BH. Elul
24, 5774 / Sept 19, 2014
Candle-Lighting: Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District 6:40 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org Shabbos Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 7:38 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY
maimonidesschool@gmail.com
This newsletter is in dedicated in memory of
Yossel Tulichinsky Yartzeit: Rosh Hashanah A strong, hard-working Russian Jew, with a rich Yiddish & a big heart for others.
HIVE-SHAPED HONEY-COMB WE’RE RIGHT ON THE HONEY! This ad appears in the pre-Rosh Hashanah edition of “The Jewish World” newspaper. It’s quite telling about our school’s focus on a rich & sweet Jewish educational experience, that’s tasty, wholesome and beneficial, yet takes lots of effort by many (busy as a bee) people. See this week’s “High-5” for more about honey!
MAZAL TOV BACKMANS MHDS alumnus Maishy Backman is engaged to Malky Klein of Monsey, whose Aronson grandparents are formerly of Saratoga, so its a very nice local connection! Mazal Tov to Avrami and Sharona and the Backman family.
HERTZBERG WEDDING
Nursery students did this sweet & timely finemotor skills exercise trying to line and fill a hive shape with Honeycomb cereal pieces.
GETTING THE MOON TO SHINE AND ON THE TENTH DAY? ZERO Mrs. Carroll’s first grade students learned zero on their 10th day of school. It’s called “Zero the Hero” because it’s a place holder to turn that 1 into a 10. Imagine, if not for Zero the Hero, the 10th day of school would be back to the first day! Zero is nothing on it’s own, but add it to another number and it jumps both of them to the next level! That’s also a nice message about the Chassidic concept of “Bittul” just in time for Rosh Hashanah.
Earlier this summer, MHDS alumnus Daniel Hertzberg married Chasya Cowen of Pittsburgh (she’s a sister-in-law of Mushky Stempel, another MHDS alumna). Rabbi & DISCOVERING TEFILAH SONGS Mrs. Laber, Morah Debi Berger, and MHDS Boys Tefilah Class has been discovering many alumna Mazal Mardekhayeva were there for the wedding in Pittsburgh. The couple is now new songs toward the end of the morning prayer, in the Song of the Day, Psalm 27 etc... living in Moshav Beit Meir in Israel, where Daniel is a mentor for students, including (another Albany connection!) MHDS alumnus MAIMONIDES Chaim Ethan Ehrlich. What a small world! 404 Partridge Street Thanks (and Mazal Tov) to the Hertzberg Albany NY 12208 parents for staying connected even from afar, eager to share Simchas in our newsletter!
MATHLESS BABY GIRL Mazal Tov to Morah Devorah Leah and Rabbi Mendy Mathless on the birth of a baby girl last night. Incidentally, it was just after they hosted a “Porch Party” for young adults at their home. They will name her this Shabbos at Shomray Torah.
Rabbi Shmuly’s 3/4 class learned about the phases of the moon in Mishna Rosh Hashanah and by using this hands-on classroom example with a torch light on a smartphone, a globe and a little ball. The changing positions and rotations are what make the moon wax and wane as it reflects the sun’s light.
U.S. ARMY’S SPIRIT OF AMERICA Grades 5/6 and our HS Boys class will be attending the “U.S Army’s Spirit of America” show today (Friday 9/19) at the Times-Union Center, see report in the next MC newsletter.
MOLDY BREAD No one likes moldy bread in their lunch, but 7th graders were eager to see it develop in their classroom, and curious under which conditions it would grow most. Ms. Roland had her 7th grade science students THE C.R.C. RABBI RETURNS work in pairs, each pair doing certain things to Rabbi Weinberger, Hisachdus Av Beis Din one piece of bread (such as dampening it) and (CRC of NY, not the CRC of Chicago) was leaving the other alone. They then left these passing through Albany again this week & pieces of bread out for a few days. Over time once again joined Rabbi Rubin’s Gemorah they recorded their observations to determine class. Last year, he shared a beautiful vurt from the conditions most likely to grow mold. Reb Leibele Eiger about jumping for a Mitzvah that tied into the laws of carrying on Shabbos that they were studying at that time. And yes, our boys remembered it! This time again, Rabbi Weinberger found a connection to the Gemorah our boys are studying in Bameh Madlikin that also demonstrated the eagerness people ought to have for a Mitzvah. He left them with a challenging question based on the Minchas Pittim (who turned out to be one of Rabbi Hirschprung’s teachers) that Rabbi KERIAH-METER NOW TO 1500! Rubin discussed possible answers with the Within a short time Morah Dini’s students boys long after the visitor left. read 500 lines, so they enjoyed a pizza party at
PRUZBUL FOR SHMITTAH YEAR Hillel established the Pruzbul for loans in the Shmittah year. It transfers collection of debt from personal to the Beit Din. There’s a custom to arrange a Pruzbul even if you do not have loans out. Google: Chabad.org Pruzbul for more info and for an online form.
