tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380556212024-03-06T22:51:04.035-05:00A Rabbinical Student's BlogDrew Kaplan, a student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, logs about his experiences as a rabbinical student.Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-73788231949860136332009-03-03T13:48:00.003-05:002009-03-03T13:55:44.233-05:00Internship Visit this Past Weekend<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">This past weekend, I went up to Boston for <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/internshipyear4.htm">my internship</a>. This time consisted of two elements: speaking at the <a href="http://www.tremontstreetshul.org/tbsmoreinfo.html">Tremont Street Shul</a> (as I've done previously) and MCed the <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/ConsumerismYomIyun/">Yom Iyun</a> that was collaboratively put together by the <a href="http://torahleadership.org/">Center for Modern Torah Leadership</a> and <a href="http://uriltzedek.webnode.com/">Uri L'Tzedek</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">For my speaking at the Tremont Street Shul, I spoke Friday night after the traditional minyan's services on the topic of the Shulhan/table in the mishkan and gave a parshah introduction on Shabbas morning. Following the kiddush luncheon, I led a text study on Ta'anit Esther (<a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/TaanisEsther.pdf">source sheet</a>). On Sunday morning, I spoke on the topic of tefillin on the occasion of a boy who was soon to become a bar mitzvah and had wrapped tefillin for the first time.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The other part of it was the Yom Iyun, which I MCed and had helped to put together.</span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-25660206517487530522009-02-06T13:14:00.003-05:002009-02-09T15:08:01.464-05:00Upcoming Yom Iyun on Consumerism<span style="font-family:verdana;">My next visit up to Boston for <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/internshipyear4.htm">my internship</a> will be taking place in a few weeks, where I will be speaking that shabbas at the <a href="http://tremontstreetshul.org/">Tremont Shul</a> and be helping run a yom iyun program. The yom iyun program will be a joint program between the <a href="http://torahleadership.org/">Center for Modern Torah Leadership</a> and <a href="http://uriltzedek.webnode.com/">Uri L'Tzedek</a>. The official program blurb runs as follows<span style="font-size:78%;"> (<a href="http://uriltzedek.webnode.com/news/boston-yom-iyun-torah-consumer-ethics-and-jewish-buyer-responsibilities-featuring-r-aryeh-klapper-and-shmuly-yanklowitz-sunday-march-3/">also on the UTL website</a>)</span>:<br /><blockquote>The Center for Modern Torah Leadership and Uri L'Tzedek will be holding a joint Yom Iyun on Torah Consumer Ethics & Jewish Buyer Responsibilities. There will be case studies along with learning and discussions led by <a href="http://www.torahleadership.org/dean_rabbi.html">Rabbi Aryeh Klapper</a> of the Center for Modern Torah Leadership and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Shmuly-Yanklowitz/505586306">Shmuly Yanklowitz</a> of Uri L’Tzedek. The program will run on Sunday March 1st from 12-4 PM at the <a href="http://www.bu.edu/hillel/">Boston University Hillel</a> (213 Bay State Road) with lunch provided. There is no charge for attendance or for lunch. If you have any questions, please contact us at: cmtlintern [at] drewkaplan.info.</blockquote>If you are interested in attending, the flier for the program is <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/YomIyunConsumerismFlyer.pdf">available online here</a>.<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-55345054444518143402008-12-14T10:55:00.007-05:002008-12-14T11:43:04.568-05:00Internship Visit #3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/3106881579_d108f629aa_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/3106881579_d108f629aa_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">This weekend, I <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/1053507111">went up to Boston</a>, and have been speaking at the <a href="http://www.tremontstreetshul.org/">Tremont Street Shul</a>, much like my <a href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2008/11/recent-internship-visit.html">previous visit</a> and <a href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2008/10/first-internship-visit.html">first visit</a> for <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/internshipyear4.htm">my internship this year</a>. On Friday night, following the traditional services, I led a text-study on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukah#Time_of_lighting">the timing</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukah#Kindling_the_Hanukkah_lights">the lighting of <u>H</u>anukah candles</a> (<a href="http://www.blogger.com/yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/TimeToLightHanukahCandles.pdf">source sheet</a>). On Shabbas morning, during kidush, I spoke on the name change from Ya'akov (Jacob) to Yisrael (Israel) and the wrestling scene in the parshah.