B'YY YY CCCC AAAA B'Yachad YY YY CC AA AA Together YYYY AAAA CC HH HH AA AA DDDDD YY AA AA CC HH HH AAAAAAAA DD DD The Electronic YY AA AA CC HHHHHHH AA AA DD DD Alumni YY AAAAAAAA CCCC HHHHHHH AA AA DD DD Newsletter AA AA HH HH DD DD of AA AA HH HH DDDDD Ohr Somayach --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Hinei ma tov u'ma na'im sheves achim gam 'Yachad' How good and pleasant it is for brothers to be 'Together' --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Issue #8 Shavuos 5756 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ohr Somayach and the staff of B'YACHAD wish all its readers a Chag Shavuos Sameach! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ->SPOTLIGHT on an ALUMNUS Marc (Melech) Beningson. I was raised in the same Conservative Synagogue in Stanford Connecticut that my grandparents joined in the 1930's and had my bar mitzvah on the same bimah as my father and uncle. For reasons not clear to me at the time, I asked for tefillin for my 13th birthday gift. Not all the older men at the daily minyan wore them, so I had little idea why tefillin should be important. A `confirmation class' dropout, I held leadership positions in the USY youth group and spent a summer `pilgrimage' in Israel. But Jewish activities in college were limited. I spent more time playing ice hockey and being a performing arts sound technician. After graduation I joined a rapidly growing acoustical consulting practice which took me all over the country. I was very busy. After a tough three months on the road I said to myself, "I should really take one day a week and set it aside!" Suddenly I realized this was not a new idea! So I started to do something about Shabbos. After starting my own company consulting in acoustics, sound systems, and control systems design, I started to work part time as Jewish youth director and Hebrew school teacher. I was considered a good role model, but I didn't think I was very knowledgeable. So, I enrolled in the Master's program at the Jewish Theological Seminary. It was a let down, and I was very happy when hashgacha pratis took me to Honolulu for a six-month job which turned into three years. But there are better places than Hawaii for a Shomer Shabbos bachelor. I started `commuting' to LA for Shabbatons and shidduchim. I davened to leave Hawaii. In order to get me out, Hashem made an entire company go bankrupt, with my division sold to a company in San Diego! There I met JLE alum Todd Salovey, OS alum Mike Kalman, and Rabbi Jeff Wohlgelernter. I heard my first daf yomi shiur. From then on I was hooked on yeshiva-style learning. I went to all the shiurim I could but needed more. Again my tefillos were heard: My new company floundered, permitting me to take a leave of absence. I was off to Ohr Somayach. I learned there for a total of six months, in two phases, from Aug. `92 -- March `93. Less than a week after returning to California, I met my kallah! We've since moved to Baltimore and have two children, B'H. Ohr Somayach continues to play a very strong role in my life. I look forward to returning with my family, IY'H, to visit and learn much more. [Melech, we all look forward to seeing you and your family at Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem!] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ->Bounce Us with your Best `Pshat'! Got something to say? Just bounce this message back to us with your comments, announcements, divrei Torah, or whatever! Thousands of Ohr Somayach Alumni are waiting to hear from you! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ->Alumni Reunion Dinner You're invited to the Ohr Somayach Alumni Reunion Dinner, Sunday 15 Sivan 5756 (June 2, 1996) at Yeshiva Toras Emes Kaminetz Hall, 1650-56th Street, Brooklyn, New York with the participation of our Roshei Yeshiva, Rav Nota Schiller and Rav Mendel Weinbach. Reception 4 PM, Dinner 5 PM. Dinner Committee: Daniel Spekman, Chairman Betzalel Anflick, Yaakov Berman, Simcha Goldberg, Yosef Hyman, Dov Kagan, Chaim Kaplan, Shamai Linsky Lee Needleman, Dovid Speigel, Shmuel Steele Please RSVP ASAP to Daniel Spekman <102475.3075@compuserve.com> or mail him at 2005 Avenue L, Apt. 5G, Brooklyn, NY 11210, telephone (718) 377-3234. $36/person, $72/couple. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- While in North America, Rav Mendel Weinbach will be visiting Chicago, Cleveland, Toronto, Miami, Detroit and Philadelphia, addressing alumni groups and meeting with individual alumni. For info and appointments, contact: Chicago: R. Yehuda Albin 312-761-1315 Cleveland: R. Steven Abrams 216-591-1164 Toronto: R. Avi Rothman 905-886-6065 Miami: R. Shmuel Kalos 305-674-8535 Detroit: R. Yechiel Krohner 810-352-4870 Philadelphia: R. Avrohom Goldman 215-725-8625 New York: 212-213-3100 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- advertisement * advertisement * advertisement Marvin Gruza Certified Public Accountant Accounting * Tax Preparation and Planning Business Consulting * Financial Planning * Computer Training 138-38 Jewel Ave. Flushing, NY 11367 Tel. 718-263-3025/ Fax 718-263-3361 Write to Ohr Somayach for information on how to place your ad here! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ->Alumni SPEAK! DAVID TETEN writes: As an Ohr Somayach JLE graduate, I am very happy that you are continuing to sponsor quality kiruv like `Ask the Rabbi' Please keep up the good work. LOU BRIFMAN alumnus 1974 writes: Liked your work on the Purim special. Keep it up! Shmuel Davis, Baltimore MD USA writes: Hello! This is Shmuel Davis from Baltimore. I was a bochur in the Yeshiva from 1980-81. I have just joined the modern world and now can access the Internet. It is a pleasure to see Ohr Somayach (even if it is only in cyberspace). If anyone there remembers me, please write back. Kol Tuv and keep up the great work!! GARRY A.DINKIN writes: Greetings to Ohr Somayach! My Best wishes to all of the Rabbis, staff and families thereof for a rich and joyful year. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ->Simchas & Announcements Mazel Tov to: o Rabbi and Mrs. Schiller on the engagement of their son Shlomo o Rabbi and Mrs. Schoen on the engagement of their daughter o Rabbi and Mrs. Pindrus on the engagement of their son Yaakov o Rabbi and Mrs. Isbee on the marriage of one son and the bar mitzvah of another son o Rabbi and Mrs. Zweig on the birth of a son o Gershon and Mrs. Tave on the birth of a girl o Steve and Mrs. Schaeffer on the birth of a girl o Chaim and Mrs. Kaplan birth of daughter o Ilan and Mrs. Diamond on the birth of a girl o Jonathan and Mrs. Altman on the birth of a boy, Yaakov Dovid o Avi Rothenberg on his marriage o Alan Cooper on his engagement o Yossi Silberfarb on his engagement o David Jasse on his engagement o Chaggai Veig on his engagement Ohr Somayach expresses condolences to o Rabbi Avraham Rockmill on the passing of his mother o Danny Lemberg on the passing of his father o Mordechai Braka of passing of his father --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ->Topic of the Month `SEFIRAH' - Counting You shall count from the day after Pesach, from the day you bring the Omer-offering that is to be waved; seven complete weeks they shall be -- until the morrow of the seventh week you shall count 50 days, and then offer a new meal-offering to Hashem. Vayikra 23:15 Select quotations on this topic: o It is a mitzvah to count days as well as to count weeks. (Chagigah 17b) o "Seven complete weeks they shall be." When are they complete? When Israel does the will of the Creator. (Vayikra Rabba 28:3) o For which particular merit was Israel worthy to inherit the Land of Israel? In merit of the mitzvah of the Omer. (Vayikra Rabba 28:4) o The Omer offering teaches us that we should utilize our materialistic world as a means to serve Hashem since the whole world belongs to Him. Once we succeed in awakening in ourselves to this realization, we must check every ensuing day to make sure that our aspiration to serve Hashem with all our worldly belongings has not at all diminished. (Michtav Me'Eliyahu, vol.2, p.25) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ->Ohr Somayach now has its own home page on the WEB: www.jer1.co.il/orgs/ohr --------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Contribute to B'YACHAD The only way we can have up-to-date information is if you provide it. Please send us your comments, suggestions, announcements, and ideas via one of the following methods: E-Mail: address your message to: ohr@jer1.co.il set the subject to "B'YACHAD" Fax: 972-2-812-890, Attn.: B'YACHAD Post: Yeshiva Ohr Somayach, ATTN.: B'YACHAD 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street,POB 18103, Jerusalem 91180 ISRAEL =========================================================================== Ohr Somayach Representatives Worldwide: Jerusalem, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Miami, Monsey, London, Toronto, Montreal, Johannesburg. 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To subscribe, send the message: subscribe {listname} {your full name} to: listproc@jer1.co.il =========================================================================== Editor: Rabbi Reuven Subar General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman Contributing Editor: Chaim Salenger Production Design: Lev Seltzer =========================================================================== Jewish L EEEEEEEE Prepared by the Jewish Learning Exchange of J L E Ohr Somayach International J L E 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103 J L Exchange Jerusalem 91180, Israel J L E Tel: 972-2-810315 Fax: 972-2-812890 J J L E Internet: ohr@jer1.co.il JJJJ Learning EEEEEEEE Web: www.jer1.co.il/orgs/ohr =========================================================================== (C) 1996 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission, and then send us a sample issue.