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Tammuz
5766
Pearls from the
Wellspring is a monthly email contribution of the students,
staff and supporters of Midreshet B'erot Bat Ayin. We encourage
you to send your comments and questions to Rebbetzin Chana
Bracha at berot@netvision.net.il
In this month's
issue:
The
Month of Tammuz: Rectifying the Month of Seeing
Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum, B'erot Director
From
Kiev to Bat Ayin: Biography of Anna Shinder
Anna Shinder, B'erot Student
Pre-Elul
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B'erot
student Yiskah Sarah displays her bundle of wheat during
the 4th Annual Rosh Chodesh Sivan Wheat Festival
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The midrash teaches
us that the Jewish people were tempted to make the golden
calf on the 17th of Tammuz as a replacement for Moshe because
the Satan showed them a vision of Moshe hanging dead between
heaven and earth. (Shemot Raba 41:7) Perhaps television
today can be compared to the vision of the Satan who made
the Jewish people lose hope. The screen shows a vision,
which is seemingly objective. However often it is a product
of a certain agenda to destroy the Jewish people and our
mission in the world. It may show a vision of Jews murdered
and tortured, making the people of Israel lose hope and
scared to live here. It may also portray a false image of
the Jews as aggressive perpetrators. This is destructive
for the Divine Image of Israel, and can alienate people
spiritually from her. In this month we have to really work
on purifying our vision and seeing beyond the mask of external
physical reality by connecting with the Divine light behind
the mask. What you see is not what you get. You can visit
Israel and just see a lot of old rocks. You can walk on
the Judean hills, and see nothing but trees and houses.
If you look with G-d-colored glasses, you may see beyond
the surface to get a sense of David Hamelech who walked
these very hills with his flock as he composed the lyrics
and tunes of the Tehillim.
Chodesh Tov!!!
Chana Bracha
Siegelbaum
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Today, I still
remember the morning walks that I would take with my grandmother.
Strolling through the beautiful gardens, I would observe
the butterflies as they gracefully danced from one flower
to the next. Lost in deep observation, I couldn't help but
be filled with awe and admiration for the benevolent Creator
of such beauty and perfection; my only question was, who
was He?
My name is Anna
Shinder. My twin sister Ella and I were born in Kiev, Ukraine
at a time when believing in G-d and practicing any religion,
especially Judaism, was forbidden. Before we left Russia,
our parents explained that we had to go because we were
Jewish, but were unable to explain what being Jewish meant.
It was obvious that it meant that I was different from my
Ukrainian friends; but how was I different and why? I longed
to know.
The first answers
to my questions came in 1990, when my family immigrated
to Brooklyn, New York. I was enrolled at Yeshiva Be'er Hagolah,
a kiruv school for Jews from the former Soviet Union. I
remember the first time I stepped into the Jewish classroom
filled with so much love, joy and holiness that I felt like
my heart was opening up and blossoming like a beautiful
flower that reaches to the sun. That part of me that was
dormant for so many years was suddenly begging to awaken.
Being Jewish was not something to be ashamed of, quiet the
opposite; it was something I had to be proud of.
As I began to
develop more emotionally, psychologically and spiritually,
and to probe deeper into my Jewish essence and my higher
needs, I began to discover that I needed to embrace all
of my needs and all the aspects of my being, even though
they may have appeared complex, unfamiliar or unnecessary
to others. Deep inside of me I felt that there had to be
a Jewish community that would be able to understand and
provide for my needs and support me on my spiritual journey;
the only question was: where was it to be found?
With Hashem's
generous guidance, my sister and I visited different schools
in Yerushalayim and became familiar with the philosophy
of the schools. However, we were still left feeling that
we were in need of an approach to Judaism that was more
holistic, open-minded and allowed room for self-expression
within a Torah frame work; a place where one would be encouraged
to embrace the many facets of one's essence and G-dly given
talents and elevate them in the service of the divine.
Midreshet B'erot
Bat Ayin seemed to be a very possible answer. With its emphasis
on Jewish femininity, integration of mind, body and soul,
as well as artistic expression, healing, deep connection
with the Land of Israel, and in-depth study of Chassidut
and Tanach, B'erot seemed to hold the key. My sister and
I decided to give it a try.
Today, as I am
woken up by the glow of the sun rays as they gently warm
my pillow and by the morning cries of the rooster, similar
to the ones I heard in my childhood when I visited my beloved
grandmother, I can not help but be deeply grateful to Hashem,
to my teachers and to all of those people who are making
it possible for me, my sister and many other aspiring Jewish
women to have the privilege and the opportunity to be a
part of this wonderful community.
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