CYHSB Weekly 4/8/22

Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys

April 8, 2022

CYHSB WEEKLY Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys

Volume 16, Issue 14 Pesach Debate: Going Away or Staying In? Page 3 Parshat Metzorah: Keeping Lashon Harah Out of Your Mouth Page 5 Cooper Clicks Page 6

The CYHSB ag footba team poses a er a great tournament. Photo: Zev Bosin

Crazy Crosswords Page 7

This week’s CYHSB Weekly is sponsored by the Weekly staff in honor of this week’s Weekly.

Raanan VanderWalde (’25) On the weekend of March 26, fourteen students, chaperoned by Rabbi Owen and our tennis coach, Coach Miller, traveled to Atlanta for AJA’s First Annual Spring Classic Flag Football Invitational. Our school has been to basketball tournaments in the past; we even hosted the Cooper Invitational, but we have never been to a football tournament. In preparation for the event, we had to put a team together. Our team captain, Benjamin Siegel, organized time for practices and made plays for us. The team also ran fundraisers, such as a car

wash at the school, to raise money for the trip.

On Thursday morning, we set off to Atlanta, arriving there at 7:00 pm. We met and talked to other teams and players who were also participating in the tournament. There were three other schools that sent teams to the tournament: Atlanta Jewish Academy, Posnack School, and the Yeshiva of Flatbush. Our host families picked us up from Ohr Hatorah Shul in Toco Hills, Atlanta and we all went to sleep in preparation for a very jampacked Friday.

On Friday morning, after

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CYHSB Weekly

AJA Football Tournament: An Unforgettable Experience

Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys

davening and breakfast, we headed to the Atlanta JCC to play football.

Friday’s football games were not part of the tournament themselves but rather to determine what seed everyone would get in the tournament, which would take place Sunday morning. We started off by playing AJA. The game started off very well, and we were almost tied at halftime; however, AJA pulled ahead and beat us by three touchdowns. We went on to lose our next two games against Flatbush and Posnack, which put us in the 4th seed. Even though we lost all of our games, we still had a great time.

We then went back to Toco Hills and got ready for Shabbat.

Shabbat went by like a breeze with davening then lunch. After lunch, a new tournament took place: a trivia competition known as the Torah Bowl. Every school chose four people every round to go up to the front to answer questions. The team that got the most points from giving the correct answer won the round and moved on. The tournament was double-elimination, meaning a team had to lose twice to be out. We first played Posnack in the tournament, and with our quick thinking, our team moved on. We then played AJA, and after beating them, we moved on to the championship. In the championship we had to play AJA again, but this time it was much more difficult.

After a nail-biting game that went into overtime, Shahar Cahana won our school the competition by answering, “What is the Hebrew date of Pesach?” We won a plaque that we were able to bring back home to our school.

After Shabbat ended, a hypnotist, who often comes to the Cooper Invitational, performed a show for us. He hypnotized a few

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The CYSHB ag footba team celebrates a trivia-won plaque. Photo: Zev Bosin

volunteers from the audience and had them do hilarious things. Some of these things, including pretending to be their coaches and giving birth to a baby. Everyone loved the show, and we were all laughing the whole time.

On Sunday morning, we got a very early start because the tournament was that day. We got to the fields at 7:30, and the games started shortly after. We played Posnack in our first game. After a long but close game in the cold, windy weather, Posnack beat us by a score of 42 - 27. Even though we lost the game, we were still proud of ourselves for doing so well against the first seed team. All the teams then traveled to AJA for the consolation game and the championship game. We played Flatbush for 3rd place. The game was very close the whole time, and we were up 12-7 with 1:00 left in the game. Flatbush scored the last drive and won the game 13 - 12.

Even with the disappointment of the loss, we were all happy we made it such a close game.

