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MORDECHAI AND HAMAN - STUDY IN CONTRAST
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The purpose in reading the Megilla is to recount the history of events that transpired in Persia many years ago and culll from them lessons that we can apply to ourselves and our community in contemporary times.
Of course, on a community basis the basic lesson is clear- when faced with dire consequences- we must engage in introspection, examine our actions and do Teshuva. The Jewish community at that time
had ' bought in' to the values of the society around them. They ' partied' along with everybody else in the royal feast- drinking ( according to some interpretations) from the vessels of the ' defunct' Beis HaMikdash.
Despite the ostensible attempts to blend in and be part of society, Haman, the paradigmatic anti-semite recognized them as being ' different'. After Haman convincing King to enact a policy to obliterate the Jewish community,
Mordechai inspired everyone to fast and repent. Furthermore, he and Esther implemented a strategy to outwit Haman and eventually Hashem brought about the salvation and triumph of Klal Yisrael. We as a community can only survive and flourish if we remain a proud and dedicated people, committed to the Torah way of life.
On an individual level I believe it is important to recognize the defining character traits of Mordechai, which we should emulate, and those of Haman, which we should abhor. The Megilla points out in a number of places
that Haman was taken in by his delusions of self-importance. Despite the fact that EVERYONE was bowing down to him, he could not tolerate situation where just one individual did not join the crowd. Perhaps one can suggest,
that Mordechai's refusal to pay homage to Haman, caused a stirring in the deeper recesses of Haman's mind giving him sense of his own insecurities and a recognition that in reality he was not as great as he thought he was.Perhaps the most glaring evidence of Haman's distorted sense of self is found in Perek 6 pasuk 6 - 20 years the king once to bestow honor on a loyal servant- and he immediately assumes ' who else could it be but me'
In contradistinction we read about Mordechai who actually is the object of the King's adulation and a royal tickertape parade in his honor. Imagine how we would feel if we were showered with praise by the King in a very public manner. Undoubtedly, we would be filled with a sense of personal pride and would probably expect to be contacted by various media outlets ' to see how it feels'. The Megilla as explained by Rashi in perek 6 pasuk 11 tells us that as soon as the parade was over Mordechai ' returned ' to what he was doing before, namely fasting and praying on behalf of klal Yisrael. Rather than focusing on himself, Mordechai's concern- and only concern- was the welfare of the community at large.
May we be inspired individually and collectively by the message of the Megilla and hopefully merit Hashem's ultimate redemption.
Wishing the entire rambam family and wonderful Shabbos and a Frielichin Purim,
Rabbi Zev Friedman |
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Mi’shenichnas Adar Marbim B'Simcha |
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On Thursday February 18, as students were dashing off to class, Rabbi Friedman announced via the PA system, “This past Sunday and Monday was Rosh Chodesh, so everyone should head downstairs to the Shul for dancing." You could hear collective sigh of relief from the kids, as they turned on their heels, anticipating a free period. The dancing was lively and enthusiastic; everyone was dancing their heart out and having a great time. Music was provided by Benji Litton on the keyboard, accompanied by Ari Boiangiu, an excellent guitarist who has offered lessons to students in school. On Friday, another chagiga was held at Rambam; however this one was a spontaneous event. After breakfast, a few seniors started singing and dancing and within a few minutes, it erupted into a school wide chagiga that continued through the entire 1st period. These two chagigas were followed by a week full of singing, dancing, and dressing up. The students really felt the Purim atmosphere throughout the school.
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Simchas Purim for Everyone |
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This past Wednesday a group of 25 Rambam sophomores along with Rabbi Y Friedman, Rabbi Brazil and Rabbi Ritholtz, paid a visit to the residents at The Woodmere Rehabilitation Center for a pre-Purim delight. Accompanied by 2 guitars, violin, keyboard and bongos, the boys sang and danced, and created a special Ruach among the residents. It was a mini-chagiga from the Rambam boys and the residents were clearly cheered by all the music, dancing and good fun, as they clapped and sang along. The residents were deeply moved and touched by the spirit of caring the Rambam boys brought to their day. As one resident put it “The boys brought the joyfulness of Purim into this building”. Rambam Mesivta constantly encourages its students to put emphasis on Chessed and being Mesameach others, especially at times where every one in Klal Yisrael is suppose to be in a state of “Marbim Be’Simcha”. The invaluable joy and happiness brought to these people will have an everlasting impression on the Rambam boys and will reflect off the Residents at The Woodmere Rehabilitation Center for a very long time. As sophomore Josh Honig described it, “A Purim Miracle - not only for the residents, but for us as well. It really made us feel great to share the Simcha of Purim."
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Operation NSY - Mishloach Manot for Israeli Soldiers
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Once again Purim is around the corner and we have an opportunity to do something unique and special. Three of our alumni are currently serving in the IDF and we would like to send Mishloach Manot to Naftali Gidon, Scott Ehrenberg, Yaakov Cohen and their brothers in arms. In total in their two Platoons (Scott and Naftali serve in the same Platoon), including officers, there are 65 soldiers. Each individualized Shalach Manot will cost $18 - it will be filled with all sorts of goodies and they will be delivered to them wherever they are. In total we are hoping to raise $1170. That will cover the cost of 65 Shalach Manot packages.
They are very busy practicing and patrolling some dangerous areas in the State of Israel, but they know full well for whom and why they are doing this, Am Yisrael, Let's show them that though we are 6000 miles away that we are thinking about them, and proud of them and that we want to say Todah!
Please make out your checks to Rambam Mesivta and write on the Memo Line: Operation NSY (Naftali, Scott & Yaakov) and bring them in to the main office.
