides“excess” produce and food to thousands ofIsraeli families each year. As part of their “ProjectGleaning” we spent a full day in the beautifulorange groves of Kfar Maas near Petach Tikva,and had the unique opportunity to take part inthe mitzvah of “Leket” - gathering hundreds ofpounds of fruits that were left over from theharvest season, subsequently distributed toneedy families.Through the initiative and under the direction ofShana Alef talmid Davidi Jonas, a group oftalmidim spent much of Purim day deliveringMishloach Manot and distributing tzedakaaround Yerushalayim. The funds were collectedeach morning after davening when “TheChofetz Chaim Club” met to review the Laws ofLoshon Hara.Our Big Brother/ Mentoring program paired overthirty talmidim with local Israeli youth. Wecoordinated the successful weekly program withMerkaz Harmony in Yerushalayim, as well asLemaan Achai, the primary social service agencyin Beit Shemesh. Talmidim helped their “littlebrothers” with homework, played sports withthem and provided much needed relief andassistance to dozens of families. In addition, aspart of the program, a number of talmidimvolunteered their time as tutors for Israelichildren experiencing academic difficulties fromlocal Yeshivot and schools. Yasher Kochachem!YRY: Making A Difference atCamp HASCFor over thirty years, Camp H.A.S.C. (HebrewAcademy for Special Children) has been renownas the premier institution that provides serviceand care for Jews with mental, physical anddevelopmental disabilities. Over three hundredcampers, ranging from ages 5 to 75 benefit eachsummer from the selfless chesed and generosityof spirit at Camp H.A.S.C. We are exceptionallyproud that this summer, almost half of the totalmale staff at H.A.S.C. consisted of members ofthe Reishit family, who were involved inpractically every facet of the camp.While this was Rav Judah’s first summer atH.A.S.C. (as the Camp Rabbi) it was Ora’s 5th.Both Rav Doni and Rav Chaim Marcus spent foursummers as counselors as well, and have beenactively encouraging talmidim to spend asummer at H.A.S.C. for many years. ReishitAlumni filled other important roles on the UpperStaff as well: Naftali Herrmann (YRY ’00-02,Madrich) as Assistant Head Counselor, and YosefLevy (YRY ’00-‘01), a Division Head. By day,former Madrichim and Reishit Alumni Yair Daar,Zvi Gewirtz and Ari Feder worked as the officialcamp van drivers; at night they each deliveredregular shiurim as part of the Beit MedrashProgram. Dozens of talmidim worked ascounselors, toiling 24 hours a day to give thecampers an experience of a lifetime.One of the highlights of the summer was aspecial Sheva Brachos for campers and staffcelebrating the marriage of Shana and BennyBaron (’00-‘01, Madrich) who met at camp lastsummer. Before Rosh Chodesh Av, Rav Elie gavea well attended staff shiur (Thursday night at9:15…). We look forward to continuing ourunique relationship with H.A.S.C., and toproviding for the needs of Klal Yisrael together!“There is no doubt that the real secretbehind the success of Camp HASC is thetremendous effort of our counselors…”Avi Sacks, Program Director

Reishit Newsletter Sep. 05 9/19/05 1:41 PM Page 6A Rosh Hashanah Dvar Torah from R. AriThe Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 10b) records a fascinating Tannaic dispute regarding creation. R. Eliezer says that G-dcreated the world in the month of Tishrei while R. Yehoshua maintains that creation occurred at the beginning of Nisan.In his Derashah L’Rosh Hashanah, the Ramban, echoing a later Gemara (R.H. 27a), proves that we accept R. Eliezer’s view,for in Musaf we proclaim, “lhagn ,kj, ouhv vz” - this day is the beginning of your works.Various commentaries raise the following difficulty. We know from the Midrash that according to R. Eliezer the first ofTishrei wasn’t actually the first day of creation. Rather, creation commenced on the twenty fifth of Elul and only on thesixth day of creation - the day on which man was formed - did the month of Tishrei begin.If so, how can we honestly recognize Rosh Hashanah as “the beginning of G-d’s works” when the world was born andraised over the previous five days?The Maharasha explains that since the entire world was brought into being only for man it is as if nothing was createdpreviously. In other words, without mankind - WITHOUT US - the world with all of its vast resources is absolutely meaningless.EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US BRING SUBSTANCE AND SIGNIFICANCE TO ALL THAT SURROUNDS US.Rosh Hashanah, then, in reality, is a day that celebrates and consecrates the dignity of man. And precisely for this reason we are called to judgementon this day. Only one whose potential and power are consequential is worthy of being in G-d’s review and consideration.This critical idea is at once heartening and sobering.WE MATTER - WHAT WE DO COUNTS AND WE ARE THUS HELD ACCOUNTABLE - ON A COSMIC SCALE.Let us then use our unique capabilities to elevate the world around us and make this coming year fruitful and successful.un,j,u uc,f, vcuy vba/Dearest Zavel,I was so touched to hear from my Father-in-law, who helped set up the shiva house, that in your living room was a picture of you withour family. You should know that in our home as well, you had a very special place. I remember that you took pride in holding therecord, among our shiur of being at our house more times than anyone else. Early in the year, you wowed us all singing alongside RavAri on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. From then on, you were a celebrity to my children and they made sure to play one of yourbeautiful solos each time you entered our door. When you joined us for Sukkos, we enjoyed sitting and shmoozing with you for hourseven during your second day yomtov. But I knew you were more than just a Talmid when, after being released from the hospital youaccepted our invitation to recuperate by us for Shabbos.Throughout the year you befriended my oldest son Yaakov and played hockey on the patio with my younger ones. You played the gameswith as much passion as my little Shmuli did. My wife always admired how you addressed me respectfully as “Rebbe” and had anongoing joke with you about your love for “pasta”. She urged me to tell you that you need not force yourself (healthwise) to stay up allnight on Shavuos. You heroically pushed yourself and indeed learned the whole night.In shiur you always pushed for late Thursday night learning over some cholent. Through your initiative we would sometimes havearound 6 boys reviewing an entire perek into the late hours. There was a stretch in the year where you were the “guy to beat” in TorahTrivia.You played keyboard at our Chanukah Chagiga and made up gramen on the spot at the Purim Seudah. When we all wen to Efrayim’shouse in Ra’anana, we begged you to sing and play piano for the family and guests who were present. After declining several times,due to being “out of practice,” you finally consented and put on a special perfomance drawing a standing ovation from the entire room..Personally, I cherished out chavrusa in Mesillas Yesharim. You, Ezra and I had something very special each night at 9:30. Weeventually finished the sefer with just a few days left to the year.///kfv ,ukff hrjtuYou were pure, but playful. You were so talented, but very unassuming. No matter what the doctors said (physically), you were giftedwith Chazal’s highest compliment - a ”cuy ck”. The only thing greater is a ruvy ck. I told your parents that in all my years ofteaching, I haven’t seen such a sweet neshama as yours. I told them that a short time ago, Hashem gave them a little vruvy vnaband now they are returning to Hashem an even purer one. You used your short life well.When I saw you at the dinner, we moved together to a far off table to sit near each other. We promised to keep in touch more often...Zavel, I’ll miss you so much.Love, Your Rebbe, Yehoshua Landau