Rav Shvat's Shiur

Every culture has their own children's stories, which not only express their philosophy but also, in turn, influence the next generation, as well. On the one hand, Islamic stories stress how Allah runs the world, with man's free-will relatively limited, while western stories stress man's free will and initiative, but basically eliminate the role of G-d. The stories in the Tanach clearly intend to raise a generation who does not rely on miracles yet prays to Hashem to help man's efforts, initiatives, and free will. To celebrate Chanukah fully, we must recognize and thank Hashem also for the miracle of the oil, yet also for the military victory of Yehudah HaMaccabi and his brothers, who davened before every battle, in addition to developing military strategy of their own. Thus we will BH raise a generation which will revive the ideal Jew and ideal Jewish Nation of old.
Chanukah Same'ach,
Rav Ari Shvat

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The Nobel Prize: Good for the Jews?

Rav Yonah Goodman
Director of the Advanced Institute for Contemporary Education and Religion

Israeli Professor Ada Yonath of the Weizmann Institute in Rechovot recently received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in Stockholm. She has become the 176th Jew (comprising 22% of Nobel Prize winners throughout history) and the ninth Israeli to win the Nobel Prize. But is there any reason for us to get excited about this? Rav Yonah Goodman, Director of Religious Education, Orot College, offers an answer.

Recently, Israelis learned that this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry is to be awarded to an Israeli scientist, Professor Ada Yonath of the Weizmann Institute. The media devoted several days to the story, but why should we care? Does Yonath’s prize have any implication for the rest of us?
As it so happened, I was talking about the news with several secular teachers. They all insisted that they were very excited and that they planned on discussing the prize in class. One even declared, “The nations of the world have given us a tremendous honor,” and the students must hear about it.
However, when I asked an educator in a religious school if he was going to bring up the subject in his classroom, he seemed surprised at the question. He replied, “What? We need the non-Jews’ honor?! They should be the ones to determine if we’re worthy or not? After all, our honor is dependent on our spiritual stature and not on commissions comprised of various professors. Maybe you missed it, but on Simchat Torah, we danced with a Sefer Torah, not a chemistry book!”
Although I doubt that most religious teachers would agree with his statement, there is no question that the topic was covered with much more enthusiasm in the secular system (including its media) than in the religious sector, which mainly reacted with indifference to the story.
Indeed, I frequently wonder if the secular public’s enthusiasm for a given topic is sufficient cause for part of the religious public to condemn it. Nevertheless, I believe that there are many reasons why Professor Yonath’s achievement matters:
1. Is chemistry – and science, in general – truly unimportant? How can we successfully run a country if we do not have people who excel in every field? Should we resort to importing non-Jewish doctors, engineers, CEO’s, and officers?
2. HaKadosh Baruch Hu ordered us “to perfect the universe through the sovereignty of the Almighty” (from the Aleinu prayer) – and not only on the spiritual plane. Are we not obligated to contribute to the human effort to heal the sick (an endeavor which was advanced as a result of Yonath’s discoveries)? When Hashem commands us “and subdue it” (Breishit 1:28), we are not meant to wage war. Rather, our task is to overcome challenges and dangers – using a wide range of tools, including scientific ones.
3. Am Yisrael’s mission is to aspire for spiritual excellence and to spread Hashem’s Name throughout the world. We can only accomplish this goal if we are part of the world. Moreover, we must show that our spiritual ascendency goes hand in hand with the fact that we are a healthy nation which includes many different and assorted professionals who contribute to the country and the world. (See Orot 104.) Has our “Diaspora mindset” caused us to become estranged from the wonderful world which HaKadosh Baruch Hu created? (And we have not even mentioned our privilege and responsibility to recognize the wonders of Creation and use them to strengthen our faith. See Rambam – Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 2:2.)
4. As an interim conclusion, we can say that this award presents us with an opportunity to debate our fundamental approach to secular studies. Are they a manifestation of a weakness or a primary objective? Note that we are not addressing other important questions, such as at what age and to what extent should secular subjects be studied (see Rav Kook’s Iggeret 170); in which framework should they be taught; and so on. We are only focusing here on the importance of clarifying the national-religious public’s attitude towards secular studies.
Another issue is our position on the aforementioned educator’s statement, “What? We need the non-Jews’ honor?!” Obviously, we must find favor in HaKadosh Baruch Hu’s eyes and do His Will wholeheartedly. This is our mission. Yet, HaKadosh Baruch Hu was the One who instructed us to be an ohr lagoyim (a light among the nations), and this light will only increase if we not only excel in our spiritual world but in every field of endeavor. Furthermore, our lifestyle can serve as evidence that these fields need not contradict one another and that they can even be combined. Hence, if the nations of the world recognize our abilities and honor our achievements, this is certainly a partial fulfillment of our duty.
Finally, we should note that Professor Yonath’s life story raises additional issues, which are not necessarily connected to chemistry or secular studies. In a number of interviews, Professor Yonath was asked about her childhood. And as it turns out – surprise, surprise – her parents never enrolled her in classes for gifted children, and she never attended science courses at the nearest university.
In fact, her parents could barely feed her. She grew up in a poor home. Her father died when she was only eleven, and young Yonath was forced to find a job. Yet, according to her, these difficult conditions were what taught her about exertion, perseverance, responsibility, and confronting challenges. These traits enabled her to dedicate decades of her life to her research, even though she faced numerous difficulties and setbacks (including the scorn and contempt of those who doubted her ability to succeed on her chosen path). Without her diligence and determination, she would not have achieved results which will likely benefit the health of millions of people worldwide.
Is there really nothing we can learn from this story? After all, we frequently deal with pedagogical problems in an overly specific manner. For instance, when a child gets discouraged and does not solve a math problem, he is told to keep trying. When a child claims that he cannot clean his room, his mother insists that he is indeed capable of completing the task. Yet, while we handle specific problems, Professor Yonath’s story reminds us that perseverance and determination are important educational goals. Without these traits, we will produce neither scientists nor Torah scholars.

