Rethinking Shabbat Nachamu

By Rabbi Reuven Spolter
Director of Student Recruitment

Each year on Tisha B'av, I struggle with the same question: Should I, or can I even recite the full version of Nachem – the additional insertion recited at Minchah on Tisha B'av? In the traditional text we pray,

נחם ה' אלהינו את אבלי ציון ואת אבלי ירושלים, ואת העיר האבלה והחֳרבה והבזויה והשוממה. האבלה מבלי בניה, והחריבה ממעונותיה, והבזויה מכבודה, והשוממה מאין יושב. והיא יושבת וראשה חפוי כאישה עקרה שלא ילדה.

Console, Hashem our God, the mourners of Zion and the mourners of Yerushalayim, and the destroyed, mournful, degraded and desolate city; mournful without her sons, destroyed without her stations, degraded from her honor desolate without any inhabitants. And her head is bowed like a barren woman who cannot bear children.

After Minchah this past Sunday (on Tisha B'av), the gentleman who sits behind me in shul asked me, "How can we say this? Have you seen Yerushalayim recently? Can we really honestly complain to God that Yerushalayim is 'desolate and destroyed…barren without inhabitants'"?
"So," I asked him, "what did you say? Did you say the Tefillah?"
"Yes," he answered, "but I focused on Har Habayit."
His is the classic answer. We can't change the text, so when we recite the same, age-old text, we give it new meaning. And, of course, Har Habayit is desolate and degraded, without a doubt.
But his solution doesn't really answer the question. The prayer is about the City of Jerusalem. It's about Zion. It's about the entirety of the Land of Israel. And, for centuries, it accurately described the situation in the Land of Israel, which did indeed lay barren, waiting for her nation to return.
Yet, walking the thriving, bustling streets of Yerushalayim, busy with students and tourists, brimming with attractions and unending construction, the prayer really does not accurately describe the true reality of modern-day Jerusalem. It's just not true anymore, and we struggle to find a context in which was can apply words that no longer seem accurate.
This conundrum about Nachem represents, to me, a small sliver of a much larger issue. It's not just about Nachem and the words that we say. Rather, the entire Tisha B'av observance and experience for all Jews today is fundamentally different than it was for the past two millennia.
Throughout our wanderings in the exile, Jews have suffered the terrible burdens of persecution and exile. Galut was, for the most part, a daily experience. Jews were restricted in where they could live, what they could do for a living, and suffered daily indignities from the surrounding non-Jewish neighbors. Sure, there were good times, but for the most part, Jews felt the ugly, painful sting anti-Semitism throughout their lives. It wasn't usually the overt shock of pogrom and forced exile. Rather, it was the more mundane indignity of groveling for the right to earn a living; the daily curse or the small taunt, and the knowledge that Jews would rarely receive a fair hearing in a secular court. 
When I think about it, I find this life difficult to imagine. I thank God every day that I have to wonder what life was like for my grandfather, growing up in Poland, or his parents, and their parents. It's almost too much to bear. How do you suffer in silence each and every day without crying out?
First of all, Jews did cry out. We cried out to God for redemption and salvation three times a day. Rabbi Yaakov ibn Habin writes in a powerful comment in his Ein Yaakov commentary (on Brachot 3a) that the blessing of Re'eh, in which we plead from God,

ראה נא בעניינו, וריבה ריבנו, וגאלנו גאולה שלמה לפניך

See us in our povery, and fight our fights, and redeem us a complete redemption before You…

has nothing to with Moshiach or the End of Days. (We ask for that as well, just not in that brachah). Rather,

We should pray before God for the existence of our nation during this long exile, and for this reason the Men of the Great Assembly established the blessing of ראה נא בעניינו. And the intention of this blessing is not for the ultimate Redemption, but rather for our salvation from the travails of the exile.

