Practice, Practice Practice

By Rabbi Ephraim Levitz,
Student Teacher Practicum Department, Elkana Campus

Field work is proscribed in many professions. Lawyers, doctors, accountants, social workers, psychologists, etc. all require intense practical experience, guided by licensed and experienced experts in their profession. The student teacher must undergo similar training and field work to avail the opportunity for reflective practice under the supervision of a teacher trainer. This practice is highly structured and the benefits rewards are invaluable.

The practical aspects of our teacher training are considered the crown jewel of our program. After many intense months of theoretical coursework, the students go out in to the classroom to apply what they have learned. In the beginning the questions are more numerous than the answers. At this stage the students realize what they have learned well and what requires further revision.

In comes the מדריכה פדגוגית (teacher trainer). With a warm smile and an encouraging word, the Madricha escorts the student down to the playing field for a practice game. No pressure. The new rookie, knees shaking, voice trembling, enters the classroom to teach the first lesson. While stage fright takes over the Madricha pushes the student out from behind the curtain to center stage. “בקר טוב תלמידים...” she begins in a quiet voice, and her lesson plan slowly unfolds into a full blown drama. After the lesson the Madricha gathers her flock for the feedback powwow. She tries to highlight the strengths of the lesson, leaving the critical comments for another day. The student walks away exhausted and excited, “I did it”!

The first semester of teacher training has started on the right foot. Ode to the tireless efforts and assistance of Dalia Plesser, who recently retired from the position as head of department but obliged to assist with the arduous task of assignment, the placement of each of the students went smoothly. The general feeling is everyone is content in their schools and there is a sense of satisfaction and intrigue for the challenges yet to come.

I assumed the position as head of the department in July. I am still trying to get acquainted with the myriad of rules and regulations as well as to understand the needs of the students. Although flexibility is needed in many cases, especially in a college for young women, I am working hard to maintain the standards of excellence that are the college’s trademark. Hopefully the right balance will be found and the students will be able to enjoy the student teaching experience.

Goals and Aspirations:

For the short term, my efforts are focused on keeping the momentum of the system going forward, business as usual. This alone is a challenging task. I am not planning changes at this stage while I am learning the system.

I hope to survey students from the various streams to get a firsthand impression of the student’s experience in the field. This will provide food for thought for future plans and development.

At this point I am establishing working relationships with the Madrichot. In the future I aim to expand the use of technology in the running of the department, and in promoting team collaboration. The staff has been very welcoming and helpful until now and I look forward to a very productive year.

The middle range goals are in the area of opening more communication between the lecturers and the Madrichot. Through these meetings I hope to clarify the special requirements and needs of each department and prepare a coherent guide for the perplexed student teacher. In the same vein I hope to examine each of the templates and forms used routinely by the students to try to ease some of the confusion that currently exists.

Besides serving as מדריך פדגוגי in various colleges in Israel, I have specialized in cognitive training for the classroom. My long term wish is to incorporate some of the practical skills and tools of creative thinking development and metacognition in the teacher training program in אורות ישראל.

Teaching has been the passion of my life. It should never be perceived as a job, rather as a life mission. The פסוק states,

”ושננתם לבניך”. רש"י cites חז"ל, “To your children: These are your students”. The verse is not speaking about the mission of the father to teach his own children the lessons of the Torah. That is obvious. Rather, hints רש"י, the Torah is speaking to teachers. Every teaching situation should be viewed as personal as parenting. Teaching students is like raising your own children, with the same love and patience and concern for their success.

I would like to express my gratitude to Rabbi Professor Neriya Guttel, the President of Orot Israel College, and to Rabbi Dr. Moshe Rachimi, Dean of Students, for their guidance and support. I feel privileged to serve in such an esteemed institution for higher learning in Israel.