Yosef's Well and the Lights of Chanukah

We like to think that the story of Chanukah chronicles the good guys against the bad: the righteous Jews against the evil Greeks. While in some ways that's true, it's also s a gross oversimplification. In many ways, the story of Chanukah tells the tragic tale of Jew vs. Jew; secularist against religionist; those who remained faithful to Torah and halachah against a powerful group that had abandoned the traditional Jewish way of life. Examined in this light, Chanukah takes on a greater sense of urgency as we watch the two major camps in Israel – the religious and the secular – grow increasingly farther apart from each other. (Watching the competing protests over the character and nature of Yerushalayim on one hand, and the growing tension over the question of following orders in the army, it's easy to see how history could repeat itself, God forbid.)
While the essence of the miracle of Chanukah focuses on the war against the Greeks and the miracle of the oil in the Beit Hamikdash, Chazal left us clues to remind us about the underlying conflict that precipitated the terrible war.
When we examine the very brief mention of Chanukah found in the Gemara (Shabbat 21b – 22b), we encounter an interesting anomaly. (I've numbered the different subjects to make my point clear.)

אמר רב כהנא, דרש רב נתן בר מניומי משמיה דרבי תנחום נר של חנוכה שהניחה למעלה מעשרים אמה - פסולה, כסוכה וכמבוי. ואמר רב כהנא, דרש רב נתן בר מניומי משמיה דרב תנחום: מאי דכתיב +בראשית לז+ והבור רק אין בו מים. ממשמע שנאמר והבור רק איני יודע שאין בו מים? אלא מה תלמוד לומר אין בו מים - מים אין בו, אבל נחשים ועקרבים יש בו. אמר רבה: נר חנוכה מצוה להניחה בטפח הסמוכה לפתח. והיכא מנח ליה? רב אחא בריה דרבא אמר: מימין, רב שמואל מדפתי אמר: משמאל. והילכתא - משמאל, כדי שתהא נר חנוכה משמאל ומזוזה מימין.

1. Said Rav Kahana: Rav Natan bar Minyomi taught in the name of Rabbi Tanchum: A Chanukah lamp placed above the height of twenty amot is invalid. 2. And said Rav Kahana: Rav Natan bar Minyomi taught in the name of Rabbi Tanchum: What is the meaning of the verse: "And the well was empty, it contained no water"? Since it says "the well was empty" did I not know that it contained no water? Rather, what does "it contained no water" teach? [The well] had no water, but it contained snakes and scorpions. 3. Said Rabbah, it is a mitzvah to place the Chanukah lamp in the tefach adjacent to the doorway. And where should he place it? Rav Acha the son of Ravva said: to the right. Rav Shmuel from Difti said: to the left. And the halachah is to the left, so that the Chanukah lamp is on the left, and the mezuzah on the right.

Sandwiched between two short passages relating to specific halachot of lighting ((1) the height and (3) placement of the Chanukah lamp), the Gemara includes a seemingly unrelated Midrash. Why did Chazal record the familiar Midrash about the well into which the brothers threw Yosef in between two halachot about Chanukah? Also, can we connect this Midrash to the rules about where to place the Chanukah lamp?
When we examine the language Chazal utilize in the Midrash about Yosef's well, we find a subtle but critical Chanukah lesson. In addition to the Midrash about the well in the Gemara, the Midrash records a different, less-known teaching (Midrash Agadah 37) about that well:

והבור רק אין בו מים [אין בו דברי תורה]. ואין מים אלא תורה, שנאמר הוי כל צמא לכו למים (ישעי' נה א), מלמד שמרוב הצרה שכח תלמודו

"And the well was empty, it contained no water" – [it contained no words of Torah]. For "water" can only refer to Torah, as it is written, "Let all who thirst go to the water." (Isaiah 55:1). This teaches us that out of great anguish [Yosef] forgot his [Torah] studies.