After the Championship game was played and Posnack won, we had the award ceremony. Our team was awarded the Torah Bowl

plaque. Each team got to pick two players who did very well and give them individual trophies. We picked Shahar Cahana, our star wide receiver who had two touchdowns in our final game against Flatbush, and Benjamin Siegel, our team’s star quarterback. We then headed home, satisfied with our victories and losses.

The Shabbaton was a great experience to bond and meet new people outside of Memphis. Rafi Goldkin, a CYHSB freshman wide receiver, loved the event and said, “Spending the weekend playing football and winning trivia games was more fun than I could have ever imagined, especially with my friends by my side.” Rafi couldn’t have said it better. Benjamin Siegel, a CYHSB senior, quarterback, and captain of the football team, had a great experience and said, “I had a great time this past weekend in Atlanta. Our flag football team worked together and fought hard every game. We didn’t win but we were victorious in the Torah Bowl.”

As a freshman, I am especially excited and am hoping that we have the opportunity to go back to the invitational next year and maybe we could even come home with a

Check out the digital weekly at https://issuu.com/mrsashleybrown!!

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Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys

April 8, 2022

AP Students Cont.

Pesach Debate: Going Away or Staying In?

Zev Bosin (’22), Ezra Wiener (’23) Zev: Wednesday appeared to be a normal day at the CYHSB besides for the fact that an intense debate was being held between myself and Ezra Wiener. While it may not have seemed intense to onlookers, Ezra and I were neck and neck, with no sign of letting up. Our argument, which had seemed so silly when rst mentioned, quickly became a largescale battle between two friends.

Our debate centered around the holy holiday of Pesach. Ezra had mentioned to me that his family loved to go away for the Pesach holiday and would be going on a Pesach vacation this very year.

I looked at Ezra and said, “I feel like Pesach is a holiday that should be celebrated in the comfort of one’s home, in one’s hometown.” Ezra laughed. “I don’t agree with anything you just said.” After that argument that was definitely not completely made up, Ezra and I began to write the most controversial argumentative debate article ever seen in Weekly history, “Staying in vs. Going Away: Where Is the Best Place To Celebrate This Joyous Holiday?”

As I am a senior and Ezra is only a junior, I volunteered myself to begin the debate as I have seniority.

I would like to source my debate from a quote I once heard in an inspirational movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” The main character, Dorothy, says at the end of the movie after touring around the beautiful land of Oz, “There is no place like home, there is no place like home.”

Dorothy understood the need to be in one’s home to feel at peace and have a feeling of serenity. It is completely impossible for one to feel the amazing homey feeling without staying in for Pesach. You can only feel a complete connection for Pesach when in the comfort of one’s home.

We were avadim in Mitzraim; now, we recline like kings in the comfort of our own homes. Do you understand what I am saying? We can’t leave our metaphorical homeland for exile. Are you serious? That is crazy talk. We are free people living in our own homes. Why would we ever want to leave? I understand the whole holiday is based on leaving Mitzraim, but that was because it was a terrible home with a tyrannical ruler. Now we live in palaces compared to the Jewish peoples’ homes in Mizraim. Why would we ever want to leave?

The second thing I would like to speak about is the fact that kashering one’s house for Pesach is a mitzvah. Simply put, one receives an eternal reward in the next world for removing some bread from your house. If one were to leave the comfort of their home for, let’s say, a Pesach program, one would lose out on the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah. I have the fondest memories of my family, all together, searching for chametz around the house with our candle and feather. If

I had left my house, I would have never experienced the joy of Bedikat Chametz.

Lastly, I would like to emphasize the fact that homemade food is ten times better than any other food.

Having cousins come in from out of town and having friends and family around the table is something special. As Benjamin Siegel once said, “I want a big house when I get older, so I can fit my whole extended family in for each seder.”

Beautiful words from Siegel that hold true. It is more special to celebrate the holy holiday of Pesach in our own homes; it is truly beautiful.

Ezra: I would just like to preface this by saying that my real opinion is that whatever you want to do for Pesach, whether that’s going away or staying in, is the best thing to do.

