Chabura Spotlight

Akiva Aryeh is privileged to be a Madrich for the inaugural summer of RTC. Akiva attended DRS for 4 years of High School and is looking forward to continuing his growth next year at Yeshivat HaKotel.

Akiva is excited to be giving Chaburahs to 5 awesome boys from New York and New Jersey: Avraham, Doniel (Yeshiva Katana) and Baer (HALB-DRS) are from the Five Towns, and Eli (RYNJ-Frisch) and Shlomo (RYNJ-TABC) are both from Teaneck.

The goal of Akiva’s chaburah is to grow in their Middos and to become a true Ben Torah. The Chaburahs will be on different topics in Pirkei Avos and interesting Halachic scenarios.

Every boy in Akiva’s Chaburah was asked, “What is your favorite Jewish holiday and why?”

Doniel said: “Pesach, because I get to go away with my cousins.”
Baer said: “Chanukah, because I get presents each night and also it’s very interesting to learn about the Chag.”
Shlomo said: “Pesach, because there’s no school.”
Avraham said: “Purim, because it’s my birthday.”
Eli said: “Pesach, because my entire family goes away to a hotel.”

This awesome chaburah is looking forward to growing together in their Middos along with having awesome experiences which will create the BEST SUMMER EVER!

Moshe Bennett is returning to work under Avi Rosalimsky for the third year in a row, but this time as a madrich on RTC. Moshe went to DRS for high school and was in Yeshivat Sha’alvim this past year. Moshe loves to connect with to the guys through both Torah and sports.

Moshe’s Chaburah consists of 5 awesome NCSYers from New York/New Jersey: Noah (HALB-DRS) and Shmuel (YKLI-DRS) are both from Woodmere, Dovid (RYNJ-TABC) from New Milford, and Eitan (RYNJ-MTA) and Mordechai (Yeshivat Noam) from Teaneck.

Moshe’s chabura will be based off of Dovid Lichtenstein’s book, “Headlines” and will go through many interesting contemporary cases in Halacha that come up in our fast-paced new world. Through delving into each topic, the NCSYers will gain insight into how a Rav delves into the sea of Torah in order to come out with an answer to a question which seems to be absent from the laws of the Torah, but in reality is not.

Each NCSY’er in Moshe’s chaburah was asked the following question:
“Which athlete do you respect most, and why?”
Dovid: “Conor McDavid, because his team is so bad but he continues to play hard.”
Eitan: “Derek Jeter, because he played with determination.”
Mordechai: “Julian Edelman, because he supports Israel.”
Shmuel: “Sandy Koufax, because he didn’t play on Yom Kippur.”
Noah: “Kevin Durant, because everyone hated him when he left the Thunder but he continued to play at a high level and people stopped hating him.”

The chabura is really looking forward to the inaugural RTC Best. Summer. Ever.

Gidon Hagler is joining RTC for his first summer as a madrich. Gidon went to JEC for high school and will be returning to Yeshivat Shaalvim for shana bet this upcoming year. Gidon looks forward to building upon his four years of experience as a counselor in various sleep-away camps in order to inspire his campers, while showing them an awesome time!

Gidon’s chaburah this summer is made up of five boys. Ezra is from israel; Yoni (HALB-DRS) is from Lawrence; Abie (RYNJ-MTA) is from Suffern, NY; Simcha (HALB-DRS) is from Valley Stream, NY; Zev (RYNJ) is from Teaneck.
Gidon’s Chaburah will be focused on learning relevant halachos of everyday life. Whether it’s halachos of wearing a kippah, waiting between milk and meat, etc., the boys are bound to build a greater appreciation for these Halachos and how they developed over time.

We asked everyone in the chaburah the following question: which mitzvah do you connect to most and why?

Ezra- “I connect to the Bracha of ולירושלים in shmoneh esrei because I live there.”
Yoni- “The mitzvah of כבוד אב ואם because I really want to respect my parents.”
Abie- “The mitzvah of כבוד אב ואם because I would naturally respect my parents, but now I also get a mitzvah for it.”
Simcha- “Davening, because it’s where I feel like I can personally talk to Hashem about the things I need and want. It’s definitely the mitzva where my connection to Hashem is the strongest.”
Zev- “The mitzvah of tzitzis because it reminds me of all the mitzvos.”

With Gidon, these boys, and these topics, this summer will definitely be the Best. Summer. Ever.

Yonatan Kurz is spending his first summer on RTC and his debut as an NCSY advisor. Yonatan went to TABC for high school and is returning next year to Yeshivat Shaalvim for Shana Bet. Yonatan aims to create the ideal environment for learning and growth, while also promoting a strong love for both halacha and talmud torah.

Yonatan’s chabura consists of six young phenoms and future gedolim. Eitan (TABC) is from West Orange; Avery (TABC) is from Teaneck, Dovid (MSP), Benjy (MSP), and Ari (DRS) are all from Woodmere, and Tzviki (Yesodei Yeshurun) is from Cedarhurst.

The chabura is learning about different halachos pertaining to various aspects of life, such as nicknames and social media, while also trying to connect them to how the mesorah of halacha is transmitted. They also begin every day by learning about a different Gadol and finding out more about his life and his works.

In addition to that, each day Yonatan sends in a halachic shailah in the WhatsApp group related to the day’s activity, and the chabura has a lively discussion on different ways to answer the question.

One question asked to each boy in the Chabura is “What are you most looking forward to this summer in RTC?”

Tzviki: Everything.

Avery: Hershey Park.

Eitan: Going white water rafting again.

Ari: Hanging out with friends.

Benjy: Spending a lot of time with my chabura.

Dovid: All the activities in general.

A summer of learning and enjoyment is in store for this Chabura, and it will certainly be the Best Summer Ever!

Eitan Warburg is extremely excited to be a madrich for the first ever summer of RTC. Eitan had the privilege of attending MTA for high school and is looking forward to going to Yeshivat Sha’alvim next year.

Eitan is thrilled to be able to give chaburas to five fantastic and talented NCSYers who come all the way from New York and New Jersey. Avraham Mordechai (MTA) is from Pomona; Dani is from Bergenfield (MTA) and Ari (DRS), Akiva (DRS) and Moti (DRS) are from Woodmere.

The goal of all the chaburas is to strive to be a Ben Torah. The chaburas will be on Tefilah, Teshuva and consistency throughout Judaism. These three topics are fundamental and crucial for a growing Ben Torah and hopefully each of us will be able to take something out of the chaburas and continue to strive to be a better Ben Torah.

One question that was asked to every single boy in the Chabura is “Who is your role model and why?”

Avraham: Kobe Bryant, because he became an NBA great and had a great work ethic. I hope to apply the same work ethic and care that he had for basketball to anything I try to do in life.

Dani: My parents because I watch them do chesed and I want to emulate their actions.

Ari: My great grandmother. She is very kind to everyone she meets and is very serious in davening. She walks to the hospital  every day and visits the people who are sick. She makes them very happy and everybody knows her as a great person. I want people to know me as a great person and I want to be a role model like her.

Akiva: My grandmother, who devotes her life to chesed. She runs an organization that provides clean water to African villages that don’t have. I hope to flow in her footsteps and be a בעל חסד.

Moti: My parents because they do a lot of chesed, and my father learns a lot while still finding time to hang out with me. When I grow up I want to raise a family in the same way that my parents do.

They look forward to a summer full of growth and fun. It’s going to be the Best.Summer.Ever!!!