Seeing Yad Hashem in the World

Remember those "Magic Eye" books?
A few years back, these books were all the rage. You've seen them – pictures of seemingly blurry blotches of nothing, but if you look at the picture in just the right way from the proper distance, you begin to see that there's a picture inside the picture, hiding in plain sight.
If you never figured out how to properly "see" the hidden image, these books are infuriating. After all, your friends stare at a page for a second and then say, "Whoa! Look at that!" And no matter how long you look, you can't see anything at all. But it's not that you can't see the picture. You're looking straight at it. You just haven't learned how to look at it in the manner which will allow you to see the picture inside the picture. With enough practice, a person can indeed learn to see the picture in the picture.
These Magic Eye books are a great metaphor for spiritual life.
We live our lives knowing that God plays an intimate, direct role in our lives, aware of the fact that God's firm grasp continues to guide klal yisrael. And yet, we cannot see what's right in front of our eyes. Like those "magic" pictures, the keys lies in learning how to look for what we see but cannot identify. How can we learn to see the Hand of God in the world? Rav Kook, commenting on a beautiful Aggadah, provides an fascinating suggestion.
The Gemara (erachot 58a) tells the story of ben Zoma, and the proper attitude towards the acts of kindness that others perform for us.

He used to say: What does a good guest say? 'How much trouble my host has taken for me! How much meat he has set before me! How much wine he has set before me! How many cakes he has set before me! And all the trouble he has taken was only for my sake!' But what does a bad guest say? 'How much after all has mine host put himself out? I have eaten one piece of bread, I have eaten one slice of meat, I have drunk one cup of wine! All the trouble which my host has taken was only for the sake of his wife and his children!' What does Scripture say of a good guest? "Remember that you magnify his works, where of men have sung." (Job 35:24)  But of a bad guest it is written: "Men do therefore fear him; [he regards not any that are wise of heart]". (37:24)

It's so easy to write off the things that other people do for us, as his "bad guest" so easily does. After all, they didn't make the effort for us - they made if for themselves. But all too often, we take this attitude not with our hosts, but with those we love the most - a spouse, a parent, a sibling or friend - we just take them for granted, which we should never allow ourselves to do. If we took the time to focus on the effort that goes into meeting our daily needs, and appreciating the good that others do on our behalf, we'd be much happier, content and more fulfilled.
It's a beautiful Gemara. But Rav Kook, in his commentary Ein Ayah on the Aggadah, sees ben Zoma's lesson as a critical key to seeing God's hand in the world.
Rav Kook begins his essay by noting that the issue of whether to believe in God's Hand in the world or not is not an intellectual question. It's not a matter than can be proved or disproved. "Rather, these two [attitudes] are dependent on the condition of the soul, whether for good or for bad…" How then do we learn to see God's goodness in the world? We do this through practice, by learning to see the good in those around us.

…the pure soul, which is ready to do good, will look upon the Divine influence with a good eye, for his soul will see that God's will is only to bring good. And where does this goodness come from, if not from the Divine light that is good and bestows good. Therefore, he will be certain that all is done for the good, and those seemingly negative events in the world have an ultimate positive end.

In essence, the way we look at the world at large is the very same way that we'll see the people who surround us. If we see God's goodness in the world, we'll also see that goodness in the actions of our fellow man. And, if we refuse to see the Hand of Hashem in the world, we won't see goodness or kindness in the things others do for us either.
Yet, the opposite rule also applies. If we can learn to see the goodness in the small things, that positive attitude will spread as well to the way we look at the world. In essence, if we can learn to not only see, but appreciate the small acts of kindness that others do for us in life, we'll train ourselves not only to see small acts of goodness in the world, but the big ones as well. In a nutshell, the more goodness we learn to see, the more we'll see it all around us.
How many kindnesses do we allow to go unnoticed? How many times has a loved one gone out of his or her way on our behalf, and we just took it for granted? How many times has a neighbor done us that small favor – one which we forgot to acknowledge? Think about the small kindnesses built into the fabric of daily life: someone cooked us dinner (and if you cooked it, odds are that someone else earned it.) Someone made sure to post the schedule of davening in shul. Someone took the time to ensure that the community tiyyul arrangements were properly addressed. The list goes on and on. And it's not their job. They weren't doing it anyway. (That's what ben Zoma's "bad guest" says, remember?) They did us a kindness, and we didn't even notice.
And then we wonder why we cannot see the larger, hidden good, when we fail to pay attention to the obvious acts of kindness happening right in front of us!
How then can we learn to see something we know is there but invisible all the same? Like those "Magic Eye" books, the answer lies in knowing how and what to look for. When we start focusing on all of the good in our lives; when we begin to see the small acts of kindness and goodness that surround us, we'll begin to train our eyes to see that which was already there: the Divine goodness of God, guiding us and bestowing goodness upon us, our families, and Klal Yisrael.

