YNA Newsletter Parshat Metzora - Hagadol 1 of 8 In This Issue Parshat Metzora-HaGadol April 14, 2016 Visitors - Life Events HaRav Nebenzahl on Parshat Shabbat HaGadol Please continue to daven for Malka Bat Chana Staff Dvar Torah by Rav Leah, Aryeh ben Rina, Ido ben Tali, Chaim Shaul Wiesner Avishalom ben Blanka (the Chalban), and The Story Of The Jewish Shimon Ben Miriam Hendal. People by Rav Shai Gerson - Sefer Shoftim Dedications Tehillim List The Kiddush at the Shabbaton was sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Links Harold and Bonnie Schertz, Liluei Nishmat Moshe ben Tzvi yna.edu A"H YNA Kollel.com YNA Shabbaton Wrap-Up by Meir Zeidman (5774) Ask Rav Nebenzahl Suggestion Box Alumni Update Form Contact Us RavBeinishGinsburg.com SephardiParty.com ShabbosYeshiva .com Reb Zev's Parsha Riddle Who am I? Although I did punish, for speech that's forbidden; I also revealed gold, This past Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh Nissan 5776, the Yeshivat Netiv that the Emorim had hidden. Aryeh Alumni Shabbaton was held in the DRS High School in the 5 Towns. It was not only a yeshiva reunion but also a family ~~~ reunion. Last week's answer I've done all I can, To send the Tumah away; Eight rebbeim, including the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Aharon Bina, and But I cannot eat Trumah more than 200 alumni got together to have a Shabbat filled with until the end of the day. holiness and inspiration. T'vul Yom With spiritual growth as the Shabbat's theme, the program Contact Reb Zev consisted of interesting and practical shiurim (classes) from our rebbeim that dealt with the age-old question, "How to be a YNA Newsletter Parshat Metzora - Hagadol 2 of 8 Join Our List healthy, well-balanced Jew?" Davening Times Alongside the extremely powerful message of the day was the @ the Yeshiva with palpable energy of our alumni. 6:32 Candle-lighting PM The walls of the Beis Medrash and the lunchroom shook during 6:50 Mincha Kabbalat Shabbat, morning Hallel, and Shabbat Zemiros as we PM Kabbalat Shabbat locked arms to welcome in the Shabbat and the new month with Ma'ariv utter joy and excitement. It felt as if we were back in yeshiva davening across from the Holy of Holies. SHABBAT DAY 8:30 Shacharit The highlight of the Shabbat, however, was the opportunity to AM speak with our role models for life, our rebbeim. Each rebbe made 6:30 Mincha himself available to speak with each of his talmidim to answer PM questions or just to chat and catch up. We all truly felt the love that our yeshiva has for each and every person who walks through Pic of the Week the doors of Netiv Aryeh. The day ended off with a panel where each rebbe discussed his own approach for healthy service to Hashem, the greatest testament to Netiv Aryeh's unbelievable and diverse staff (colloquially termed the "Netiv-Kebab"). The discussion then shifted towards helping the alumni find the best way to incorporate Hashem into daily life, an ongoing struggle for all Jews in the world today. Rav Bina always says," Once you come to Netiv Aryeh, you never leave." This Shabbat really showed the absolute truth of that statement. Fifty students and staff are On behalf of all the alumni, thank you to all of our rebbeim for currently touring Poland always being there for us. The warmth of Netiv Aryeh and the with Heritage Seminars. dedication of its staff has made Netiv Aryeh more than a Yeshiva Shown here are Shana Alef for us. Netiv Aryeh is our home. students in front of Yeshivat Chochmei Lublin. (L-R) Josh Fink, Ari We would like to thank all those who made this past Shabbat's Mashiach, Daniel Yager, Shabbaton such a success. First of all to the organizers, Josh Yosef Naiman, Shimon Jaspan and Chai Rosner. Thank you to the many families that Kanter, Avi Lekowsky. hosted the Rebbeim and the many alumni who came from out to Woodmere. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Harold Schertz for sponsoring the Kiddush after davening on Shabbat day. May Hakadosh Baruch Hu repay you all with Siata Dishmaya in all of your endeavors. Visitors - Life Events Mazal Tov Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh would like to wish a mazal tov to: Oren Goldhaber (5760-61) on his marriage to Ayelet Schreiber. Scott (5766-67) and Lee-Ron Kaye on the birth of a baby girl, Aviyah. Darren Goldschmidt (5771-73)on his marriage to Sara Goldberg. Jonathan Zar (5771-72) on his engagement to Abby Kashi. Dov (5757-58) and Shira Katz on the Bar Mitzvah of their twin sons. YNA Newsletter Parshat Metzora - Hagadol 3 of 8 Yaakov and Chaya (Bina) Katz