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Erev Pessach 5769
April 2009
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Orot Newsflash
Orot Israel
College of Education
Volume 6
Message from the President
ß‫וידעתם†כי†אני†ד‬
- from all of the tasks [...] ‘And I shall redeem you‘ - this
refers to the splitting of the Red Sea.” The latter two expressions
refer to stages that occur later on: “‘And I shall take you unto
Me for a people‘ - with the Torah, ‘And I shall bring you to
the land‘ - the Land of Israel.”
Thus, the division into three verses is a necessary structural
device to illustrate the gradual nature of the progressive
redemption: first there is the physical exodus from the Egyptian
slavery, followed by the receiving of the Torah as the
consolidation of the nation, and then the entry into the land
and its possession.
Between the first four expressions and the final one, God
says, “You shall know that I am the Lord your God”. The Ohr
ha-Hayim explains that this is not a promise but rather a
condition: if Am Yisrael rejects God, then the promise is not
valid:
“Therefore this matter of knowing God is located in the midst
of the promises of good [...] This matter of bringing them to
the land is conditional: if “you know” (that I am the Lord your
God) then “I shall bring you”; if not, then whatever will be, will
be.”
In other words, the first four expressions represent absolute
promises, which were indeed fulfilled for that generation - the
easing of the labor, the exodus, the splitting of the Red Sea,
and the giving of the Torah. However, since the generation
that left Egypt did not properly observe the condition of “you
shall know”, they were not worthy of witnessing the realization
of the promise “I shall bring you”. It was only in the next
generation that this came about.
While a chronological gap separates the fourth expression
from the first three, a profound and significant chasm separates
the fifth expression from the four that precede it.
The same message seems to apply throughout our history.
In their halakhic stipulation of four cups rather than five, our
Sages teach that the deliverance of Israel from the “seventy
wolves” that surround and threaten us is indeed an absolute
promise, but we need to know that our final and complete
redemption is dependent on ourselves: “And you shall know
that I am the Lord... and I shall bring you to the land... - for
you as an inheritance.”
W hile the Torah records God’s five
different expressions of redemption “I shall bring you out (ve-hotzeiti)... and
I shall deliver you (ve-hitzalti)... and I
shall redeem you (ve-ga’alti)... and I
shall take you (ve-lakahti)... and I shall
bring you (ve-heveiti)...” (Shemot 6:6-8),
our Sages instituted only four
corresponding cups of wine; we drink
no “fifth cup” at the Seder. This is puzzling: why is the expression
“I shall bring them” (ve-heveiti) any less worthy than the other
four? The five expressions of redemption are spread over
three verses. The first three (ve-hotzeiti, ve-hitzalti, ve-ga’alti)
all appear in one single verse, while each of the latter two
(ve-lakahti, ve-heveiti) has a whole verse to itself. This, too,
requires some explanation: why does the Torah bring three
of them together, separately from the other two, and then
place those two in two separate verses?
Commenting on these verses, the Ohr ha-Hayim addresses
yet another question concerning the fifth expression of
redemption. The words, “And I shall bring them”, following on
the other promises that God makes to the Israelites, clearly
suggest that the same people whom God “brings out”, “delivers”,
“redeems” and “takes” will also be “brought” to the land.
However, in reality, it was not that generation that entered
the land but rather their children, since everyone over the age
of twenty who left Egypt died in the wilderness. This question
becomes more acute in light of the fact that God reinforces
His promise concerning all of these stages by using the
expression “lakhen” (therefore) - which, as our Sages teach,
always indicates an oath.
Is it conceivable that a promise that God makes - after He
goes so far as to swear an oath - is not fulfilled?
