Friday, January 22, 2021

Fwd: Torat Imecha Nach Yomi Newsletter: Bo


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: OU Women's Initiative <ashmidman@ou.org>
Date: Fri, Jan 22, 2021, 5:32 AM
Subject: Torat Imecha Nach Yomi Newsletter: Bo
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>


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The OU Women's Initiative
 



In honor of Noah Levin, who inspires my learning, Susannah Levin, Albany, NY
In memory of Marc Katz, z"l, Dr. Joyce Miller, Brooklyn, NY

Thank you to Marcia Friedman, Edison, NJ for sponsoring the Siyum Celebration Papercutting presentation
Thank you to Anonymous for sponsoring the Siyum Celebration Papercutting presentation
Thank you to Celia Rapp, Flushing, NY for sponsoring the Introduction to Tehillim shiur

To donate a day of learning in honor of or in memory of a loved one,
please click here.


IN THIS ISSUE:
  • To donate
  • NEW: Torat Imecha Nach Yomi Introduction to Sefer Tehillim Information
  • Torat Imecha Parsha 
  • NEW: Link to the Siyum Celebration Papercutting program
  • From the four corners of the earth
  • From Rabbi Jack Abramowitz's Torah Blog
  • From the Women's Initiative desk: Dvar Haftorah
  • Link to Torat Imecha recording for this week's Haftorah (Mrs. Rochel Besser) 
  • NEW: Let's Meet Tehillim presenters
  • Join Us for Tu B'Shevat Ideas and Inspiration 
  • Nach Yomi calendar 
  • Link to previous shiurim
  • Check out these interesting Tanach facts 
  • Supplemental materials for Trei Asar from Mrs. Shira Smiles
  • NEW: A letter from a Torat Imecha Nach Yomi participant



Mazel Tov!

 
Whether you have learned a few perakim of Nach or every single one, each and every woman's participation in the OU Women's Initiative Torat Imecha Nach Yomi has created our enriching and exciting learning community. This is why we are proud to share the Siyum Scroll, which lists over 350 women who have completed Nevi'im. A quick look at the list  will show the global reach of our learning community. 
 
We look forward to sharing in the next leg of our journey with the start of Ketuvim - Sefer Tehillim. 



Click here to listen to Parshat Bo
Siyum Celebration: Papercutting with Dena Levie
Click here

From the four corners of the earth (Yeshayahu 11:12)

We continue to add to our Torat Imecha community.  As we embark on our new Sefer, it is not too late to join and to encourage others to sign up.  
https://www.ou.org/women/torat-imecha-sign-up/
כִּֽי־מָלְאָ֣ה הָאָ֗רֶץ דֵּעָה֙ אֶת ה' כַּמַּ֖יִם לַיָּ֥ם מְכַסִּֽים׃
For the land shall be filled with knowledge of Hashem as the water covers the sea. (Yeshayahu 11:9) 

From Rabbi Jack Abramowitz's Torah Blog 

https://www.ou.org/blog/learn-neviim-achronim-now/

From the Women's Initiative: Dvar Haftorah 
Yirmiyahu 46:13-28

Moving Mountains


  חַי־אָ֙נִי֙ נְאֻם־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ ה צְבָקוֹת שְׁמ֑וֹ כִּ֚י כְּתָב֣וֹר בֶּֽהָרִ֔ים וּכְכַרְמֶ֖ל בַּיָּ֥ם יָבֽוֹא

 
 As I live—the word of the King, Whose Name is Hashem, Master of Legions, [I swear that] like Tabor among mountains and Carmel by the sea, so shall this come to pass

We all know that mountains don't move.  Yirmiyahu uses the metaphor of mountains to describe how immovable Hashem's words are - just like Har Tavor and Har Carmel, Hashem's directive will not change.   Yet this same posuk is used in the midrash to describe how these two same mountains, Har Tavor and Har Carmel, were so moved at the time of the receiving of the Torah that they actually transported themselves to the land of Israel where they remain today.  How do we understand the use of this metaphor in two seemingly opposite ways?

The midrash's use of the two mountains emphasizes the power and impact of the Torah experience.  Mountains that are so permanently fixed in place can be transformed by the word of Hashem.  The midrash takes the thought one step further using the words of the posuk to describe this tremendous power and potential of change.  Har Tavor is moved by the earth while Har Carmel is moved by the sea.  Earth represents that which is fixed and the sea represents that which is fluid.  The experience of learning and growing through Torah is one of permanent change as well as constant development.  Both aspects of growth are transformative resulting in a deep and profound connection to our spiritual foundation. 