on his being named new Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief . Etai (5769-70) and Penina Stern (5769-70) on the birth of a baby boy. Danny (5770-71) and Hadassah Pincus on the birth of a baby boy. Ben Hershkowitz (5772-73) on his engagement to Yudit Gluck. Baruch Dayan Emet The Yeshiva wishes condolences to: Judah (5769-70) and Max (5771-72) Spector on the passing of their maternal grandfather. Send Us Your Announcements Please, if you have any smachot or chas v'shalom, less happy occasions, let our office know so we can keep everybody updated. Pesach in the Yeshiva If you would like to join the Yeshiva's Seder on the second night of Pesach (run by the students!) please contact our Director of Student life, Elisha Porat. Families of students and alumni are welcome to join. Alumni planning to stay at the yeshiva over the Pesach break who have not yet informed Elisha should do so ASAP. HaRav Nebenzahl on Shabbat HaGadol SHABBAT HAGADOL 5776 THE FOUNDATIONS OF BELIEF IN THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT "I SHALL PASS OVER YOU" "The blood shall be a sign for you upon the houses where you are; when I shall see the blood and I shall pass over you; there shall not be a plague of destruction upon you when I strike in the land of Egypt" (Shemos 12:13). What is the meaning of the verb upasachti "I shall pass over you? Rashi cites an opinion that it means vechamalti - I will have mercy (Onkelos has a similar interpretation). Rashi then offers his own interpretation: "the root pasach expresses skipping and jumping - thus the word pasachti in our verse means He would skip from the houses of Israel to the houses of Egypt as they were situated among each other". Rashi did not mean that Hashem literally jumped from one Egyptian house to another in order to skip over Jewish homes, for Hashem is everywhere at the same time and has no need to jump from one place to another. Rather, the intent here is that in the eyes of observers who witnessed the results of makas bechoros it appeared as if the Jewish homes had been skipped over while the Egyptian houses on either side were struck. The skipping over of the Egyptian homes (which we explained above is not to be taken literally) can be understood on a spiritual level as well. What do we mean by spiritually skipping over? Chazal teach us: "Hashem said to the Jewish people: 'my children, open for me a small opening of teshuva, as big as the eye of a needle, and I will open for you openings that wagons and caravans can enter'" (see YNA Newsletter Parshat Metzora - Hagadol 4 of 8 Shir Hashirim Rabba 5:2). To merit salvation, general as well as individual, man must create even the minutest opening - to come close to Hashem by making some effort of his own. Once he does so he will be rewarded with incredible Siyata D'Shmaya, Hashem will take it from there, but man must make the first move. The baalei mussar added that this small opening must be open from end to end - a complete opening. Hashem redeemed Am Yisrael from Egypt even though they did not create such an opening (as we will soon see). Hashem redeemed them with "awakening from Above", even though there was no "awakening from below" - no "opening of a needle." Hashem "skipped over" His general rules of Providence and saved the Jewish firstborn even though by their not creating an initial opening this meant they did not merit heavenly assistance for they did not attempt to come closer to the Creator. The Hassidim explain that this is the meaning of the "passing over" in the following pasuk: "Hashem will pass through to smite Egypt, and He will see the blood that is on the lintel and the two doorposts; and Hashem will pass over the entrance and He will not permit the destroyer to enter your homes to smite" (Shemos 12:23) - Hashem passed (He yielded) and did not demand that small opening that man is supposed to create on his own, and saved the Jewish nation in spite of their not having prepared themselves. A NATION FROM AMIDST A NATION How do we know that Am Yisrael did not sufficiently attempt to initiate a relationship with HaKadosh Baruch Hu to be worthy of redemption? Chazal discuss the pasuk: "or has any god ever miraculously come to take for himself a nation from amidst a nation" (Devarim 4:34): What is meant by "a nation from amidst a nation"? Chazal write: "this nation and that nation were uncircumcised, this nation and that nation grow their hair, they wear kilayim and they wear kilayim. If so, the attribute of judgment would never have let the Jewish people be redeemed from Egypt" (Vayikra Rabba 23:2).