Last Shabbos the Jerusalem Fellowships hosted an exciting Leadership Weekend in Passaic, NJ for students from traditional backgrounds. Nearly twenty students came from as far as Boston in the North and Maryland in the South. The students were treated to inspirational talks from Scholar in Residence, Rabbi Eliyahu Bergstein. After the three-day seminar, the students left motivated and empowered to reach their Jewish peers on campus who are often forgotten. World Perfect seminars are being scheduled and Shabbos-and-Shmooze evenings are in the planning.

Internship for Leaders: June 6 - July 4, 1999
Summer Break Program: Jul 12 - Aug 8, 1999|
MBA Leadership Mission: June 21 - July 1
Return and Learn -- Men: May 17th -- June 17: July 5 - August 8th
Return and Learn -- Women: May 24th - June 30: July 5th - August 8th

Also in this edition...

The Nir Report

Shalom from Atlanta y'all. Just to give you a quick update: I'm doing very well, loving life, growing, putting together shabas dinners, and riding the freeway of love in my pink Cadillac. I hope I can see many of you this summer in Israel, that's right, I'm going to try to go back for round 2. I'll actually be in South Africa till June 16 but hopefully I'll be able to go to the second session of the summer program.

A huge thank you to those who sent birthday greetings for my 21st, you helped make it a wonderful day. I miss the JFIL crew very much and feel blessed to have met you. This has been a truly incredible semester so far and I would love to hear how your semester is going. Please give me a call if you find the time at: 404-251-4291. I'll call you back so you won't have to fit the bill. best wishes and lots of love,

Nir Eyal

Short summary of every Jewish Holiday:

They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat. Or, they tried to kill us, they won, let's fast.

Rosh Hashanah -- Feast

Tzom Gedalia -- Fast

Yom Kippur -- More fasting
Sukkot -- Feast
Hashanah Rabbah -- More feasting
Simchat Torah -- Keep feasting
Month of Heshvan -- No feasts or fasts for a whole month. Get a grip on yourself.
Hanukkah -- Eat potato pancakes
Tenth of Tevet -- Do not eat potato pancakes
Tu B'Shevat -- Feast
Purim -- Eat pastry
Passover -- Do not eat pastry
Shavuot -- Dairy feast (cheesecake,blintzes, etc.)
17th of Tammuz -- Fast (definitely no cheesecake or blintzes)
Tish B'Av -- Very strict fast (don't even think about cheesecake or blintzes)
Month of Elul -- End of cycle. Enroll in Center for Eating Disorders before the High Holidays arrive.

Someone who sincerely want to do acts of kindness will do and say things to honor others.
Try it. This will give the other person pleasure, and be a great source of pleasure to you as well!

(see Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler - Michtav MaiEliyahu, vol.3, p.187; Rabbi Pliskin's "Consulting the Wise")

On Purim we read Megillat Ester, the Scroll of Ester. Without mentioning the name of G-d even once, it tells us the story of how G-d, through the natural course of events, brought about the miraculous saving of the Jewish people in Shushan. In the title of the book we see its purpose. Megillat Ester literally means the revealing (megillah) of the hidden (hester).

Each of us has our own personal megillah that needs to be written. If you want the drinking, singing, and dancing of Purim to lift you to new heights, prepare a bit in advance. Sit down and connect the dots. Piece together the events of your life and see the blessings and beauty that G-d weaves into our lives ever so subtly. What was the thin thread that brought you to the Jerusalem Fellowships?

There are so many students on campus that are grasping for threads, for meaning. Help them to reveal their hidden potential. Give them the opportunity to see the beauty of Jewish wisdom and culture in Jerusalem this Summer with the Jerusalem Fellowships.

Have something you'd like to say? An article, a bad joke, a Mazel Tov? Send it in and we'll include it in the next issue. Our email address is jf@aish.edu. Now here's the Weekly...

GOOD MORNING! This week begins the 8th year of the Shabbat Shalom Fax and the Internet edition, (available by email by sending your request to jf@aish.edu). Purim is coming up next week, Monday night, March 1st through all day Tuesday.