Now, for the sake of the article, I am going to say that the best thing to do for Pesach is to go out of town. I am saying this because that’s what my family does, so it’s easier for me to argue on this side.

One reason I think going away is better is that you won’t have to cook

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Going away or staying in for Pesach is one of the greatest debates of our time.

Source: jewishmews.co.uk

Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys

AP Students Cont. anything.

Cooking isn’t a very easy thing to do and having to make all of the food kosher for Pesach certainly doesn’t make it any easier.

If you go away, whether it be on a program or at a friend/relative’s house, you won’t have to do any of the cooking. That means no making brisket, or matzah ball soup, or maror, or charoset, or weird kosher for Pesach cake, or even gefilte fish.

You can let your host or hosts do all of that stuff. You also most likely won’t have to order any matzah either. Chances are your program or hosts will already have it.

Another nice thing about going away for Pesach is that you won’t have to worry about impressing

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anyone you know with the length of your seder. Every Pesach, the first two nights are extremely stressful for most people as they want their friends and neighbors to be impressed with how long their seder lasted. They want to go up to their friend and say, “Man I’m so tired I went to bed at like 4am because my Seder ended so late.” Having a seder last until 4am is difficult; if you go away, chances are you won’t be around people you know all that well, so you won’t have to have a super long seder to prove anything.

Lastly, going away means that when you get back you can brag about whatever the trip was like.

Whether you went to New York or Florida, chances are you’ll have a lot to speak about at the water cooler. You can enthrall your listeners with the tale of you and your family going on a trip to a cool park on chol hamoed, or inspire people with the story of the time you and your family went to another cool park on chol hamoed.

No matter what you do on Pesach, how you have that meaningful Pesach experience is totally up to you. If having a meaningful Pesach means staying home, then do that. If it means going away with family, then do that.

The CYHSB heard an amazing shiur from Rav Yosef Heinemann, a sofer from Cleveland. Photo: Zev Bosin

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Parshat Metzorah: Keeping Lashon Harah Out of Your Mouth Rafi Goldkin (’25) While searching for something to write about, I came across a few interesting topics such as gardening, books, and water. However, I chose to write about something much more important than any other topic, lashon hara. Lashon hara is considered by many opinions as one of the worst aveirot in the Torah.

This week’s parsha, Metzora, discusses in great length the process of atoning for lashon hara.

The Parsha describes a long process of teshuva, including korbanot, sprinkling water, and shaving all the hair on your body.

As it says, “‫שּׁבִי ִ֜עי יְג ַ​ַלּ֣ח‬ ְ ‫ְו ָהי ָה֩ בַיּ֨ וֹם ַה‬ ‫ֹאשׁוֹ ְואֶת־זְקָנ ֙וֹ ְו ֵא ֙ת גּ ַ֣בּ ֹת‬ ְ ‫ֶת־כּל־‬ ֤ ‫שׂע ָ֗רוֹ אֶת־ר‬ ‫א ׇ‬ ‫שׂע ָ֖רוֹ‬ ְ ‫ֶת־כּל־‬ ‫עֵי ָ֔ניו ְוא ׇ‬,” “On the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair; his head, his beard, his eyebrows, all his hair he shall shave off.”

Reading this specific line, I began to wonder why people were forced to shave off all their hair in the process of teshuva. What is the purpose of removing all of your hair in order to atone for a sin like lashon hara?

I considered, at first, that maybe it was so that the cohanim could make sure that none of the tsaraas remained on the body, but that answer didn’t really satisfy me, so I looked further until I found a reason. A footnote on the pasuk says that the reason relates to the aveira itself. In order to atone for a sin, one should immerse themselves in the direct moral flaw that caused their sin. Lashon hara is mainly a result of arrogance and haughtiness.

