Mina Stein is from Clifton, New Jersey and is currently pursuing a biology major in Landers College for Women (Manhattan). She attended Bruriah High School and then went on to study for a year and half in Israel at Michlalah. Mina is so excited to be back as a madricha after coming on michlelet as a camper!
Mina’s Chaburah is titled “19 Keys to Unlocking the Treasure.” The main focus of the Chaburah is delving into the brachos of Shemoneh Esrei and the deeper meanings that each bracha portrays. The goal is to help the girls connect to the words of Shemoneh Esrei and realize that the words they say are the key to developing a deeper connection to Tefillah and ultimately to Hashem.
The amazing girls in Mina’s Chaburah are Daniella, Veeta, Yael, Naomi and Ariella.
Question: Which Bracha in Shemoneh Esrei do you connect with most and why?
Daniela- I connect most to the Bracha of Shema Kolienu because it is a time to express to Hashem in my own words what I want to say.
Naomi- I connect most to אתה חונן because during that bracha, I’m able to ask Hashem to not only help me by giving me the wisdom I need to get through the day, but also to make the right choices throughout the day, and to help me react to situations in the correct way.
Veeta – The bracha in shemoneh esrei that I connect the most to is “אתה גיבור”. It reminds me every day about Hashems strength and really shows me how he runs the world.
Ariella- The Bracha I connect most to in shmoneh esrei is ״אתה חונן לאדם דעת״. I’ve always valued knowledge and intellect and love to learn new things. This is the Bracha that allows me to thank Hashem for the ability to do so. Also, in learning about the Bracha, we learnt how the Bracha included 3 different leshonos- 1) chochmah, 2) binah, and 3) da’as. The three are each individual things we thank Hashem for. We thank Him for the insight we’re able to gain by assessing a situation, as well as the ability to see deeper into things and not just on a superficial level. As well, when I say this Bracha, what I think of is the clarity Hashem gives me in my life when facing every day choices. Clarity is such a major blessing that I think it’s really important to thank Hashem for providing it as well as ask Him to continue to do so!
Yael – The Bracha in שמונה עשרה that I relate to the most is רפאנו. Every summer I go with my family to camp simcha and I meet kids who are fighting cancer every day and that really need a רפואה. In our chaburah we learnt how in רפאנו we daven for a רפואת הנפש the healing of the soul or the heart. We learnt that a seemingly healthy person can visit a cardiologist thinking nothing is wrong and then find out that they have a heart disease. The soul works the same way. People think that they are very spiritual and are on the highest level when they really might have a spiritual illness that they are not even aware of. So now when I daven רפאנו I don’t only daven for mine and others physical health but also spiritual health that we won’t loose any more נשמות to the secular world.