school and Morah Dini upped the ante, the
THE OUTSIDERS next goal is 1500 lines! As in the moldy bread BEEKEEPERS FOR A DAY
These Kindergarteners (Nursery did it, too) are dressed up in Rabbi Laber’s beekeeping gear with the protective veil and gloves, and his smoker kit. They are holding up a honeycomb tray from an actual hive, some of it is still sealed in wax. He showed these Nursery students an enlarged closeup photo of bees in a IS UR CARD LINKED TO MHDS? hive and asked if Please check on your card when they could find which one is the Queen Bee. you are out shopping for Rosh Hashanah! This takes so little effort and is so simple we hope STUART LITTLE’S PERSPECTIVE It’s a fictional story, of course, but having a more school families and community friends BLIND CONTOUR ART family member the size of a mouse, who take a few minutes to do this! Simply go Mrs. Levin’s art students tried to capture the helps you see everything in life from a to any Price Chopper Guest Services desk and basic lines of what different perspective. Mr. D’s class link your AdvantEdge Card to Maimonides in they were looking at finished the book and will watch the film on Albany. That’s it! You do it once and forget on paper, without about it. In the meantime every time you shop Friday, both as a treat, and to see the story looking at the paper. from yet another (this time film) perspective. Then they went over it points accumulate for our school to get with watercolors, and valuable electronic, sports or educational equipment. Thank you for taking the time it came out quite THREE IMPORTANT WORDS (only once!) to do this! beautiful. This is a Teshuva, Tefilah, Tzedakah are 3 key words well-known technique for the High Holidays for art students but is START FRESH FOR NEW YEAR also prominently also helps people featured in the Is your Maimonides Pushka (charity box) overcome fear of Machzor. Each of bulging with coins? Does it need a fresh start producing perfect these words has many for the new year? Bring in your Pushka, or work, increases coordination and also helps layers of meaning and call the school office 453-9363 to arrange for focus the pencil and skill of the hand. life application. a home or office pickup. Our older students are now reading this book by S.E. Hinton, written when the author was only 16 years old! It is an intense read, based on her own experiences. The novel is about two rival groups divided by their socio-economic status, and the hard experiences they go through. While our students (thankfully) may not face these same challenges, there is much food for thought.
experiment above, her students tried putting different toppings to each pizza dough. The top rack has an black olive pizza, while the bottom rack is split between corn and onions. To push the Keriah-Meter higher and warmer students have to read 10 lines of random Hebrew text each night, it could be anything, as long as they are not already familiar with that text. Reading practice goes a long way!
JEALOUSY ON ALL LEVELS RABBI RUBIN SEEKS SHIP’S A few different classes have been CAPTAIN FOR COLUMBUS DAY
learning about jealousy this week. They learned about its various forms, why it’s a destructive and unhealthy character trait, and yet it is so commonplace and easy to fall into. And yet there are certain constructive forms of jealousy that can be OK. HS Girls watched a Yossi Jacobson lecture on Yeshiva.net that explains a fascinating Medrash from the end of this week’s Parsha Vayelech about jealousy, Joshua and Moshe. 7th graders are learning now the 10 Commandments in Chumash class, and they learned there about Lo Tachmod (don’t covet other people’s things). 5/6 came across jealousy in Navi class about Chana (mother of Shmuel) and Peninah, and how Peninah may have meant well, but how it really hurt Chana’s feelings. 3/4 learned about jealousy by Avimelech in their Chumash class. This wasn’t planned or coordinated, but it’s interesting how this same character issue was discussed in so many of our classes this week.
HONEY DISHES
Morah Dini’s students pictured here are Stay tuned for a special Columbus Day Wknd about to decorate their learning on both Sunday & Monday mornings own honey dishes just at Shomray Torah on Chol HaMoed Sukkot. in time for Rosh The topic involves a Sukkah atop a ship, as Hashanah. Of course, appropriate for Sukkot and Columbus Day! If you can just squeeze it you have any sea-faring contacts, or owner of a out of the bottle but boat, please contact Rabbi Rubin 423-4103. its much nicer when we beautify the AVINU MALKEINU Mitzvah, personalize it This is one of the bestand make the experience special. known & most often sung High Holidays prayers, so Morah Dini’s 3/4 students took a closer look to better understand what each line There’s so much about Honey, means, and then each here’s just a sweet little taste! student chose one line to depict on a poster.
HONEY
CONFIDENCE HS Girls learned Chapter 11 of Iggeres HaTeshuvah where it emphasizes the role that confidence and assurance plays in Teshuvah, which ought to be a positive experience overall. It also speaks about the power of being able to let go and move on, and not let past issues weigh us down emotionally.
