Rabbi Sam Shor

SIMCHAT SHMUEL

BY RABBI SAM SHOR

Program Director, OU Israel Center

In this week’s parsha, Hashem instructs Moshe to speak to his brother Aharon, and tell him Beha’alotcha et haNeirot.

Rashi offers three possible interpretations to the meaning of these words- beha’alotcha et HaNeirot. The second interpretation suggested by Rashi is that you, the kohen, cause the flame to be elevated, to rise above the oil which was kindled. By kindling the oil, Aharon will cause lights to rise up and shine in the Beit HaMikdash.

Rabbi Moshe Wolfson, shlita, suggests that this idea introduced by Rashi, actually serves as a pedagogical message for parents and educators. Shlomo HaMelech, in Mishlei wrote Ner Hashem Nishmat Adam - the Candle of God is the soul of man. Each human being is a proverbial divine candle. Innate within each human being, explains Rabbi Wolfson, is the potential to bring great light into the world. The kindling of the Menora, which Aharon is instructed to perform, is thus a symbol for the goals of how we as parents and educators

are meant to encourage our children in matters of chinuch. Chinuch, true education is much more than simply sharing information, or mastering textual knowledge. Proper chinuch explains Rabbi Wolfson, kindles that innate spark within the hearts and minds of our children and students, and enables their unique lights to rise up, develop, and shine brightly!

Similarly, Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch zt’l explained that the very word for education - chinuch is related to the word chein- which means inner beauty, grace or potential.True chinuch empowers students to find those innate talents, develop them and truly shine!

Yehi Ratzon, may we strive to take to heart these two beautiful ideas, and may each and everyone of us be blessed to lift up and shine our own inner lights, and make the world a bit brighter together.

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Dear OU Israel Family,

When you hear OU Israel you probably immediately think of the inspirational Torah learning family atmosphere at the OU Israel Center, and, of course, Torah Tidbits. OU Israel’s best kept secret though is the work that it does inspiring, empowering, and saving the lives of thousands of youth at-risk every single day. Through our network of 23

OU Israel Youth Centers, which include Makom Balev, Oraita and The Zula, we are empowering youth with life-skills, confidence and strength to enable them to stand

on their feet and become contributing citizens of the State of Israel. Next week, June 7-10, we are running an emergency campaign to help us save these kids’ lives during trying times. Since the outbreak of Corona, our teams of dedicated counselors have worked around the clock to ensure that these thousands of youth have a safe place to stay and staff members to talk to no matter what the time of day. Our OU Israel Youth Centers staff have provided tens of thousands of personal conversations with these teens while the Youth Centers are physically closed. It is critical that we invest in these youth now as they are our future – future IDF soldiers and commanders keeping us safe, future doctors keeping us healthy, future spiritual advisors, and future innovators at the forefront of our Start Up Nation. In order to

continue saving these teens’ lives we need your help and partnership to ensure we can continue being a bedrock for these youth during this unique time of need .

As I am sure you can appreciate, most of our funding comes from donations from North America, and they are in the midst of even more challenging times than those of us blessed to be living in Israel. Every day I speak to donors who sadly explain that their families and businesses have been hit hard, and they are no longer able to uphold pledges or send in their annual donations. OU Israel is taking part in a national crowdfunding campaign. Please help us by donating to OU Israel`s youth programs. Now is the time to think of all the OU Israel Center has done for you and partner with us so we can continue to save lives. Thank you from the depths of my heart,

Rabbi Avi Berman Executive Director, OU Israel