</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZwMSbP-YeMtuleUq9CST63q-FcwTMa-bMMTMXwSsarHLBBfBCmcXb4LbSc-wYeQ1IK4kW6S0GQHZlQrDPOgbVxQrbArZhkQOejE12PBfdu4P_uUH-QilER3_ux3JnPQuoLLDYQ/s1600-h/teachin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZwMSbP-YeMtuleUq9CST63q-FcwTMa-bMMTMXwSsarHLBBfBCmcXb4LbSc-wYeQ1IK4kW6S0GQHZlQrDPOgbVxQrbArZhkQOejE12PBfdu4P_uUH-QilER3_ux3JnPQuoLLDYQ/s320/teachin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279686094921291154" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">This morning, following <i>sha<u>h</u>arit</i> at the shul, I <a href="http://calendar.tremontstreetshul.org/cgi-bin/plans/plans.cgi?view_event=1&evt_id=3597">spoke</a> on "Upon What Did The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Hillel">Academies of Hillel</a> & <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beit_Shammai">Shammai</a> Disagree Regarding <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=lesnj2EAP64C&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8"><i>Mehadrin Min HaMehadrin</i></a>?" (<a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/MehadrinMinHaMehadrin.pdf">source sheet</a>) (pictured at the right).<br />I think this visit went well, receiving some positive feedback for my speaking. I also got to <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/1056151758">speak with Rabbi Klapper</a> about moving forward in the spring in my internship.<br /></span><br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-77296471545628533672008-11-25T21:28:00.003-05:002008-11-25T21:37:33.055-05:00Job Pondering<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Although my classmates and I at <a href="http://yctorah.org">school</a> had <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/1011545987">a placement meeting a week ago</a> to start the ball rolling on the job search process as well as <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/1001334803">a session two weeks ago working on resumes</a> and a week ago on interviews, I still was not super clear on the type of job I wanted. I've been thinking that <a href="http://hillel.org">Hillel</a> might be an idea (perhaps their senior educator positions), although some sort of Jewish institution or organization may also be a good fit. However, I had a helpful conversation yesterday with a staff member to work on my resume and to help me consider more specifically how to market my skills/self and which jobs to consider. The considering begins....<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-48493628355409332602008-11-25T21:23:00.002-05:002008-11-25T21:28:33.503-05:00Chaplaincy Seminar<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Over the course of the last three Monday evenings, I attended a three-part seminar series for rabbinical and cantorial students at the <a href="http://healthcarechaplaincy.org/">HealthCare Chaplaincy</a>, entitled "'A Time to Die': Confronting the Loss of a Child". Attended by around a dozen students and organized by <a href="http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=100797">Rabbi Charles Sheer</a>, the Director of Department of Studies in Jewish Pastoral Care at the HealthCare Chaplaincy, each session featured a presentation by a knowledgeable professional.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The presenter at the first session was <a href="http://dpelcovitz.googlepages.com/">Dr. David Pelcovitz</a>, a psychologist, who <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/999667948">spoke</a> on the impact of loss upon a family. The second session's presenter was <a href="http://www.mschildlife.org/staff/staffmolliec.htm">Rabbi Mollie Cantor</a>, a pediatric chaplain, who <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/1010494647">spoke</a> on comforting families and children who are hospitalized. <a href="http://www.spock.com/Dvorah-Levy-b7rwj16h">Dvorah Levy</a>, a social worker, <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/1021811045">spoke at the third session</a> on loss of a miscarriage or a stillborn and the grief that follows.<br />I don't know that I would have otherwise have spent time learning about this topic on my own, but I found it to be helpful to me in both my personal and professional lives. <br />As an aside, us <a href="http://yctorah.org/">YCT</a>ers who attended were timely for each of the three sessions, which strikes me as a positive representation of our school.</span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-71775645200295789602008-11-24T14:00:00.003-05:002008-11-24T14:12:21.520-05:00Recent Internship Visit<span style="font-family:verdana;">This past weekend, I <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/1016701374">went up</a> for my second <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/internshipyear4.htm">internship</a> visit and spoke at <a href="http://tremontshul.org/">the Tremont Shul</a>. On Friday night, I spoke about the burial of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham">Abraham</a> and how there is little description in either the written text or in midrash about it and trying to conjure up the burial. On Saturday morning, I spoke on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keturah">Keturah</a>: is she <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagar_%28biblical%29">Hagar</a> or not? On Sunday morning, I <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/1019493504">spoke</a> after <span style="font-style: italic;">sha<u>h</u>arit</span> on Jewish perspectives on Thanksgiving.