{"id":48787,"date":"2015-10-19T11:13:07","date_gmt":"2015-10-19T16:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=48787"},"modified":"2015-10-19T11:51:55","modified_gmt":"2015-10-19T16:51:55","slug":"midwest-ncsy-welcomes-a-new-sefer-torah-to-the-jewish-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/midwest-ncsy-welcomes-a-new-sefer-torah-to-the-jewish-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Midwest NCSY Welcomes a New Sefer Torah to the Jewish People"},"content":{"rendered":"

NCSY Turns an unfortunate event into a unforgettable learning opportunity<\/h3>\n
\"An<\/a>
An NCSYer looks on as the scribe writes a letter in Midwest NCSY’s new Sefer Torah.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Midwest NCSY found itself with a posul<\/em>, unusable, Sefer Torah<\/em> at its annual winter Shabbaton, they turned an unfortunate situation in to an unforgettable learning opportunity: the chance to welcome a new Sefer Torah<\/em> to the Jewish people\u2014a Sefer Torah<\/em> that was partially written by the NCSYers themselves.<\/p>\n

Last December, as the Midwest NCSY advisers read the Torah portion <\/em>from the Sefer Torah<\/em> at its early minyan <\/em>for staff members, they noticed that one of the letters was missing in the third aliyah. <\/em>The Torah had been borrowed from a local Chevra Kadisha<\/em> [burial society] that hadn\u2019t noticed the error.<\/p>\n

The posul Sefer Torah<\/em> quickly became a topic of conversation for the Shabbaton. Advisers used the opportunity to explain the importance of each letter of a Sefer Torah<\/em> and how even just one tiny mistake can invalidate an entire Torah scroll. The message to the NCSYers was clear: every Jew is important, regardless of affiliation or background, and that each small action, both good and bad, can have a huge impact on the world and the Jewish community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were all curious what would happen and we were looking to the rabbis for guidance,\u201d said Nala Slobodyanyuk, a junior at Bais Yaakov High School of Twin Cities. \u201cThey addressed what was going on and calmly explained the situation. After that, we knew everything was going to work out.\u201d<\/p>\n

During Shaleshudus<\/em>, the third meal of the Shabbaton, the idea of MidWest NCSY having their own Sefer Torah<\/em> was brought up. Within minutes, donors and lay leaders pledged more than $50,000 to pay for a new Sefer Torah<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are fortunate to have donors and lay leader who care so\u00a0passionately\u00a0about the total experience that NCSYers have through our programs,\u201d said Rabbi Donny Schwartz, Regional Director of Midwest NCSY.\u00a0 \u201cIt was\u00a0inspiring\u00a0to see how\u00a0quickly\u00a0our guests joined together to help NCSYers have a Torah to call their own. At that moment, our donors and lay leaders recognized the\u00a0opportunity\u00a0they had to make an impact on current and future NCSYers and they did not hesitate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreover, this Sefer Torah <\/em>would be special, since the NCSYers would be able to write a letter in it themselves fulfilling one of the hardest mitzvoth in the Torah<\/em>: the commandment to write one\u2019s own Sefer Torah<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn opportunity like this is truly unique,\u201d said Rabbi Moshe Isenberg, executive director of Midwest NCSY. \u201cFrom what at first seemed like such an unfortunate error, a beautiful and fortuitous event was born. It\u2019s the perfect metaphor for the NCSY message\/ Just like every letter matters in the Torah<\/em>, so to does every individual matter in Klal Yisroel<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since that weekend, Midwest NCSY has also worked to raise money for scholarships in honor of the upcoming Hachnasas Sefer Torah <\/em>[welcoming the Torah]. <\/em>\u201cIt has been an incredibly special project,\u201d said Ari Shabat, Chairman of Midwest NCSY. \u201cSince December we\u2019ve raised over $180,000 in total for the writing of the Sefer Torah <\/em>and scholarships for NCSYers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabbi Micah Greenland, international director of NCSY, commended the project. \u201cThe money raised for the Sefer Torah<\/em> not only ensures that Midwest NCSY will have their own Torah scroll, but the money raised will be used for NCSY programming and scholarships to ensure that the single letter that the NCSYers write is the first letter in a long journey towards a deeper connection to their heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot that people from all different communities have stepped up to pay for this Sefer Torah <\/em>and to help NCSYers,\u201d said Akiva Garfinkel, a junior at Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Chicago.<\/p>\n

NCSYers themselves have also been involved in raising money. Garfinkel, who serves on Midwest NCSY Regional Board, helped organize a group of his fellow teens to raise money for the cause as well. Together, the teens raised around $1000 in one evening. \u201cIt was touching that fellow NCSYers wanted to take the time and help fundraise for this event,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Midwest NCSY has also ensured that as many teenagers as possible are able to participate in the mitzvah.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve taken the final klaf<\/em> [parchment] to cities throughout the region,\u201d said Shabat. \u201cTeens in Minneapolis and Kansas City [among other cities] are all celebrating in the same mitzvah<\/em> together. They\u2019re learning and participating in the writing of the Torah<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d never seen a sofer<\/em> [scribe] write a Torah<\/em>,\u201d said Slobodyanyuk, who was at the writing in Minneapolis and will also be at Fall Convention. \u201cIt was new to all of us and opened my eyes to how real a Sefer Torah <\/em>is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over 250 NCSYers, a majority of them public school students from across the region, are expected to attend Fall Convention, October 23-25 in Chicago, where they will celebrate the\u00a0Hachnasas Sefer Torah\u00a0<\/em>together with the Chicago Jewish community. \u201cThe event will be the central focus of the entire weekend,\u201d said Rabbi Schwartz.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe NCSYers will leave on\u00a0Sunday\u00a0with a deeper understanding of the centrality of Torah<\/em> in their lives and feel that they have a unique connection to it, one that not everyone has a chance to truly experience.”<\/p>\n

Rabbi Schwartz continued, \u201cThis Torah <\/em>will be their legacy as much as it is ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

To participate in this unique\u00a0opportunity, contact NCSY at\u00a0847-677-6279\u00a0or visit www.midwestncsy.org\/torah<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NCSY Turns an unfortunate event into a unforgettable learning opportunity When Midwest NCSY found itself with a posul, unusable, Sefer Torah at its annual winter Shabbaton, they turned an unfortunate situation in to an unforgettable learning opportunity: the chance to welcome a new Sefer Torah to the Jewish people\u2014a Sefer Torah that was partially written<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133126,"featured_media":48789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85,83,163],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","category-torah","category-travel"],"yoast_head":"\nMidwest NCSY Welcomes a New Sefer Torah to the Jewish People - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/midwest-ncsy-welcomes-a-new-sefer-torah-to-the-jewish-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Midwest NCSY Welcomes a New Sefer Torah to the Jewish People - 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