Vol.19.13 2024

Volume 19, Issue 13

April 11, 2025

CYHSB WEEKLY

The Official Newspaper of the Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys Volume 19, Issue 13 Trivia Corner: Sports Edition Page 2

The 2025 Tennis Season Page 3

Model Beis Din 2025 Page 4

Aroma and Steam in Kashrut: Halachos of Microwaves

Cooper Macs take a team photo before their rst game.

Photo: Coach Pinto

Page 6

Cooper Clicks Page 7

To sponsor an issue and lend support to the next installment of the CYHSB Weekly, please reach out to Nadav.Lowell@mhafyos.org Find us here: issuu.com/mrsashleybrown

@cyhsb_weekly

Nadav Lowell (‘25) The AJA tournament hosted six Jewish teams from across the country in a erce ag football competition. The Cooper Macs were ready to prove themselves.

Representing the underclassmen were Daniel Kahane (‘27) and Jonah Siegel (‘27)—Kahane as a wide receiver and Siegel as a safety as well as co-o ensive coordinator. Both tried their hands at quarterback,

embodying the next generation of Cooper Macs.

From the junior class, Ra Davidovics (‘26) proved to be a versatile player, covering at zone defense, playing center on the o ensive line, and contributing as a wide receiver.

Benny Frieden (‘26), played a central role as the o ensive coordinator and quarterback.

Jack Kampf (‘26) played as a wide receiver and middle Cont’d on next page.

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AJA Flag Football Tournament: The Present and Future

Volume 19, Issue 13

Cooper Macs square up against Frisch Cougars. Photo: Benny Freiden (‘26) Cont’d om previous page. safety, leading the last line of defense.

The senior class made up the bulk of the team. Raanan Vanderwalde (‘25) played safety and wide receiver while also serving as the defensive coordinator. Ethan Vanderwalde ('25) played center on the o ensive line and was a crucial linebacker on defense.

Nadav Lowell (‘25) contributed at center, rush, and at zone defense.

MVP winners Gedalia Flinkenstein (‘25) and Ra Goldkin (‘25) played key roles in rushing throughout the tournament.

Flinkenstein also contributed as a wide receiver on o ense, while Goldkin started as a running back for the rst three games before shifting to a dual threat quarterback role by game

four.

Nadav Lowell and Raanan Vanderwalde co-captained the team, working closely with the o ensive and defensive coordinators to set up plays and position each team member e ectively.

Kobi Pinto coached the team, while Rabbi Grunwald supported them in learning and te ah before every game, o ering brachot to each player before they ran onto the eld.

Practices in Memphis began after tryouts, focusing on conditioning with planks, suicides, and laps around the eld. As the tournament approached, the team shifted to drills emphasizing ag grabbing and avoidance, running routes, and familiarizing players with o ensive plays and defensive positioning. David “Dubs” Winestone provided valuable

Trivia Corner

Last Issue:

Sports Edition

Answer: Mount Aconcagua.

Winner: No Winner.

What is believed to be the oldest sport.

First one to email Avigdor.Zweihorn@mhafyos.org gets a shout out in the next issue!

insight from his own ag football experience, lending his expertise on the eld.

In addition to the tournament, another interesting opportunity for the boys was the chance to hear about football in Israel. Scouts from Israel's national team were present to speak to the boys, explaining how the Israeli league works as well as a program where citizens or Olot Chadashot—new immigrants— can ful ll their draft requirements by playing football for the country.

Co-captain Raanan Vanderwalde described the overall experience as, “Exhilarating,” emphasizing that, “it was an opportunity to connect both over through the unique speakers and the annual Torah Bowl over Shabbos (a competition where schools compete to answer Judaic questions from Tanach and Gemara), and on the eld where we saw fair sportsmanship and camaraderie.”

As underclassmen remark on their interest in returning in future years, we wish them the best of luck as we watch from Israel, university, and beyond.

