Shabbat Report
In the entire Jewish student community, over 100 students were involved in Shabbat events this past Shabbos. And I have some disappointing news: the Chabad Student Center had so many Shabbat revelers that they ran out of chairs. People were packed around the VIP table, people filled the couches. And yet some just had to stand.
I know I've been giving a lot of shout-outs to people lately, but here is another well-deserved one: Mamish big shout-out to Shlomie and Devorah Leah for putting Friday Night Live together in one day. And shout-out to Zalman and everyone else who helped. And shout-out to all the beautiful Yidden who showed up to partake of the Shabbos festivities.
I can't even summarize Shlomie's presentation on the parsha. You had to be there. All I can say is, one student exclaimed later in the evening, "How long does it take you to write your d'var Torahs?!" implying that it must take hours to write such witty, comedic masterpieces week after week. But the funny thing is, most of what Shlomie says, he makes up on the spot.
It was a crazy-good dinner, accompanied by lightning and rolling thunder. A handful of students stayed late into the night, immersed in deep kabbalah study. Jay kay. Well, they did stay late, but I don't think they were studying kabbalah anyway. Also, a first in my four years in Santa Cruz, it snowed! There was a short snow-ball fight.
Saturday afternoon I headed to the JSN Shabbaton on Pearl Street, only a few houses down from the Bochur Pad. I think there were eight students there, in addition to a diverse range of community members including Tammi Benjamin, Rabbi Yochanan Friedman, Rabbi Shalom Bochner, Stan Einhorn, and Benyamin Cantz.
Me and Phil rolled in just in time to make Kiddush, motzi, and catch half of Rabbi Gordon's d'var Torah. So I missed most of it, but part of it I heard, and part of that I remember. So in the Garden of Eden, before Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were centered more on their internal reality, on their souls. But after eating, they developed a preoccupation with the external, with physicality. They became embarrassed of their nakedness. So they covered up, to try to hide their essence.
So I don't remember the rest clearly (someone please fill in the blanks in the comments section), but it was something about Purim we put on a costume, and we're in exile where G-d is also hidden. But we all want to get back to that place where we can see the essence clearly, or I do at least. And on Purim, when we're all crunk and Matisyahu is all performing, and we can't tell the difference between "Cursed is Haman" and "Blessed is Mordechai," we're part way there.
Thank you Rabbi Yisroel and Rebbetzin Sandy Gordon, and everyone else who made the Shabbaton happen, especially the sponsors. So the JSN provided a great lunch and Third Meal. I know I'm leaving out a lot of stuff here, so please, if you were at Chabad Friday night or at the JSN Shabbaton, add in your two cents in the comments section. I'll put up pictures from havdalla as soon as I can. A gut voch and a freilicha Purim!
I know I've been giving a lot of shout-outs to people lately, but here is another well-deserved one: Mamish big shout-out to Shlomie and Devorah Leah for putting Friday Night Live together in one day. And shout-out to Zalman and everyone else who helped. And shout-out to all the beautiful Yidden who showed up to partake of the Shabbos festivities.
I can't even summarize Shlomie's presentation on the parsha. You had to be there. All I can say is, one student exclaimed later in the evening, "How long does it take you to write your d'var Torahs?!" implying that it must take hours to write such witty, comedic masterpieces week after week. But the funny thing is, most of what Shlomie says, he makes up on the spot.
It was a crazy-good dinner, accompanied by lightning and rolling thunder. A handful of students stayed late into the night, immersed in deep kabbalah study. Jay kay. Well, they did stay late, but I don't think they were studying kabbalah anyway. Also, a first in my four years in Santa Cruz, it snowed! There was a short snow-ball fight.
Saturday afternoon I headed to the JSN Shabbaton on Pearl Street, only a few houses down from the Bochur Pad. I think there were eight students there, in addition to a diverse range of community members including Tammi Benjamin, Rabbi Yochanan Friedman, Rabbi Shalom Bochner, Stan Einhorn, and Benyamin Cantz.
Me and Phil rolled in just in time to make Kiddush, motzi, and catch half of Rabbi Gordon's d'var Torah. So I missed most of it, but part of it I heard, and part of that I remember. So in the Garden of Eden, before Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were centered more on their internal reality, on their souls. But after eating, they developed a preoccupation with the external, with physicality. They became embarrassed of their nakedness. So they covered up, to try to hide their essence.
So I don't remember the rest clearly (someone please fill in the blanks in the comments section), but it was something about Purim we put on a costume, and we're in exile where G-d is also hidden. But we all want to get back to that place where we can see the essence clearly, or I do at least. And on Purim, when we're all crunk and Matisyahu is all performing, and we can't tell the difference between "Cursed is Haman" and "Blessed is Mordechai," we're part way there.
Thank you Rabbi Yisroel and Rebbetzin Sandy Gordon, and everyone else who made the Shabbaton happen, especially the sponsors. So the JSN provided a great lunch and Third Meal. I know I'm leaving out a lot of stuff here, so please, if you were at Chabad Friday night or at the JSN Shabbaton, add in your two cents in the comments section. I'll put up pictures from havdalla as soon as I can. A gut voch and a freilicha Purim!
posted by G-D SQUAD at 1:55 AM
4 Comments:
A BIG thank you to Uriel...... he has got the whole sit. under control...setting up,serving ect. ect. ..........what would we do without you?
Here are my two cents:
Shouldn't it be RABBI Yochanan Freidman and Rabbi Yisroel Gordon?! The casual mood of bloggin is making some of us downright careless!
Dear anonymous:
Thank you for the insult, but I happen to be very aware of how and when I use the term "rabbi."
I, personally, consider Rabbi Friedman, Rabbi Shlomie Chein, and Rabbi Gordon to be rabbis in every sense of the word. However, I think people in general have become careless with how they use the term rabbi.
I've met "rabbis" who have completely kosher smicha and don't know some of (what I consider) the basics of Jewish practice. Should I call him rabbi the same way I call Rabbi Friedman rabbi?
And then there are rabbis who I personally look up to very much and look to for guidance, like Rabbi Chein, Rabbi Friedman, and Rabbi Gordon for instance, who maybe aren't so comfortable being called "rabbi" (as one of them has expressed to me explicitly).
Because of the special nature of the situation, I tend to not use the title "rabbi" where I feel the indiviual involved might not want me to. Now, maybe I was mistaken in this case, but please don't try to insult me by calling me "careless."
Ok, I changed it. And btw, I searched through the entire blog since its launch, and every single other time I mentioned Rabbi Friedman, I did indeed refer to him as "Rabbi Friedman."
...not so casual.
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