Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin Monthly
Electronic Gush from the Wellspring
Rosh Chodesh Adar Beit
Dear Friends and Supporters,
It’s been a busy month with great learning at Midreshet B’erot
Bat Ayin. I enjoy teaching tremendously and in between preparing classes, I try
to find time for organizing programs and developing our institution. Thank you
for all your help and support. Hope you will enjoy this e-newsletter’s
refreshing writings from students.
Chodesh
Tov!!! May we soon experience mourning turned into joy,
With Blessings of the Torah
and the Land,
Chana Bracha Siegelbaum
Highlights of the
Month
Mazal tov to alumni Aviva Deutsher on her engagement to Yitchak Smith
Former B’erot dorm mother gives birth to a baby
boy
Bat Tzion Binyaminson gave birth on Jan. 27, 2003. She needs your prayers, as her son is still in the hospital. Although he is in stable condition, he will need to be taken to a specialist for further examination.
Shabbaton Parshat Tetzava
On a rainy Friday night, young women streamed into my home. Some were
current students (bearing delicious dishes such as vegetable curry with almonds
and oranges, pumpkin soup, peanut butter cookies and more) and others new faces
and former students.
I passed around a basket of woolen slipper-socks, but I didn’t have
enough to accommodate all of the women who filled the three tables in my dining
room; between 20-30 pairs of muddy shoes lined the entrance to my home!
The conversation was lively and, as always, we went around the table
and introduced ourselves, each sharing words of Torah. The weekly Torah portion
about the garments of the Cohen Gadol lead to discussions about the role of
clothing in our lives. We talked about how the Hebrew word for clothes,
“Levush,” literally means “for embarrassment.” After eating from the Tree of
Knowledge, we needed to cover the way we were created. We became embarrassed
about our nakedness, because our body has become a mask for our soul; this was
not so before original sin, when our bodies
were so refined and transparent that they reflected the light of our souls. The
purpose of garments is to conceal the mask of our body and – through the choice
of texture, style and color – express our inner essence and bring forth the
hidden sparks of our soul. Whether our clothing is true to our inner
essence or a disguise trying to project a false image of ourselves is the
dilemma and challenge we need to solve within our own consciousness.
Besides the external clothing that we wear, there exist spiritual
garments created from our Torah and mitzvot. This kind of clothing is what
enables us to return to our original state of being in Eden when our body
exuded pure light. According to the Zohar, when Esther dressed up in Malchut
(Royalty) (Esther 5:1) she dressed up in the supreme spiritual garments of Adam
and Eve before the sin. This is what caused Haman’s decree to be nullified and
enabled Mordechai to go “out from the presence of the king in royal apparel
of blue and white and with a great crown of gold, and with a wrap of fine linen
and purple” (Esther 8:15). A sign that Hashem had accepted the repentance
of the Jewish people.
The discussion had turned quite esoteric when we got up to the special
desert of Tapioca and herbal tea, prepared by one of our students from St.
Thomas.
I am always amazed of how learned and well-spoken our students and
guests are. There is absolutely no need for any Shiur after a B’erot Friday
night dinner.
Snow-people, Chumash & Herbal Tea
By B’erot
Student Elana Roth
When my husband and I arrived at Midreshet B'erot Bat Ayin on the week of Tu B'Shevat, we were told that Hashem blesses Eretz Yisrael with one last blast of winter -- i.e. snow -- before spring truly arrives. This year it came as promised on the 22-23 of Adar I.
Although the roads, schools and other regular-running institutions were closed, our two days were spent learning.
After B'erot Director R. Chana Bracha schlepped across the Yishuv through three inches of snow, we had Chevruta -- rain, sleet or snow, Chevruta will go on! -- followed by our Chumash class.
Our day
second day included warming the body and soul via home-brewed tea in Herbal
Workshop and Free Dance (where we sway our bodies in whatever direction our
souls take them). We ended our day as matchmakers, pairing Chana Bracha's snow woman with
student Tovi Vider's snow man.
Brave B’erot students head to Hevron
From left to right: Chanie Krevsky (Florida), Heather Fuller (Southern California),
Chana Bracha Siegelbaum (Bat Ayin), Lisanne Turnball (St. Thomas) and Elana Roth (Colorado)
B’erot students visit Kever Rachel and Ma’arat
HaMachpela
By B’erot Student Heather Fuller
The man with
the bloody face was clear in my mind. Fear and anxiety paralyzed me as I stared
at him for at least a full minute, my mouth wide open.
