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J E W I S H SPIRIT
Fall
Fall 2009
2009

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Ohr HaTorah’s SEED Event in

SEED Glendale’s Kletzsch Park

Bringing Torah Ruach to Milwukee

Ohr HaTorah Holiday Inspiration
Interview:
Alan “Shlomo” Veingrad
Former NFL player
 Ohr HaTorah would like to thank The Helen Bader Foundation
for their assistance in making this publication possible
and all their support over the years.
2
About Us: Ohr HaTorah - Jewish Heritage Center
Advisory Co-Chairs
Our Mission:
Ohr HaTorah is a premier organization dedicated Ohr HaTorah believes Jewish Literacy is a funda-
to connect, inspire and empower Jewish youth mental part of our Jewish future
and adults of Wisconsin to be involved in a living,
vibrant and passionate Judaism through Torah and Ohr HaTorah believes Jews should explore their
Tradition. heritage at their own pace, and do so from a so-
Cary Silverstein cial, educational, and spiritual perspective.
Our Values:
Ohr HaTorah believes that strong Jewish Identity
for Jewish Youth is of paramount importance.

Ohr HaTorah seeks to improve the life of our Jew-

ish youth, families, and community.
Rabbi Akiva Freilich
Steve Russek Director
Fall 2009 | www.ajspirit.com
 3
SEED: Bringing Torah
Ruach to Milwaukee
F
or the 4th year Ohr HaTorah has been privileged to host
a fantastic group of Rabbinical Students for a two week
learning program known as SEED.

SEED is a national program run by Torah Umesorah -

National Association of Hebrew Day Schools, in that each
summer they recruit yeshiva students to spend their summer
break engaged in community outreach in cities throughout the
United States and around the world. These students function as
resources for the communities they visit—facilitating Torah study
and serving as role models for the young and old. SEED also
enables yeshiva students to gain a greater appreciation for Jewish
communities beyond those they call home. Ladies SEED Class

Ohr HaTorah’s SEED experience was an inspiring 12 days of

Torah study and incredible “ruach” brought to Milwaukee by
the SEED team.
Our group this year were students of Yeshiva Darchei Torah of
Far Rockaway N.Y. This Yeshiva, headed by the master educator
Rabbi Yaacov Bender, has demonstrated to us that it is obviously
a model Rabbincal School by the caliber of students that came to
volunteer their time. Their comraderie, exemplary character and
their drive to learn and teach singled them out as fantastic role
models for all who had the opportunity to interact with them.

They were joined by Rabbi Shloimie and Esti Heifetz

from Lakewood, NJ. (Mrs. Heifetz nee Hoffman was born and
educated on Milwaukee’s West Side community).

The Yeshiva atmosphere that was created for the 12 day was
enjoyed immensely by members of the community. From the
Fall 2009 | www.ajspirit.com
mature professionals to the teens and elementary school kids that
came to study words of much praise were heard.

We asked the group what they felt about their experience

here.
Davey Rosenblatt & Alex Milyevsly Engrossed In Torah Study
Rabbi Heifetz told us, “I was amazed by the openness of so
 many people to learn about their Jewish Heritage. It
was an incredible experience” 6
His wife Esti, who taught a number of classes for
women made the following observation, “watching
the group at the bar-b-que I saw how the community
members, teen and kids had developed a close bond in
a short time with their teachers and mentors.”

Chesky Safir - “I came to Milwaukee to try to

inspire and teach others. However, throughout the
week learning with members of the community and
being with the group has inspired me. Thank you!”

David Shickman & Mordy Neuman Kasriel Yavne – “I had a blast from the massively
deep torah sessions to the awesome dancing on
Shabbos to all the friends I made. Thank you
Milwaukee! It was incredible!”

Tzvi Schik - “SEED in Milwaukee has been

the best summer experience ever! We had awesome
dancing and ruach together on Friday nights at
the Freilich’s and I merited to learn with the best
chavrusahas who taught me more about life than I
taught them. We were supposed to inspire Milwaukee
but Milwaukee inspired us. Thanks!”

Shlomo Singer – “The tremendous interest in

Chesky Safier & Ben Issacson learning and Judaism displayed by the individuals
that I came across was truly a moving experience and
a lesson for us all.”

Davey Rosenblatt – “It was truly inspiring to

see Ohr Hatorah as a bastion of torah for so many
interested community members.”

Mordechai Neuman – “To come to a community

where the attitude is one of acceptance and caring no
matter who you are was something very special for us.
Fall 2009 | www.ajspirit.com

We wish the Freilich’s and the Ohr Hatorah family

much success and happiness.”