Todah!
Behyedidut,
Rabbi Yotav Eliach |
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Another Great Rambam Debate |
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Last Wednesday the Rambam Debate Team hosted an intriguing debate against several Yeshiva League schools. Central, SKA, North Shore Academy, DRS and MTA came to the Mesivta to compete concerning a topic being hotly debated in many legislative and judicial chambers around the country: Where should the 9/11 Terrorist Trials be held? All the school teams performed well, while Rambam did a superb job - the Drory brothers finished 2nd for BEST TEAM, and the Rambam team came in 3rd for BEST SCHOOL.
Ari Himber
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Rambam wins 2nd and 3rd at Landers College “Entrepeneur of the Year”
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Lander College for Men presented its second annual competition designed to cultivate the creative talents and entrepreneurial acumen of students from Yeshiva high schools, throughout the Metro NY area. The competition is focused on discovering superior ideas and business concepts from the best and brightest of our region’s Yeshiva high school students.
Students at Rambam were advised of this competition and had to submit a 1-2 page summary of their idea or invention by Nov 27, 2009. Rambam was represented by three teams participating in this venture. After approval from the board, the Rambam teams were asked to submit a business plan proposal of 10 pages to further explain their concept, management plan, marketing plan, financial plan, sales strategy, etc. As a result of this process two out of the three submissions were deemed superior and those two teams were invited to present their idea to the full selection committee handling the competition.
A total of five teams were selected into the finals and two of those were Rambam teams. This year Messrs. Eric Forkosh and George Bangiyev presented their concept of inflatable headphones while Gilad Katz presented his idea of Cat-café, a place for those to handle and play with cats who are unable to do so at home.
Other presenter's ideas crossed a broad spectrum from recycling energy from exhaust fans, to the development of a $15 million Jewish center in the Five Towns area, to all-in-one diapers that make life easier for moms on-the-go. All the presentations were excellent and the judges selected Rambam for second and third place this year! Eric and George won second place and a $1000 prize while Gilad took third and a $500 prize.
It was an overall great effort by the boys and they should be complimented for their diligent work and skills. Well done Eric, George and Gilad!! You guys are #1 in all our business plans!!
PROF. JOHN NACLERIO |
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Rambam Sports Roundup |
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Last Thursday night, February 18th, the varsity basketball had their final home game of the season against Derech HaTorah. But not only was it their final home game, it was also their last regular season game. The Ravens had Senior Night since this was the last regular season game the seniors would ever play. The team came into the game with hopes of a win so that they could end their season on a high, while also allowing the seniors to finish their high school careers on a good note. The game started off well for the Ravens, having traded baskets with their opponent throughout the first quarter. The second quarter was an even stronger quarter for the Ravens. They moved the ball around efficiently on offense and played spectacular defense, and by quarter’s end the Ravens had a 6-point lead. The team came out in the second half hoping to extend their lead and make this game out of reach for their opponents. They kept building this lead for the entire 3rd quarter and about half of the 4th quarter, with the biggest lead being 14 points. But in the second half of the 4th quarter, their opponents began to chip away at the score. With the Ravens up by 1 point and 18 seconds left, the Ravens were inbounding the ball underneath their opponent’s basket; unfortunately the Ravens turned the ball over. The outcome now depended on a great defensive position in order to stop the other team from winning the ball game. Lamentably, the other team hit a buzzer beater/fall away jumper, to beat the Ravens, dropping the Ravens’ record to 5-9. Unfortunately, the varsity basketball Ravens did not make the playoffs this year, but there were some highlights to this year’s season, including a huge comeback win over DRS right before Chanukah, a huge win over North Shore, and last but not least, winning the championships in the Willner Memorial Tournament down in Baltimore. This last game was capped off by the game winning basket of the championship game by Yosef Rosenthal.
The Varsity hockey Ravens came into the season hoping to make the playoffs, yet again. The Ravens had played some good games and battled hard throughout the year but were unable to earn enough points to qualify for the playoffs. The team had many highlights this season including on opening night of their season when they beat North shore in a tough match-up on the ravens’ home court.
Thank you to all the players, coaches, rabbeim and friends who came to cheer us on, we look forward to seeing you back next year for more!! GO RAVENS!!
Gabe Dubow | | |
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Feb Madness Championship |
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Last week was Rambam’s annual February madness tournament. This was a chance for everyone to showcase their skills on the court while playing in an extremely fun and competitive environment. After 2 days of competitive play, four teams prevailed to make it to the much-coveted final four, where they all received complimentary final four t-shirts. The final four consisted of two extremely close fought games where Jason Giller’s team overcame Eliyahu Rosenthal’s team and Kevin Rhine’s team beat out Gabi Guterson's. The finale was played after Mishmar on Thursday night in front of the whole school. The teams both battled hard and after a very exciting game, Kevin Rhine's team defeated Jason Giller's and took home the trophy. This year's tournament has been one of the best and I know everyone can't wait until next years.
Jordan Kaufman
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Upcoming Events
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Shabbaton Update: Due to inclement weather conditions, In House Shabbaton has been postponed until March 12th, Shabbat Parshat Va’yakhel/Pekudei. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Motzei Shabbat Tezave/Purim - Megilah reading at 7:00 PM followed by Rambam’s Annual Purim Chagiga at 9:00 PM.
Sunday February 28th - Rambam Megila Reading at 8:00 AM
Monday, March 1st, Shushan Purim - School starts @ 12:30 PM
Tuesday, March 2nd - Rambam Semi-annual Blood Drive - 12:00 - 4:30 PM
Tuesday, March 2nd - Rambam Soccer Tryouts - 7:30 PM |
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