In Every Direction

Dr. Ayal Davidson – Head, Land of Israel Studies Department, Orot Israel College

Pirkei Avot serves as an excellent guidebook for this unique time of year, which is dedicated to self-scrutiny and self-examination. The Mishnah teaches us to look in every direction in order to draw the strength needed to make the required changes. On one hand, we must look backward. We must delve into the deep recesses of the past and discard the waste while collecting the nitzotzot (literally, sparks):

“Know from where you came.” (Avot 3:1)

But on the other hand, we must look forward and prepare for the future:

“And before Whom you are destined to give a judgment and a reckoning.” (Ibid)

Yet, that is not all. We must also look upward:

“Know what is above you,” (Avot 2:1)

And downward:

“And where you are going - to a place of dust, maggots and worms.” (Avot 3:1)

Interestingly, each direction has a deeper meaning. Although modern maps point north, ancient cartographers and explorers turned eastward – hence, the term “orient.” Indeed, in Biblical Hebrew, east is called “kedem” (literally, in front or in advance), and the Dead Sea is referred to as “yam hakadmoni” (Zechariah 14:8 – i.e. the “eastern sea”). Meanwhile, the Mediterranean is called “yam ha’acharon” (Ibid – literally, the “final sea”), because it is located behind (mei’achorei) one facing east. Similarly, southward is referred to as “teiman” (literally, Yemen), because it is located to the right. And the left? Even today, the Arabic name for Syria is “A-Sham” (literally, the left).

Moreover, the future is known as “acharit hayamim” (Devarim 4:30 - i.e. the end of days), while the past is called “yemei kedem” (literally, “primeval days” – i.e. antiquity). But wait! Should it not have been the opposite? After all, the future is before us, and the past is behind us! However, this is only correct in modern, Western terms. According to our traditional, Jewish approach, one must face the past and learn from it, and thus, the future is behind one’s back.

Moshe presents an educational problem to Bnei Yisrael:

“If your son asks you tomorrow, saying: What are the testimonies and the statutes and the ordinances, which Hashem, our God, has commanded you?” (Devarim 6:20)

What will you say to him? My dear son, look to the future; work on yourself; consider how you will look tomorrow? No, just the opposite:

“You shall say to your son: We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt; and Hashem took us out of Egypt with a strong hand… in order to bring us, to give us the Land which He swore to our fathers.” (Devarim 6:21-23)

In other words, the past is what holds the secret of our spiritual existence and gives us the strength we need to confront the future.

And there is another lesson for us: The curriculum in Orot Israel College’s Land of Israel Studies Department includes a study of geography. When one knows how to examine the layers above and below the rocks and the trees, one discovers a wonderful inner world, imbued with a deep spiritual, Torah, and – in our example – even moral significance. All that remains is to invest some thought and reflection and to discover it.

May Hashem grant us a year of fruitful and productive learning which will uncover our world’s inner and spiritual layers. And as a result, may our students feel that they are not only ready to discover their own inner worlds but that they are also prepared to bequeath them to their students.

Stop For a Minute

Rabbi Dr. Amir Mashiach – Head, Jewish Philosophy Department, Orot Israel College, and Rav, Beit Knesset L’Tzeirim, Petach Tikva

In India, they tell the following story:

One evening, a sage walked along the beach. In due course, he came to a small fishing village, where a man began chasing after him.