Torat Imecha Nach Yomi marks a significant milestone this week, the conclusion of Sifrei Nevi'im.  As we embark on the next stage of our learning, we pray that we are inspired toward spiritual growth and deeper connection with each other and Hashem.

"Sloping mountains" by StockyPics

Link to Torat Imecha recording for this week's Haftorah (Mrs. Rochel Besser) 

Sefer Yirmiyahu
Let's Meet Tehillim Presenters:

Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman (Tehillim 1, 2)
Rebbetzin Dr. Shmidman is a dynamic community leader and teacher for more than two decades in New York, Alabama and Pennsylvania. Dr. Shmidman, whose doctorate is in Educational Psychology, currently serves as the founding director of OU Women's Initiative as well as the rebbetzin of the Lower Merion Synagogue of Bala Cynwyd, PA. 

Mrs. Shulamit Rubin (Tehillim 3, 6)
Mrs. Shulamit Rubin has been teaching Jewish women for over thirty-five years since attending Michlalah-Jerusalem College for Women. She is a graduate of Queens College and holds Master's degrees from Touro Graduate School of Jewish Studies and Columbia University School of Social Work. She currently teaches Judaic studies at Lander College for Women, where she is Deputy Chair of the Judaic Studies Department. 

Sally Mashanieh (Tehillim 4, 5)
Sally Mishanieh is the Director of Student Services at Magen David Yeshivah High School in Brooklyn, NY where she also teaches Tanakh. She attended Brooklyn College and Maalot Seminary. She received her Masters Degree in special education from Touro College. She is a certified new teacher mentor from JNTP.  Sally has been in Jewish education for 15 years. 


Rachel Kosowsky (Tehillim 7-10)
Mrs. Rachel Kosowsky has been teaching high school Judaic Studies for over twenty four years. She is currently a teacher and Tanakh Department Chair at the Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, MD. She holds a BA in philosophy from Barnard College, and an MA in Jewish thought from Baltimore Hebrew University. She also studied at Drisha Institute in NY, and at Midreshet Lindenbaum, Nishmat and Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. At the OU Women's Initiative, Rachel has presented shiurim for the Rosh Chodesh program, served as a Counting Toward Sinai Scholar-in-Residence and presented a recording on tefillah as part of the Counting Toward Sinai Tefillah Series. Rachel has served as a teacher mentor with the Jewish New Teacher Project and regularly lectures to adult audiences. 


Click here to listen to previous shiurim


Supplemental materials from Mrs. Shira Smiles

Here is the link for the Shira Smiles additional materials.
A Letter from a Torat Imecha Nach Yomi participant:

Serendipity and My Thanks for the OU Nach Yomi Women's Initiative
Dear Rebbetzin Shmidman,

The last year of studying Neviim with you and your illustrious colleagues has been a wonderful experience, and has greatly broadened my knowledge and perspective of both our history and our heritage,  As wonderful as this journey of education and understanding has been, it's gone to another level of learning for me personally in the most recent Trei Asar cycle, particularly with the final Neviim of Chagai, Zecharyah and Malachi -- and let me explain why.

When I was a teenager at Bais Yaakov High School of Queens in Kew Gardens, NY (now known as Shevach High School in Kew Gardens Hills, NY) in the 1970's.  I had a Navi teacher named Miss Frankel.  I remember she taught us Sefer Yonah, and I was struck by both her clear passion for teaching and her ability to convey that excitement and knowledge to her students. I didn't know her first name at the time, nor was I aware of when she got married or what was to be her married name.

Fast Forward 25 years. and I was a mother of four children, with two girls attending Bruriah High School in Elizabeth, NJ. At the first parent-teacher conference at the school, I was introduced to my daughters' Navi teacher, none other than Mrs. Marcy Stern, nee Frankel,  The thought that my own Navi teacher was now teaching the same Neviim to my own daughters was a delightful coincidence.

But the ride did not stop there.

Several years later, my younger daughter, Shuli Fuchs, became a teacher herself and for ten year taught Nach at Bruriah HS, her own alma mater, with Mrs. Stern for some time taking on an administrative role at the school while my daughter taught there.  And as you are now understanding, the ride has continued on, winding its way to my generation, with Mrs. March Stern herself  teaching me Neviim once again these days, this time in my own home.  I wanted to share that bit of serendipity with you, since it's added to the satisfaction and educational growth that I've gained from the entire Nach Yomi Women's Initiative series.

Feeling proud and most grateful for this opportunity of learning with you all, and looking forward to moving on to Ketubim!

Shabbat Shalom,
Rifky Atkin
Edison, NJ
 


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