NCSY Is the International Youth Movement of the OU

SHAVUOS IN-A-BOX 2020/5780

CONTRIBUTORS RABBI TZACHI DIAMOND RABBI MANU HASS MS. ADELE LERNER RABBI YOSSI SCHWARTZ RABBI SIMON TAYLOR

PRODUCTION RABBI DOVID BASHEVKIN MRS. RINA EMERSON MRS. ALIZA (ENGLISH) EISENBACH RABBI ARYEH WIELGUS

WITH GRATITUDE TO OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS IN THIS PROJECT:

LANDER COLLEGE DIVISIONS OF TOURO COLLEGE

WWW.TOURO.EDU

SHIRA AND JEFF HOCHBERG

MIRIAM AND CHAIM WIELGUS לע"נ אליהו בן יבלח"ט מרדכי הלוי

NCSY is the international youth movement of the OU. WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TEN “We hate math, say 4 in 10 — a majority of Americans”

If this headline didn’t make you scratch your head, you’re probably one of the four who hate math. But while terms like Gödel's Incompleteness eorem may make you slightly nauseous, numbers and their deeper meaning are crucial to understanding many areas of Judaism.

Remember the Passover song: “Who Knows One”? If you thought it was just a lullaby, you may have had a little too much to drink. In the Torah, numbers are not merely a measure of quantity, they also give a glimpse into the underlying spiritual concepts. For example, if you’ve ever wondered why there were specifically 3 forefathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), it might help to consider the fact that a table needs at least 3 legs in order to remain standing. is truth reflects the inner quality of the number 3 which is balance and permanence, and therefore there are specifically 3 individuals who are the “pillars” of our tradition. So too every other number in the Torah is specific and conveys a particular concept.

e number that is the basis of the Jewish number system is the number 10. We are taught that the world was created through 10 utterances of God; Abraham (the ﬁrst Jew) needed to overcome a series of 10 tests in order to become the founder of the Jewish nation; the greatest enemy of the Jewish people - the ancient Egyptians - were crushed through the 10 plagues; and of course, we are introduced to God with the 10 Commandments.

It would take at least 10 pages to even begin explaining the significance and deeper meaning of the number 10, but we will suffice with these 10+ words: 10 represents a group of individual parts that unify into a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. at’s why 10 has a 1 - which signifies unity - in it. is explains why there are 10 utterances of creation. e world which seems to be made up of so many pieces and details actually has a deeper meaning and purpose that unifies all of its seemingly disparate parts.

Can you figure out how the other examples of the number 10 reflect this idea? Can you think of any other 10s in Judaism that fit with this concept? THE CONVERSATIONS e Hebrew word dibra is usually translated as “commandments” but literally means “to converse”. ese are the top 10 ways we can develop our conversation and relationship with G-d:

1. I am the Lord your G-d, who 6. Don’t murder brought you out of the land of Egypt, Not only can I be found in your soul, I can out of the house of slavery also be found in the soul of every human. Hi! I am your God. I personally took you out Respect his or her life like it is Mine, because of Egypt where you were entrenched in moral it is. decay. I will always be there for you and no matter how hard you’ve fallen I will always be 7. Don’t commit adultery there to personally pick you up. Honor your relationships and those of others. e only way you can enjoy our relationship is 2. Do not have any other gods before if you recognize the beauty of human ones. Me Don’t be blinded by the various forces and 8. Don’t steal powers through which I run the world. I want Every single thing in your life was tailored to have a personal relationship with you, not made by Me for you. Don’t try to get what I through any emissaries or messengers. didn’t already give you because there is nothing else that can add to your inherent value. 3. Don’t take the name of G-d in vain In order to make it super easy for us to 9. Don’t bear false witness connect, I put Myself in your soul. Make sure Honesty is My middle name. It is the you don’t waste the opportunity for greatness foundation of any relationship, especially with that this aﬀords you. Me.

4. Remember the day of Shabbat and 10. Don’t covet make it holy I love you the way you are. Don’t even want I would like to spend some time with you each what others have, as it is unnecessary for me to week. It’s like a date night. I look forward to it be interested in you. as much as you do.