The division of the five expressions among three verses points
us in the direction of a solution to our questions. These three
verses are describing three different periods, each representing
a different stage in the redemption of Am Yisrael. The first
three expressions focus on the stage of liberation from slavery
and leaving Egypt. As the Midrash ha-Gadol elaborates: “‘I
shall bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt‘ - which
is hard labor [...] ‘And I shall deliver you from their bondage‘
Rabbi Prof. Neria Guttel
President of the College
In this issue:
pg 2
pg 2
pg 3
pg 3
pg 4
Shiurim for Bogrot in Israel
Dvar Torah - Rabbanit Idit Itzkovitz
Family Tradition - The Jesin Family
Bogrot Spotlight
Mazal Tov
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Nomi Spanglet - Director of Development and Alumni Relations
It has been six months since I have started my new position at Orot.
As much as I enjoy the new job I must tell you that I miss going to work every morning and being
warmly greeted by "my girls". That did always make my days very special. There are no girls like Orot
girls!
I am still in contact with many of our Bogrot who frequently visit our house with their families, not to
mention the many engagement parties, weddings, britot, emails and phone calls. My strong connection to
BZ continues.
One of my major goals, as part of my new job is to stay in contact with our Bogrot and reconnect with
the girls that with whom we have lost touch. I can say that BH we have reconnected with several Bogrot
and will keep working to connect with as many of you as possible. We have worked to achieve this goal by providing Shiurim
for our Bogrot. What can be a better way to connect than through Torah learning?
Thus far we have had five shiurim throughout Israel: two in Jerusalem and one
each in Beit Shemesh, Ramat- Ilan and Modiin. I would like to take this opportunity
to thank Rav Spolter, Rav Shvat, Rav Weitzman and Rabbanit Shachor for their
time and effort in presenting shiurim. The shiurim were enjoyed by all and we
hope to continue to have more shiurim in the future.
As most of you have noticed, we have started to send out a bi-monthly Orot
e-newsletter to you as well. I hope you find it thought-provoking as well as
informative . Know that the Orot family updates are a big hit! The dvar torah on
the e-newsletter may be sponsored in honor or memory of a loved one or in
honor of a special occasion. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in
sponsoring a coming edition.
For those of you that have not yet received the e-newsletter, please send me your updated email address and I will gladly
add you to our mailing list.
My best wishes to you and your families for a ‫ חגכשרושמח‬and remember to stay in touch.
Nomi Spanglet
HaRabbanit Idit Itzkovitz, former Director of Bat Zion
The Slavery in Egypt - Preparations for National and Spiritual Birth
In the Midrash Shochar Tov our sages compare the Jewish people in Egypt to a fetus in an animal's womb, and Hashem to
the shepherd who facilitates the delivery. Accordingly, all of our sojourning in Egypt was a period of preparation, and the exodus
from Egypt - birth. Just as a baby cannot be born until all of his organs are fully formed, so too the nation increased its numbers
"and the Jewish people were fruitful and multiplied and increased and became very very strong". The Midrash teaches that
each woman gave birth to six children at one time, to play her part in building the national body of the Jewish people, until
they reached the necessary 600,000.
The period of pregnancy wasn’t just in order to prepare the physical capabilities, but also to prepare the spiritual and emotional
capabilities. How? The Egyptian culture is the opposite of ours. Whereas the Jewish people are holy, the Torah says about
Egypt, "Don't follow the customs of the land of Egypt". Our sages explain that there was no other nation who acted as corruptly
as Egypt. This meeting of opposites (Israel and Egypt) was from Hashem, because the contrasting meeting between two
opposites causes each of their strengths to be clarified and increase.1
The Exodus from Egypt was not just freedom from slavery, rather it was the birth of a new baby, a new creation which did
not previously exist in the world. The Jewish nation was born. Before the exodus there were forefathers, tribes, a family, but
only on Pesach were we born as a nation!
When a baby is born people ask how much he weighs and who he looks like. But the real joy of his birth isn't that there is
now a new body in the world, but rather that a new, pure soul has appeared.
So too the birth of the nation in Egypt was not just the emergence of a body and a national entity freed from its masters.
Rather, it was the birth of Am Yisrael with her special G-dly soul which makes us different from every other nation. As we
say in "Aleinu L'Shabeach", "that You didn’t make us like the nations of the lands" - from the time of our creation we were
singled out as the treasured nation, a nation that the Torah is written on its heart.