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April 11, 2025

April 11, 2025

Cooper Macs Tennis Season Begins Amit Zalman (‘26) Tennis is more than just a game, it’s a test of endurance, strategy, and heart. This is clearly showcased by Roger Federer’s saying, "You have to believe in the long-term plan you have, but you need the short-term goals to motivate and inspire you." At the CYHSB, the tennis team strives for these qualities, turning every single match into a demonstration of physical perseverance and unity. Every year, the school is privileged to participate in a tennis league, which becomes a high schooler’s favorite league to participate in while also nding new ways to grow.

As fourth-year athlete and senior Raanan Vanderwalde ('25) re ects, "Through the MHA tennis program, I have been able to grow both as a tennis player and an athlete. I have had countless opportunities to play with students from other schools, which has given me an invaluable experience." Overall, the team has experienced remarkable growth.

One of the most inspiring aspects of the tennis team is the way they rise to the challenge despite the odds.

They frequently play against schools that practice up to six times a week. Despite having much fewer practice sessions, they compete giving it their all and often earn impressive and close wins. These victories are a

testament to the team's dedication and resilience.

Tennis has revealed itself to be a game that requires immense patience and unwavering focus. Every point demands complete attention to the ball, allowing a player to strategically plan a return in order to secure the point. The players understand that a single space out in concentration can change the direction of a match, and this discipline becomes a valuable life lesson even beyond the court.

Much of the team's success can be credited to the coach, Robby Rubin. His commitment to the teams improvement goes beyond just hitting balls on the court. After every match, whether it results in victory or defeat, Coach Rubin helps them carefully analyze their performance. He highlights what went well and where they can improve, which is incredibly helpful. As Coach Rubin notes, “We’ve been very competitive as a tennis team and won matches against some of the best tennis programs in the state, including a couple of matches against perennial-state champions such as Collierville.

Everyone, especially some of the more beginner-level players on the team, have shocked me with their improvement both from a technique and tennis-IQ standpoint.”

Furthermore, the excitement and passion for tennis is de nitely not limited to the

Amit Zalman (26’) about to Ace his opponent. Photo: JJ Stein (25’) court. On game days, you may nd students rallying on the blacktop out of anticipation and excitement. Players like Eli Weisfogel (27’), Raanan Vanderwalde, often warm up together, during each of their breaks, nding ways to improve from each other.

Ultimately, tennis at the CYHSB is about more than winning matches; it’s about personal growth, teamwork, and the lifelong lessons that are utilized beyond the court. As the season continues, they will remain determined to push their boundaries, nding ways to improve their game, and embrace every opportunity to learn.

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Volume 19, Issue 13

April 11, 2025

Volume 19, Issue 13

Students compete in Model Beis Din at Landers College Yakir Rovner (‘28) A pair of conjoined twins with a shared heart and liver were born. Since Twin A was supporting both herself and Twin B, both babies soon became very weak and decrepit.

For Twin B, there is no chance of survival. But for Twin A, there exists a surgery that can separate her from Twin B. This surgery would save Twin A's life, but result in the immediate death of Twin B. Our Model Beis Din team was tasked with presenting halachic sources for whether we could, or could not, do the surgery. About two months ago, we began to study and understand di cult sources in order to gain clarity of this issue. Two particularly di cult sources were that of Rav Moshe Feinstein and of the Meiri.

This past weekend, we traveled to Lander College for a beautiful Shabbaton with Shabbos meals, singing, and a hypnotist show on motzei Shabbos. On Sunday morning, with a little bit of rest and some food in our stomachs, we did

Cha ai Yorav('28) and Tzvi Steiner ('25) studying for Model Beis Din. Photo: Nadav Lowe ('25) some last minute preparations before beginning our rst round. Our rst round, we were defending the side that said the surgery could not be done.

Each team had twenty minutes to bring their sources, before a few minute break to gather our thoughts, and a ve minute rebuttal from each side. Our

second round was also structured like this, although we argued for the surgery instead of against it.