When one is arrogant, he thinks that he’s far more important than

Lashon Harah is one of the worst aveiros. Source: wherewhatwhen.com anyone else, so he can say whatever he wants to about that person. The Gemara says that the level of evil of lashon hara is equal to the combined three cardinal sins: idolatry, adultery, and murder. It is our job to control what we say about other people, as many individuals’ lives may be destroyed through gossip, false accusations, and hatred.

There is a concept that if two people are speaking badly behind someone’s back, the victim of the lashon hara receives all the mitzvot the slanderer and listener collect and the slanderer and listener receive all the aveirot the victim collects. When hearing lashon hara, one should try to explain to the speaker why lashon hara is so bad.

It is very important to try and only see the good in other people so that we don’t speak poorly about

anyone. I think that this is the main reason that a person that just finished tsaraas is commanded to shave off all the hair on their body.

If they are plunged into a place where they can feel some form of humility or some form of embarrassment, then maybe they will try harder next time to not speak badly about someone else.

This is a very important lesson for us all. A person that just went through an embarrassing situation, such as tsaraas, which afflicts them, their clothes, and their house, still has to shave off all their hair. Why? So that they can be humbled. The punishment of lashon hara is such a terrible experience that we should realize just how bad the aveira actually is. Let us all attempt to be more humble than ever before and never speak lashon hara again.

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Cooper Clicks Top: Zev Bosin takes a photo with Gavi Peiser who is dressed up as Abraham Lincoln for The Day at the Museum event. Photo: Zev Bosin. Middle: The CYHSB Flag Footba team enjoys lunch in a falafel restaurant.

Photo: Coby Goldblatt. Bottom Le : CYHSB Seniors enjoy brekafast at Rabbi Wende’s house. Photo Michael Baum. Bottom Right: CYHSB’ers intently watch the video at the Gala Dinner. Photo: Zev Bosin

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Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys

April 8, 2022

Crazy Crosswords

Last Week’s Solution Can you figure out the names?

The first person to send in a completed puzzle to nadav.Weiss@mhafyos.org wins a prize!

Note: All answers can be found in the articles themselves

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April 8, 2022

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CYHSB Weekly Staff

From the Editor:

Michael Baum | michael.baum@mhafyos.org

As CYHSB students prepare for Pesach, they are also engaging in exciting activities and events such as the football tournament in Atlanta and a shiur from a visiting sofer, Rabbi Heinemann. In addition to learning about tefillin, many students are also learning about the laws of lashon harah after school, which comes up in this week's parsha.

Editor-in-Chief

Assistant Editor

Zev Bosin | zev.bosin@mhafyos.org

Layout Editor

Ezra Wiener | ezra.wiener@mhafyos.org

Editors

Benjamin Siegel | benjamin.siegel@mhafyos.org Shahar Cahana | shahar.cahana@mhafyos.org Avi Klein| avi.klein@mhafyos.org Ethan Vanderwalde | ethan.vanderwalde@mhafyos.org Nathan Greenbaum | nathan.greenbaum@mhafyos.org Raanan Vanderwalde | raanan.vanderwalde@mhafyos.org

Complaint Manager

Zevi Kirshtein| zevi.kirshtein@mhafyos.org

CYHSB Weekly Staff

Coby Goldblatt | coby.goldblatt@mhafyos.org Ra Goldkin | ra .goldkin@mhafyos.org Noam Cahana | noam.cahana@mhafyos.org Aidan Kahane | aidan.kahane@mhafyos.org Gavi Peiser | gavi.peiser@mhafyos.org Ezra Davidovics | ezra.davidovics@mhafyos.org Yosef Vanderwalde | yosef.vanderwalde@mhafyos.org Ra Somer | ra .somer@mhafyos.org Nadav Lowell | nadav.lowell@mhafyos.org Jojo Ardestani | jonathan.ardestani@mhafyos.org Nadav Weiss | nadav.weiss@mhafyos.org Yonah Lynn| yonah.lynn@mhafyos.org

-Michael Baum

Administrative Advisors

Rabbi Baruch Harris & Mrs. Ashley Brown

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