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IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK: It takes approx 2 million flower-visits for honeybees to produce 1 cup of honey. Wow, that’s a lot of work! Many bees won’t live long enough to enjoy the honey they produce. A bees life-span is measured in miles flown, but they’re not lazy and they keep going!
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TYPES OF HONEY: Sometimes when the Torah speaks of honey, it means the sweet goo that oozes from dates. But even all bee honey isn’t the same, because it depends on what type of flowers they visit. Clover honey is most common, but there’s also wildflower honey or blueberry honey or orange blossom honey, if that’s where the hives are. Some people prefer raw honey, like Rabbi Labers vs. what you usually get at the store.
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MANY USES: It can sweeten a tea, or flavor a cake, and cupcakes are good, too. Of course on Rosh Hashanah, its good to for dipping apples and Challah. There are also many health benefits to honey, (they say it boosts immunity, suppresses coughs, helps coat the stomach, can even be used for wound care, its certainly soothing) but it should not be given to kids under age 1.
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LONG-LASTING: Honey is also a natural preservative, it keeps a very long time and also preserves that which is kept inside it. But it can ferment or crystallize, depending on how its kept.
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A WOMENS THING: The hive is run by
APPLE PUPPETS First grade made these Apple ISRAEL MAPS & SHORESH TREE Puppets, as they 3rd grade Chumash students display the map learn all about of Israel they made to show Avraham’s travels, apples for both as they stand in front of their growing Shoresh Rosh Hashanah and also in preparation for Hebrew word-root tree. It’s only been 2 weeks! their field trip next week on Tuesday.
APPLE TASTE TEST Kapores is coming up, and many have a custom to use a chicken, so we have some “Why did the Chicken cross the road” jokes… Why did the Rabbi cross the road? To do a Mitzvah with the chicken. If an alligator and chicken cross the road, who gets to the other side first? The chicken! Chicken do it all the time (at least in jokes) so they are much better at it. Why did the duck cross the road? The chicken was away on vacation. Why did the chicken cross the basketball court? The referee was calling fowls! Kids, do you have a funny joke or clever riddle for this new weekly newsletter feature? Give it to 5/6 graders for an upcoming MC Newsletter.
This year yellow apples won by far! They voted by coloring their own paper apples. They also did a bunch of sensory things about apples including felt apple picking, and putting little toy apples in baskets.
These students (and teachers!) were the Queen Bee, and the worker bees are “caught being good” & “it’s a Mitzvah to female, too. Bees communicate by dances, publicize those who do good deeds”... and they run very organized communities in their hives. Everything has its place. The girls were choosing players on the teams, and Chana Malka noticed one girl was left out. It turned out that she didn’t want to play that day, but it was really sensitive and thoughtful that someone noticed and care about it. 7th grade girls put lots of effort and care in putting up 2 beautiful bulletin boards (Tashlich and King in the Field) and did it easily, happily and eagerly for the benefit of the whole school. (Pics in next MC). They also cleaned up after themselves.
at Maimonides and in the Community 9/20: WOMENS SHABBOS SHIUR
“Meaningful Prayer & Melody” at Shabbos House The last of the summer season, for it’s the last week 7:45pm TorahTues slot open to community (if not at MHDS Open House). See full schedule: of the Jewish year 5774... 4:45pm at the home of www.shabboshouse.org/learn/torah-tuesdays/ Ellen Kaplowitz 44 Oakwood, the shiur given by Chaya Tal who has been arranging the presenters 10/1: THE TRUGMANS AT MHDS and hostesses all season, thank you! On Wednesday morning (approx 9am) between Rosh Hashanah and Yom-Kippur Rabbi and Mrs. 9/20: SAT (MID)NIGHT SELICHOT Trugman will be at Maimonides for a special This Saturday Night before Rosh Hashanah… Aseres Yemei Teshuvah program with our CBAJ offers a Kumzits, S’mores (9:15pm) and Selichot (10pm), while Shomray Torah’s Selichot is students. Parents and community are welcome. at 1am (Halachic midnight) as is traditional.
10/2: COMMUNAL KAPOROS
9/21: BETTER TOGETHER FOR H.S. HS Boys and Girls will be visiting seniors this Sunday as part of the new Better-Together program. Boys are asked to come to 8am Shachris, followed by some learning before Better-Together. Girls will head out before 11am with Morah Rochel.
9/21: APPLE PICKING PLUS Shofar Demo, Honey Tour, Hayride and Apple Picking with Clifton Park Chabad 1pm at Riverview Orchards in Rexford. $3.50pp. Call 4950772 for more information.