Purim comes from the word "pur" in Persian which means "lots" -- as in, "Haman cast lots for the most 'auspicious' date to kill the Jews." The date fell out on the 13th of Adar. The events of that date were turned around to make it one of the most joyous days in the Jewish year and is thus the date we celebrate Purim.

(In very few places -- most notably in Jerusalem -- Purim is celebrated the following day, the 15th day of Adar. The Sages declared that all cities which were walled cities at the time of Joshua should celebrate Purim the following day. This is to commemorate the extra day which King Ahashverosh granted Esther to allow the Jews of Shushan [the capital of Persia, which, by the way, was a walled city] to deal with their enemies. The holiday is called Shushan Purim in those locales.)

There are two ways in which to try to destroy the Jewish people -- physically and spiritually. Our enemies have attempted both. Chanukah is the celebration over those who have tried and failed to culturally assimilate us (the Greeks and Western Culture); Purim is the celebration over those who have tried and failed to physically destroy us (the Persians, ad nauseam).

Why do we masquerade with costumes and masks on Purim? Nowhere in the Megilat Esther is G-d's name mentioned. If one so desires, he can see the whole Purim story as a chain of coincidences totally devoid of Divine Providence. Just as we hide behind masks, but our essence is still there, so too G-d has "hidden His face" behind the forces of history, but is still there guiding history.

Why do we make noise every time Haman's name is mentioned in the Megillah? The answer: Haman was an Amalekite, from that people which embodies evil and which the Torah commands us to obliterate. By blotting out Haman's name we are symbolically wiping out the Amalekites and evil.

The holiday is celebrated by hearing the Megillah Monday night and Tuesday morning. During the day only, we fulfill three mitzvot: 1) Matanot L'evyonim -- giving gifts or money to at least two poor people 2) giving at least two ready-to-eat foods to a minimum of one person (called Mishloach Manot, the "sending of portions" which is best fulfilled via a messenger (you can order Kosher Purim baskets from: White's Candies Tel. (305) 865-0433 or http://www.ftd.com/surf or from The Kosher Connection, 800-950-7227) and 3) having a Seudah, a festive meal, where we are commanded to drink wine until we don't know the difference between "Blessed is Mordechai" and "Cursed is Haman." Why are we instructed to drink this amount?

In a certain sense, Purim is greater than Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur we fast and it is easy for our soul to have dominance over the body. Purim is the epitome of integrating the physical and the spiritual towards realizing that the Almighty loves us. The only thing that stands between you and the Almighty -- is you. The wine and the spirit of the day help us get beyond the barrier -- to realize that everything comes from the Almighty and is ultimately for our good!

The mitzvot of Mishloach Manot and giving gifts to the poor were prescribed to generate brotherly love between all Jews. When there is love and unity amongst us, our enemies cannot harm us!

The Torah continues this week with the command to make for use in the Mishkan, the Portable Sanctuary, oil for the Menorah and clothes for the Cohanim, the Priests. It then gives instruction for the consecration of the Cohanim and the Outer Altar. The portion concludes with instructions for constructing the Incense Altar.

The Torah states, "You shall make the Choshen Mishpat ("the Breastplate of Judgement" -- one of the eight garments of the High Priest, the Cohen Gadol) (Exodus 28:15). Each of the garments had a specific spirtitual impact and purpose. What do we learn from the Choshen Mishpat?

Rashi, the essential commentary on the Torah, tells us that the Choshen Mishpat "substantiates its statements and its promises come true." When a question was asked to the High Priest, the letters of the breastplate would light up in a sequence spelling out the answer.

Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz clarifies that Rashi is coming to teach you to be very clear exactly what you are and are not promising. If you do not clarify and qualify when you make your promise, it is not truth. To promise "the world" but intend to offer limited help shows a lack of integrity. It creates greater problems later on. Being specific in promises is especially important in raising children; it teaches them whether or not they can trust their parents!

CANDLE LIGHTING: Jerusalem 4:57 Miami 6:03 New York 5:25 LA 5:29 Hong Kong 6:08 London 5:19 Moscow 5:23 Singapore 7:02 Guatemala 5:50 Honolulu 6:13 J'Burg 6:15 Melbourne 7:56

"QUOTE OF THE WEEK": A Jew who does not believe in miracles is not a realist