For both rounds of the competition, we brought the same concepts with di erent views. We asked whether the conjoined twins were one person or two. If they were one

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

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Volume 19, Issue 13

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person, doing the surgery would be like cutting o a limb in order to save a life, which is de nitely allowed. If they were two people, it would be issur, forbidden, to kill one to save the other, as that is not allowed in Judaism. We also asked whether the baby who was de nitely going to die could be considered a rodeif, a pursuer, and could therefore be killed in order to save the other twin.

There was a case in the Mishna of a group of robbers surrounding Jews in a forest, and telling them to hand over a person to be killed, or else they would kill everyone. We attempted to use the two opinions from that case to prove our point. One opinion, Rabbi Yochanan, was that if they select a speci c person to be turned over, you are allowed to turn them over in order to save

everyone. The other opinion, of Reish Lakish, said that you could only turn the person over if he was selected, and sentenced to death by the government.

There were also relevant cases in the Navi and Talmud, such as that of Sheva Ben Bikhri and U a Bar Kotev, which brought up di erent concepts such as

Source: https://lcm.touro.edu/ that of Midat Chasiddim, the way of the righteous, which seemed to say we couldn’t do the surgery. We used Reb Moshe’s teshuvot, answers, in order to show how each side would allow or not allow the surgery. Once we had argued both sides, the Rosh Yeshiva of Lander College, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, asked us questions about the sources we had brought.

On our way to the airport on Sunday, we drove over a screw and got a pretty severe at. We called the rental company and someone from Chaveirim, a jewish volunteer emergency service, before deciding to just change the tire ourselves.

Eventually, we returned the car and got through the airport to our gate.

Things seemed to be going pretty well until an alarm went o and we were informed that there was a bomb being investigated in the airport. We were all a little nervous, but after a while it was announced that the bomb was a false alarm and we were good to go. We switched gates and everything went smoothly after that.

Although we did not win I learned a lot from Model Beis Din, and hope to be able to participate again next year!

Week 8 CYFL Standings The Gold Kids:

Flink's Flamingos:

Vandy's Venom:

Lowell’s Lightning:

Wanan's Goats:

6-0

4-3

3-3

1-4

1-5

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April 11, 2025

Volume 19, Issue 13

Aroma and Steam in Kashrut: Halachos of Microwaves Ra Goldkin (’25) Disclaimer: Do not fo ow any instructions/halachot on this article without rst checking with a competent authority, I am just a high schooler.

The Gemara in Pesachim 76:B tells us the opinion of Rabbi Meir, that if one removes hot bread from an oven and places it on top of an open barrel of wine that is terumah, a nonpriest is not allowed to eat that bread. He holds that the bread absorbs the aroma from the terumah wine and attains the status of terumah bread, which is forbidden to any non-priest.

This Gemara, while seemingly speci c, really brings the issue of whether aroma has any substance in kashrut. On this topic, Rabbi Asher ben Yechiel, also known as the Rosh, addresses a question in his responsa in which the questioner asked whether one is allowed to put a dairy pot under a meat pot in the oven.

The Rosh answers the question stating that this action is prohibited because the steam from the dairy pot is considered dairy and will go into the meat pot. It seems to be that in halacha, steam is dairy or meat depending on the food it rises from.

A very common situation where this can create a problem is when using the same microwave for meat and dairy.

Since the steam will rise from the dairy or meat food, it will either be absorbed into the

walls of the microwave making the microwave either meat or dairy, or the condensation of that steam will drip back into the next dish you put into the microwave. So, either you’ll have a dairy/meat microwave where you are cooking the opposite as well, or the dairy/ meat steam would drop back into the next dish which could potentially be a problem.

Rav Moshe Feinstein insists in his responsa that one should not use the same microwave for meat and dairy. Rav Moshe Isserles, or the Rema in Yoreh Deah 92:8 provides a potential solution. He writes that covering a food avoids any kashrut issue of steam.

