30 Oct MTC Highlights: Parshat Lech Lecha
Sophie Felberg - Office Manager
In this weeks parsha, the Torah tells us how Avraham left to go to Canaan and then he arrived. The pasuk makes it sound like the journey to Canaan was a short one. Why? Because the Torah is teaching us how to live life successfully.
Avraham embarked on his journey with a goal, to go where he was meant to go and he remained focused on that goal. So simple! And something that we should adapt to live our lives as well.
Yes, we all have individual, unique lives and missions, but when the time comes, ad me’ah v’esrim (until 120), to leave this world, we should strive to leave without regrets. That is the goal, not to regret what we could have or should have done, but only have the longing to have done even more Torah and mitzvot.
To grow and live your life fully, you must also be willing to leave your past behind. Hashem guaranteed Avraham that he would succeed, yet He didn’t even tell him where he was going. And that’s the point, it’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey.
Avraham Avinu couldn’t become Avraham Avinu, the person who he was meant to be, without leaving behind his father’s home, a place filled with idol worship and negativity.
To rise to your higher self, your neshama self, you must let go of any anger, hurt, painful memories or even missed opportunities. If you carry them, they will weigh you down, hold you back, and consume your energy. They’ll keep you from moving forward on your path. As Jews, we don’t live in our past, we learn from it.
Staying focused on your goals, the things that truly matter to you, isn’t an impossibility. Once you become aware of them and set your sights on them, all it takes is the decision to want it. And when you truly want it, when your intention is aligned with Hashem’s will, He will guide your steps, just as He guided Avraham, toward becoming the person you are meant to be.
Wishing you a shabbat shalom u’mevorach!
Student Reflection
Rosie Bloom - Hasmoenan, UK - London, UK
To describe MTC in one feeling is to be coming home. From the very first moment I arrived here just over a month ago I have felt as if I’ve arrived to the exact place I’m meant to be, and every moment since has confirmed that.
The classes here have already begun teaching me how to be me to the best of my ability. Every single day I leave the Bet Midrash feeling inspired, carrying with me the words of Torah I feel so lucky to be able to take with me. Our teachers are not only there for us during classes, but they are our family. Being here we all truly feel cared and loved for, from teachers taking every moment they have to inspire each of us to having Shira only a few doors down from me opening her home to us (and letting us come for cookies!!)
In the afternoon I have the privilege of being able to hang out with the most amazing 9-11 year old boys and girls in the pnimyat yom, when coming to MTC we’re told how much we will give to these kids but really, they are the ones that give to us. Seeing and experiencing the Simcha in the pnimyat yom is something indescribable. As we learnt from the Tower of Bovel in last week’s Parsha, Achdut does not come with speaking the same language. Even though my Hebrew may not be at its best (yet!), within the Pnimya we can communicate and become unified with the kids through the love we all have for each other. In MTC we also have the opportunity to hang out with amazing Benot Sherut which allows us to have a real insight into Israeli life.
This past week we went on an incredible tiyul to the Golan, apart from having the most fun hanging out with my friends, the madrichot and Alexis, we were able to learn the insane sacrifices that others have made for us to be able to be here. Being in Israel, and especially in MTC, we are part of something bigger than ourselves. I feel so lucky to be spending this year in our holy land, living and breathing the miraculous moments of everyday life in Eretz Yisroel.
Every single one of my friends in MTC is somehow the kindest person ever!! I am able to learn not only from my teachers, the Madrichot, the Benot Sherut and the kids, but from all of the girls that I’ve met here. I’m so lucky to have met people who instantly became my friends.
Bet Elazraki is genuinely a magical place, when we go to eat lunch and dinner we are surrounded by not only other girls in sem but so many people who are apart of this amazing mission. Wherever I go, I’m met with a smile and a “מה נשמע” and every office is open to us.
MTC has become my home, it’s a place that I know will shape me for the rest of my life. No matter where I am, I know that MTC will always be a place I’ll be able to come back to and feel at home.
