Seeing Miracles in Daily Life

With the elections here in Israel now behind us and the political wrangling just beginning, it's a good time to take a step back and look at the larger picture. Yesterday, Election Day, was for me (and so many others that I know) just glorious. Aside from the day off and the great honor many olim feel at the opportunity to vote in a Jewish homeland, the incredible weather presented a perfect opportunity for the family to take a long hike in a local forest, to marvel at the beauty of our Homeland.

Just the drive itself to the hike took my breath away, as we were surrounded on all sides by the lush green wheat fields. (I also love running in the daylight during this time of year, especially in the fields around Yad Binyamin.) Even after almost five years in Israel, I continue to marvel at the amazing beauty of our country and its amazing accomplishments in its relatively short history. In his work Tosefet Brachah (which you can actually download here  -  highly recommended!), Rabbi Baruch Halevi Epstein (author of the Torah Temima), asks a very simple question about the opening line of Az Yashir:

אשירה לה' כי גאה גאה, סוס ורכבו רמה וים

I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; the horse and his rider has He thrown into the sea

Wonders Rav Epstein: Is that really such a big deal? After all, if you throw a horse and chariot into the sea, you'd expect them to sink to the bottom. How is that miraculous? Moreover, Moshe fails to mention the true miracle of Kriat Yam Suf until the very end of the song.

כי בא סוס פרעה ופרשיו בים, וישב ה' עליהם את מי הים, ובני ישראל הלכו ביבשה בתוך הים

For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea.

The Jews walked on dry land while the Egyptians drowned? That's an impressive miracle! Why then did Moshe not mention it at the beginning of the song, and instead leave it for the very end? Rav Epstein suggests an answer that contains a critical message for each of us, especially today. The Midrash notes that the song begins in the future tense - אז ישיר - literally meaning that, "Then he will sing." Writes Rav Epstein,

This hints to future generations, that they will sign songs of praise to God for the miracles that He performs for Israel. For this reason it is written, אז ישיר (in the future tense). Behold, it is known that in future generations during the exile of Israel, explicit overt miracles ceased, and we only [see] miracles like those that emanate from natural events, as if they are clothed in natural clothes. Miracles such as these never ceased and will never cease from Israel, and the person with a discerning eye and understanding heart - he will see and feel through the natural pathways of the lives of Israel among the nations, individually and communally, the shining beams of heavenly guidance.

This is what Moshe wished to convey to us when he began the great Song of Praise on the Yam Suf. While true that the Jewish people saw great miracles at the Reed Sea, the events that they would witness in the future would be no less miraculous. Even the seemingly natural drowning of a horse and its rider in deep waters also depends on the watchful providence of God. The Jewish people would, in the future, witness miracles dressed in the cloak of nature, but with the proper perspective we would be able to see God's guiding hand in those natural events as well. Who cannot marvel at the hidden miracles that have guided the building of the Jewish State today? It's easier to see when literally hundreds of rockets and missiles fall on our cities and we suffer (relatively) few casualties. But even the green fields, the incredible growth, Israel's thriving economy in difficult times - all of those are miracles as well. These are the miracles Moshe alluded to so many centuries ago; the miracles that I think about when I run in the fields around my home. These are the miracles that I saw from the hilltop overlooking the Lachish region yesterday. They might be cloaked in the garments of nature. Wheat does grow in many places around the world. But here, in the Land of Israel, we must use our discerning eyes and knowing hearts to see the guiding hand of the Holy One, making the fields blossom once again.

Holiday-Themed Seminars for Preschool Teachers

Dr. Yael Segev  

Department of Early Childhood Education, Orot Israel College

"בימים ההם בזמן הזה"

On 21 Marcheshvan 5773 (November 6, 2012), Orot Israel College held the first in a series of holiday-themed in-service training seminars for preschool teachers on the Rechovot campus.

The initial session, which focused on Chanukah, revolved around questions such as:

·         According to the Book of the Maccabees, what was the main Chanukah miracle? Hint: It was not the miracle of the oil…

·         Which popular preschool Chanukah songs do not reflect the true meaning and spirit of Chanukah?

