http://bnottorah.com Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:08:55 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/08/tefillah-tips-episode-1-quick-and-practical-advice-to-make-your-davening-meaningful/ Hey everyone! I just wanted to briefly share with you a great event that I believe really helped make the first couple of days a positive and energetic experience. Orientation Week concluded this past Friday, with a trip to Gan Yehoshua Park. All of us Sharfman's girls had a relaxing, yet eventful day, row boating on the beautiful Gan Yehoshua Lake. We also opted to relax, tan, and get to know one another. Eventually, the boats were docked and we all enjoyed the delicious lunch that the school provided for us, while basking in the shade of the gorgeous palm trees. After a few hours in the park, we headed back on the bus to get ready for Kabbalat Shabbat at The Kotel and an inspiring Shabbaton appropriately entitled, “Beginnings”...]]> http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/07/gan-yehoshua/ http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/06/searching-for-happiness-its-inside-you/ Groups of incoming Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s students descended upon the streets of Ramat Eshkol on September 2nd, during Orientation Week, to explore and become more familiar with our neighborhood and its colorful ambiance. In addition, the informal tour allowed students to become more acquainted (outside of the confines of the walls of a classroom or Beit Midrash) with the various personalities that comprise the Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s faculty. Small groups of girls were led by a Mechanechet, a Chonechet, or a Rakezet, who acted as tour guides, to tour the neighborhood’s lush parks, point out how close to our school much of our faculty live, and enjoy the street side markets, restaurants, and Ramat Eshkol Shopping Promenade. “Students really enjoyed the overall sense of communal life that fills the air. They were thrilled to hear that minutes away from school are, cafes, a pharmacy, ATM's and much more in the Ramat Eshkol Shopping Promenade. Plus, the fact that much of our faculty lives in the neighborhood of our school is really a unique element that we offer each and every student,” said Mrs. Debbi Nissel, Chessed Coordinator at Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s. Click “Read More” to read the full description and see all of the pictures!]]> http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/02/meet-the-street/ On the second night of Orientation Week, we all got together and gathered in the Bnot Torah/Sharfman's Beit Midrash. Rabbi Sharfman acted as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening and through his jokes he really added a great amount of warmth and humor to the event! Anyways, it was a great time to really introduce and meet all the Shana Aleph and Shana Bet girls from different cities who are in Sharfman's. It was great to hear all about who they are and how much we share common goals for the year. There are girls from Los Angeles to Toronto and from Cleveland to New York and I really can see myself being friends with a lot of them. Throughout the evening, I quickly felt a connection with my apartment-mates and fellow students when we all got to open up and share who we were, where we came from, and also play the interactive game "Getting to Know You Bingo," where we all go around the room searching for clues about one another! Click “Read More” to read the full description and see all of the pictures!]]> http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/02/an-amazing-orientation-night/ The first night of Orientation Week was filled with warmth and uplifting spirituality! From the second we arrived we were greeting with warmth from people such as Rabbi Sharfman to our Aim Bayit's. After settling into our room, we were off to visit The Kotel! For some of us, it was the very first time being at the site of The Western Wall, while for many of us, even though we've been there before, it remains a special place to Daven and just put everything in our life into a perspective. It was at The Kotel that it really hit me: I am in Israel for the year! Plus, it gave us all a chance to have fun and meet all the Shana Aleph girls and speak to the Shana Beit girls who were really there to answer all of our questions about Sharfman's, and share with us their knowledge they gained from their Shana Aleph. I can't wait to meet everyone more throughout the rest of our Bnot Torah/Sharfman's Orientation Week, and I heard that the upcoming Shabbaton...is unbelievable! Click “Read More” to read the full description and see all of the pictures!]]> http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/01/our-very-first-visit-to-the-kotel/ Wow! What a whirlwind day it has been. We said goodbye to our friends and family back home and boarded the group flight heading towards Israel. On the plane we all got to bond and meet. It was great to see that soo many people were like me and were motivated to spend this year growing. After what felt like forever, we landed and not one of us lost a bag! As we came out we were greeted by soo many people from Rabbi Sharfman and Mrs. Sharfman to Rabbi Green, Mrs. Haymann, and our new Rakezet Ms. Esther Benayon! I quickly felt at home—they even knew all of our names. Plus, after sitting on the plane and then feeling the warm Tel Aviv heat, the only thing I could want was a drink of water. The next thing I knew, there was Rabbi Sharfman and Rabbi Green handing out water bottles with a cute Sharfman's label on it that welcomed us to the school. Once everyone had come out, we headed out to the bus that would bring us to school. The bus ride was nice! We all got to meet girls from other places who were just like us. When we got to school, we met our Aim Bayit's who took us to our apartments. Anyways, later tonight we are off to The Kotel and then... Click “Read More” to read the full description and see all of the pictures!]]> http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/08/31/airport-arrival-we-have-arrived/ We are busy putting the last minute finishing touches on the exciting preparations for the upcoming magical year of Bnot Torah/Sharfman's 2010-2011!! We look forward to meeting and greeting all of our new students, and welcoming them into the Sharfman's family. Bnot Torah/Sharfman's Orientation officially gets under way on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010. Updates and information will be available on our Bnot Torah Blog, and will introduce you to our unique and welcoming Israel experience. Until then, enjoy these cute pictures of the official 2010-2011 Bnot Torah/Sharfman's Teddy Bear that every student will have waiting for her, when she comes into her apartment room. This edition of the Bnot Torah/Sharfman's Teddy Bear has a personalized name tag as well as a cute "I Love Sharfman's" pin and a nice bag of candy! Click “Read More” to read the full description and see all of the pictures! ]]> http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/08/29/getting-ready-for-an-amazing-year-at-sharfmans/ http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/08/25/pirkei-avos-being-my-best-not-someone-elses/