Zahava is from Woodmere NY. She went to SKA for high school and spent a year and a half in Israel. She is now a sophomore in Queens college majoring in Psychology. Zahava went on Michlelet as a camper for two summers and is so excited to be back as a Madricha!
The girls in Zahavas chabura are: Tzippora Topp (Los Angeles, CA), Kayla Landau (Woodmere, NY), Shana Blisko (Chicago, IL),
Tovah Weiskopf (Teaneck, NJ), and Malkie Rubin (Teaneck, NJ).
Zahava’s chabura learns about middos through the lense of Tefilla, enabling us to then apply them into our daily lives. For each chabura, they focus on one specific tefilla, connecting each one to a corresponding middah. Through exploring the texts, various hashkafa topics, and stories from Tanach, the girls gain a deeper understanding of the practical connection between Tefilla and middos. With this, we are able to take our experience of Tefilah with us, and internalize it’s lessons as we go on with our day.
Which Tefilla do you relate to most and why?
Tzippora Topp-
I relate to the Tefilla of Modim because in Modim we thank HaShem for all of the seemingly insignificant things in our lives which make the biggest impact. When we wake up in the morning, it’s possible to overlook the little things such as having clothes in our closets, healthy bodies that work, and breakfast waiting for us. We need to thank Hashem for these things and so much more that He does for us in every minute of every day! Just like thanking Hashem for the small things is so important, “small” actions can also have an enormous impact. Instead of relying on others to do that tiny gesture to help a person in need, we need to take responsibility and do it. We never know the world of a difference we can make to that person and to the world!
Kayla Landau-
The tefila that I relate to most is aleinu because the theme of aleinu is always growing and reaching new heights. As Jews we should never be satisfied with our place in Avodas hashem. We are always striving to become better and better. In hallel we say הללו את שם ה׳ הללו עבדי ה׳ שעומדים בבית ה׳ בחצרות בית אלוקינו . Rabbi Yaakov Feitman points out that we stand in the courtyards of the house of Hashem and and not directly in his house. This teaches us that we have to know we have never fully reached בית ה. We are always in the courtyard of ה׳ . We need to constantly be striving to reach his chambers. Now, on Michlelet we are in an a growth oriented Torah environment. It is important to remember that when we leave we need to constantly review and continue to grow so that we don’t fall in our Avodas Hashem and iy’H we will be Zocheh to reach beis Hashem.
Shana Blisko-
I relate most to the tfilla “עלינו”. עלינו talks about striving to reach your goals in life and always growing in your emunah and betachon. Personally, growing in life is something I connect to. If a person is not growing- what are they doing? In life a person is on a constant escalator going down, if he is not trying to work on himself than he will slowly move down that escalator, but if the person is working on himself and he is putting in that hard work to fight against the difficult challenges he is faced with Hashem will help him and make that step up the escalator easier. When Zahava finished her chabura, she told us to make a goal for the summer. I made a goal for this summer which hopefully I will continue throughout my life no matter how hard it might be.
Tovah Weiskopf-
The tefila that I relate to most is ולירושלים in שמונה עשרה, that we say every morning during שחרית. This tefila points out that we have a greater goal in mind and are yearning for the בית המקדש constantly. ולירושלים reminds us that we are not comfortable in גלות and need to do everything in our power to bring משיח closer. Visiting yerushalaim numerous times on michlelet, and seeing where the בית המקדש should be standing, enhanced my understanding of our desperation for משיח, and made this תפילה more meaningful and important to me.
Malkie Rubin-
The tefilla that I relate to the most is hallel because it teaches me to make the most of my time. We have to use our time wisely and make every second count. We say hallel once a month, so it is a once a month reminder that we are in this world for a reason. On Michlelet, I feel like I am accomplishing my goal of making the most of my time on this wonderful summer program. Everyday is filled with learning, chessed, and bonding with friends. We need to make the most of our time because in an instant, the opportunity to make a difference can disappear. One of my favorite quotes is “seize the opportunity”. We need to use every second that we are in this world for good deeds before we lose our chance to make a difference in this world.