Yosef's brothers threw him into two "pits". They first cast him into the actual water-well, empty as it was. But then, by selling him into slavery headed towards Egypt, they cast him into a far larger well: the empty pit of Egypt. Yet, this pit was devoid not of water, but of the Torah and spirituality that Yosef learned from his father at home. The Midrash notes a critical message about the absence of Torah. Lack of Torah is not benign. Rather, that lack of Torah and spirituality itself presented a danger to Yosef. The absence of Torah is not a vacuum, open to both positive and negative opportunities. Rather, the very lack of Torah in the well necessitates the fact that "snakes and scorpions" dwelled in that well instead. A place without Torah is never innocuous. The lack of Torah spells danger for Yosef, and for us, his descendants, as the void is filled not by the positives of Hellenism: the philosophy, science and progress, but by its dangers: hedonism, materialism and self-gratification.
This could help us understand the very next passage in the Gemara: ideally, one should place the menorah not in the window, but in the doorway – on the left-hand side (when entering). In this way, we surround our doorway with mitzvot that represent the Torah: the powerful words of Shema in the mezuzah on the right, and the light of Chanukah representing the spirituality of Judaism on the left.
Where does your family light your Chanukah candles? For the past several hundred years, we lit our candles in the window, not because we wanted to but because we had to. Too many generations were forced to keep the light of Chanukah to ourselves, shut in from the dangers (both literal and spiritual) of the outside world. But today things are different, both here in Israel and across the Diaspora. We no longer fear to light our candles in the public square. Our doors today are open. We should follow the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch and light not in the window, but with open doors.
And when we do, there can be no more powerful message about the way we relate to the outside world. Our doorways represent the portal between the insularity of the Jewish home and the "well" of the Western world. What values do we permit to pass through that portal? Are they informed by the mitzvot of Chanukah and mezuzah? The moments we spend lighting our candles this Chanukah present a perfect opportunity to contemplate these crucial questions.

Youth at Risk - Dugit Beach

During the months of summer vacation, the Dugit Beach on the Kinneret becomes a "home away from home" for a surprising number of Israeli teens. Teens camp at the beach not only as a fun vacation spot, but as a place to find peers and escape the pressures of home. Not surprisingly, this beach has become a home for a number of dangerous teenage behaviors including heavy smoking, provocative dress, violence, peer pressure, alcohol, drugs and casual sexual relations.
For several years, ELEM – an organization that works with youth at risk – has built an open tent on the Dugit beach during the summer months. The tent, open from early evening throughout the night, houses professional advisors and volunteer educators, therapists and students available to teenagers who need information, guidance, support, and even just a sympathetic ear. The discussions can be private, between an adolescent and a volunteer, and in a group setting between several volunteers or adolescents. ELEM personnel also attempt to identify and reach high risk youths on the beach. In addition, boys who are not at risk occasionally visit the tent to talk, take a break or just have light refreshments. Most of the boys visiting the tent come from religious homes.
During the summer of 2009, students studying in Orot's Department of Social and Communal Education joined ELEM's Dugit Beach project. While the Orot students hoped to gain valuable field experience, they had much to offer as well. As most of the teens that frequent Dugit Beach come from religious homes, ELEM turned to Orot to help deal with the problems and dilemmas unique to religious youth.
Orot's participation in the Dugit Beach project required thorough preparation. In addition to their normal educational training, Orot President Rabbi Neria Guttel and Head of Religious Education Rabbi Yonah Goodman addressed the students before the trip. Nurit Serri, head of the department together with Rabbi Goodman supervised the work throughout the night, and led a discussion on the beach at the end of the night.
Drawing conclusions from their experience, which Orot's students found the experience meaningful and challenging, meeting directly with youth at risk, especially from religious backgrounds, raised difficult questions: how could this happen to us? How should we as a community deal with these types of problems?
The students and the staff emerged from the project with a positive attitude: they felt that their meetings contributed to the youth and likely helped them, albeit in a limited way. They found that as religious volunteers, they could play a very significant role in affecting teens because of in their unique understanding of religious adolescents at risk.
In the years to come, Orot hopes to make its participation in the Dugit Beach Project a permanent part of students' volunteer work.

"Light a Candle " with the English Department

Dr. Vitela Arzi

Head of the English Department

"Light a Candle " with the English Department - a unique learning center at Ulpenalt Zevulun in Rosh Ha'ayin.