The Torah and the mitzvot which were given to us, written on parchment at Har Sinai, are the "mirror" which expresses our
essence. They are the ways and the actions which express our soul, which express the Torah which is written on our hearts.
Therefore, when the wise son asks "what is this service (the mitzvot)?", we answer him: "We were slaves and Hashem took
us out". We keep mitzvot because we left (Egypt), because we were "taken out", because we were born, delivered, with a
special soul.
Ashreinu! Ashreichen! Happy is the Nation for whom this is so, happy is the Nation who Hashem is their G-d.
Lots of love to everyone,
Idit
1
It is worth noting here that one should not think of educating his children in an environment which is opposed to our culture, in order to strengthen them. This is not the
case! Hashem can take pure even from impure, but we have to achieve a holy purpose through holy methods
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The Jesins at Orot
We have three wonderful, bright and talented daughters
- each in their own right -- a unique individual. Our first
daughter, our first child, Ahuva was always breaking the path
for her other siblings. We had the opportunity to make all
our mistakes with her so that we got it “right” for the others.
When she chose her school in Israel, it was with much
deliberation and concern, as parents, that we agreed. However,
in the end, we realized that Orot was the right one for her.
She was only one of two students from Toronto to attend
that year. When our second daughter, Maytal, was making
her decision, she had the benefit of Ahuva’s experiences
and the camaraderie of her best friend to come to the same
conclusion -- that Orot was the place for her. That year,
the school boasted five students from our Toronto Girls’
Ulpanat Orot High School. And finally, our third daughter,
The Jesin “Girls” :(Left to Right) Aliza Abrahamovitz, Ahuva
Aliza who is always trying to be different in the wake of Balofsky, Maytal Allman and Sharon Jesin
her older sisters, proclaimed she would be going to another
school. However, since she always was very industrious in her research, she conceded that after looking at the options, she
too believed that Orot was the place for her. And it certainly was. Each of our girls has strengths and weakness in different
areas of life. Each found their year enriching and educational. They grew and matured without parents and yet they were in
a home away from home. Our girls had a strong Zionist upbringing in Toronto, but Orot certainly solidified their connection
to Eretz Yisroel. It is no coincidence that all three have made aliya. We believe it is always the people in your life who make
the difference to the quality of one’s life and, in that respect, it is the staff and administration of Orot that brought meaning
to our daughters in their year away from home. Thank you all.
Aaron & Sharon Jesin
Toronto, Canada
Bogrot update - Sarah (Stomel) Mageni
M
y name is Sarah (Stomel) Mageni, and I was in Bat Zion in 5753. I am originally from Los Angeles, CA. I now live in
Ramat HaSharon (which is a city near Herzelia). I am married to Dvir, and we have two kids - Tzurishaddai (no we didn’t make
his name up - it’s the father of the Nasi of Shevet Shimon) Chaim and Chana Dror. They are 2 1/2 and 1 years old.
I work from home as a translator for Mibereshit, a non-profit
organization that promotes Jewish values and Torah in both
religious and non-religious circles. I translate their weekly parasha
newsletter into English, and it is then sent out to different English
speaking countries where it’s learned in schools and at home. I
also work as a content writer for different Internet sites.
husband is learning in yeshiva here in Ramat HaSharon at a new
yeshiva which just opened this year. We moved here from Kiryat
Arba, so this is a big change for us. We joined a Garin Torani,
literally translated as a "Torah seed,” which is a group of religious
families who live in a predominately chiloni city, hoping to add
some of the traditional Torah values and the sense of Jewish
identity which are both missing here. There are events and parties
for children and for adults each Jewish holiday, as well as one
on one learning with students from the local music conservatory
“Rimon”. The garin also has a "Jewish Identity” program which is
The Mageni Family
incorporated into the local chiloni schools.
The families in the garin are all scattered throughout the city, and our biggest work of all is done by just living here, talking to
our neighbors, and being part of the community. Little by little, people become interested and start to ask us about being
religious - even the kids open curious eyes and ask questions, or take turns blowing our shofar. We don’t expect to see
immediate results, but we felt that we could do so much just by living here and interacting with other Jews who are so thirsty
to know, to see, and to get a glimpse at their own religion which they are barely familiar with.
