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Dear NCSY GIVE WEST Family,
What a week it has been here on GIVE WEST! Traveling to and from San Diego, LA Food Bank, The Grove, Museum of Tolerance, Bonfire on Dockweiler Beach, Shiva Asar B’Tammuz, The Midnight Mission, The Friendship Circle, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Walk of Fame, LACMA Lights, COLOR WAR, Universal CityWalk, and Warner Brothers Studio Tour...what an amazing week it has been! Thank you to Rabbi David Katz (Director of MMY), Mr. Elliot Tanzman (Director of Recruitment, NCSY Summer) and Rabbi Micah Greenland (International Director of NCSY) and his wife Mrs. Rivkie Greenland, for joining us, inspiring us, and GIVING with us this week.
Los Angeles has been filled with beautiful highlights, stars, and celebrities. As we leave AJU, and head into Shabbos #3, there is nothing brighter than the Achdut on this program. Each NCSYer, in her own way, is growing, learning, and inspiring others. There were times when we had to step out of our comfort zone and stretch ourselves to give, but the girls did it with such positivity and grace.
In this week's Parsha, Parshat Pinchas, Hashem showed Moshe the Land of Israel, but told him that he would not be able to enter the Land. Moshe responded to Hashem, "May G-d appoint a man over the assembly, who shall go out before them, and let the assembly, not be like sheep that have no shepherd." (Numbers 27:16-17) When Moshe was told by Hashem that he wouldn't be able to lead the Jewish people into the Land of Israel, his initial response was not focused on his own destiny, but rather to make sure that the Jews would still have someone who would continue to lead them. The ability to focus on other people's needs when the "going gets tough" and not on your own wants and desires is the true definition of leadership. Being a leader is not about the recognition you might receive, but rather it's the constant focus on the specific needs that are most important to those who are following you.
This week on NCSY GIVE WEST, we all became leaders. There may have been times when the chesed activity was tough, the hike was long, or the bus was stuck in lots of LA traffic. As a program, we pushed through -- remembering that we are here for others. We pushed through hours of chesed because another person's happiness and health is the most important thing to us this summer. Things might not always go our way, but when it comes to giving, the more we pushed, the more we gained. As our time in LA comes to a close, we are leaving stronger, better, and closer. Feeling so special, lucky, and grateful to be a part of Klal Yisrael. A nation that will be there for us no matter what happens to us in life.
I look forward to spending Shabbos together in the LA community this Shabbos. Our hosts are excited and graciously hosting us for two nights. Sunday marks the end of our time here in LA...off to Fresno, CA we go!
Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Leah Moskovich
NCSY GIVE WEST, Director
moskovichl@ncsy.org
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