<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-22276512375985690872008-11-20T19:22:00.000-05:002008-11-20T19:22:00.456-05:00Presentation on Shulhan Arukh, Orah Hayim §91, Part 2<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Following on the heels of </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2008/11/presentation-on-shulhan-arukh-orah.html">yesterday's presentation</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, I presented at <a href="http://yctorah.org/">school</a> today on section 91 in the <i>Ora<u>h</u> <u>H</u>ayim</i> section of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shulchan_Aruch">Shulhan Arukh</a>, dealing with how one's clothing ought to be when praying. It involves some visuals and I thought it went better than part one of the presentation.<br />The audio for this presentation is <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/ShulhanArukhOrahHayim91Part1DrewKaplan19Nov2008.WMA">available here</a> and the video is available below:<br /></span><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2300349&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2300349&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-85213367825898290532008-11-19T19:14:00.001-05:002008-11-20T16:44:09.467-05:00Presentation on Shulhan Arukh, Orah Hayim §91, Part 1<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This year, <a href="http://yctorah.org/">my school</a> is having students deliver a <i>devar halakhah</i> after <i>min<u>h</u>ah</i> on Wednesdays and Thursdays, lasting no longer than five minutes on a particular section in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shulchan_Aruch"><i>Shul<u>h</u>an Arukh</i></a> (similar to, but different from <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/booklooking.htm">last year's</a>). So, I spoke today [and will be speaking tomorrow] on section 91, which deals with preparing oneself garment-wise for prayer. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I think I did a decent job in my presentation, but I definitely felt like I was going pretty quickly, but most people said that kind of came out initially, but was not such a big issue. I decided to break it up chronologically: in this first session, I dealt with the relevant Talmudic passages and other statements in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_ben_Asher">Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher</a>'s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arba%27ah_Turim">Tur</a> on this section. Tomorrow, I will deal with the <i>Shul<u>h</u>an Arukh</i> and beyond.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The audio for this presentation is <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/ShulhanArukhOrahHayim91Part1DrewKaplan19Nov2008.WMA">available here</a> and the video is available below:<br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2290296&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2290296&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-60209684868297688562008-11-05T13:56:00.003-05:002008-11-10T16:28:05.010-05:00Eitzah<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/31011/2944287750099947068S200x200Q85.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/31011/2944287750099947068S200x200Q85.jpg" alt="Drew at Eitzah" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">On <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/977359513">Monday</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/979041888">Tuesday</a>, and <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/status/981136536">Wednesday</a> of last week, years three and <a href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2007/02/my-class-yct-class-of-09.html">four</a> at <a href="http://yctorah.org/">YCT</a> took part in a leadership training seminar, <a href="http://www.eitzah.org/">Eitzah</a>. This training that we receive takes place on a two year rotation: one year we learn about the rabbi and the other year we learn about change in the synagogue. Since last year we spent eight days on the latter, this year we are doing the former.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In the first three sessions of this year's seven, we covered “The Rabbi as Leader”, “Authority”, and “Necessary Partnerships”, respectively. In the first session, we discussed boundaries, we discussed leadership in the context of rabbi, and we spoke about different types of followers and how the leader-follower relationship works. In the second session, we spoke about different types of decision-making approaches and authority at work. In the last session, we spoke about partnerships between the lay and the professional staff and the 3 R’s: Relationships, Relationships, Relationships and disturbances thereof.