Chanukah- the holiday of Light
Facing this criticism, the third year students, supervised by their pedagogic supervisor (Madafit) Dr. Chaya Katz, and helped by Adina Salomon from Orot's Pedagogic Center created a unique learning experience at their training school , Ulpenat Zevulun, revolving around the topic of light and practiced through a special Learning Center that would vitalize the spiritual meanings of Light.

At the basis of the Unit prepared by the students, was the symbol of light, representing the victory of spirit over matter. The concept of light has various biblical connotations , four of which were selected by the students :
1. The light of Wisdom – " A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine" (Ecclesiastes, 8, 1 ).
2. The light of Torah- "For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light" (Proverbs, 6, 23).
3. The light of Faith: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path" (Psalms, 119, 105).
4.The light of Soul: "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord" (Proverbs, 20, 27).

Since Chanukah is a holiday which also revolves around contrasts and opposites, (light-darkness, many-few, weak-strong etc…), the students decided that the linguistic aspect of their learning center would revolve around opposites and contrasts (such as trust-faith, materialistic- spiritual, light- dark etc). The purpose was to go beyond Doughnuts and Dreidels into the spiritual meaning of Light, create an exciting multi-sensory learning experience, and encourage the pupils to express their personal experiences.

The Song "Light a Candle"
Singer Sarit Chadad's song "Light a Candle with Me", provides symbolic meaning to the lighting of candles as an act of bringing people and nations together. It was written in 2002 during the second Intifada, and expressed the disappointment with the illusionary peace process that was betrayed by the second Intifada.
The five stanzas of the poem had been translated by the students into English, and were taught with a focus on each of the four dimensions : Wisdom , Torah, Faith, and Soul respectively. The fifth stanza was typed with empty spaces for the pupils to fill in their own personal experiences and associations. The Jigsaw method used for the unit, enabled both personal expression and group collaboration, and concluded with the whole group singing together.

The students successfully transformed the abstract concepts into visual, auditory and sensory-motor experiences that were excitedly welcomed by the training school – pupils and staff alike.

Orot Hosts Sherut Le'umi Volunteers for a Practical Education Yom Iyyun

The young women of Sherut Le'umi – National Service, who dedicate between one and two years their lives after graduating high school in lieu of serving in the IDF, provide critical service to their country through their work in numerous spheres of Israeli life. Without the service of these young women in schools, dormitories, hospitals, orphanages, afternoon programs, public offices and other areas of Israeli society, many of these institutions would be unable to sustain the services that they provide to the public. At the same time, these young women find themselves suddenly thrust into work situations with minimal practical training. They often learn as they go, picking up skills "on the job."
For a number of years, the Orot College of Education has partnered with the three main Sherut Leumi organizations to host yemei iyyun – in-service days, to provide the volunteers a day of practical training, life skills and self-discovery. This week, Orot began its yom iyyun program welcoming 250 b'not Sherut who volunteer primarily in the field of education, serving under the umbrella of Aminadav, with the express purpose of giving the volunteers practical, useful knowledge that they would be able to immediately use in their service in the field.
The program began with an explanatory dance performed by the students of Orot's Educational Dance department, followed by a lecture by Dr. Shraga Fisherman, Academic Vice President , who discussed "Responsibility, Discipline and Motivation," describing important ways to use our understanding of psychology to help motivate children to behave and learn. The program continued with a choice of workshops, from a workshop in group dynamics run by a lecturer of informal education to a class on behavioral issues led by an expert in special education, to an interactive, hands-on workshop on designing Chanukah materials for the classroom.

Following lunch, the b'not sherut returned to Orot's auditorium for a dramatic presentation featuring short skits which highlighted ethical and personal dilemmas that the girls face in their year of National Service. The comedy skits, presented by a professional theater troupe, provided food for both thought and gave the volunteers a chance to laugh, enjoy and recharge their own "internal" batteries, as they prepared to return to the field, where they make critical contributions to Israeli society. Following the program, Doreen Bat-Ayun, who currently serves in the Garin Torani in Ramat Aviv said, "Both the atmosphere, workshops and presentations were wonderful. In addition, the day offered a pleasant break from our daily routine."
Orot Israel College, proud to play a part in the development and growth of the Sherut LeUmi volunteers, hosts between ten and fifteen of these in-service days over the course of the school year, enriching and educating thousands of b'not sherut.
"We see these in-service days as part of Orot's core mission of Jewish education," said Rabbi Professor Neria Gutel, president of Orot. "We're confident that the small part we play in helping them serve the country makes a large impact in the long run."

Audio Shiur from Rav Tabory: Do We Believe in Kiruv

Audio Shiur:
Rav Aviad Tabory: Do We Believe in Kiruv?
If you could not join us in person, (or just want to give the shiur another listen), feel free to listen to Rav Tabory's powerful message about kiruv and Teshuvah.

Click here for the audio link, or listen in the handy audio player supplied below.