CYHSB Weekly 9/8/2023

CYHSB WEEKLY

Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys

Volume 18, Issue 2

Start of the Year Events in the CYHSB

Page 3

The Freshmen Perspective and Statistic of The Week

Page 4

Repentance: Forward or Backwards?

Page 6

Avi's Awesome Authorities

Page 7

If you would like to sponsor an issue please speak to Nadav Lowell at: Nadav.Lowell@mhafyos.org

This is a great way to get your message out to the community and can include an ad or a short message to be published in weekly.

“Quantum computing is a new ultra-powerful era of computer technology”

Source: livescience.com

Quantum Computing; Friend or Foe

Omer Zalman, Davi Baum (27’)

The careers of you and your children may be at risk. Here is why. In 2019, Google AI and NASA announced that using a whopping 54-qubit quantum computer they had achieved "quantum supremacy." You are probably asking yourself what a quantum computer is and how it works. Newsscientist.com describes a quantum computer as "a machine that uses quantum physics to store much more data and perform computations faster than your traditional home computer." But this is a very simple definition. So let's

start with the basics: What is the qubit, and how does it work?

The qubit is the basic unit of quantum computing, just like the bit is the basic unit of digital computing. However, they are two contrasting systems. The qubit can exist in a superposition state, but what is superposition? Superposition can be easily visualized in the thought experiment "Schrodinger's Cat."

Schrodinger's Cat is an idea where if you put a cat inside of a closed cardboard box with a random radioactive isotope, which is connected to a Geiger counter, with a

flask of poison, at any time, the isotope will decay randomly and cause the flask to spill, killing the cat, so at any given time you, the observer, don't know if the cat is dead or alive, as you cannot see it, so it is dead and alive at the same time; therefore, it's in a state of superposition. Just like Schrödinger's Cat, a qubit is in a state of superposition as it can be in the form of 1 (dead) and 0 (alive) at the same time, while in contrast, a bit can only be {1} or {0} at one time. The difference between a qubit and a bit in terms of processing power is that a singular qubit is exponentially faster than a bit. The conversion from qubits to bits is 2 to the power of the number of qubits, so 10 qubits would be 1024 bits. But what is quantum supremacy, and why should you care about this science mumbo jumbo?

Dr. Shapiro, a math and physics teacher at our school, reports that Quantum Supremacy is "The goal of showing that a quantum computer can solve a problem that conventional computing cannot in a reasonable amount of time." He further explains that "quantum computing is still in its

Source: Researchgate.com

baby age." (Quantum computers are based on probability, and quantum computers have overheating issues. Dr. Shapiro conveys that the idea of quantum computers is a recent one, compared to digital computers which are much older.) Dr. Shapiro further expounds “With the number of qubits, the quantum computer's power rises exponentially in proportion to the number of qubits, while conventional computers only increase in a 1:1 ratio.” Well, According to hpcwire.com, the 54 Qubit Google AI quantum computer solves problems 1,577,847,600 times faster than your typical computer, not to mention a human, so imagine it in its adult age! Many say that quantum

computing will not cause mass unemployment, but that is probably not true as they already replace humans in many fields, such as cashiers, doctors in some regions of medicine, factory workers, and data entry workers. An even faster (quantum) computer is undoubtedly going to cause some level of unemployment; however, these computers require exorbitant amounts of supervision and to run a quantum computer you need to supercool the computer with an isotope of helium called helium-3. This supervision and the mining of helium could produce jobs. Quoting Klaus Schwab regarding government efficiency, "In the new world, it is not the big fish which eats the small fish, rather it's the fast fish which eats the slow fish." So, quantum computers causing some amount of unemployment is inevitable because, as Klaus Schwab says, the fast fish eats the slow fish. We wish the people who read this to not only be "the head of the fish" but also "the fast fish"!

Shana tova!

CB Research Insights shows the difference between the quantum computer and the traditional classical CPU

Start of the Year Events in the CYHSB

Yaron Weiss (’24)

It's another year at the CYHSB and that means starting off with a bang. This year we marked the beginning of school with four events; the annual canoe trip, two pool parties, and the first Friday night dinner of the year. The pool parties took place during the first week of school and were a lot of fun. At these parties, we got the chance to catch up with friends we didn't get to see over the summer and meet new schoolmates. We are extremely grateful towards the Ardestanis and the Somers for generously hosting these events.