9/21: MACCABEATS IN CONCERT Tickets going fast! 6pm at the Performing Arts Center on the uptown UAlbany campus! Advance $5, $10 at door, if available. Call UAlbany Hillel (concert sponsor) for tickets at 489-8573*24 or purchase online, at: http://www.ualbanyhillel.org/ maccabeats-tickets
9/21: WHAT’S THE ARAB MINDSET Barak Barfi will be speaking about this (on many people’s minds these days) at this Joint Federation Society event, $30 at the door at Agudat Achim in Schenectady. Call 783-7800 for info/reservations. This event may have already been sold out...
9/22: WOMENS TORAH & TEA Monday Nights 8pm with Mrs. Rubin at her home 122 South Main Ave, aside for the monthly Mondays of Womens Beit Medrash Night.
9/30: MHDS OPEN HOUSE An opportunity for parents to meet the new and continuing faculty and get a little taste of the goals for the year (aside for what you pick up from the kids, from homework, and here via the “MC”). Stay tuned for schedules and further details.
As is a long-standing Albany tradition, we do a communal Kaporot ceremony (one hen for all women, one rooster for all men). Thurs evening, 6pm behind Shomray Torah, just before Mincha/ Maariv. Kaporot participant contributions should be made to Maimonides. This year Rabbi Kelman, the new Beth Israel Rabbi will be the Shochet.
LOOKING AHEAD TO SUKKOT 10/8 Wed: First Night, after-dinner in Rabbi Rubin’s Sukkah, 122 South Main Ave. 10/10 Friday: After Shabbat Dinner, in the Gordon’s Sukkah, 29 Glenwood Street. 10/12 Sunday: Columbus Wknd & Sukkot Morning Study, stay tuned for details. 10/12 Sunday: Kids Program led by Motti (back from Australia for a bit) 4-5pm, at Shteeble. 10/12 Sunday: After Maariv in the Simon’s Sukkah, 139 Elsemere Ave, Delmar. 10/13 Mon: Day II of Columbus Day Morning Study after Shachris at Shomray Torah. 10/13 Mon: Bethlehem Chabad Sukkah-Hop 10/13 Tues: Sushi in the Sukkah Party at Clifton Park Chabad, 495 Moe Road. 10/14 Tues: Sukkos Fun Day 4-7 at Saratoga Chabad with food, activities etc. 526-0773. 10/15 Wed: Hoshana Rabba late night study at Shomray Torah/Shteeble. This Sukkot Night Simchas Beis HaShoeva List in Formation… Stay tuned for enhanced listing of evening celebrations in different Sukkahs..
10/19: JOIN TEAM CHABAD AT THE BREAST CANCER WALK Area Chabad Centers are looking forward to having a team at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Washington Park on the Sunday after Simchas Torah. Contact Rabbi Mathless 5221872 for more info.
9/30: TRUGMANS AT TORAH-TUES Rabbi Avraham Arieh & Rachel Trugman of Ohr Chadash, Moshav Meor Modiin in Israel, present
A FEW NOTES GET THIS “MC” NEWSLETTER IN YOUR EMAIL INBOX... Simply email maimonidesschool@gmail.com and write that you’d like to subscribe to get this newsletter in your email each week. We also sent out hard-copy via US Mail for those for whom email is not a good option.
MAIMONIDES MIDDOS It’s back again this year! Look for this “Maimonides Middos” symbol throughout this “MC” newsletter for reports of classroom learning, both Judaic and General Studies, that has life-messages about character and interpersonal relationships.
“JOGA” FOR WOMEN Be in touch with Morah Leyee 495-0779 about modified schedule during the holiday season, normally on Wed 1:30-2:30pm at Maimonides open to community women, $36 for 6 weeks.
LULAV AND ETROG SETS
$60 per set via CBAJ, deadline for orders is this Monday. 489-8519 Call Rabbi Nachman Simon for his annual Lulav & Etrog Market 439-8280.
IS YOUR MHDS PUSHKA FULL? Start fresh for the new year! Call Maimonides 453 -9363 during office hours or email the school maimonidesschool@gmail.com to drop it off or arrange a pickup at your home or office.
DON’T HAVE A PLACE FOR THE HIGH HOLIDAYS? There are many wonderful local options! Call Rabbi Rubin 518-423-4103 or your Rabbi to find the option best or closest to you.
MAIMONIDES TISHREI HOLIDAY SCHEDULE 9/24-26: School closed for Rosh Hashanah and Erev Rosh Hashanah, from Wed thru the wknd. 9/30: Open House Night at School for Parents. 10/3: No School, Erev Yom Kippur 10/8: Half-Day English Only, Erev Sukkos 10/9-17: No School all of Sukkot. 10/20: School Resumes at 8am.
MAIMONIDES SCHOOL & COMMUNITY (Nursery / Elementary / High School) 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 maimonidesschool@gmail.com Founded in 1980, Maimonides is chartered by the NYS Board of Regents and is a JF-NENY Beneficiary “A Beautiful Blend: Torah & Worldly Experience!”