·         Did you know that back in Moshe Rabbenu’s time – i.e. some 1,000 years before the Maccabees defeated the Greeks - the 25^th of Kislev was already considered to be a festive day?

Each seminar is geared to provide early childhood educators with a solid grasp of the relevant sources about the mitzvot and customs connected to the Jewish festivals. Thanks to the insights and the textual and practical foundation they acquire during the course of the seminars, the teachers are better equipped to prepare age-appropriate, appealing, varied, and nuanced lesson plans for their young students.

Seminar topics include avoiding common misconceptions about the festivals, adapting content to fit the students’ ages, understanding the festivals’ underlying core messages and ideals, and more. In addition, during the seminars, classic holiday stories are examined in terms of their religious, historiographical, and literary values.

Religious-public preschool teachers from across the country are invited to participate in the seminars, which are delivered by some of Israel’s leading educators. Each seminar involves a theoretical lecture as well as a creative, practical session.

Orot Israel College Visits Mount Gilboa

by Dr. Ayal Davidson

Head, Land of Israel Studies Department, Orot Israel College

When King Shaul – the humble man who was charged with the daunting task of uniting a torn and fragmented nation – died, a particularly inglorious period in Jewish history came to an abrupt end. The era that had begun with a bright hope for a great monarchy concluded with nationwide disillusionment and disappointment.

"הָרֵי בַגִּלְבֹּעַ אַל טַל וְאַל מָטָר עֲלֵיכֶם..."

“O mountains of Gilboa, let there be neither dew nor rain upon you…” (Shmuel II 1:21)

Mount Gilboa – cursed by none other than King David – became a poignant symbol of the pervasive gloom. Yet, at the same time, it represented a historical turning point, because David would go on to succeed where his predecessor had failed.

Equipped with comfortable shoes, a Tanach, water, and plenty of snacks, Orot Israel College’s student body recently headed to the Gilboa in order to uncover its secrets. From atop Mount Shaul – named for the king who died bravely in battle on this spot – we looked out over the Yizrael and Harod Valleys at the distant Gilad Mountains along the horizon. We then followed the scenic Nachal Yitzpor down the mountain and admired the bold-faced pink and white cyclamens and the numerous autumn crocuses.

The second part of our trip focused on Yizrael, the site of Achav and Izevel’s sumptuous palace. After reading the passage from Sefer Melachim I - which tells how the royal duo infamously betrayed Navot - we discussed the king’s moral authority and the pernicious influences of an alien, idolatrous culture. From Tel Yizrael, we hiked down to “the spring in Yizrael” – the lovely spring which flows along the ancient city - and the adjacent pool.

A special thank you to the wonderful students from Orot’s Land of Israel studies department, who served as our talented tour guides during the amazing trip. They even devoted an entire day to mapping out our route in advance, and all their hard work and dedication certainly paid off. The student guides were supervised by Naamah Bindiger - who gave birth, b’shaah tovah, to a beautiful baby girl during the course of the preparations - and Yehudit Zorger, who quickly and skillfully stepped in and took over from Naamah.

B.Ed. Degree Ceremony

At a gala ceremony which was recently held at Orot Israel College’s Elkana campus, 153 graduates were awarded B.Ed. degrees. In attendance were Rav Professor Neria Guttel, President of Orot Israel College; Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzfat; Rav Chaim Fogel, chairman of the board of trustees; Rav Chaim Saban, Orot’s vice president; a representative of the Education Ministry; and the graduates’ families. In his keynote address, Rav Eliyahu spoke passionately in favor of women going out to work, earning academic degrees, and having professional careers. “The stereotype of a woman’s role in supporting her family is inaccurate,” Rav Eliyahu said. “We just have to listen to the words of the ancient song, ‘Eishet Chayil,’ and we’ll see that even then, it was accepted and proper for a woman to go out to support her family in the fields of commerce, manufacturing, wisdom (for example, the fields of research and science), and certainly the field of education.” Orot Israel College congratulates our graduates and extends our best wishes to them for continued success in all their future endeavors.
Enjoy the pictures!