“Stop! Stop, please,” the man cried. “Give me your precious pearl!”

“What pearl are you talking about?” the sage asked and continued on his way.

“The pearl that is in your sack,” the man replied. “Last night, I dreamed that I would meet a great scholar and that he would give me an exquisite pearl, which would make me rich beyond my wildest dreams.”

The sage stopped walking. He opened his sack and took out a giant, beautiful pearl, which glowed like a thousand flames.

“Just a few minutes ago, when I was on the beach, I noticed this large, sparkling pearl,” the sage said and presented the gem to the astonished man. “It appealed to me, and I put it in my bag. Apparently, it is the pearl you dreamed about. Take it. It is yours.”

The man was ecstatic. He took the pearl from the sage and skipped away happily. After the man had left, the sage stretched out on the sand and prepared to spend the night.

Meanwhile, when the man got home, he could not fall asleep. Afraid that someone would steal his treasure, he spent a restless night, tossing and turning in his bed. Finally, at the crack of dawn, he picked up the pearl and returned to the beach in search of the sage.

“Please take back the pearl,” the man said when he found the sage. “It is a source of worry for me – not wealth or happiness. I would prefer that you give me some of the wisdom which enabled you to give up a pearl so easily. That is the true meaning of wealth.”

We live in a world exemplified by a frantic pursuit of wealth and prosperity. To a certain extent, this is a good thing. After all, this race led mankind to great achievements in the fields of science and technology. Man conquered the ocean and outer space. Man harnessed the sun’s rays, water, and the air in order to produce energy. Man built traffic arteries which significantly decreased the time it takes to get from one place to another. With the help of computers and the Internet, man transformed the world into a small global village, and now, with the click of a button, one can reach the four corners of the earth within seconds. The list goes on and on… Yet, in spite of their considerable importance, these accomplishments are incomplete. The Torah teaches us that man is comprised of two parts: a body and a soul. Unquestionably, man has developed the body at an astounding rate. However, in our modern - and postmodern - world, where “time is money,” a major element is missing.

Regardless of his impressive achievements, man must understand that the picture is incomplete when the focus in one-dimensional – entirely material. Wealth does not only mean physical wealth. True wealth is spiritual perfection. Hence, Ben Zoma tells us:

“Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot.” (Avot 4:1)

Because of man’s pursuit of “an exquisite pearl, which would make me rich beyond my wildest dreams,” the Torah comes and gives us time to stop and think. The Yamim HaNora’im, which begin on Rosh Hashanah and peak on Yom Kippur, are a time to focus on the spirit. Indeed, on Yom Kippur, we are fully detached from the material. We neither eat nor drink; we neither bathe nor anoint ourselves with lotion. We resemble angels – completely spiritual… No! The Torah does not want to transform man into an angel. HaKadosh Baruch Hu has plenty of angels in the heavens. Instead, we, as humans, must serve as a unique balance and combination of these two elements – the spiritual and the material, the body and the soul. This task is not easy, and therefore, it is primarily given to Am Yisrael. And by meeting this challenge, Am Yisrael will reach completion and will illuminate the entire world with the precious light which emanates from a true understanding of “tzelem Elokim.”

Not by chance, Rosh Hashanah’s only mitzvah is hearing the sound of the shofar. It is a simple, uncomplicated sound; a sound which goes beyond words or notes; a sound which causes us to stop and think about the neglected yet precious part of us: our ability to think. Thinking enables us to give up “the pearl” and achieve true completion – the sacred balance between the material and the spiritual.

In Orot Israel College’s Jewish Philosophy Department, we study the teachings of Gedolei Yisrael throughout the generations. Yet, besides analyzing their writings, we mainly learn how to internalize the wisdom of their lives. By doing so, we will learn how to apply the insights of these incredible role models from those days to our lives, as individuals and as a society, in our time. This is not an easy task, but b’ezrat Hashem, we will learn, accomplish, and succeed.

Shanah tovah and b’hatzlachah!

