Hi everyone!
On January 11th, 2016, we’ll be welcoming the new Jewish month of Shevat! Our monthly Rosh Chodesh updates will give you a spark of inspiration, and the TOP THREE moments that stood out to us from Regions all over NCSY. Get excited, will your region be featured?!
Sparks of Inspiration!
First things first, let’s talk Torah. Shevat is a beautiful month, while it’s still winter, the days slowly but surely are getting longer, and the very beginnings of spring start deep under the earth. In Shevat, we celebrate the “Jewish Earth Day”, Tu B’Shevat, the “New Years” for the trees, and all of nature really! What’s cool, is that Moshe Rabeinu tapped into this theme of renewal as well. He begins his final speech before he dies, a discourse that focused on renewing the Jewish people’s connection with the Torah, on Rosh Chodesh Shevat, isn’t that cool?! Shevat is a great time to appreciate the wonders of nature, but it is also a time to renew ourselves and our commitment to ourselves, Hashem and others. This year, it coincides neatly with the secular New Year, a time traditionally reserved for making resolutions. Take some time this Shevat to renew yourself, and your own commitment to your Judaism. Make a resolution, or evaluate how successful you’ve been at achieving a goal you may have set on Rosh Hashana. Let’s use the renewal of nature as an impetus to renew our own lives, and reinvigorate ourselves with a fresh zeal for Torah!
To learn more, check out this awesome infographic!
NCSY Highlights!
NCSY is not just in your town, but it’s an International movement, inspiring and affecting teens just like ourselves all over the world. Check out some of our favorite moments from this past month…
- National Yarchei Kallah. A fun-filled trip to New York with 300 teens from all over North America, learning Torah with incredible educators, a crazy Summer Programs fair and new friends to last a lifetime! Do we need to say anymore than that? It was definitely a highlight of the month, if not a highlight of the year!
- Midwest NCSY Winter Conclave. Hundreds of teens from all over the Midwest spent their winter break together at the beautiful Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, IL. They had a blast meeting new friends, enjoying a themed banquet, great food, learning and chilling with awesome advisors, shopping, and more! Check out the pictures here!
- West Coast NCSY Winter Regional. NCSYers from California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon and Arizona enjoyed an inspiring weekend in La Jolla, California. They enjoyed a carnival, they spent a day at an awesome Safari Park, they learned about unity with their incredible advisers and got to bond with hundreds of teens from the West Coast! Everyone walked away inspired and uplifted!
So there you have it, some inspiration, and an update on stand-out NCSY happenings around the world! Stay tuned for next month’s update!
– National Board 2015-2016