Why Women Light

A New Perspective on an old Halachah
By Rabbi Reuven Spolter

Recently, my wife and I were discussing the different reactions of local residents during the recent Operation Pillar of Defense "altercation". She noted that Anglo Olim, wanting to do their part, collected cakes, donations, and other supplies that they brought to the soldiers massing on the Gaza border not far away from our home. While Israelis were also involved in chesed during the harrowing days of the non-war, instead of preparing packages for soldiers, they were making meals and arranging babysitters for the harried wives who found themselves without their husbands, who were called up for Miluim and were themselves stationed outside of Gaza. When Israel finds itself forced to confront an aggressor, we immediately think of the soldiers and the different ways we can help them, either by sending pizzas, or socks, or moral support. But we sometimes forget that especially in Israel, during wartime a large percentage of the army consists of "older" reservists, who left wives and children behind to go protect their country.
While Jewish law exempts women from the obligation to fulfill most time-bound commandments (like shaking a Lulav, sitting in a Sukkah or wearing Tefillin), the Sages did not extend this exemption to the mitzvah of lighting candles on Chanukah.  In fact, the Gemara (Shabbat 23a) is unusually emphatic about this point stating that, האשה ודאי מדליקה – "a woman must certainly light," explaining that the Sages obligated women to light candles of Chanukah, שאף הן היו באותו הנס – "for they too were involved in that miracle."
What miracle were the women specifically involved in that makes it clear that women should be obligated to light the Chanukah menorah? Clearly, the Gemara does not refer to the miracle of the Menorah, as women had no role in the lighting of the Menorah in the Beit Hamikdash – or any other service in the Temple. So, the Gemara must refer to the role of women in the revolt that expelled the Greeks and returned the Jews to power. What role did they play, and why did that role make it obvious that women should also be obligated to light the Chanukah candles? Moreover, the obligation is especially ironic in light of the fact that most women never actually light despite their obligation to do so. Sephardic households uphold the custom that the head of the household – usually the male – lights the menorah for everyone. Even in Ashkenazic families, where each member of the family lights, in many if not most families, the wife/mother fulfills her obligation through the lighting of her husband. If we truly wished to highlight the role that women played in the Chanukah miracle, in addition to including them in the obligation to light, wouldn't the Sages have specified that they themselves actually, physically light the candles on Chanukah?
The Rishonim offer two general explanations for the role that women played in the Chanukah victory. But, during a shiur with my students in Orot on this subject, I discovered a third, compelling explanation for the Gemara that resonates with us, especially today.

Explanation 1: The Actions of Chanah the Daughter of Matityahu – The Actions of A Woman Prompted the Men to Rebel
Commenting on the Gemara in Shabbat, Rashi writes,

שגזרו יוונים על כל בתולות הנשואות להיבעל לטפסר תחילה, ועל יד אשה נעשה הנס

For the Greeks had decreed that every married virgin must first cohabitate with the [Greek] general. And, the miracle took place through the actions of a woman.

Rashi's comment alludes to a critical story that appears in full in the Otzar Hamidrashim (Chanukah pp. 189-190) The Midrash relates:

כיון שראו יונים שאין ישראל מרגישין בגזירותיהם, עמדו וגזרו עליהם גזירה מרה ועכורה, שלא תכנס כלה בלילה הראשון מחופתה אלא אצל ההגמון שבמקום ההוא. כיון ששמעו ישראל כך רפו ידיהם ותשש כחם ונמנעו מלארס, והיו בנות ישראל בוגרות ומזקינות כשהן בתולות...והיו יונים מתעללות בבתולות ישראל, ונהגו בדבר הזה שלש שנים ושמונה חדשים, עד שבא מעשה של בת מתתיהו כהן גדול שנשאת לבן חשמונאי ואלעזר היה שמו, כיון שהגיע יום שמחתה הושיבוה באפריון, וכשהגיע זמן הסעודה נתקבצו כל גדולי ישראל לכבוד מתתיהו ובן חשמונאי שלא היו באותו הדור גדולים מהם, וכשישבו לסעוד עמדה חנה בת מתתיהו מעל אפריון וספקה כפיה זו על זו וקרעה פורפירון שלה ועמדה לפני כל ישראל כשהיא מגולה ולפני אביה ואמה וחותנה. כיון שראו אחיה כך נתביישו ונתנו פניהם בקרקע וקרעו בגדיהם, ועמדו עליה להרגה, אמרה להם שמעוני אחיי ודודיי, ומה אם בשביל שעמדתי לפני צדיקים ערומה בלי שום עבירה הרי אתם מתקנאים בי, ואין אתם מתקנאים למסרני ביד ערל להתעולל בי! הלא יש לכם ללמוד משמעון ולוי אחי דינה שלא היו אלא שנים וקנאו לאחותם והרגו כרך כשכם ומסרו נפשם על ייחוד של מקום ועזרם ה' ולא הכלימם, ואתם חמשה אחים יהודה יוחנן יונתן שמעון ואלעזר, ופרחי כהונה יותר ממאתים בחור, שימו בטחונכם על המקום והוא יעזור אתכם שנאמר כי אין מעצור לה' להושיע וגו' (ש"א =שמואל א'= י"ד). ופתחה פיה בבכיה ואמרה רבש"ע אם לא תחוס עלינו חוס על קדושת שמך הגדול שנקרא עלינו ונקום היום נקמתנו. באותה שעה נתקנאו אחיה ואמרו בואו ונטול עצה מה נעשה...

When the Greeks realized that Israel was not affected by their decrees they rose and issued a bitter, ugly decree, that a bride on the first night [after her wedding] must leave her wedding canopy for [the bed of] the local hegemony. When Israel heard this their hands weakened and their strength abated, and they refrained from betrothing…and the Greeks would mistreat the daughters of Israel. They maintained this practice for three years and eight months, until the daughter of Matityahu the High Priest because engaged to a Hasmonean by the name of Elazar.
When the day of her joy[ous wedding] arrived, they seated her in a throne. At the time of the meal, all the elders of Israel gathered in honor of Matiyahu and this son of the Hasmoneans, for there were no greater in that generation than them. When they sat down to the meal, Chanah the daughter of Matityahu rose from upon her throne, clapped her hands together, and ripped her garment and stood revealed before all of Israel, her father, mother and her in-laws.
When her brothers witnessed this act they were embarrassed and looked towards the ground and tore their garments, and then began to approach her to kill her [for her terrible act]. She said to them, "Hear me my brothers and cousins! If you are zealous towards me for the fact that I stood naked before righteous people without committing any sin, yet, you are not zealous to hand me over to an uncircumcised heather to mistreat me!? We must learn from Shimon and Levi the brothers of Dinah, who were only two, but still zealously endangered their lives to destroy Shechem for the sake of God's name – and God helped them and did not shame them! And you are five brothers, Yehudah, Yochanan, Yonatan, Shimon and Elazar – and the young priests number over two hundred – place your trust in God and He will help you, as it is written, 'for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.'" (Shmuel 1 14:6) Then, she burst into tears and said, "Lord of the Universe – if You do not have compassion upon us, have compassion upon the holiness of your great Name by which we are called, and avenge our vengeance on this day!"
At that moment, her brother were zealous and said, let us gather and consider what course of action we should take…

This incredibly powerful story speaks for itself. The brazen, almost unthinkable act of a single pious girl shook the Jews to their very core, forcing them once and for all to overcome their fear and rise up against the Greek oppression.

Explanation 2:  The Actions of Yehudit – Jewish Women Took Up Arms Themselves
The Gemara (Megillah 4) notes that women are obligated in the reading of the Megillah, for, just as we find regarding Chanukah, on Purim as well, אף הן היו באותו הנס – "they were also in that miracle." Women's involvement in the Purim miracle is relatively obvious: Esther played the primary role in saving the Jewish people from extinction. Yet, Tosfot on that Gemara add that, בחנוכה על ידי יהודית – "on Chanukah [women were involved in the miracle] through the actions of Yehudit." This, of course, refers to the story related in the Book of Yehudit (which, like the Book of the Macabees, never made it into Tanach), which relates the story of a widow named Yehudit, who ingratiates herself with the Greeks to gain their trust, only to lure the Greek General Holofernes into her tent, where she chops off his head, throwing the Greek army into turmoil.
In reality, it's difficult to know whether the story actually took place at all – as different versions of it appear in the Midrash. (In fact, the continuation of the Midrash quoted above suggests that the brothers used Chanah herself as bait for the Greek general), but the gist of this interpretation is clear: in the story of Chanukah of Chanukah, the women couldn't allow themselves to sit on the sidelines. Rather, when needed, they themselves fought to rid the nation of the invading Greek armies.

