On Oct. 30, Shirei Yedidot led a Tefillah that focused on dTHS as a community. Rabbi Lev spoke about how we should acknowledge ourselves as a community and not just as individuals, and how the task of being on the planet for the community and people in the room was to help others.
Rabbi Lev’s opening speech about how it’s good to have high expectations led into the band’s first song: “Expectations” by Olivia Rodrigo – an unexpected surprise. “Expectations” was the most engaged song of the morning, students were singing along, clapping, waving their arms. Sherei Yedidot’s modern songs are always a hit!
Following the hip-hop opening was a version of “Hi-Nei Ma Tov” written by Shai W. (‘27), who has experience in tefillot as a canter-in-training. The Barchu followed, and Rabbi Lev gave an inspiring short speech about being active in finding blessings.
Rabbi Lev illustrated how at 99 years of age, Abraham ran out to greet and provide hospitality to travelers in the desert that he didn’t even know. He compares Abraham’s active seeking of being a virtuous figure to us today. He challenged everyone to not be passive in waiting for an opportunity for you to be virtuous, but to actively seek out blessings in our lives.
Eli K. (‘27) then delivered his Drishat Shalom on the David and Goliath story which was mentored by Mr. Stein. He spoke about how he didn’t feel a connection to his Parasha (a biblical passage). David was able to quickly kill Goliath, he faced no struggle, and it was a seemingly easy process. Eli K. said that his battle with Chron’s diseases is a continuous fight, unlike David who only needed one battle to defeat Goliath.
Eli K. (‘27) explained how the Torah is full of surface-level stories that don’t truly feel personal. To conclude his Drishat Shalom, he urges us to find something in our lives that is personal and relatable. His Drishat was able to convey that nothing is easy or quick, hurdles in life take time and persistence to overcome.
During the final parts of the tefilah as a community everyone took a few moments to reflect on the blessings of the Amidah: love, a loving home, humor and play, wisdom, health, art, beauty, creativity, and community. This was a fitting, thoughtful ending to a tefillah full of anecdotes of learning to be a better human being, engaging musical performances, and a heartening Drishat Shalom.