<br />The next sessions will be in January.<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-35894489289769874842008-10-05T18:52:00.001-05:002008-10-05T23:11:47.544-05:00First Internship Visit<span style="font-family:verdana;">Last weekend, I <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/statuses/936206581">went up to Boston</a> for my first <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/internshipyear4.htm">internship</a> visit to speak at the <a href="http://www.tremontstreetshul.org/">Tremont Shul</a>'s traditional minyan. Although in the fall I will normally be speaking three times at the Tremont Shul's traditional minyan (the third time being on Sunday morning) when I visit, I was <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/statuses/938016354">going</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/statuses/938071126">to be</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/statuses/938156999">taking</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/statuses/938161526">a flight</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/DrewKaplan/statuses/938191229">that Sunday morning</a> with my wife, so I only spoke twice. These two times were a devar Torah at Friday night davening and a presentation/class after Shabbas morning services.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">For the Friday night devar Torah, I spoke about <a href="http://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0530.htm#6">Deut. 30:6</a> to both better understand it to some degree and to see how it can connect to this holiday season (mainly prior to Rosh HaShanah, but also through Yom Kippur). I think it went decently, though not badly.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">For the presentation the following day, I gave it on the topic of Sleeping or Not Sleeping on Rosh HaShanah (<a href="http://drewkaplan.info/Torah/Sleeping%20or%20Not%20Sleeping%20on%20Rosh%20Hashanah.pdf">click here for the source sheet</a>). I think this class definitely went well.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I think it was a nice visit and now I need to schedule my next visit.</span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-66623655622928684762008-08-11T23:36:00.003-05:002008-08-11T23:41:12.434-05:00Internship for Year 4<span style="font-family: georgia;">Having not previously noted on my rabbinical student web log, I am hereby noting that my <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/internshipyear4.htm">year four internship</a> will be with <a href="http://torahleadership.org/dean_rabbi.html">Rabbi Aryeh Klapper</a> for the <a href="http://torahleadership.org/">Center for Modern Torah Leadership</a> (<a href="http://www.torahleadership.org/program_staff.html">see</a>).<br />I had meant to post about my last and ninth visit to <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/internshipyear3.htm">my year three internship</a>, although I never got around to it, nor did I have a wrap-up post about my internship (perhaps I will, we'll see).<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-67872806986682531482008-04-15T13:16:00.003-05:002008-04-15T15:19:01.384-05:00Eighth Internship Visit<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My eighth <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/internshipyear3.htm">internship</a> visit consisted of, on Friday afternoon, of visiting <a href="http://www.jewishhartford.org/">the Hartford Jewish Federation</a> and speaking with the staff member in charge of allocations. I hadn’t previously known about how Federations allocated their money, so it was interestingly enlightening (and not so mysterious anymore). I also learned about other elements about federations.<br />After that, we visited a lady in <a href="http://www.stfranciscare.org/">a hospital</a> who had given birth just that morning. The maternity ward in that hospital was very nice. It was definitely a place in which <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> wouldn’t mind having a baby. It was fairly newish and definitely nice, especially the woodwork.<br />That evening, I gave the Friday night <span style="font-style: italic;">devar Torah</span> between <span style="font-style: italic;">kabbalat Shabbat</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">ma’ariv</span>, my seventh such time. I spoke about how what appeared in the parshah fit into the larger narrative flow.<br />The next day, I presented on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleinu">Aleinu</a> during my sixth "Worship Workshop" class (<a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/Aleinu.pdf">source sheet</a>).<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-29622398431927779932008-03-31T13:40:00.002-05:002008-03-31T14:04:48.700-05:00Clal Intrafaith Dialogue<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today, I went down to the Chelsea neighborhood for a dialogue amongst rabbinical students. This annual event of <a href="http://clal.org/">Clal'</a>s was my fourth such one, having attended each of the four years I've been at <a href="http://yctorah.org/">YCT</a>. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The topic was "How and When to do What with Whom?", essentially a conversation about sexual ethics. In addition to being interested in intrafaith dialogues, which always is reinvigorating to me, I attended in order to find out about how my colleagues in the other Jewish movements make their decisions, especially along these lines, as they would be less tied to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halakha"><span style="font-style: italic;">halakhah</span></a>. However, one thing we did, as part of our conversations, we talked about various scenarios (some of which we had talked about in our <a href="http://www.yctorah.org/content/view/38/47/">Pastoral Counseling</a> classes - so yay for YCT's curriculum(!)), which, on account of various suggestions, helped me in various parameters and other things which were helpful in my thinking about when I encounter various situations.<br />By the way, there was a good turnout from members from my school - eight students from my school of a total of 36 people there. This may partially due to one of the lines of <a href="http://www.yctorah.org/content/view/1/49/">our school's mission statement</a>: "Affirming the shared covenantal bond between all Jews. Promoting love of all Jews (אהבת ישראל) and actively pursuing the positive and respectful interaction of all Jewish movements."<br /><a name="response_to_Rabbi_Maryles">Since I'm on the topic</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/15507152">Rabbi Harry Maryles</a> <a href="http://haemtza.blogspot.com/2008/03/going-too-far-again.html">recently posted on</a> our <a href="http://yctchevre.blogspot.com/2008/03/yom-iyyun-with-drisha-hc-rabbinical.html">yom iyyun on prayer with a couple of other schools</a>. I wanted to briefly set straight a few fallacies that appear in that posting:<br />- R' Maryles wrote "<a href="http://www.rabbis.org/">The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA)</a> has recently decided not to recognize YCT ordinations." In truth, there was never any decision on the matter (as far as I know).<br />- R' Maryles wrote "One cannot have leaders of ‘transdenominational movements’ speaking about prayer and Jewish leadership in the context of the rabbinate, which is what YCT is all about. By default this grants them legitimacy." As a response to the legitimacy argument, I shall quote <a href="http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=100794">Rabbi Shmuel Goldin</a> <a href="http://www.edah.org/backend/JournalArticle/goldin.pdf">who wrote</a> <blockquote>We are past the point where I, as an Orthodox rabbi, should to be afraid of appearing at <a href="http://www.jtsa.edu/">the Jewish Theological Seminary</a> or appearing on a panel with heterodox rabbis simply because others will say that by doing so I am legitimizing what I should not legitimize. I don’t see it that way. We are all who we are, and we do not need, nor should we ask for, each other’s legitimization. We can agree to disagree and learn to move on. In this way we will be able to come to a point where we value each other without validating each other’s beliefs and without compromising our own. We will be able to accept each other’s boundaries without crossing our own.</blockquote>- R' Maryles, furthermore wrote "The thinking is that as long as there is nothing said that contradicts Halacha, it is acceptable - even laudable - to have such gatherings in an effort to include all Jews. These movements and their members are therefore to be considered under the umbrella of Klal Yisroel. They thereby hope to influence its members by their tolerance to become more interested in Orthodoxy." Referring back to our mission statement, we are for "</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">positive and respectful interaction of all Jewish movements," and not necessarily just to bring them to being Orthodox, and especially not other rabbinical students, who are most likely staying within their respective denominations.<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-55260739919209484572008-03-14T14:17:00.003-05:002008-03-14T14:25:24.018-05:00Rising in Front of the Elderly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://app.onlinephotofiler.com/images/A_7/6/5/1/11567/Drew_Pointing_to_Board___Dan_in_picture_during_Rise_Before_the_Aged_Shiur_fb174.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 167px;" src="https://app.onlinephotofiler.com/images/A_7/6/5/1/11567/Drew_Pointing_to_Board___Dan_in_picture_during_Rise_Before_the_Aged_Shiur_fb174.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today, I presented a <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/RisingBeforetheAged.htm">class on the Jewish commandment to rise before the aged</a> (<a href="http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0319.htm#32">מפני שיבה תקום</a>) for my בין אדם לחבירו (interpersonal commandments) class (for the 2nd - 4th year students at <a href="http://yctorah.org">my school</a>). You can see there both the sources sheet I put together and listen to the audio file of the class.