Rabbi Shlome Heifetz and Mark Maimon

Part of the motivation of a SEED program is to
 7
accomplish what its namesake means, to plant a Seed of more We wish the 5769 SEED group great success
commitment to Jewish observance and Torah study. over the coming year and we hope they will return
to us soon!!
This group of young people has certainly made the Ohr
HaTorah community feel that we have high goals to strive for
and in some way continue the love of learning and Jewish life
throughout the year.

Neil Wallace & Shlomo Singer Dr. Mitch Sandler and Rabbi ShlomeHeifetz

Fall 2009 | www.ajspirit.com

SEED Beis Medrash

 What’s Happening at

Ohr HaTorah

BIRCAS HACHAMAH
Blessing of the sun
Erev Pesach 5769 at the Gorelick’s
Fall 2009 | www.ajspirit.com

66
 The Secret of 51
by Rabbi Noah Weinberg

NICLOTET HIGH SCHOOL -

JEWISH STUDNT UNION VISITS
CHAI LIFELINE IN CHICAGO

OHT SEED BBQ

Fall 2009 | www.ajspirit.com

67
 Ohr HaTorah is proud to present these timless articles

Wake UpRabbi
and Live
Noah Weinberg

A
s the new year begins, Jews around the world accept a new
sense of responsibility. That begs the question: How do we
know what our responsibility is?!
The Days of Awe! The Jewish people approach the new year in
awe of creation; the wondrous power and beauty of the universe,
designed by our infinitely powerful Creator -- and produced not just
for humanity in general, but for each of us particularly!
Rabbi Tarfon constantly repeated: “The day is short, the work is
vast, the workers are lazy, and the Master is impatient.” With this in
mind, we read the following Torah portion every year before Rosh
Hashana:
The hidden things belong to God, but the revealed things are for us
and our children forever. (Deut. 29:28)
On this Rashi comments:
We are not responsible for the ‘hidden things’ of others, because
we can’t possibly know what another person is thinking. But we are
responsible to correct ‘the revealed things.’ If we don’t, we’re held
accountable.
The Jewish people are areivim, guarantors who are responsible one
for another. There’s no such thing as “I’ll do my own thing and it won’t
affect anyone else.” The hole in the ozone layer does not discriminate.
Drugs, theft and violence have no boundaries. Assimilation is ravaging
the Jewish people and can strike at any home.
Each and every one of us is a guarantor. If you guaranteed on a loan,
and see it headed toward foreclosure, you will surely find some way to
make the payments.
Rosh Hashana marks the birth of mankind, the pinnacle of
creation. This is the time to renew our commitment to Tikkun Olam
-- to repair the world to the best of our ability. Become energized by
the idea of this obligation. It’s intrinsic to who you are. When you
actualize your unique contribution, you’re actualizing your potential.
That’s genuine meaning, genuine pleasure.
Sounds awesome. But in practical terms, how do we proceed?
Where do we find the answer?
The Torah continues:
Fall 2009 | www.ajspirit.com
get it. Fortunately, we don’t have to. The answer “is very near to you
-- in your mouth and in your heart.”
On Rosh Hashana, we ask the Almighty to inscribe us in the Book
of Life. Life doesn’t mean spacing out. Life doesn’t mean being a robot.
Life doesn’t mean sleepwalking. Life means to be real. The shofar is
blowing and saying, “Wake up!” What in the world do you want?
We proclaim our priorities by reciting the Shema twice each day,
and by putting a mezuzah on our doorposts. Pay attention. Are you
focused on the words? “God is One, He is a personal God who cares
about each one of us, and He does everything solely for our benefit.”
Understand this. Make it real.
The Creator of this universe is your Father. He wants to give you
life. You have the free will to choose. Free will is a power given to each
of the six billion inhabitants of this earth, every human is created with
a divine spark. This power is not in the heaven or across the sea. It’s
within your reach. As the Almighty says: “I have placed life and death
before you... Choose life so that you will live” (Deut. 30:19).
This Rosh Hashana, make the commitment to go all the way, to
chose life for yourself and for mankind. Life is gorgeous and full.
Wake up to the most awesome potential in creation. You.
Reprinted with persmission from Aish.com
This wakes up the body.
This wakes up the soul.

This commandment is not hidden from you and it is not distant.

It is not in heaven for you to say, ‘Who can ascend to the heaven for
us...’ Nor is it across the sea... Rather the matter is very near to you -- aish.com/highholidays
Everything you need to make your High Holiday experience
in your mouth and in your heart -- to perform it. (Deut. 30:11-14) meaningful and unforgettable.