Explanation 3: Women as Supporters, Sending their Husbands to Fight
When I taught these sources during a class on Midrash at Orot, I began by asking the class whether women may light Chanukah candles at all. One married student answered that she knew that she in fact could. How did she know? She knew because the issue had already come up at home, and she would be lighting in her home that year, on behalf of her husband.
"Where is your husband?" I asked her. "Why won't he be lighting for you?"
"He's an officer in the army, currently in a training course, and he won't be home for Chanukah," she explained. "So we already planned for the fact that I would light at home, and he would fulfill his obligation through my lighting."
Hearing her words, I found myself truly moved by her nonchalance. She didn't think much of it, but how often do we consider the wives of our soldiers, who send their husbands to defend the Jewish nation, maintaining homes, raising families – or even just suffering many, many nights of loneliness – on our behalf.
I believe that this might very well be another meaning of the Gemara's statement that women too were involved in the miraculous victory of Chanukah. Even if the women never physically fought in any of the battles, Jewish women paid a very heavy price for the victory over the Greeks. They encouraged their husbands and sons to go out to war; they maintained their homes during the months of battle; and too many of them made the ultimate sacrifice when their loved ones never returned home. Even victory carries a heavy price.
If the victory of Chanukah represented the last Jewish military victory before the destruction of the Second Beit Hamikdash, today, we truly merit to live in a time when we can enjoy the great gift of our return to that very same Land. Yet, that gift is not free. We continue to pay a heavy price to ensure Jewish sovereignty over the Promised Land.

This Chanukah, as we light our Chanukah candles, let us resolve to focus on the great sacrifices that Jewish women have made to ensure Jewish freedom, whether those sacrifices were בימים ההם – "in those days", or whether they are בזמן הזה – "in our days as well."
Chanukah Semeach!

What Do Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook and English Have in Common?

by Dr. Vitela Arzi- Head of the English Department, Elkana Campus

Each year, Orot staff and administration focus on a general theme that is incorporated into students' education studies. This year, thirty years after the passing of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook Zt”l, Orot Israel College is focusing on the life and legacy of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda. The selection of this topic has created a new challenge for the English Department, where we preach and practice the integration of the “sacred” with the “secular,” as we firmly believe that relevant Jewish content should be integrated into the teaching of English, and that our English lessons should be enhanced by educational, cultural and Jewish values.