In a
last-ditch effort to halt my plans to make Aliyah, my mother sent me the
goriest shots from the massacre that happened at the end of last year in
Hevron.
When the
administrator of B’erot announced that we would be taking a field trip to one
of the holiest sites in Jewish history, on the same soil where the massacre
occurred, the man with the bloody face was still clear in my mind, but the fear
was gone.
“Yes, I’ll
be going,” I confirmed.
I’ve learned in my two-month stint here in Bat Ayin that living in
Israel does not mean hiding under your kitchen table. We are a nation that has
suffered much, but we are also a people that do not allow persecution and hate
to destroy us. By conquering any residue of fear that might still might reside
within me and getting on that bus to Hevron, I was making a humble attempt to
stand upright and to show our enemies that I wasn’t afraid, that Hashem is on
our side.
Our first
stop was Kever Rachel, where I davened so hard that I nearly fell over with
dizziness. Those around me davened with equal fury, many weeping.
An almost
equally impressive site was that of the Israeli soldiers, who stood outside of
Kever Rachel, their guns poised to shoot anyone whom might harm their people. I
approached a few men in uniform and profusely thanked them.
When we
rolled into Hevron, I stared out the bulletproof window: Arabs glared back at
us, we passed run-down building after run-down building. I had seen this place
on CNN, but now it was real.
When we arrived at Ma’arat HaMachpela, the news was disappointing: no Jews were allowed to enter. As our tour guide explained Jews and Arabs were supposed to each have control over the Machpela for 10 yearly holidays. In order to add up to the 10 yearly holidays allotted, the Arabs had to make up a few. When we arrived it happened to be one of these so-called Muslim “holidays.” Nonetheless, just being on the eerie streets of Hevron was amazing.
Adar celebration and Concert
The concert with Australian-born Devora Hasofer from Beitar was a
special Rosh Chodesh treat for our students.
Devorah really brought out our inner potential, allowing us to accompany
her amazing soulful voice with our drumming and dancing. She even let us have
turns with the microphone as she merged with us on the dancing floor.
Among our Upcoming Events:
A Temporary Aliyah Geared Towards Mature Women of all Ages
(Suitable for mothers and daughters)
Sunday, Aug. 3-Shabbat, Aug. 16
Pursue your spiritual path and connect to Zion in a retreat for women with busy schedules and little free time. Study about Holy Sites in Israel and behold their mysterious, ancient beauty in hikes and excursions. Increase your knowledge of Torah texts and revitalize your inner femininity by in-depth study with some of the most learned teachers of Israel. Awaken deeper parts of your psyche that has been swept aside and experience their rebirth in Kedusha through Workshops in Kaballah and meditation. Internalize your Torah learning through various forms of artistic expression -- painting, music, writing, dancing and more.
Program Includes:
· Intensive textual study of feminine themes in the Book of Eicha and
Tehillim
· Learn about Rachel our Matriarch and her connection to the Return
of the Shechina
· Daily afternoon prayer at the Kotel
· Excursions in the Old City of Jerusalem
· Full-moon desert hike
· Musical Ein Gedi nature hike with teaching and recital of Tehillim
· Drumming circle, singing, meditation, movement and dance
· Two nutritious catered meals daily
· Private high-security transportation
· Fee: $899 for the two-week program; $50 off for those who register
before Pesach for the full program
· Spaces are limited; reserve your spot now
The first week (Aug. 3-9), which
includes Tishab'Av at the Kotel, will take place in the Old City at the Sefardic
Educational Center. The second week (Aug. 10-16), which includes our annual
"Rise of the Feminine Consciousness" TuB'Av seminar, will take place
in the serene, rural location of Bat Ayin (nestled in the Judean hills with
breathtaking panoramic vistas and rugged mountain ridges). For more information,
contact: Shoshana Shamberg in Baltimore, (410) 358-7269 or shoshamberg@yahoo.com;
or Chana Bracha Siegelbaum in Israel, (2) 993-2642 or berot@netvision.net.il.