If You Could Ask for Only One Thing

by Rabbi Reuven Spolter
Director of Recruiting

If you could only ask for one thing from God, what would you ask for? Health? Prosperity? Success? It's an important question, because when we boil down our hopes and yearnings to one specific request, it says a lot about who we are.
Throughout the Torah, Moshe Rabbeinu asks God for many things: for guidance, assistance, forgiveness, support. It's a long list. Yet, when we examine his requests carefully we notice that Moshe never really asks for anything for himself. Throughout the Torah, Moshe never makes a personal request for anything – except once. And then when he asks, he doesn't just ask. He begs. He pleads.

וָאֶתְחַנַּן, אֶל-ה', בָּעֵת הַהִוא, לֵאמֹר.... אֶעְבְּרָה-נָּא, וְאֶרְאֶה אֶת-הָאָרֶץ הַטּוֹבָה, אֲשֶׁר, בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן:  הָהָר הַטּוֹב הַזֶּה, וְהַלְּבָנֹן. (דברים ג:כג-כה)

And I pleaded with God at that time saying…Let me go over, I pray to You, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill-country, and Lebanon.' (Devarim 3:23-25)

Moshe pleaded with God for one thing: Please allow me to enter into the Land of Israel.
I've recently become reacquainted with the Me'am Loez, and find myself taken both by its simplicity, but also by its powerful honesty. What is Me'am Loez? According to Wikipedia,

Me'am Lo'ez, initiated by Rabbi Yaakov Culi in 1730, is a widely studied commentary on the Tanakh written in Ladino - it is perhaps the best known publication in that language. In Rabbi Culi's time, many individuals in Turkey were not sufficiently fluent in the Hebrew language to study the Torah and its commentaries in the original. Rabbi Culi thus undertook the "colossal task" of writing a compendium of the major fields of Torah study. The commentary was to be user-friendly and was thus written in Ladino, the Jewish language spoken by the Jews in Turkey. The book was divided according to the weekly Torah portion (Parashat hashevua); Rabbi Culi explains each chapter in detail according to the Midrash and Talmud. In his introduction Rabbi Culi personally guarantees that "everyone who reads the Me'am Loez every day will be able to answer in Heaven that he has learned the whole Torah, because all aspects of the Torah are covered on it".

I guess you could say that Meam Lo'ez was the world's first Artscroll – an attempt to adapt Torah to everyday people in an easy, readable way. And it power and simplicity offer timeless messages that resonate, especially today.
In answering why Moshe so badly wanted to enter into Eretz Yisrael, Me'am Loez gives ten answers. Here's number six (from Rabbi Kaplan's translation of the Me'am Loez):

As long as the Israelites are in the land of Israel they are called God's children, as it is written, "You are children to God your Lord" (Deut. 14:1). Just as a son can find all his father's hidden treasures and can enter any place he wishes, similarly the Israelites can discover all the mysteries of the Torah when they are in the Holy Land.
However, when the Israelites are outside the land of Israel they are called slaves, and a slave may not know all the hidden secrets that his master has.
We thus find that when Moses pleaded before God he called himself a servant, as it is written, "You have begun to show Your servant" (Deut. 3:23). Moses pleaded with God in order to reach the level of a son. God said to him, "You already reached this level when I told you to make the Tabernacle. At that time I called you and revealed to you all My secrets."

It's worthwhile to take some time to study the words of the Me'am Loez. I've copied the relevant sections from Parshat Va'atchanan, both in Hebrew and in English.
Reading these powerful words today, one might get the feeling that they were written by someone from the Religious Zionist movement trying to convince Jews in America to move to Israel. But in truth, they were actually written in the mid-1700's before there even was a Religious Zionist movement. Or, to be more accurate, they were written when all of Orthodox Judaism was a religious Zionist movement. Somehow, we've lost that collective sense of the unique special nature of the Land of Israel and the close connection that it brings between God and His people.
Each year, when Tisha B'av comes around, I find myself struggling for a reason to mourn. Of course, I know that we're mourning the past and the tremendous suffering that the Jewish people have endured. I also know that we yearn for the Beit Hamikdash. But it sometimes seems so abstract. What does that really mean for the Jewish people? Me'am Loez writes,

When the Temple existed and we were in our own land, all blessing and bounty came from God's hand, while the other nations only had what was left over, like a slave dependent on his master. However, now, due to our sins, this has changed. God gives all good to the nations and we can only hope for what they leave over. However, even now when the Temple is destroyed and the land is desolate, through the merit of the land of Israel all the world is fed.