This year, the Friday night dinner and the canoe trip both took place on the same weekend, the 26th and 28th of August. To get ready for the Friday night dinner, students spent hours preparing and making the food and setting up the lunch room. The evening began with beautiful davening at 7pm followed by dinner in the lunchroom. The food was incredible. We had deli rolls, chicken soup, kugels made by the ribbitzions, two types of chicken, and more. In between courses, we sang songs and dvar torahs were given. By the end of the meal, everyone was full and in high spirits. It's safe to say that it was a good time.

Sunday morning at 10am, the first students started to arrive at the school for the trip, and with our fast bus packing skills we were able to get out before 1 pm. On the bus I remember thinking that this canoe trip was going to be an interesting one, as it was the first time Rabbi Gerstien wouldn’t be going. Luckily we had Rabbi Grunwald, Rabbi Safier, Rabbi Males, and the three torah mitzion guys. On top of that, Rabbi Weiner drove in on Monday morning to canoe with us.

Last Week’s Solution

On the bus we talked, listened to music, and just relaxed. After driving for around two and a half hours, we arrived at the Spring River in Arkansas. We unloaded the bus and set up the campsite. Everyone was given different jobs to do, and after a short amount of time, all the tents were up and all the equipment we brought was put in its proper place.

With all the work done we could begin the river relay. Everyone present was split up into four teams, each led by two seniors. The relay consisted of 6 parts, all revolving around canoeing and swimming. The parts were as followed; carrying a canoe to the river bed, swimming across the river and back, canoeing across the river and back, capsizing the canoe and picking it up, carrying the canoe down the river, and then racing down a rapid in the canoe. Whether their team won or not, everyone had a great time and enjoyed themselves. After the relay race, we davened mincha and cooked our own hot dog dinner on the fire. Once it had gotten dark, we all gathered around the campfire for songs and stories. We then all went back to our tents and slept, ready for the next day.

Monday morning began with wakeup, shacharit, and then breakfast. After that we prepared our lunches and boarded the bus, then we drove to the start of the river. The next five to six hours were spent on the river. The river consisted of calm parts and rapids that had people falling out all over the place. During our time on the river we stopped

twice. The first stop was at a patch of grass on the side. At this stop we spent time eating our lunches and playing around in the water. After around half an hour we got back into our canoes. The other stop was after a rapid. This rapid wasn't challenging like others but it was fun to go down. Not only that but it was also safe enough for us to go down outside the canoe. We took turns going the rapid, jumping into the river, and swimming around. We then continued down the river until we ended back at our campsite. Once we were back, we packed up and headed home. We arrived back at school around 8 and unpacked the bus and then went home.

This year has gone off with a great start. We have done wonderful activities and have had chances to catch up and make new friends. Junior Raanan Vanderwalde said, “These beginning of the year events were a great chance for me to have fun with friends that I had not seen over the summer. I can’t wait for more events like these in the future.” Thank you to everyone who made these events possible, and thank you everyone who went for making it such a great time.

CYHSBers enjoying their time in the canoes. Photo: Nathan Greenbaum

Avigdor Zweihorn: A Freshmen's Perspective

Avigdor Zweihorn (’27)

At the beginning of the year I had a very unique position. As a freshman and part of a new family in Memphis I had a very fresh perspective on the CYHSB. As a freshman I was not sure what high school was like, and I was just figuring the place out. On top of that my family is new to the community and I had never even seen the school yet.

Before even walking in, my first impression was, “huh, it’s only one floor.” Coming from a place where nothing was only one floor, this came as a surprise to me. When I was walking in, I thought what everybody thinks when they walk into a new school: “this place is like a maze.” After a couple days, though, I realized it was not at all a maze but actually formed the shape of a ‘U’ surrounding the central blacktop, which I thought was pretty cool.

Before I came I heard that it would be a much smaller school than I was used to, but when I walked into davening I saw how small it really was. There are under sixty five lockers in the whole school and everybody has their own, and when someone is addressing the entire high school they could just use our first names and people would know who they were talking about.

