A new state of the art educational campus is being planned to house Afikei Torah, Darchei Binah and Chochmas Lev. Click here for details.
We have now launched our Building Campaign and are now receiving Building Fund donations from alumni, friends and family. If you wopuld l;ike mto be part of this exciting new project please make checks payable to our charitable foundation: DBI, 1049 E. 13th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11230
I have just returned from Eilat after the incredible Afikei Torah Eilat Tiyul.
This is the 9th time that I have accompanied our students and I continue to enjoy the outdoors and hikes.
This year was similar to previous years with 3 exceptions. With missiles falling in Be'er Sheva, we did not begin our Tiyul there. Rather we went straight to the camel ranch and continued from there. The second deviation was that we did not go to the beach. With our soldiers fighting in Gaza and so many Jews under threat of rocket attacks, we felt fun on the beach to be inappropriate. Chazal criticize the town of Tur Malka for their conduct during the Churban. On one side of the town they were doing battle with the Romans while on the other they were having parties. We could not have singing and dancing on the boat during a time of war. So instead we told stories and songs of Emunah.
I have recently returned from interviewing applicants for the 10th year of Afikei Torah. The enthusiasm and quality of this year's applicants is remarkable. Many of them were sold on Afikei Torah by hearing about us from alumni. It is clear that the most important factor in getting quality students for Afikei Torah is the word of mouth that comes from sharing your experiences with other people.
A while ago Rav Segal, our beloved Menahel (and my beloved boss!), told me a fabulous idea that he had seen in Rav Tzadok HaKohen's sefer Pri Tzadik. It centred around how each of the Ten Plagues correlated to a different month of the year. I was so intrigued that I searched around until I found it. The month of Shevat - being two months away from Nissan (did you start cleaning for Pesach yet?) - corresponds to the Plague of Locusts. But what is the connection?
Our year is filled with amazing trips but one of the most anticipated is the Tiyul to the South . Eilat is a gorgeous place and our experience there was incredible. We started off on Monday at 6:45a.m.and continued nonstop until the moment we arrived back at school on Wednesday night. Our first stop was camel riding in the Negev desert. In pairs we mounted our camels for the hour long journey that lay ahead. In the desert hills we heard Divrei Torah along with history so that we could fully appreciate our surroundings. Dismounting, we soon realized how sore our backs and legs were, especially those who were riding in the back seat. But what’s a Tiyul without a workout right off the bat? From there we went on a beautiful hike to the top of a mountain with a magnificent view of the Great Crater. As we sat there taking in the beauty of the landscape and of silence. The hike ended with lunch and glass tubes to fill with the colored sands of the mountain.