This solution seems to pose a few di erent issues depending on how you go about covering

the food. You would rst have to resolve to always cover dairy or meat products. Then when you cover it, the steam should not be able to rise. Additionally, there are many microwave-safe covers with slits in the top of them for venting. This would seemingly prove a problem with the steam and is therefore not recommended. Secondly, the cover must stay fully on the food until removed from the microwave, because if the cover has to come o before you remove the food, the steam will rise instantly.

A possible x would be to kasher the microwave every time you want to heat up meat in a dairy microwave or vice versa. However, the Magen Avraham rejects this and states

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Ra Goldkin (‘25) posing with the school microwaves in the lounge.

Photo: Jojo Ardestani ('25)

Volume 19, Issue 13

that one should not do this anymore for cooking vessels.

The best way to remove these issues is to cover the food with a cover with no holes and

April 11, 2025

that can remain on the food the entire time it is in the microwave. Rav Belsky recommends a double covering for safety. One could possibly

use two napkins over the top of their meat food in a dairy microwave or vice versa to resolve most issues.

Cooper Clicks Top Le : Ra Goldkin ('25) takes to the skies at AJA. Top Right: Jonah Siegel ('27) goes to DC on an important lobbying trip.

Center: The Cooper Macs ag footba team sleepy.

Bottom Le : Jack Kampf ('26) hanging om a footba .

Bottom Right: Seniors watch a meaningful movie about October 7th.

Photos: Nadav Lowe ('25), Ethan VanderWalde ('25), Benny Freiden ('26), Ra Davidovics ('26)

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April 4, 2025

Volume 19, Issue 13

Good Shabbos!

CYHSB Weekly Staff

Co-Editors in Chief Nadav Lowell (’25) | Nadav.Lowell@mhafyos.org Raanan VanderWalde (’25) | Raanan.VanderWalde@mhafyos.org Head of Torah Affairs Ra Goldkin (’25) | Rafael.Goldkin@mhafyos.org Associate Editor-in-Chief Ra Davidovics (’26) | Rafael.Davidovics@mhafyos.org Chief Layout Editor Yitzy Ryp (’25) | Yitzy.Ryp@mhafyos.org Senior News Editor Ilan Lowell (’25) | Ilan.Lowell@mhafyos.org Production Editor Amit Zalman (’26) | Amit.Zalman@mhafyos.org Photography and Social Media J.J. Stein (’25) | Jacob.Stein@mhafyos.org Layout and Special Features Jojo Ardestani (’25) | Jonathan.Ardestani@mhafyos.org Avigdor Zweihorn (’27) | Avigdor.Zweihorn@mhafyos.org News Editors Ilan Lennon (’27) | Ilan.Lennon@mhafyos.org Yakir Rovner (’28) | Yakir.Rovner@mhafyos.org Omer Zalman (’27) | Omer.Zalman@mhafyos.org CYHSB Weekly Staff Writers Jack Ardestani (’27) | Jack.Ardestani@mhafyos.org Gordon Chaifetz (’27) | Gordon.Chaifetz@mhafyos.org Benny Freiden (’26) | Benjamin.Freiden@mhafyos.org Jack Kampf (’26) | Jack.Kampf@mhafyos.org Gavi Lichter (’27) | Gavriel.Lichter@mhafyos.org Jonah Siegel (’27) | Jonah.Siegel@mhafyos.org Tzvi Steiner (’26) | Tzvi.Steiner@mhafyos.org Zev Valeriano ('28) | Zev.Valeriano@mhafyos.org

Message from the Editors:

This issue takes a look at the wide range of extracurricular happenings around the school, from the football eld and tennis court to the beit midrash, and even the complexities of microwaves (not exactly extracurricular, but still noteworthy from the student body!). We’re excited to share action shots from all kinds of events, so make sure to check them out attached to the articles and Cooper Clicks. Our layout team is already preparing for the new year, so you might start to notice some design changes as the grades shift.

Administrative Advisor Mrs. Ashley Brown

CYHSB Weekly

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-Co-Editors in Chief