When I was in Bat Zion, I planned to live in a hitnachalut (settlement); but it’s no less important to lehitnachel ba’am (settle
amongst our nation)!
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Births
Mazal Tov!!!
Engagements
Leora Nathan
Clara Manson
Miri Prensky
Yael Tilivitz
Miri Wiesenberg
Eliana Kurlantzick
Aviva Weiss
Amalia London
Ilana Frankiel
Karen Rossman
Melissa Stieglitz
M
(5756) to Benjy Allan
(5760) to Aly Singer
(5765) to Craig Gertner
(5765) to Shlomo Lockerman
(5765) to Ari Mahpour
(5766) to Tsuriel Yorav
(5766) to Shmuel Baumser
(5767) to David Schwartz
(5767) to Adam Stock
(5767) to Dovie Rush
(5767) to Zev Eleff
Marriages
Eliane Lavon-Najman
Yael Rotter
Michal Ellituv
Rachel Goldstein
Elisheva Gorlin
Michal Katz
Dassy Kimmel
Loryn Plen
Miriam Roche
Aylana Reiss
Dahlia Agatstein
Leanne Clarke
Gabbi Kadin
Tamara Brandman
Shoshana Brandman
(5761) to Elad Gefen
(5763) to Jonathan Mosery
(5764) to Chezki Cohen
(5764) to Yair Berko
(5764) to Eli Hanson
(5764) to Yudie Reinitz
(5764) to Gidon Lemberger
(5764) to Yossi Na'maad
(5764) to Daniel Fuks
(5765) to Yehoshua Mandel
(5766) to Asher Hoffman
(5766) to Simon Taylor
(5766) to Adam Langer
(5767) to Ben May
(5768) to Adam Drucker
Condolences
Tanya (Rockman -5739) Goldstein
upon the untimely death of her father
Tzippy (Stern-5764) Levy
upon the untimely death of her father
Sara (Klavan - 5753) Zimbalist
Talya (Citron - 5753) Cohn
Gila (Bell - 5755)Wallach
Leah (Reich - 5755) Cutler
Deganit (Zarum - 5758) Glick
Ora (Zobin - 5758) Somogyi
Anouche (Kremer - 5759) Billet
Maytal (Jesin - 5759) Allman
Sharon (Gruda - 5759) Lupas
Debbie (Krug - 5760)Shochat
Davina (Weinberg - 5761) Rosenblatt
Leora (Samad - 5761) Youngerwood
Nechama (Gottlieb - 5762) Aryeh
Rebecca (Doppelt - 5764) Yunger
Chloe (Dooley -5765) Kleinburd
Ariella (Hollander - 5765) Wiesenfeld
Natalie (Gavzey - 5765) Hewitt
a baby girl
a baby boy
a baby boy
a baby boy
a baby boy
a baby boy
a baby girl
a baby girl
a baby boy
a baby girl
a baby boy
a baby boy
a baby boy
a baby boy
a baby boy
a baby girl
a baby girl
Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Faigie (Singer - 5742) Spolter
on the Bar Mitzvah of her son
Aliya
Mikki (Lavin - 5753) Pell
Sharon (Gruda - 5759) Lupas
Leora (Samad - 5761) Youngerwood
Nava Streit - 5764
Yael Tilevitz - 5765
Everyone loves to hear good news. Have you
recently moved? Married? Given Birth?
Please send us news which we can share with
your former classmates around the world.
We are constantly updating our database of former
students. Please take a minute to send us the
contact information of former OROT students with
whom you have contact. All it takes is a couple of
clicks on your mouse...
Please contact us at: development@orot.ac.il
Orot Israel - College of Education, Elkana, Israel 44814 Á (03) 9061207
American Friends of Orot, 57 Wesley Chapel Road, Suffern, NY 10901 Á (845) 362-6234
e-mail: development@orot.ac.il
www.orot.org