A majority of people do worry about making key life decisions. Most times, they procrastinate deciding by playing on their smartphones, browsing social media, or watching hours of television programs, constantly distracting themselves from the bigger picture.
D'var Torah, Parsha Pinchas: "Ganodlofini, who unfortunately passed away recently, represented a struggle similar to the one facing Moshe Rabeinu (lehavdil) at the end of Parshas Pinchas as he prepares for his own death."
The flight that I boarded on my way to the Central East NCSY Spring Regional Convention this past weekend was packed. Apparently for the non-NCSY world, they call the last weekend in May: Memorial Day Weekend. However, for those of us raised in the NCSY world, its simply referred to as: Spring Regional.
By: Benjamin Klein (advisor for Atlantic Seaboard NCSY) Is Good Intent Enough? This week’s parsha is loaded with amazing stories and shocking events. After reading about the counting of all the Jews, and a delving into the jobs of the Levite tribe, we are met with the crazy story of the spies and their downfall,
...We envision the age of sixty-five as an old man sitting on the porch in Florida, drinking a cool glass of lemonade, playing some golf and enjoying his grandchildren’s company for short spurts of time. Well, the state of Israel just celebrated their sixty-fifth birthday last week , and there is no sign of a receding hairline at all!
The truth is that message applies to Klal Yisrael at large. No question about it, we’re different than the rest of the world. It takes a lot of planning to make sure that we and our kids understand what makes us different and why...As NCSY alumni, we’ve all experienced the passion and excitement for Yiddeshkeit in NCSY that has helped make it easier for so many teens to dare to be different! And, as alumni, let’s all think of ways to stay involved and help the next generation of teens feel the excitement and passion too!
By: Nitzan Levy, NCSY Alumnus 2012 A conference for five days, free room, free food, and a chance to miss school—that is how I was introduced to the Masa Leadership Summit. My name is Nitzan Levy and I am currently an NCSY Alumnus attending Bar Ilan's Israel Experience program. Some friends on my program introduced
At the seder, as my daughter, named after my grandmother, said the mah nishtanah, I reflected about my teenage years when I was sitting at the seder table and looking at my grandparents, survivors of the Holocaust, as they sang and sometimes cried during the seder. I thought of what their view of their great-grandchildren, who are being raised in freedom, might have been; a generation of children that are being raised with a Torah lifestyle, singing and rejoicing about Judaism and their relationship to Hashem. What would my grandparents’ perspective be, in light of all that they lost and suffered through in the Holocaust?
Ah, Spring! Everything just feels more open and inviting! ... As a result, the definition of freedom deserves a closer inspection on the holiday of Pesach. What does it mean to be free? Is it not having anything to hold you down? Is it not having anyone to tell you what to do? Is it being able to theoretically make any decision possible?