Last Week’s Solution

This was a big change coming from a school where if everybody was absent except 17 kids we wouldn't have a real lesson because too many kids would fall behind. A funny thing about only having a few kids in the grade is that there are one or two classes with 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th graders all in the same class.

Something that I didn't have in middle school as well as the students who came from the MHA/FYOS middle school are electives. Freshman Gordon Chaifetz said, “I like the little bit of freedom in choosing one of your classes.” I agree with Gordon, even though it is just one of the periods in the day, it still makes me happy that I had an option of what to do.

Even though becoming a freshman has many good things that come with

it, there are also a couple of negative things. For example, last year in eighth grade we were at the top of the school but now we’re “demoted” to the bottom of high school. Another example of something negative is the uncertainty ahead of us. We are not really sure what high school is like; we are not sure what the next four years of

our life are going to look like. Even though there are a couple of negative things, for the most part, becoming a freshman is a wonderful experience. We are going from junior high school to just plain high school. And though adjusting might take time, especially coming from a different state, it is exciting to become a freshman.

The polls are in for our statistics of the week!

Fallowing the speaker representative from YU many students are considering the choices fallowing High school, and here are the results.

Across

1. Rams Horn

3. Fall Harvest

4. No ….. Shoes allowed on yom kippu (one word)

8. Repentance

11.The night before Yom Kippur

12. May be eaten with honey

15. When 5777 becomes 5788 (no spaces)

Last Week’s Solution

17. Long blast of the shofar

The above cross word puzzle is attributed to the Skidmore News

Down

1. Hut built with family and friends

2. Traditional break fast food

5. All you need is a lake, bread, and your sins

6. Sort of a lemon

9. Place to pray

10. Usually braided but over holy days round

13. First month of the Jewish year

14. Color worn on Yom Kippur

Radical Riddles:

Question (posed by the Queen of Sheba toward King Solomon): When a storm wind shrieks over people’s heads, this item bends its head like a reed. It is a pride for the rich and a shame for the poor, a glory for the dead and a misery for the living. It is a joy for birds and mourning for fish. What is it?

First to email nadav.lowell@mhafyos.org with the correct answer wins a duck. Stay tuned for next weeks paper for the answer last week's: 5

Repentance: Forward or Backwards?

Avi Becker (’24)

As the month and days of Teshuva dwell upon us, we must concern ourselves with when to take action. Rabbi Eliezer says: Repent one day before your death (Avot 1:2). Why not earlier? Perhaps there is virtue in looking forward rather than backward, so long as there is a prospective view, and so long as in the end, one accepts responsibility for the past. A Braita (Shabbat 153a), however, reads Rabbi Eliezer very differently, saying: “Rabbi Eliezer’s students asked him: Does a person know on what day he will die?

He said to them: All the more so, let him repent today lest he die tomorrow, and it will end up that all his days he is penitent.”

Here the ideal is to look backward, and Rabbi Eliezer speaks of repenting only on the day before death as a concession, or perhaps merely as rhetorical advice to inspire repentance.

Last Week’s Solution

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik says that Rabbi Eliezer’s statement on its own generates a religiosity that seeks to achieve a destiny, while the dialogue with his students generates a religiosity that seeks to avoid fate. Or we might set out a chakirah distinguishing between repentance from and repentance toward (quoting Rav Kook extensively concerning the latter). Or we might frame a practical question: Can one ever be done repenting? One purpose of atonement is closure. Is that ever the case with repentance? You can’t find closure facing the future.

The end of Sefer Devarim indicates that at least Mosheh Rabbeinu knew the day of his death in advance, and provides us with an in-depth look at his last day alive. Moreover, Mosheh is told explicitly that his death will be caused by a past sin (32:5):

“And die on the har toward which you are climbing, and be gathered to your people”

As Aharon your brother died at Hor hahar and was gathered to these people as a consequence of your having badly used me amidst the Children of Israel at the Waters of Merivat Kadesh, in the wilderness Tzin

as a consequence of not having sanctified me amidst the Children of Israel”

His last day should therefore have much to teach us about end-of-life repentance. But recreating Mosheh’s calendar for that day turns out to be a surprisingly complicated enterprise, and perhaps poses a stark challenge to Rabbi Eliezer.