5. Honor your father and mother e best way to relate to Me is through your relationship with your parents. When you honor them you are honoring all those that created and love you, including Me. FIVE FIVE TEN e 10 commandments were engraved on two stone tablets in sets of five. e first five commands are focusing on the relationship between man and his creator known as bein adam l’makom and the second five focus on the relationships between man and fellow man known as bein adam l’chaveiro. In Judaism we believe that we need to constantly be working on these two types of relationships and that they should both enhance the other. Although the 10 commandments begin with the commandments between man and God, seemingly giving them more importance we need to look a little deeper. Take a look at this image below and at closer inspection you will notice something very strange. What’s more strange is that this inaccurate image is used in synagogues all over the world.

e real set of 10 commandments contained all the words of the commandments rather than the set we have become accustomed to with many words missing.

e first five commandments contain many more words than the second five and therefore were engraved in a much smaller font. When Moses came down the mountain holding the two tablets the Jewish people were first able to read the commandments between man and man because of the larger font size. e fact that the laws between man and man were seen first and were in such large font teaches us an important lesson. Not even pursuing a relationship with God Himself should come at the expense of another person's wellbeing. God wanted to make sure that the Jewish people would keep the correct perspective and understand that the possibility of connecting to the creator of the universe should only enhance one’s relationship with others and never harm it. On Shavuot, we celebrate the Jewish people receiving the Ten Commandments. It was a huge deal! G-d put on a special light show, with thunder and lightning, and Moshe came down from Mount Sinai holding the Tablets.

But wait! ose tablets aren’t the ones that the Jewish people ended up with! Why not?

After Shavuot, Moshe went back up the mountain to keep learning Torah from G-d. In that time, the Jewish people felt, more than ever, their disconnection from the lofty beings they had become when G-d appeared to them on Shavuot. ey had become like angels, temporarily immortal, perfect in every way. But when Moshe left, their humanity hit them – hard. Even though they had just been closer to G-d than anyone in history, the distance between them just seemed too big. A few weeks ago, they were slaves in Egypt, being tortured by their human masters, and now they were supposed to speak to G-d directly? To have a close bond with the Creator of the Universe? Being so close to G-d made the Jews feel imperfect, unworthy of connecting to G-d without someone else or something else creating the connection. So, they did what they had seen their Egyptian taskmasters do: they built an idol and worshiped it.

In that moment, Moshe smashed the first set of tablets, essentially ripping up the Jewish people’s first contract with G-d that detailed their path to perfection, like angels. G-d commissioned Moshe to make a new set of tablets. It was different, more human than the first, with room for growth, failure and mistakes. It wasn’t like the first set, which was miraculous, and reminded the Jews of the angel-like state they had achieved. Instead, it was made of materials they were used to, fashioned by human hands that fused together the perfect Divine commands with imperfect human effort. And with that, G-d invited the Jewish people to partner with him to take the Tablets and use them as a springboard for the greatest fusion of heaven and earth: the Torah as we know it today. And what about the old tablets? eir broken pieces were kept in the Holy of Holies in the the holy Ark along with the new tablets, to show that G-d wants a relationship with us even in our broken moments, and to remind us of the importance of growing, breaking and rebuilding to higher heights.

Both sets of tablets were created out of sapphire. G-d Himself created the ﬁrst tablets which had letters carved completely through the stone and could be miraculously read from both sides. Some !had their stone centers ﬂoating in mid-air ,ם and ס letters, like Moshe himself made the second tablets with G-d’s guidance, and instead of carving, he wrote the letters onto them like ink on paper.

Jewi h Altes of l Te

1. Aly Raisman Gymnast, captained two winning team USA olympic teams 2. Sid Luckman Chicago Bears, 4 X NFL Champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame 3. Marc Spitz Swimmer with 7 Olympic gold medals 4. Hank Greenberg Detroit Tigers, 2 X league MVP and Hall of Fame 5. Sandy Koufax Baseball hall of famer and one of the greatest pitchers of all time. (famously didn't play on YOM KIPPUR) 6. Samson kills a lion and demolishes a stadium with his bare hands 7. Yael outwits the enemy general and beheads him 8. Yaakov lifts the rock off the well 9. Judah Maccabi leads an amature army to victory over the mighty Greek army 10. David Hamelech as a child he defeats Goliath the giant with a slingshot Chlh Toppgs Ways to Spl (C)h(n)k(k)a(h) 1. Everything but the bagel spice 1. Hanukkah 2. Sesame 2. Chanukah 3. Chocolate chip 3. Hanukah 4. Strussel crumb 4. Hannukah 5. Cinnamon and sugar 5. Chanukkah 6. Sauteed onions 6. Chanuka 7. Coarse sea salt 7. Hanukka 8. Sandwich cookie 8. Hanuka 9. Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 9. Channukah 10. Garlic and sage 10. Chanukka