Jews lived with suffering every day. We lived with persecution every day. And we cried out to God about it every day.
But that's not enough. You cannot suffer indignities and persecutions and not react and express your grief and your anguish. And we did indeed express that pain, on one day a year. On Tisha B'av.
For most of the year, we suffered in silence, keeping our pain to ourselves. But, on one day in the Jewish calendar, we allowed ourselves to feel and express the pain, the powerlessness and even the rage of constant persecution.
I believe that for the vast majority of Jewish history, Tisha B'av wasn’t primarily about the future and a yearned-for Redemption. Rather, it was about the present; the taunts in the street and the inability to earn a living a support one's family with a head held high. We didn't need to conjure a sense of pain and suffering or think about terrorists or attacks against Israel in the United Nations. Galut was part of the daily Jewish experience.
Thank God, that's simply not the case today. Life is good. I cannot think of a single time in my life when I suffered an overt act of anti-Semitism. Jews work where they want, live where they wish, and enjoy the protection – both physically and emotionally – of a Homeland that represents their national aspirations. So we struggle to give Tisha B'av a new meaning, when the old meaning no longer resonates with our daily life.
Moreover, what's true for Tisha B'av is equally true for Shabbat Nachamu – and perhaps more so. After the fasting and sitting on the ground of Tisha B'av, on the Shabbat that follows we have for generations read the prophetic words of Yishayahu (Chapter 40) who declared,

נחמו נחמו, עמי--יאמר, אלוהיכם.  ב דברו על-לב ירושלים, וקראו אליה--כי מלאה צבאה, כי נרצה עוונה:  כי לקחה מיד ה', כפליים בכל-חטאותיה

Be comforted, be comforted My people, said God. Bid Jerusalem take heart, and proclaim to her that her time of service is accomplished, that her guilt is paid off; that she has received from God double for all her sins.

Throughout two thousand years of exile, we would read this Haftarah longingly, hopefully, looking to the future. "One day," we would tell ourselves, "we will indeed be consoled, because we will have suffered enough."
But today, we read the words of Yishayahu with a very different perspective. We can and do take consolation because we are witnessing the rebirth of Zion. This isn't something that we only hope and yearn for. Rather, it's an event we're watching unfold, in real-time, with our very eyes.
We must still mourn on Tisha B'av. There is much to yearn for, and the exile continues to drag us down.
But, at the same time, Shabbat Nachamu gives us greater hope than at any time in the last two thousand years. Jews have, by the millions, returned home. The Land of Milk and Honey is just that, once again. The words of Torah reverberate throughout the Land, and the Nation of Israel has grown strong, vibrant and energetic.
Nachamu, Nachamu Ami, indeed.

Commencement Ceremony

On 22 Iyar 5772 (May 14, 2012), Orot Israel College held its annual commencement ceremony at the Elkana campus. One hundred and seventy graduates – from Orot’s secondary education, special education, early childhood education, movement and dance, and continuing education tracks – were awarded B.Ed. degrees and received teaching certificates at the gala ceremony.
Rav Professor Neria Guttel, president of Orot Israel College; Rav Chaim Druckman, Israel Prize laureate and head of Merkaz Yeshivot Bnei Akiva; Professor Yosef Rivlin, chairman of the academic council; and a representative of the graduates each addressed the graduates and their families.
Professor Rav Gutel spoke about the graduates’ responsibilities and obligations, as educators, to Am Yisrael, and Professor Rivlin discussed the teacher’s role, according to the Vilna Gaon. Rav Druckman, the keynote speaker, talked about the current era of miracles and redemption, which includes the establishment and development of the State of Israel. He also focused on the State’s myriad achievements and accomplishments in general and the education system in particular. Finally, one of the graduates reflected on the importance of the bond and communication between a teacher and his or her students – especially those who do not necessarily stand out in the classroom.
Congratulations and best wishes to all the graduates as they embark on the next stage of their lives!
Click here to view pictures from the conference.

“Shake Yourself from the Dust, Rise Up” - Sixth Annual Amadot Conference

Ever since Adam HaRishon sinned in Gan Eden, our world is marked by crises – personal crises and public crises, physical crises and emotional crises, material crises and economic crises, family crises and national crises, ongoing crises and momentary crises. The list goes on and on.
Generally speaking, there are three ways of dealing with a crisis. The first is characterized by despair and submission, desperation and surrender. The second way to handle a crisis involves acceptance, accommodation, and adaption. And the final approach is using a crisis as a means for growth. Not only “shake yourself from the dust, rise up,” but also “don your garments of glory.” (From “L’cha Dodi”)
The theme of Orot Israel College’s Sixth Annual Amadot Conference was “From Crisis to Growth.” Rabbis, educators, academics, and experts in the field arrived at Orot’s Elkana campus for the prestigious conference to present their research and viewpoints, to exchange ideas and opinions, and even to propose practical solutions and modi operandi. Some of the lecture topics included: crisis and growth within the family unit, on an individual level, among the youth, and in the public sphere; religious Zionism and the rabbinical world; Holocaust and revival; the Disengagement from Gush Katif; and other historical examples of crisis and growth. Even a number of students from Orot’s Rechovot campus were invited to share their research on this timely issue.
Each of the participants concurred that they had gained a lot from the stimulating lectures, which were broadcast via the media. The proceedings will iy”H be compiled, published, and released as the next volume in the Amadot series.