However, despite Moshe’s last recorded words in the Torah being seemingly insignificant regarding Teshuva, we are not assured that those are his actual last words.

Ongoing, permanent repentance may be a fine way to live an individual life, but it is no recipe for leadership. Leaders who focus on making up for the past rather than preparing for the future end up fighting the last war, and they will constantly have more and more decisions to repent for.

And yet, leaders who fail to acknowledge their errors—who are incapable of genuine reflection and

change—will inevitably repeat those errors, generally on a larger scale. The Torah properly protects the honor of the incomparable prophet and servant of Hashem but leaves us the clue, in Hashem’s last words to him, that the sin of Merivah was still fundamentally unrepented.

By setting aside the Ten Days of Repentance, we indicate that Rabbi Eliezer’s students’ question is better than his answer. There is a time to face the past, but unless we have no future, the purpose of facing the past is to enable us to better face the future. May we succeed, then, in facing our pasts so that we may be inscribed in the book of those with meaningful futures. Those futures of ours must be prepared while also working with the past. Neither is more important.

Source: JewishHolidays.com's essentials to Rosh Hashana

Avi's Awesome authorities; Nadav Edition

Johanan bar Nappaha, also known as Rabbi Yochanan, was a prominent second-generation rabbi in the early Talmudic era (180-279 CE). He played a significant role in both the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, with his opinions quoted extensively.

Raised by his grandfather in Sepphoris, Galilee, he studied under Judah ha-Nasi and excelled in Torah learning. Johanan opened an academy in Tiberias, drawing gifted students and spreading his teachings. His rulings held weight due to his ordination principle, making his opinions often final in halachic discussions.

Johanan's legacy includes reconciling Mishnah contradictions and establishing broad rules for resolving disputes. He's known for his liberal religious decisions and contributions to aggadic literature. Though not the sole compiler, he initiated the Jerusalem Talmud's compilation. His life was marked by kindness, empathy, and a commitment to learning. Johanan's impact continues through his teachings, which remain foundational to Talmudic thought.

CALVIN AND HOBBES © Watterson. Reprinted with permission of ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION. All rights reserved.

Good Shabbos!

Fruit baskets for sale for Rosh Hashana and Succos for 50$! Proceeds go to the basketball team. Contact Yosef VanderWalde for more details.

CYHSB Weekly Staff

Editor-in-Chief

Ezra Davidovics | ezra.davidovics@mhafyos.org

Layout Editor

Nadav Lowell | nadav.lowell@mhafyos.org

Managing Editor

Raanan Vanderwalde | raanan.vanderwalde@mhafyos.org

Assistant Layout Editors

Amit Zalman | amit.zalman@mhafyos.org

Rafi Davidovics | rafael.davidovics@mhafyos.org

News Editors

Joshua Parcover | joshua.parcover@mhafyos.org

Yaron Weiss | yaron.weiss@mhafyos.org

Akiva Levine | akiva.levine@mhafyos.org

Photography and Complaint Manager

J.J. Stein | jacob.stein@mhafyos.org

CYHSB Weekly Staff

Avi Becker | avi.becker@mhafyos.org

Benny Freiden | benjamin.freiden@mhafyos.org

Ilan Lennon | ilan.lennon@mhafyos.org

Jonah Siegal | jonah.siegal@mhafyos.org

Omer Zalman | omer.zalman@mhafyos.org

Avigdor Zweihorn | avigdor.zweihorn@mhafyos.org

Davi Baum | david.baum@mhafyos.org

Jojo Ardestani | jonathan.ardestani@mhafyos.org

Administrative Advisors

Rabbi Dov Rossman

Mrs. Ashley Brown

From the Editor:

Its so great to see the CYHSB in the full swing of the school year, from all of our exiting programming to all the fan favorite clubs such as model UN and Mock Trial getting organized, the school spirit is in the air. As Rosh

Hashana approaches we are gearing up for the high holidays with ruach and I’m looking forward to attending the CYHSB’s kickoff slichos event this Saturday night.

- Ezra Davidovics