70
The Almighty is teaching us how far we must go to
Your Life.Your Judaism.
straighten out the world. If the answer would be in heaven
or across the sea, we would be obligated to go there and
and essays to help inspire you for the upcoming holidays
Spiritual Accounting
Rabbi Noah Weinberg
System
I
f you ask someone: Are you eating to live, or living to eat? Of
course they’ll tell you they’re eating to live.
Now ask them: What are you living for? They won’t always
have a good answer, but at least you made them think about what
they’re doing in life. Unfortunately the majority of humanity is
very busy doing and accomplishing, but they don’t know for
what.
Everyone has instances in life where something wakes them up
and they’re confronted by the question: “What has my life been
all about up till now?” Momentarily they may be scared. But all
too often, rather than trying to answer the question, the person
escapes by turning on the TV or grabbing a newspaper.
A man I know in Jerusalem was accidentally shot, and as a
result became a paraplegic. While lying in the hospital, he was
faced with this question: “What is life all about? What am I living
for?” Today he will tell you that God did him a great favor by
paralyzing him; otherwise he may have gone through his entire
life without ever asking this fundamental and crucial question.
ASKING THE QUESTION
If the doctor told us we only had six months to live, we’d
ask ourselves “What’s life all about?” Think about it. Some day
we’ll only have six months to live, but then it may be too late to
consider the question. So we have to start asking ourselves now.
We are very fortunate because through the Torah, God has told
us what we’re here for. Ultimately what we want in life is to love
God. What we have to do is get in touch with this desire of our
souls and then plan how to attain that love. We say this in the
Shema twice daily (and it’s written in the mezuzah): “To know
that God is One, and to love Him with everything we have.”
Use your mind to clarify if this is what you really want. If it is,
then ask, “What am I doing to attain it?”
This is the process a Jew goes through on Rosh Hashana:
“What am I living for?” and “What am I doing to attain it?” If
we do this we’re guaranteed greatness.
The biggest individual fence against wasting your life is
Cheshbon Hanefesh -- Spiritual Accounting. You need a regular
system to evaluate how well you performed and take stock of
where you stand.
Every night before going to bed, look back at that day’s events,
and evaluate where you profited or lost. Then make a plan so the
next day will be more productive.
Ask yourself:
• What have I accomplished today?
• Did I accomplish what I intended?
• How am I going to improve for tomorrow?
• What are my strengths and weaknesses?
• What’s my profit? What’s my loss?
• How far have I come in my long-term goals?
• What’s holding me back from growing?
Read over your list of mistakes and remind yourself, “This is
the enemy.” It might be laziness, or envy, or bad temper. Track
down your own Achilles heel, and concentrate on that. If you
review your list daily, and get angry at your own stupidities, then
that anger will give you the power to make changes.
ANNUAL REVIEW
On Rosh Hashana, we make a cheshbon covering the previous
year. Figure out what you did right and what you did wrong --
and then make a plan to correct those mistakes.
On the other hand, our day-to-day actions need to be reviewed
constantly. All the little steps are critically important. We can’t just
dream and fantasize about our goals and forget to do the steps to
accomplish them, or we’ll never get there. Great people started
at the bottom too, and worked their way up. Without cheshbon
we’re lost. We have to keep track of our time management and
constantly juggle our priorities. If we do this consistently -- e.g.
every night -- then we’ll be great!
We have to take responsibility for our lives because no one
else will do it for us. We are all created in God’s image and have
the potential for greatness. The most important thing is to ask
ourselves and clarify “What am I living for?”
In his classic book of Jewish ethics, “The Path of the Just,”
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato says: “The foundation of good
action and the root of true service of God is for a person to know
his goal in this world.” This is our motto in Judaism. If a person
has clarity on where he’s going in life, he’ll get there. Otherwise
he’ll just remain in a state of confusion all his life. This is the
common denominator of “free will” available to every human
being. Figure out what you’re living for and you’re guaranteed to Fall 2009 | www.ajspirit.com
be great.
The shofar blasts like an alarm clock. We can either wake up
and ask the right questions, or sleep our lives away. The Almighty
71
wants us to wake up and live.
Reprinted with persmission from Aish.com
Ohr HaTorah - Jewish Heritage Center
7020 N. Green Bay Ave.
Glendale, WI 53209
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Ohr HaTorah - Jewish Heritage Center
Phone: 414 228 8930
Fax: 414 228 8933 E mail: thejewishgift@yahoo.com

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