<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-56021352878245540532008-02-11T19:33:00.000-05:002008-02-11T15:39:00.942-05:00Difference Between Descriptions & Divrei Torah<p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Last weekend during <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/internshipyear3.htm">my internship</a>, I delivered a <i>devar torah </i>on the verse, “<a href="http://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0222.htm#17">A witch you shall not let live</a>”.*<span style=""> </span>Although there are a lot of interesting verses in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishpatim">the parshah of <span style="font-style: italic;">Mishpatim</span></a>, this verse sticks out like a sore thumb.<span style=""> </span>It sparked my interest, so I decided to speak about it.<span style=""> </span>I had also given a presentation on this topic at the end of my <span style="font-style: italic;">mekhinah </span>year at <a href="http://yctorah.org/">YCT</a> (<a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/Witches.pdf">sources for that presentation</a>).<span style=""> </span>However, a presentation on a topic to describe it and talk about it is very different from a <i>devar Torah</i> on that same topic, with my having some measure of difficulty with the latter.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="">*Also during my internship weekend I gave a “Worship Workshop” on shabbas morning on <i>Shema </i><span style=""> </span>and its blessings.<span style=""> </span>“Worship Workshops” are a term coined by my mentoring rabbi for a class to be delivered on shabbas morning about a given topic in prayer.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-64263461904259924912008-01-23T07:15:00.000-05:002008-01-23T12:18:37.104-05:00Presentation(s) of Rav Moshe's Responsum on Reading During Hazaras HaShaz Now Fully Online<span style="font-family: lucida grande;"><a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></span></a><a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/booklooking.htm">My full presentation of Rav Moshe's responsum on reading during <span style="font-style: italic;"><u>H</u>azaras HaSha<u>z</u></span></a> is now online (parts <a href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2007/11/presenting-rav-moshes-teshuvah-on.html">one</a> and <a href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2007/11/presenting-rav-moshes-teshuvah-on_12.html">two</a> were previously posted).</span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-31434699070069207772007-11-12T17:29:00.000-05:002007-11-12T17:36:50.326-05:00Presenting Rav Moshe's Teshuvah on Learning During Hazaras HaShaz, part 2<span style="font-family: verdana;">As a continuation from <a href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2007/11/presenting-rav-moshes-teshuvah-on.html">my previous post</a>, I spoke last Wednesday on Rav Moshe Feinstein's <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/booklooking.pdf">responsum on reading a book during the prayer leader's repetition</a>. Below follows the video:<br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZJwGj3-_arE&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZJwGj3-_arE&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><a name="prosandcons">Cons</a>: Lack of organization of what to say, looking down at sheet when speaking (especially at the end of sentences), use of fillers, and the side-to-side head movements.<br />Strengths: When engaging with the audience and usage of facial and hand expressions (especially when explaining the historical element).<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-24121656938972856672007-11-06T01:24:00.000-05:002007-11-06T10:17:15.894-05:00Presenting Rav Moshe's Teshuvah on Learning During Hazaras HaShaz<span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Yesterday, I presented at school on the topic of Rav Moshe's <i>teshuvah</i> on learning from a book during the prayer leader's repetition. This year at <a href="http://yctorah.org/">YCT</a>, students get to speak on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Feinstein">Rav Moshe Feinstein</a>'s <span style="font-style: italic;">teshuvos</span> throughout a given week directly following מנהה (afternoon prayer service). Started last year by some students to present a prayer-related דבר הלכה (piece of <span style="font-style: italic;">halakhah</span>) a couple of times a week, it has now been instituted that one student does so three times a week and specifically on Rav Moshe's <span style="font-style: italic;">teshuvos</span>. This week is my week. The source sheet I prepared is available <a href="http://yctstudent.drewkaplan.info/Files/booklooking.pdf">here</a>. Below follows the video from yesterday's presentation: <object height="350" width="425"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/S5ZoyJNgyGE"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/S5ZoyJNgyGE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object><br /><a name="goodandbad">There are</a>, I recognize, some things that I did well and some that I did not (and upon which I need to work):<br />Things upon which I need to work are my mumbling, the looking down, the talking to the paper, and processing what I am about to say while talking. As far as good things, my hand motions were definitely an asset, when I did make eye contact with the audience, when I was speaking smoothly, and my finish with the conclusion. <br/>There are two more parts to this series and I have what upon which to work.