Issue 6 • March 2023 • Adar 5783 | | | | | | Dear Friends, Many years ago, I was giving a shiur, a class, about Pesach and was interrupted several times by participants complaining about the drudgery of Passover cleaning and cooking. I shared with them the wisdom of Rabbi Getzel Ellinson, who once said about Passover preparations that we should learn as much as we clean, which will lead to more study and to less cleaning. | | | | The audience, however, was not buying it until a woman in the back of the large room stood up and said something to the effect of, "I converted to Judaism, and I'm saddened by all this negativity. I feel very blessed to prepare myself physically and emotionally for this holiday of freedom. It brings me great joy." This silenced the complainers, if only temporarily. This young woman was on to something. We are familiar with the quote from BT Ta'anit 29a that states: "Just as when Av begins one decreases rejoicing, so too when the month of Adar begins, one increases rejoicing." On the Jewish calendar, we cycle through collective emotional states reflected in our holidays and commemorative fasts, as Rabbi Sacks beautifully writes, "The people that can know the full darkness of history and yet rejoice is a people whose spirit no power on earth can ever break." What this gemara does not say is when this period of rejoicing ends. Is it over when Adar is over? Or is it a mandate to increase joy in Adar and let it spill over and continue? Rashi gives us an answer in his comments on this statement. "Mishenikhnas Adar refers to: "Days of miracles for the Jews, namely Purim and Pesach." We must keep working at happiness through this entire season. We are now in what I call "the happiness corridor" – the sprint between Purim and Passover. It's an excellent time to reflect on the miracles of our national existence, especially during these trying times in Israel, and to feel blessed for our personal miracles. Wishing You All a Very Joyous Passover, Erica Dr. Erica Brown Vice Provost, Values and Leadership Rabbi Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership | | | | | Leadership Scholars Update | We are excited to introduce you to Cohort II of the Leadership Scholars program. These 10 students were selected out of a highly competitive pool of applicants. Over the next three years they will learn and fine-tune their leadership skills as they develop into a community of leaders on campus at Yeshiva University and beyond. Click here to watch an informational video about the Leadership Scholars. | | | | | | Yeshiva University Students Travel to Morocco on Global Citizenship Trip Reflections from trip participant, Noam Schoenfeld, '25SB | | | | | | | I had an incredible time in Morocco with the Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership. We explored synagogues and mosques, learning about the history of Moroccan culture. Specifically, we took note of the amicable partnership between Jews and Muslims, a partnership that has flourished since the times of King Mohamed V. Due to the efforts of Dr. Erica Brown and our other amazing staff members, we had numerous opportunities to further the relationship between Muslims and Jews, while developing ourselves as leaders. To continue the interfaith dialogue between Jews and Muslims, we visited Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, a beautiful Moroccan Islamic college. I was pleasantly surprised by the warm greeting extended to us by our Islamic counterparts. Unfortunately, I had a preconceived notion that peace, or even tolerance, between our faiths was impossible. Yet, shortly after arriving at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, I was comfortably conversing with my new friends about our lifes' passions and goals. It was refreshing to debunk the stigmas that are prevalent between our religions. The Islamic students' hospitality engendered a paradigm shift among our group of Yeshiva University students. This mission to Morocco highlights my values of kindness and inclusivity for all people, despite their backgrounds or religious affiliations. Interestingly, the Yeshiva University entourage that visited Morocco is comprised of students with varying cultural and religious upbringings. I felt that this trip was a melting pot, encouraging subsets of students at Yeshiva University to break down the barriers that separate them and to unite. We learned to overcome our differences and demonstrate respect to not only our fellow students, but to another faith as well. To read more about the mission click here and click below to watch the recap video. | | Sacks-Herenstein Center Undergraduate Leadership Training Seminar In a four-session leadership training seminar, undergraduate students have the opportunity to cultivate skills to contribute to their leadership roles on campus, in the community and beyond. In the first session, Dr. Shira Weiss engaged students in interactive activities on risk-taking and thinking out of the box. Students worked on idea generation, collaborative pivoting, problem identification and innovative problem-solving. Rabbi Ari Rockoff then conducted a workshop on the importance of networking. In upcoming sessions, Dr. Erica Brown will facilitate a seminar on mistake-making and failing forward and Aliza Abrams Konig will work with students on strategies to employ when conducting deep and meaningful conversations. | | | Sacks Scholars Graduate Fellowship Update At recent Sacks Scholars cohort leadership training sessions, Cardozo Dean Melanie Leslie presented on decision-making, especially in times of crisis. Fellows also engaged in a protocol on conflict management and conducting difficult conversations, discussing strategies from Harvard Law School's Program on Negotiation. In an effort to strengthen community and also contribute to scholarship, Sacks Scholar and Revel student, Rabbi Dr. Hillel Broder presented his Sacks fellowship project on spiritual education in Jewish day schools at the Prizmah conference in January. Sacks Scholar and Fish student, Paul Kutner will present his Sacks fellowship project on Holocaust distortion at the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) conference this summer in Barcelona. | The Thought of Rabbi Sacks and Beyond Dr. Erica Brown and Dr. Shira Weiss co-taught a 4-part virtual adult education series during the month of February exploring the thought of Rabbis Sacks and other contemporary Jewish thinkers. Each session was devoted to the analysis and discussion of a relevant and complex topic: Happiness & Loneliness, Confronting Antisemitism, Morality and Faith & Doubt. We look forward to offering additional community learning opportunities. | | | | | | | Conflict Management with the Kollel Elyon Initiated by Rabbi Neal Turk, the Director of the RIETS-Ferkauf Program in Pastoral Counseling, Dr. Erica Brown led the Kollel Elyon in four sessions on conflict management and resolution this past February. The interactive workshops focused on resistance to change and growth versus fixed mindsets and included conversations on managing difficult situations and conversations. | | | | | | | Dvar Torah Rabbi Ari Rockoff, David Mitzner Community Dean | For me, personally, the afikoman section of the Seder night is most meaningful to me - and no, it's not only because of fond childhood memories of hiding my father's afikoman and getting presents in exchange for retrieving it! It's because this part of the seder conjures up memories of a special family minhag to take a piece of the afikoman and place it in a visible location in our home where it remains throughout the year. | | | | | | | I have vivid memories from my childhood of my grandmother carefully nibbling the afikoman into a perfectly round shape and placing it on top of our windowsill. Invariably, during the year this mini-afikoman would catch many a newcomer's eye and spur them to ask, "What's that doing there?" Truthfully, our family is unsure about the exact origins of the custom! However, I recently discovered a few sources for this practice. Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Sofer, a 19th century Sephardic Kabbalist, writes in Sefer Kaf HaChaim, that keeping a piece of the afikoman in one's home serves as shmirah (protection) for one's home throughout the year. Alternatively, Rabbi Yaakov Reischer writes in Chok Yaakov that this practice serves as a fulfillment of zechirat yetziat mitzrayim, the mitzvah of remembering the Exodus. Others suggest that this practice is a segula for parnasa. Regardless of the origin, the custom resonates with me deeply. A tradition in our family for generations, it symbolizes our connection with the wisdom and experience of my ancestors. This year, as we commemorate my grandmother's fourth yahrtzeit shortly before Pesach, I will find comfort watching our children take their turn at nibbling the mini-afikoman that will adorn our home in the upcoming year. In so doing, they will continue our family's tradition m'dor l'dor, from generation to generation. | | | | | | You are subscribed to receive messages from the Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership. You can manage your subscription through the Manage My Subscription form. Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership
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