“כי מציון תצא תורה ודבר ה’ מירושלים” NEWS & VIEWS e-mitzion Dear Students, Alumni, Parents and Friends, As we launch the year of The official newsletter of Midreshet HaRova 5771, I would like to share with you some of my experiences from the E l u l 5 7 7 0 last few months A wedding It was my pleasure to attend the wedding of Ali Veres (5767) to Zach Isakow at the end of May in Montreal. As you all know, the Midrasha is named after Ali’s grandfather of blessed memory, and it was my honor ! to be part of this most wonderful simcha. In an ideal New Year! New Look! New Format world I would be able to attend all of our students’ weddings. Unfortunately that cannot always be, ith the New Year of 5771 about to begin, and the Class but when I do actually make it, it always gives me Wof 5771 having recently arrived at the Midrasha, we are great pride to watch one of our students under the celebrating by creating a whole new look to the E-Mitzion. chuppah. The added bonus on these occasions is the chance I get to spend with our alumni. In truth Now with a format that is heavily reflective of the happenings this turned out to be an all-Midrasha event, since Ali’s of the Midrasha, each edition will begin with News and Views: sister-in-law, Sarena Isakow from Toronto, is attending personal reflections on Midrasha news, as well as a take on the Midrasha this coming year b’ezrat Hashem. current events in both Israel and the world. Inner pages will continue to bring you divrei Torah and informative articles on the happenings at the Midrasha, as well as announcements of bogrot smachot and news. We look forward to your comments and input! At this opportunity, we would like to thank Rav David Berg whose dedicated efforts to date have shepherded the format of our newsletters from the earlier Kol HaMidrasha printed format to the techno-age E-Mitzion newsletter. Chizuk I was back in North America just a week later, in Baltimore Losing Mentors at the beginning of June where we held a heart-rending After much travel, I returned home afternoon event in learning and prayer for our alumnus, to contemplate the year that has Rachel Minkove (5762), who is suffering from a relapse of passed and to plan and look forward cancer. Rachel’s words were clearly the highlight of the to the coming year. Unfortunately, afternoon. Her strength and faith is my return was met with a batch of Program of Chizuk for Rachel Minkove simply an inspiration. Our hope bad tidings, climaxing in the passing (Rachel Tova bat Yehudit Esther) and prayer is that sooner rather of our beloved Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Rachel Minkove attended Midreshet HaRova in 2001. She went on to receiv than later we will be able to Yehuda Amital Zt’l. Perhaps one of the reasons that I have The University of Maryland, and taught in Jewish day schools in L.A. In 2008, shortly after moving t New York, Rachel was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She underwent chemotherapy, a marrow transplant and radiation. Rachel went into remission for several months, but in March 2010 learned that she had a recurrence. She is presently continuing e a degree in history from deeply appreciate all your prayers and learning in her honor—now more than ever. celebrate her full recovery. I am spent virtually all of my adult life working in year programs is o Date: her treatment. Rachel and her familybone > Sunday, June 6, 2010 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm indebted to our bogeret Jamie a direct result of my own life-changing experiences all those Program: > Introduction Where: > Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School Mrs. Zipora Schorr Rosen Arts Center, Mintzes Theatre Director of Education Gluckstadt Chubak, who brought years ago at Yeshivat Har Etzion. 3300 Old Court Road Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School Baltimore, MD 21208 > Shiur Enter through the High School Rav David Milston Director Overseas Program Midreshet HaRova, Yerushalayim Rachel’s condition to our attention For more information: > > Contact Dvar Torah Rabbi Shmuel Silber When I arrived in the Gush in the late autumn of 1983, I Bernie Kozlovsky [email protected] Rav, Suburban Orthodox Congregation 410-653-9810 Toras Chaim, Baltimore, MD > Tehillim and to Dr. Bernard Kozlowski, father > Concluding Remarks came with no substantial Torah knowledge, and more Rachel Minkove > Tefillat Minchah of Penina (5770), for his tireless efforts significantly, with little to no religious direction. A year in in putting the event together. The Yeshiva is clearly insufficient to truly cater for the former, Design