Inspirational. Uplifting. Emotional. Expression. Connection.
These are the
qualities women speak of when recalling the Rosh Chodesh Hafrashat Challa gatherings initiated and organized by Mrs. Penina
Lewis over the last months. Come – let’s hear what is happening at 8 p.m. on or
near Rosh Chodesh in our community.
It all began last
winter when Mrs. Penina Lewis was moved to tears.
Mrs. Lewis, raised
in Rosh Ha’ayin by her Teimini parents to radiate awe and love of Hashem, brings
the simcha and emuna (faith) of her heritage to all who meet her. Last winter,
Mrs. Lewis watched a Hebrew-language clip of the hafrashat challa event held on the yahrzeit of Rachel Imeinu by the Israeli kiruv organization, Hidabroot, featuring Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi.
The power of the day, the mitzva of hafrashas challa, and the women’s prayers
on the video moved her so much that she told herself, “We must have something
like this in Baltimore!” Mrs. Lewis contacted Rabbi Hopfer, shlit”a, to ask if this idea was indeed
one that the Rav would approve of and support. Rabbi Hopfer’s response
consisted of a resounding “Hatzlachah
rabba! What you are doing is good for Klal
Yisrael.” And Mrs. Lewis has done just that –
with a little help from her friends.
The first question
was when to start this project. Mrs. Lewis’s special birthday was approaching,
and what better way to observe the day than to honor the One who created her?
Mrs. Lewis immediately called her friend, Mrs. Rachel Golfeiz; the word was
spread. A location was needed. Tiferes Yisroel, whose shul officer, Mr.
Margolis, gladly agreed, was near the Lewis home and central to many attending.
Check. Rebbetzin Rochel Naiman received a call – would she give divrei chizuk? “It would be an honor,”
she replied. Check. Music was important to Mrs. Lewis. Chemdi (Lewis) Romer of
Ratzon Music agreed to perform, Mrs. Meira Mandel gladly volunteered to lead a kumsitz, and the women all found
themselves dancing before they knew it. Since then, others, such as Mrs. Yael
Friedman and Mrs. Chaya Arieh, have performed, as well as the budding
professional violinist, Sara Leeba Caplan. (When was the last time you had the
opportunity to see a violinist’s fingers fly at close range?) Check.
But what would be
the order of the night?
Mrs. Lewis and
Mrs. Golfeiz arrive early to set up a lovely refreshment buffet and to prepare
the five-pound bowl of challa dough.
Mrs. Lewis begins shortly afterwards with some words about the mitzva of taking
challa. Then, Rebbetzin Naiman presents an interactive dvar Torah about the month or a holiday of the month. One attendee said,
“The shiur takes something from the
upcoming month and, drawing from many sources, suggests relevant and practical
ways to uplift our daily lives. It is an opportunity for me to be ‘learning’ on
a deeper level and finding ways to apply it to my life.”
At this point, the
program shifts to its central focus, hafrashat
challa, or removing a small piece of dough from the risen dough and saying
a blessing. A volunteer says this blessing, and then the room is still.
Everyone prays for those they know who are in need, while other volunteers
whisper lists formed by attendees and inspired by Mrs. Chava Esther Tenenbaum’s
Tehillim group – those in need of
health, livelihood, a marriage partner, success in learning Torah, children,
and release from prison – concluding with a Mi Sheberach prayer for marriage, read
aloud by Mrs. Lewis.
There is a power
beyond words when the Jewish People unites. The principle here is not a gimmick:
do-this-and-wonderful–thing-X-will-happen. Yes, attendees have marvelous news
to share, and surely it is G-d’s mercy and the changes deep within these women
as they grow in their “other-centeredness” through these gatherings that are at
the root of the good news. For further understanding of the unique power of the
mitzvah of challa, please see The Mitzvah of Challah by Esther Rivka Toledano published
by ArtScroll.
And now, the
expression of these women’s efforts: music and dance! Moving from a professional
performance to a seated kumsitz to
circle dancing, these women express themselves and the little girls within them
(within all of us). Waving ribbons, so wisely provided by Mrs. Hana Milrod,
that ease the initial awkwardness some may experience, they dance until the
room itself is smiling. One attendee reports, “The dancing is fun and leaves me
feeling uplifted. There is so much achdus
of ladies getting together to daven, dance, sing, and share the joy of Rosh
Chodesh.” Another woman enthusiastically adds, “It is simply an evening of
holiness with a dvar Torah and music
that reach every soul. I feel new excitement each time!”
For some, the
highlight is the kumsitz; for others
it is the dancing or the dvar Torah.
Or perhaps it is the kedusha of Eretz
Yisrael that Mrs. Lewis exudes, which is always in the background. But most
likely, it is a blend of all the above, as a young mother who prioritizes her
time carefully to include attending explains so wisely:
I love the singing. But honestly, the totality of the event
is what makes the singing so rich. You’re in an environment of tefilla, of looking out
for the tzibur and making space in
your heart and mind for people you care about who have a need. And you’re in
the mind frame of thinking more deeply about the themes of the month that is
starting. That context is ripe for making the singing more real and powerful.
Whatever
it is that makes these gatherings powerful, Baltimore is grateful for its
connection to Hidabroot; to Mrs. Penina Lewis for stepping forward to create
this taste of Eretz Yisrael in Baltimore; and to those who unite single and
married, young and old(er) from the U.S., Israel, and the former Soviet Union on behalf of Klal
Yisrael.
