“One seventy five!” “One eighty!” “Do I hear two hundred? TWO HUNDRED once, twice… and SOLD!!” The shouts echoed through the packed ballroom as the bids rose higher than ever anticipated for such an important cause: tzedakah. Rabbi Hagler stood in his black and white tux, designated for the annual occasion, to delegate Bruriah’s much anticipated privilege sale. Every teacher offered a special prize on which the students could bid, the privileges ranging from a manicure with Ms. Tucker for two girls, to a class ice-cream sundae party with Mrs. A, to a class shabbaton with Dr. Erblich. The bids rose unbelievably high. Kudos to every girl who brought in money for the sale. The spirited atmosphere was incredible, cheers and shouts, whistles and hoots resonating in the crowded room. Bruriah’s much-loved G.O. sat at the table at the front of the room, busy recording the amount of money raised, piling the bills, and randomly giving out prizes to girls in the audience. Every Bruriah student is now holding her breath, eagerly looking forward to the prizes they will get.

Rabbi Orlafsky's visit

       This past Thursday during PM3, grades 7-12 had the privilege of hearing Rabbi Orlofsky speak. As we gathered in the ballroom (sitting in our davening seats, of course…) to hear the renowned Rabbi of Darchei Binah share some Torah thoughts with us, many of us were not expecting the entertainment and hilarity that ensued. Rabbi Orlofsky is famous in Bruriah not only for his annual speeches about a variety of topics, but even more for his terrific sense of humor. We sat enthralled as words of Torah were sandwiched between amusing anecdotes and bits of stand-up comedy. Everyone was cracking up, but that’s not to say the Rabbi’s message didn’t get across; in fact, Rabbi Orlofsky’s topic of how to view and deal with suffering in our lives hit its target even more precisely when coupled with his good humor. He explained that often when we suffer, even minimally, there is something to be gained from the experience. Often, the bad things we go through turn out, in retrospect, to in fact be really good for us; but what Rabbi Orlofsky was stressing was the importance of remembering this fact while in the midst of a terrible ordeal, rather than reflecting on it afterward. Additionally, he said that many times, suffering is Hashem’s way of sending us a message, and it is our job to try to interpret how we can possibly grow from the experience, as well as how we can implement the messages of Hashem to proactively improve ourselves and our lives. All in all, Rabbi Orlofsky showed us that laughter truly is the greatest medicine, especially when coupled with a good, strong dose of Torah and Hashkafa.

Talia Berlin