The Eilat Tiyul – Three action packed days
On Tuesday morning, November 6, the shana alef boys began their trip down to Eilat.  It was 72 hours of non stop action, including, mountain biking down the Arava,  a British jet-fighter air show over the skies of Israel and Jordon, camping out at the foot of Har Shlomo, a massive bonfire with stories, divrei torah and song, hiking Har Shlomo, the Red Canyon (for those not doing Har Shlomo), Snuba diving and snorkeling in the Red Sea, paintball, a high ropes course,  an excursion on a glass bottom boat through the Gulf of Aqaba, Banana Boating, Abuv boating, and of course making a stop at Yotvata! 
To see more pictures click here.

Yerushalayim Shabbaton, Parshat Lech Lecha
Our Old City Shabbaton began with an electrifying Kabbalat Shabbat by the Kotel. The strength and spirit of the Lev boys attracted a great number of people from many walks of life and many brands of Judaism. The scene was a beautiful Kiddush Hashem as Lev HaTorah talmidim joined with so many of their brothers in song and circle at the world’s holiest place. The shabbos was also filled with words of wisdom and Torah. We were treated to the teachings of Lev HaTorah rebbeim as well as popular Jerusalem personalities like Rav Motty Berger (from Aish HaTorah), Gil “Guru” Locks (from many places), Rav Shlomo Aviner sh”lita (the Rosh Yeshiva of Ateret Kohanim), and Rav Nachman Kahanah sh”lita (rabbi of the Young Israel of the Moslem Quarter). We enjoyed a Friday night Tisch with Chaim Dovid, who also escorted us out of this holy shabbos with a rousing Havdalah.

In the footsteps of the Lamed Hey
On Thursday afternoon, November 1, Lev HaTorah went back to Israel pre-state, and traced the battle of the 35 soldiers of the Palmach attempting to break the siege on Gush Etzion.  We began at the starting point of the 35, not far from Yeshiva, and followed in their footsteps until the mountain where they faced their bitter end.  We focused on the Mesirut Nefesh of these 35 soldiers, and the historical importance of the Palmach, and Gush Etzion.  To see more pictures click here.

A Closer Look at Tekhelet
The topic of Thursday’s Torat Chaim seminar was “The Mitzvah of Tekhelet” (the mitzvah to wear a blue thread along with the other strings of the Tzitzit). The seminar began with a video about the recent discovery (or presumed discovery) of the special blue dye which our people had lost for centuries.  After the video, Rav Kwalwasser presented his famous class on the subject, analyzing it from a historical, scientific, and halakhic standpoint. Later on, by using the ingredients of the tekhelet factory, the students experienced the tekhelet- making process for themselves by transforming a simple piece of fabric into the traditional royal blue.

Late Night Kumzits with Shlomo Katz
Shlomo Katz made his first Lev HaTorah-kumzitz appearance of the year on Thursday night, October 18th. As always, Shlomo gave us a night to remember. The great success of the evening was due to Shlomo’s unique Torah teachings, his warm and sincere melodies, and our yeshiva spirit. At first, we sat and sang in soulful meditation that night, but later on we danced up a storm. One of the night’s highlights was hearing a new niggun (melody) by Shlomo, which, until that night, he had never played in public.   

Klaf and Tefillin Factory, Torat Chaim Seminar
As part of our Thursday Torat Chaim Seminars (which are geared towards bringing Jewish law to life) we journeyed to the famous Klaf factory of Zanoah. (A Klaf factory is one which fashions the skins of cows into kosher parchment for use in Torahs, Mezuzahs, and Tefillin.) At the factory, we were privileged to watch the factory workers engage in some of the critical stages of the scroll-making process; for example, the stretching of the skin and the indenting of the lines for a Sefer Torah. After that, it was on to a Tefillin factory where we witnessed the formation of the Tefillin batim (boxes) first hand. To complement the hands-on learning, a local scribe visited Lev and reviewed many of the laws of Tefillin. Both visits were eye-opening experiences, as we gained an appreciation for the sweat and skill that go into our “ordinary” objects of holiness.

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