Today these words continue to ring true. Israel depends on the generosity and assistance of the nations of the world for financial and military assistance as well as for its national and political security. We haven't reached true independence, and certainly don't serve as a source of sustenance for others yet. We mourn the fact that as much as we have achieved, we have not come close to reaching our true national potential.
As much as Tisha B'av is about focusing on what happened in the past, we must also utilize the day to consider just how great we can be – and how far we must go to finally reach that great goal.

Psychological Testing Using Art-Based Assessments

Yehuda Lubin
Guidance Department

Analyzing a child’s artwork is an important tool for understanding the child. Thus, as part of their training to become school counselors, the students of Orot Israel College’s guidance department were recently introduced to this key component of psychological testing.

One of a therapist’s functions is to enable the patient to open his heart and talk about his thoughts and deep feelings. Generally, this is achieved via a conversation with an empathetic interlocutor in an intimate and safe environment. However, in some cases, the therapist is unable to motivate the patient to speak freely. Various emotional barriers impede the patient’s progress, and hence, the patient continues to suffer. In these situations, therapists often encourage the patients to express themselves via an alternate medium – such as drawing.

Dr. Moshe Raz, a leading psychologist who specializes in this complex field, delivered a fascinating lecture on the subject to the students. Using pictures and specific examples from his therapeutic practice, Dr. Raz demonstrated how analyzing his patients’ artwork enabled them to understand the underlying causes and conflicts behind their conditions. Consequently, the patients were able to express themselves and work towards a solution.

The Orot students were very impressed by the dramatic changes which resulted from this treatment, and a number of the young women indicated that they were inspired to pursue a career in this area after completing their undergraduate degrees. The students were provided with valuable tools, which will certainly help them when they become school counselors.

Academic Conference on the Rashbam in Memory of Professor Elazar Touitou z”l

Rabbi Dr. Moshe Rachimi
Dean of Students, Elkana Campus

Orot Israel College and Bar Ilan University’s Tanach Department recently cohosted an international academic conference devoted to the Rashbam’s commentary on the Tanach - in memory of distinguished educator and researcher Professor Elazar Touitou z”l, who was affiliated with both institutions. One of the world’s foremost experts on the Rashbam, Professor Touitou, who passed away last year, was renowned for his textual and historical analyses of the Rashbam’s exegetical philosophy.

Held at Bar Ilan, the highly-anticipated and widely-acclaimed conference attracted an overflow crowd - including Professor Touitou’s family, friends, and admirers, as well as leading Tanach scholars and researchers from Israel and around the world. Professor Rav Neriah Gutel, President of Orot Israel College, and Professor Moshe Kaveh, President of Bar Ilan University, greeted the attendees and spoke warmly about Professor Touitou. They alluded to his dignified graciousness and discussed his significant contributions to the State of Israel’s development and defense.

Each of the conference’s four sessions shed light on a different aspect of the Rashbam’s teachings. The first session pertained to the Rashbam’s commentary on the Torah; the second session dealt with the Rashbam’s commentary on Tehilim, Kohelet, and Shir HaShirim; the third session focused on the reciprocal nature of the relationship between Rashi, the Ibn Ezra and the Rashbam; and the final session examined the Rashbam’s influence on subsequent generations.

All of the lectures were recorded and are available on Orot’s website. In addition, the talks are set to be compiled into an academic journal, which will be published jointly by Orot Israel College and Bar Ilan University.