Over the past few years, the English Department has developed learning centers, units of study, activities and games on uniquely Jewish themes such as “Shmita, ”  “the Jewish Diaspora,” “Jewish Leadership,” “Light the Candles Project,” “Jewish Identity,” “Dedication and Shlichut,” “Jerusalem,”  “Matan Torah- Am Israel and the Nations,”  and many more. These activities, projects and modules, supervised by pedagogy instructor Dr. Chaya Katz, transformed abstract esoteric concepts into concrete visual, auditory and sensory-motor experiences, which were then integrated into our Practicum Teaching, and were highly appreciated by the training schools in Rosh Ha’ayin, Ofra, Petach Tikva, and Ra’anana.
When a theme is selected and declared to be an Annual Educational Topic, the staff of the English department gathers for a brainstorming session and proposes specific applications of this theme to our various courses. Usually, the students who benefit from these ideas are those students majoring in English, who are slated to become English language teachers themselves and will be able to adapt the pedagogic principles they have been taught to their own future classes.
This year, however, we decided to expand our target population, and introduce the annual theme into courses of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). These EAP courses are mandatory for all students in academic institutions for the purpose of improving students’ English reading comprehension skills, thus enabling our majority non-English-speaking student population to tackle academic texts required for their seminar papers and ongoing academic work. Students are placed in five levels based on their psychometric test scores.
Two reading-comprehension Modules have been prepared for the low, intermediate, and pre-advanced levels by Mrs. Mona Schreiber, Dr. Smadar Falk-Perez, Mr. David Wapner, Mrs. Hannah Kessler, Mrs. Tzilla Rabinovitz, and Dr. Bat Sheva Keren. One Module focuses on Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda’s biography, while the other focuses on his observance and spiritual legacy. The Modules are based on existing texts that were abridged, modified and edited by the instructors for teaching purposes. Suitable questions were prepared based on the content of the texts and the pedagogical goals of the modules.
From a purely academic point of view, the texts and the accompanying questions provide opportunities for practicing English-language skills such as main idea, details, pronoun references, new vocabulary and more. Yet content-wise, the texts provide an ideal opportunity to discuss significant issues such as Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda’s vision, his view on the Divine commandment to settle the Land of Israel, his attitude toward the State of Israel, the study and editing of his father’s writings, the history of the settlement movement and the “hesder” yeshivot.
The EAP staff feels that preparing reading comprehension modules for EAP courses is particularly advantageous.  Not only will more students be exposed to the Annual Educational Topic in English, but the idea that English can be incorporated across the curricula will hopefully have long-lasting effects.  We hope that our current students, who will become educators and educational leaders, will develop a more positive attitude towards English once they realize how it can be utilized beneficially to promote a variety of educational themes. Hopefully, in their own future schools, in their various educational roles, perhaps even as school principals, those teachers will be supportive of combined interdisciplinary “sacred-secular” programs and initiate collaboration with English teachers at their prospective schools.
Our graduates will thus become messengers of Orot Israel’s educational philosophy according to which the so-called “secular” subjects can co-exist harmoniously with “sacred” topics since such a synthesis is desirable, possible and attainable.

Orot Israel College Supports Our Beleaguered Brethren in the South

“At first, I was very scared,” recalls Devorah Avazret, 17, from Nice in southern France. “Israel is very beautiful, and it’s heart-warming to always be among Jews. But I’m not used to sirens or falling missiles. Every time [we heard the siren], we had to run to the bomb shelter, and it was frightening and unpleasant.”
Devorah is one of some forty Jewish girls from France who are studying at Hemdat Hadarom College located just outside of Netivot. The French students are part of a one-year Torani preparatory program, which is comprised of both secular studies – including Hebrew-language Ulpan, a preparation course for the psychometric test, and more – and Jewish studies.
When the girls first arrived in Israel about a month ago, they realized that sirens were a fact of life. But, as Rav Eli Kling, head of the program explains, “The sirens and the rockets fell infrequently, and the girls learned to live with it. However, once the war in the South began, the girls’ reality changed. If it was only up to me, we would’ve stayed,” he continues. “There are spacious shelters, and there’s room to study. But under the circumstances, it became psychologically impossible. The girls’ parents are hysterical. It’s also very difficult for the girls to concentrate on their studies. We looked around for options to relocate the program until the crisis ended. Orot Israel College responded immediately and willingly.”
Here at Orot, we were more than up to the challenge. Students living in an entire dormitory building moved for the French students, and classrooms were made available for their use. In addition, the cafeteria remained open for them during the evenings, and the French girls resumed their regular routines.
 “‘איש את רעהו יעזורו ולאחיו יאמר חזק - ‘Each man shall help his fellow; and to his brother he shall say: be strong,’” quotes Rabbi Professor Neria Guttel, President of Orot Israel College. “Orot Israel College supports our brothers in the South, as part of our ideological worldview, which is to do as much as we can to help others. My good friend, the President of Hemdat Hadarom College, Professor Avi Levy approached me looking for a solution for a group of students from abroad, and we responded immediately to his request – even if it’s not a simple matter. We – the administration and the students – will do whatever we possibly can to help.”
And what does Devorah think about all this?
 “At a certain stage, one starts to adapt, to gain confidence,” she said. “We realized that things were beyond our control. In any event, I’m glad that we moved to Elkana. It’s much quieter and safer here.”
Baruch Hashem the students are now back in Netivot where hopefully they will enjoy the rest of their program.