בין חֵרוּת לחָרוּת

On 29 Iyar (May 21), Orot Israel College held its traditional Yom Yerushalayim celebration for the student body, the staff, and the administration, at the Elkana campus. The event began with a festive dinner on the campus lawn and culminated with an awards ceremony and an artistic program in the auditorium.
Rav Professor Neria Guttel, president of Orot Israel College, and Professor Yosef Rivlin, chairman of the academic council, greeted the attendees, and then the award ceremony began.
First, the Ron family (together with the Betzer and Frankel families) presented a number of students with the Tzippi Ron Memorial Scholarship. Mrs. Ron spoke lovingly about Tzippi z”l, her generous spirit, and her many acts of kindness, which inspired the family to perpetuate her memory in this fashion.
Next, three outstanding Orot students received Awards for Excellence for their Judaic studies research papers. Twelve students reached the finals, and after three rounds of judging, the winners were selected. First place went to Ortal Flora Sheier-Darmon, who wrote about Rav Kook’s poetry and modern literary analysis. Finally, the board members of Orot’s Student Union were given an award for their significant contributions to student life on campus.
After the awards ceremony, the audience was treated to a fascinating presentation by Yerushalayim’s City of David Foundation and then enjoyed a lively communal sing-along.

Thinking Outside the Box

Rav Dr. Uriel Touitou – Excellence Program, Elkana Campus

Can one teach math in a forest? How can history be taught out in the middle of a field? Do students actually learn anything if they are not sitting in the classroom? Can a wheel, some rope, and a bucket be used as teaching aids? What does classroom leadership have to do with a flock of sheep?

These questions – and many others – were the focus of a recent conference held at Orot Israel College’s two campuses. Sponsored by the Education Ministry’s National Excellence Program in conjunction with Neot Kedumim’s Leadership Center, the conference was geared for first-year Excellence Program students from around the country. In fact, some 450 students – from 24 educational colleges – participated.

What constitutes outside learning? Basically, the term refers to a situation where the teacher uses outside resources – such as nature, a historical site, a water source, trees in the woods, and more – for educational purposes. Simply changing the class’s venue is insufficient, and hence the so-called “shiur shemesh” (literally, “sun lesson”) – i.e. conducting the lesson outside without making any changes to the lesson’s standard format – is not considered to be outside learning. Rather, outside learning involves adapting the lesson’s structure and content to the new environment and using it to shape and enhance the lesson. After all, the goal of outside learning is to incorporate new tools and new ways of thinking into the lesson and not merely to shift the lesson from the traditional classroom to an alternate setting.

There are a number of advantages to outside learning. First, with adequate preparation and plenty of creativity, just about any subject can be taught outside. Also, less emphasis is placed on the teacher during the learning process. Instead, the students engage in various activities and play a more active and significant role. Thus, outside learning proves to be more meaningful for the students and enables them to develop skills that they do not necessarily have a chance to acquire in the typical classroom setting.

How can this be achieved? The conference was not only designed to encourage the participating students to learn about outside learning but also to allow them to experience this type of learning firsthand – in other words, using outside learning to learn about outside learning…

Rav Professor Neria Guttel, president of Orot Israel College, greeted the conference’s attendees and spoke about the concept of yarchei kallah. The term refers to the ancient custom whereby large groups of students would assemble twice a year for an entire month of Torah learning. Even students who were not part of the compulsory educational framework would participate in these voluntary Torah learning sessions.

Next, Dr. Assaf Zeltzer gave a lecture about the importance of outside learning and discussed practical applications within the educational system.

After the lectures, the students got to see for themselves what outside learning is all about. They participated in a number of workshops – including sessions dedicated to teaching subjects such as math, history, and social studies as well as a leadership workshop run by Neot Kedumim’s Leadership Center.

Finally, Dr. Rama Klavir, coordinator of the National Excellence Program, addressed the students.

The conference was the first of its kind – both in terms of the format and the content – and as a result, the logistical arrangements were fairly complex. Special thanks to all those whose hard work and efforts ensured that the conference was a resounding success.