<br /></span><br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-83224657393061387942007-09-23T04:17:00.001-05:002007-09-23T04:25:21.671-05:00Internship Mentioned in Local Jewish Paper<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I kindly thank Rabbi Yonah Berman to pointing me to <a href="http://www.jewishledger.com/articles/2007/09/18/news/news02.txt">this new blurb</a> in the <a href="http://www.jewishledger.com">Jewish Ledger</a>, entitled "New Rabbi in Town":<br /><blockquote><span class="detail-story">There’s a new rabbi at <a href="http://www.bethdavidwh.org/">Beth David Synagogue</a> in West Hartford. Sort of. As it has for the past few years, the Orthodox congregation is opening its doors this fall to a third-year rabbinical student from <a href="http://www.yctorah.org">Yeshiva Chovevei Torah</a>, a rabbinical college in New York, who will intern at the shul under the tutelage of its spiritual leader, <a href="http://www.bethdavidwh.org/about_rabbi.html">Rabbi Yitzchok Adler</a>.<br /><a href="http://drewkaplan.info/aboutme.htm">Drew Kaplan</a>, a native of suburban Columbus, Ohio who holds a degree in Jewish Studies from <a href="http://www.yu.edu">Yeshiva University</a>, will soon begin his monthly Shabbat visits and will have a wide range of responsibilities.</span></blockquote>Although I will have to let them know that I did attend Yeshivah University for a few semesters, I earned my BA from <a href="http://www.iub.edu">Indiana University</a>, I do, nevertheless certainly appreciate the mention (thanks!).<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-17654594223066501562007-09-09T22:03:00.000-05:002007-09-09T23:28:57.475-05:00First Internship Shabbas<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">For my first internship shabbas this past weekend, we started off on Friday afternoon, going around with <a href="http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=100799">my mentoring rabbi</a> to check out some supermarket bakeries to check their adherence to kosher laws on Friday afternoon. He then got a call about someone's death and went to offer prayers with the family, though I was unable to go, as the body was still there and I am a <span style="font-style: italic;">kohen</span>. On Friday evening, I spoke at the shul between <span style="font-style: italic;">kabbalas shabbas</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">ma'ariv</span> for a few minutes about <a href="http://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0529.htm#14">Deut. 29.14</a>. On shabbas morning, I gave a sermon - actually, my first ever such sermon - on <a href="http://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0530.htm#6">Deut. 30.6</a>. The little speech was, in my mind, a flop, although the sermon worked decently. However, I was told I needed to speak up, though from the bima, I thought I was being loud enough, but, alas, I was not. Other areas where there is room for improvement are my clarity as well as enunciation/avoiding mumbling. <br /><br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-68149071146537758752007-09-02T14:19:00.001-05:002007-09-02T14:22:20.959-05:00Shehitah Course<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">This past summer, I took most of a she<u>h</u>itah course. I say most, as the course is still ongoing. We have learned about slaughtering chickens, of course, but also about sharpening our knives and what to do with the chickens (although we could also do other kosher fowl, as well). There were six other YCTers plus me learning with an interesting rabbi in Westchester county on this topic.<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-27487420613189352802007-07-25T10:05:00.000-05:002007-07-25T10:08:43.135-05:00I Have an Internship<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">This upcoming school year, my <a href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2007/07/looking-for-internship.html">internship </a>will be in West Hartford at <a href="http://www.bethdavidwh.org">Beth David</a> with <a href="http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=100799">Rabbi Yitzchok Adler</a>. <br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-46178065060804150612007-07-25T09:57:00.000-05:002007-07-25T10:05:44.492-05:00Attending YCT's Yemei Iyun<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Four weeks ago, <a href="http://drewkaplans.blogspot.com/2007/07/yemei-iyun.html">I attended</a> <a href="http://yctchevre.blogspot.com/2007/07/fifth-annual-yemei-iyyun.html">YCT's Yemei Iyun in Tanakh and Ma<u>h</u>shevet Yisrael</a> (Bible & Jewish Thought), my third such convention. I found it to be rather enriching, especially to take two days out of my time to spend some time specifically studying the Bible with others who are also serious about the subject. As for the third day, which deals with Jewish thought, it is nice to take one day and listen to people speak about various Jewishly pertinent ideas and issues.