Jewi h Boy Nes Jewi h Gl Nes 1. Moses 1. Sara 2. Samuel 2. Noa 3. David 3. Shira 4. Adam 4. Talia 5. Samuel 5. Reecca 6. Doron 6. Leah 7. Ori 7. Leora 8. Ariel 8. Yardena 9. Yonatan 9. Gal 10. Yosef 10. Orli Jewi h Foods Top 10 Fitil Jewi h Ch at s 1. Cholent 1. Anthony Goldstein, Harry Potter 2. Potato Kugel 2. Jane Smith, Mr and Mrs Smith 3. Matzah Ball 3. Kate Kane, Batwoman 4. Babka 4. Mort Goldman, Family Guy 5. Gefiltah Fish 5. Grace Adler, Will and Grace 6. Ghormeh Sabzi 6. Monica & Ross Geller, Friends 7. Lachmajin 7. Fran Fine, Then Nanny 8. Moroccan Fish 8. Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld 9. Yemenite Soup 9. Krusty the Clown, The Simpsons 10. Mousakkah 10. Mr. Hooper, Sesame Street

Males he Ble (ludg 10 lagues) Olde t Synagogues 1. Cong. Shearith Israel, 1654 1. Creation of the World - Genesis (New York City, NY) 2. Cong. Jeshuat Israel, c.1660 2. Splitting of the Red Sea - Exodus (Newport, RI) 3. Cong. Mickve Israel, 1733 3. Sun did not set - Joshua (Savannah, GA) 4. Stopping the Jordan River - Joshua 4. Cong. Mikveh Israel, 1740 (Philadelphia, PA) 5. Elijah Escapes Death - Kings 5. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue, c.1740 (Charleston, SC) 6. Ground Swallowing Korach’s Rebellion - Numbers 6. Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalom, 1789 (Richmond, VA) 7. Falling of the Manna in the Desert - Exodus 7. St. Thomas Synagogue, 1796 8. Revelation at Sinai - Deuteronomy (US Virgin Islands) 8. Kahal KAdosh Bene Israel, 1824 9. Haman’s Defeat (Hidden Miracles) - Esther (Cincinnati, OH) 9. Nefutzoth Yehudah, 1846 10. Daniel Survival in the Cave of Lions - Daniel (New Orleans, LA) 10. Temple Israel, 1851 (Stockton, CA) Jewi h Phrases Jewi h In tagr s 1. oy vey 1. @Jewinthecity 2. chutzpah 2. @Kosherdotcom 3. klutz 3. @Kosherguru 4. kvetch 4. @Meirkay 5. meshuggah 5. @Charleneaminoff 6. nosh 6. @Charlieharary 7. schlep 7. @Shimiadar 8. schmooze 8. @Chezchaya 9. l'chaim 9. @Busyinbrooklyn 10. nu? 10. @Naominachman

Israli Inv tis Jewi h Orgiztis 1. USB Flash Drive 1. ORTHODOX UNION/NCSY 2. Hatzolah 2. Waze International medical first responder service run by volunteers 3. Modern Drip irrigation 3. Chai Lifeline Support for cancer patients and families 4. Iron Dome 4. Zaka Disaster response units run by volunteers 5. PillCam 5. Chaverim Jewish AAA, strictly volunteers 6. Original Cell Phone technology 6. Tomchei Shabbos developed in Motorola Israel Provides food for needy families 7. Bikur Cholim Provide food and necessities to 7. Amazon's Kindle family members of hospital patients 8. Chevra Kadisha 8. HP Indigo revolutionized Digital Printing Burial society, preserving the sanctity of the human body 9. ATIME 9. The cherry tomato infertility assistance 10. Gemachs 10. Soda Stream free loan societies TIME TO MAKE YOUR OWN ’S What would you say if I told you that all the 10 commandments are as applicable and relevant to you as ever? What if I said that you encounter them daily? I bet you would argue. You might respond and say “well, I guess honoring parents and don’t steal are still pretty important, oh, and of course don’t murder but that’s about it”. e truth is you would have a good point. After all, the world of today is so drastically different from the times of the Torah. Our western, civilized world does not sacrifice to gods, nor do we frequently offer testimonies in court. However, each and every commandment beholds pearls of wisdom to improve our lives and the lives of others.

