Purim Samayach and Good Erev Shabbat to all!
We are looking forward to greeting you personally at "An Evening of Inspiration" for the benefit of the children of the Hebrew Academy of West Queens, featuring the renowned author and lecturer HaRav Yissocher Frand, Shlita. The event will, B'Ezrat Hashem, take place on Monday evening March 24 @ 7:30 pm, and will be graciously hosted by the Young Israel of Queens Valley in Kew Garden Hills, HaRav Peretz Steinberg, Shlita, Morah D'Asra. Rabbi Frand's timely topic will be Klal Yisroel: A Study in Diversity. We thank our co-chairmen of the event Mr. & Mrs. Jack schmidt and Mr. & Mrs. Itzi Laub, as well as sponsors Mrs. Carol Wittenberg and alumnus Mr. Alex Wittenberg. We appeal to anyone who would like the Zchut of bringing this Gadol B'Torah to the community, as well as supporting our Yeshiva, to be a co-sponsor of the evening. Please contact us by phone (917-747-7342, 646-706-8124), E-mail (http://us.f326.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=HAWQ613@yahoo.com), or fax (718-847-1472)
This week our Girl's Division ushered in the Purim spirit with an exciting carnival on Wednesday. They also made beautiful decorations for their hospital Purim visit on Monday. Our boys spent Wednesday cheering up patients at the Pre-Purim Party at the Goldwater facility on Roosevelt Island. Thank you Rabbis Troppe and Alcabes for coordinating the trip
The Midrash on the Megilah recounts for us the dialogue between Mordechai and Haman as to why he refused to bow before him. Haman pointed out that Yaakov Avinu prostrated himself before his ancestor Asav. Why did Mordechai refuse to do the same? Mordechai answered that he was from Shevet Binyamin, and his ancestor Binyamin did not bow to Asav, as he was not yet born at the time. Following in his forefather’s footsteps he too refused to bow. From this Midrash we see a powerful lesson. The example we set for our children has a far reaching impact that echoes throughout the generations. Mordechai’s strength to defy Haman had its roots in the actions of his forefather that he never even knew directly. We have a similar concept in the story of the slavery in Mitzrayim. The Midrash teaches us that Shevet Levi refused to leave the Bait Midrash to work for Paro. It is no coincidence that Levi lived longest of all the Shevatim and therefore his Shevet had the role model of their righteous founder longer than the other Shevatim. Thus, they had the fortitude to resist the patriotic call of Paro to go out to work for the nation and, as a result, were saved from 210 years of slavery. As my colleague Rabbi Alcabes has often pointed out, when we teach a classroom of children, we are, in reality, reaching the thousands of generations that will with Hashem’s help emanate from them.
Purim Samayach & Shabbat Shalom!
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