<br />While the sessions were, to a degree, specifically for educators, I thought layperson and student alike got their fair share of material from the sessions.<br />I look forward to attending more such enriching conferences in the future.<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-39935134267967400662007-07-05T18:18:00.000-05:002007-07-05T18:25:01.481-05:00Looking For An Internship<span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As a part of </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.yctorah.org/">my school</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">'s curriculum, third and fourth year students are obligated to take on an internship. As I will be a third-year student this fall, I need an internship. My first choice for an internship fell through, though, fortunately, it went to a classmate of mine, and I wish him הצלחה (success). So, now I am looking for an internship somewhere. Most of the internship opportunities of which I am aware are along the east coast, though I would rather something elsewhere in the country (I am [originally] a midwesterner). We shall see....</span><br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38055621.post-54935057010519329782007-05-10T13:37:00.000-05:002007-05-10T12:55:44.886-05:00Chaplaincy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVX2Ij-22G0pTjwTCoAedp8HwMFumUhijMW-8Ot7Jmnm4FRq2IfHBh-40KOcRGwyJsAPUce9z0FV9T_JjSrOkHOaxlt5tK7NIDY-s41z-LG3pMH4dUrFxIu8GMVROtoRsvcIMHaQ/s1600-h/certification.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVX2Ij-22G0pTjwTCoAedp8HwMFumUhijMW-8Ot7Jmnm4FRq2IfHBh-40KOcRGwyJsAPUce9z0FV9T_JjSrOkHOaxlt5tK7NIDY-s41z-LG3pMH4dUrFxIu8GMVROtoRsvcIMHaQ/s320/certification.jpg" alt="Drew receiving his chaplaincy certificate from Rabbi Naomi Kalisch" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062963671850448562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As part of the <a href="http://www.yctorah.org/content/view/38/47">pastoral counseling curriculum</a> at <a href="http://www.yctorah.org/">my school</a>, <a href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2007/02/my-class-yct-class-of-09.html">my class</a>mates and I completed a six-week course in chaplaincy this past spring. The course, led by <a href="http://www.yctorah.org/content/view/20/49/">Rabbi Naomi Kalish</a>, la</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">sted over the course of six Mondays, the first and last being from 9-5 and the middle four being several hours in those four afternoons. Unfortunately, I missed the first session since I was at the JFSJ conference [that Monday (<a href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2007/02/kehillot-kedoshot-posting-2-day-2.html">1</a>, <a href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2007/02/kehillot-kedoshot-posting-3-day-2.html">2</a>, <a href="http://rabbinicalstudent.blogspot.com/2007/02/kehillot-kedoshot-posting-4-day-2.html">3</a>)].<br />The course was a mix of classroom discussion, assigned readings, some writing, and, of course, meeting with patients - both accompanied by chaplains and by ourselves or with other students - at <a href="http://www.wehealny.org/patients/slr_description.html">St. Luke's hospital</a> several blocks away from our school.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMv22-IHGmzSc7NBKRJqkM382kTLoN5YTa_0Hu4igziKk_4krxQpwHoTiYDeMXFqLZJmoUVb1YN5so-qZSzlz8Yg255xB5bbJJrNq9KirZXx0YDwqG9WrCb26jPH35WyfgEqJbg/s1600-h/editstuff.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMv22-IHGmzSc7NBKRJqkM382kTLoN5YTa_0Hu4igziKk_4krxQpwHoTiYDeMXFqLZJmoUVb1YN5so-qZSzlz8Yg255xB5bbJJrNq9KirZXx0YDwqG9WrCb26jPH35WyfgEqJbg/s320/editstuff.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062992160368522962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I appreciated the course and learned from the course about how to interact with patients. Our interaction with the patients came in the form of being assigned a floor and visiting patients in their rooms. While this activity was no doubt beneficial, I imagine that seldom will I, in my rabbinate, be randomly visiting patients. Imaginably, most, if not all, of my visits will be with congregants or their relatives. (It is possible that while visiting someone, someone may call me over to visit with them, thus the possibility for a visit with someone unconnected with me.) Nevertheless, as pointed out to me in our feedback session, this type of visitation is more difficult than the type in which I may be engaged, thus, it is good training.<br /></span>Drew Kaplanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08969020134924433950noreply@blogger.com0