Below we will convey some hidden themes just waiting to be explored.

Gratitude - Commandment 1: I am God, your Lord who took you out of Egypt - “Hey, remember Me? I took you out of Egypt all that time ago. I want you to always remember it. It ignited the beginning of our love story – I’m not just being sentimental.”

When someone does something special for us, how long do we remember it for? Do we remind ourselves of it often or do we forget it shortly after? Does remembering something like that happen on its own or do we need to actively participate in remembering it? Perhaps, we conveniently allow ourselves to forget it so we can move on without feeling indebted to someone. If you did something special for someone, how long would you want them to remember it for?

Humiliation - Commandment 6: Do Not Murder - “I know what you’re thinking…you would never murder someone. Only ‘real’ criminals would do that and that’s not you. Here’s the thing though… have you ever been so humiliated that you wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow you whole? Thought so.”

Everyone has that story. That one that trumped all others. The one that was too much to just laugh off so that no one paid much attention. The one that they remember so vividly, heating up, turning red, feeling all eyes directed at them, then turning white like a ghost, feeling stiff and stuck, struggling to move or speak, wishing they could just disappear. Was it caused by a snide comment, an insensitive post, a disapproving look, or even a ‘playful’ tease taken too far? The Talmud makes this compares this to murder by mandating that just like one would have to give up their life before murdering someone, so too before humiliating someone. Sounds a bit extreme no? Maybe not. Maybe we just forget how demeaning that dreaded experience is untilit returns and we want the ﬂoor to swallow us whole once again. TRY IT YOURSELF

Can you identify your own hidden themes that emerge from each of the 10 commandments if we just think about it a little deeper?

Are these themes more relevant to your daily life than you expected?

How might you write about these themes?

Here are some themes to help get your thinking juices ﬂowing…

1. I am the Lord your G-d, who 6. Don’t murder brought you out of the land of (Life) Egypt, out of the house of slavery (Empathy) 7. Don’t commit adultery (Loyalty, Love) 2. Do not have any other gods before Me 8. Don’t steal (Distractions, Loyalty) (Stealing time, small things, Boundaries) 3. Don’t take the name of G-d in vain 9. Don’t bear false witness (Names, Promises) (Power of Words, Truth)

4. Remember the day of Shabbat 10. Don’t covet and make it holy ( oughts and Desires) (Slow down, Sanctify time and space)

5. Honor your father and mother (Respect, Remember your Roots) MAKE YOUR OWN TOP ’S

What are your top ten values? ( Use the word cloud above to guide you)

Who are the top ten people you haven't reached out to and could?

What are the top ten places you’d like to visit in the world?

What are the top ten things you hope to do once Corona restrictions are lifted?

What are ﬁve things you learned about yourself and ﬁve things you learned about others during Corona? DID YOU ENJOY SHAVUOS IN A BOX? THEN YOU’LL LOVE THE BOX.

What is the NCSY Box? e Box contains 3 decks of Jewish educational cards that are meant to spark interactive conversations and ideas. Whether at your Shabbos table, family trip, or just a get-together, e Box will have everyone talking. What's Inside e Box? (1) Conversation Cards are great ice-breakers. On the first side of each card is a fun conversation-starter, and on the other side is an inspirational quote that relates to the question. For example: If you could have lunch with anyone from history, who would that be? What was your most irrational fear as a child? (2) Moral Dilemma Cards ask the reader to imagine how they would react to different morally challenging scenarios. One side of the card presents the scenario, and the other side adds another consideration into the equation. For example: You flunk an important test, but instead of making you take a retest, the teacher offers to just change your grade so long as you don't tell anyone. Would you do it? What if your acceptance to college was riding on passing this exam? (3) Would You Rather Cards are designed to cultivate meaningful conversations about ethics that have the participants re-examine their personal moral compass. On the first side of each card is a thought-provoking and/or fun question, and on the other side of the card are sources from the gamut of rabbinic wisdom - in both Hebrew and English - to help navigate the "Would You Rather" question. For example: Would you rather relive your greatest moment or forget your worst moment? Would you rather know when other people are lying or have the power to always be believed for your lies? Would you rather eat only gefilte fish for the rest of your life, or cholent? ORDER ONLINE TODAY AT MENUCHAPUBLISHERS.COM/PRODUCTS/THEBOX