by DM Multimedia - www.dmmmedia.com event was recorded on video and, but it did so much to help me in the latter. Rav Amital for those who are interested, may be and Rav Lichtenstein became my mentors, but not in the viewed at: http:// suburbanorthodox.org/chizuk.php. normal sense of the word. My Hebrew and my insufficient depth of understanding left me hugely lacking in my Alumni overseas – Australia abilities to fully comprehend the superbly high academic In the meantime Rav Shames made his way to South level of learning as taught by my Roshei Yeshiva, but as I Africa, to interview prospective MTA’s for next year. And watched them intently day in day out I learnt what I could after the Northern Hemisphere year ended, both I and never have learned anywhere else. Tanya made the journey to Australia for the same purpose. Rav Amital’s constant striving for Kiddush Hashem, his I have not been in Australia for four years, and it was so awareness of the entire people of Israel, and his relentless nice to see our bogrot there. On Shabbat we got together struggle to provide truth and depth in a Jewish world that at the house of Ilana Herz (MTA 2007) for seuda shnia; to is frighteningly becoming false and superficial has inspired sit at the table with over twenty of our alumni was simply and strengthened my resolve throughout the years. And I wonderful – oneg Shabbat in the truest sense of the am left bereft and empty as a result of his passing. I never word! It is always difficult when traveling abroad being realized how fundamental a part of who I am he was until I away from home and the family, particularly on Shabbat, received news of his death. And as I stood by his graveside, but meeting up with our students – our extended family I found myself wondering how the world could be the – certainly compensates for that factor and is by far the same without this giant. highlight of the trip. The juxtaposition of my Rosh Yeshiva’s passing to the What inspired me most during my visit was to see how passing of Rav Mordechai Eliyahu Zt’l triggered this many of our alumni are heavily involved in informal instinctive feeling of despair as I began to realize that education. In Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, our students our mentors of old are slowly disappearing, and that, as are very much in leading roles in both their regional and time races ahead, it is perhaps my generation who should national Bnei Akiva, something I am heartened to know to be contemplating the needs of our people, and not just be the case with so many bogrot worldwide. relying on others to do the work. To discover that your contemporaries are Prime Ministers and Presidents is a involving negotiations over the release of Gilad Shalit. Whilst wake up call, and has triggered much introspection as we stand in awe of his relentlessly dedicated parents who to aims and objectives in life. Each and every one of us are doing everything humanely possible to look out for the must be sure to define his or her role periodically, and then well being of their son, we are simultaneously skeptical of make sure that that role be realized. the ramifications of releasing so many terrorists with ‘blood on their hands’. The dilemma is an enormous one. On the In Israel one hand, we must surely do all that we can to ensure the release of one Internal matters in Israel, though they have temporarily of our soldiers calmed, have also kept us very busy. The events in Immanuel in captivity, but where there were clashes between Ashkenazi and Sefardi on the other families to the degree that the High Court felt it necessary hand we must to intervene, have only come as a timely reminder that be aware that to qualitatively we are a far way from redemption. When bring a soldier ‘religious parents’ of little children, for whatever reason, home at any are unable to find any common ground whatsoever, then price will only encourage we know that we have an enormous task Hamas to try and kidnap others; furthermore ahead of us. No one can argue by freeing convicted murderers surely we will In truth our national struggles are to be the centrality of increase the likelihood of more terror at home. expected. In the Diaspora there is little Eretz Yisrael, but We know how the Maharam of Rottenberg to no friction between different sectors of died in captivity because he instructed his the community, because they simply have without a united community not to pay his ransom, in order to no need to work together; but in Israel, discourage similar acts repeating themselves as the ingathering of exiles intensifies, nation, we simply in the future.