BH Kislev
19, 5774 / November 22, 2013
Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District Candle-Lighting: 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org 4:10 Shabbos Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 5:12 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY
maimonidesschool@gmail.com
MAZAL TOV MRS. SANDA!
This newsletter is dedicated in honor of the new Bailund-Vana Wolk baby boy, son of our teacher Mrs. Sanda & Daniel Wolk, great-grandson of Joe Saidel, a founder of Albany Daf-Yomi, lawyer for Chabad, stalwart member of both Shomray Torah & CBAJ, and long-time board member of Maimonides School.
Mazal Tov to Sanda Bailund-Vana and Daniel Wolk (and big sister Emmunah! & siblings) on the birth of a baby boy! The Bris will be after Shachris on Monday morning, G-d willing. “Shalom Zachor” this Friday Night at the home of Chaya Tal after Shabbos dinner.
MAZAL TOV SIMONS Mazal Tov to MHDS alumnus Meir and Sara Simon and grandparents Rabbi Nachman & Clara & the whole Simon family on the birth of a baby girl this week, named Kayla Rosa for both late Simon grandmothers.
WORD-FIND w/EXTRA TOUCH
THANKS, YET NEVER SATISFIED?
Doing a word-find game (& other word games) Mrs. Gray’s HS students each wrote a journal on the new touch-screen computers in the entry on a line from “The Pearl” by Steinbeck Media Center makes word recognition activity “For it is said that humans are so much more exciting for these 1st graders. never satisfied...” what makes CONDOLENCES TO GIWERCS people unsatisfied? Are they Mr. Izak Giwerc’s funeral was this morning. born eager for more, or is this a HAPPY Born in Poland, he survived the Holocaust, learned trait? Each students BIRTHDAY and after moving to this area became a homewrote their own thoughts on & FEEL builder, eventually building more than 1000 this. The irony of people grateful for what they area homes! He was a member & former board BETTER have on Thanksgiving and then rush out to member at CBAJ, his children & family live CARDS buy more the next day (or now, even that day). here or remain connected locally. His greatAn Israeli boy is In addition to writing their own thoughts on niece and nephew, the Kalichmans attended in a hospital for the subject, the HS girls told Mrs. Gray that so Maimonides as children in the 80’s. treatment and his many Jewish texts talk about these very birthday is questions. There’s the rabbinic saying: “One SIT-DOWN KIDDUSH coming up. So who has 100 wants 200, who has 200 wants Sit-down meat Kiddush w/hot Cholent at Morah Devorah 400.” And the Pirkei Avos: “Who is Rich? Shomray Torah in honor of Yud-Tes Kislev, Leah’s 2nd & Being happy with what you have.” HaYom sponsored by the Caras family. Lunch & Learn 3rd grade wrote Hebrew birthday and feel Yom says: in material things we ought to ‘No Presents Chanuka” next Shabbos at CBAJ. better cards for him. This was a Mitzvah and a compare ourselves to people who have less also a great way to practice Hebrew writing. than we, while in spiritual things we look to those who have more. And there’s the kids book: “It All Began With a Doormat.” A few TICKETS “SOLD BY” Fill it in on the raffle-auction form so families days later Rabbi Rubin read with them an can get credit toward their give/get obligations, article from a Hebrew magazine about a woman who tried to be satisfied with less stuff. & students get credit toward possible prizes!
MAIMONIDES RAFFLEAUCTION ONLINE, TOO! www.maimonidesschool.org/auction is the link for online purchases. Please share this link or the hard-copy auction with friends & family! You can also call the school with a credit card during office hours, or use the PDF form available via email for mail-in purchases. Thanks for supporting this important annual school fundraiser. Less than 2 weeks left to the Raffle-Auction on Dec 4th. The Early Bird special (free $10 ticket) expires this weekend!
404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208
DRESS CODE AND MANNERS Grades 4&5 are learning the laws of Tzniyut (modesty) in the daily routine, which covers many aspects of life, whether it is about clothing choices or behaviors. Students worked on a variety of projects to express something they’ve learned. This cardboard “robot” is trained to put on your right show before your left, but tie your left shoe before your right!
CHANUKAH FIRE SAFETY MESSAGE Nursery and Kindergarten recently talked a lot about fire-safety, and it’s a good time for all of us to be reminded about it, especially as we approach Chanukah, with additional candles burning each night. We can never leave flames burning unattended. Children must be carefully supervised at all times near the candles. Be careful not to let flames burn to close together, properly prepare the surface areas, and be sure no drapes, curtains, cloths or papers are near the flames. When deep-frying latkes be careful not to let the oil get too hot. Learn how to respond to a stovetop fire. Never put water on a grease fire. Have a safe, happy and healthy Chanukah!
LASHON HORA KILLS THREE Negative speech hurts the person it’s about, the listener and also the speaker. 6th grade learned about this in Pitgam this week, in connection with the negative speech Yosef spoke about his brothers which had negative consequences for everyone involved.
EXTRACTING FROM A STORY After reading a short Hebrew story, these 4/5 graders did a worksheet to find nouns & verbs in the story along with other key elements.
NY STATE & THE GREAT LAKES Nearly all of the southern shores of Lake Ontario are in NY State, and much of the western shores of Lake Erie are in NYS, too. Grades 4/5 learned about all of the Great Lakes (acronym HOMES) and also about 3 great rivers in NYS: Hudson, Mohawk (these meet near Albany) and the St. Lawrence River.
WINTER-TIME DOOR POLICY AT SCHOOL
ANOTHER SIDE TO THE THANKSGIVING HISTORY
What kind of code is that? The typewriting code! Morah Rochel is helping Mrs. Ramsay shared a sections of a book that’s some grades learn quite different from the Thanksgiving story the Hebrew written in most textbooks. It wasn’t as rosy, keyboard & improve their overall typing skills. pleasant and friendly as usually depicted, many natives actually suffered at that time.
DAILY VOTE 4 A SAFER SCHOOL
MATTER PARTY & Daily vote at www.stanleyforsaferschools.com or text “Maimonides Albany” to 99222 (phone MATH MARKET
For the heat to work properly 6th graders are looking and not to waste energy & forward to a Matter Party money its important to keep with various foods of different the upstairs glass doors closed densities and properties (like whenever possible. They shouldn’t be propped cereal & milk, different types of open while the heat is on. On the other hand, fruit etc) and also a Math Market for the heat to work properly, the doors to the designed to make practical use of fractions to classrooms upstairs opposite Science Library get the most for your “money”. Plus there’s the Media should be open at all times. valuation of items sold, figuring out which mode of math to use to get the solution you SLOW MOTION PICTURES AND need, and also make sure you give the right amount of change. BEN AZZAI IN THE TALMUD Rabbi Rubin’s Talmud class learned the minority opinion of Ben Azzai that each step a person takes while walking is Halachicly considered to be an “Akirah” (removing) and “Hanacha” (placing). Rabbi Rubin helped them understand Ben Azzai’s unique perspective with the visual of a slow-motion movie: watch a runner in slow motion, you will see each individual step as both lifting off and landing on the ground.
A = SHIN, S = DALED...
WHOSE FIRST: MOSES/AARON? In Chumash class with Morah Leyee 6th graders learned a Rashi (Shmos 6:26) about why sometimes the verse puts Aharon before Moshe, instead of the usual Moshe before Aharon, to teach us each was holy and special in his own way, they are equally significant. That’s a Maimonides Middos message, thanks to 6th graders for realizing that!
charges may apply), once a day until Dec 13th.
POLARITY IN SCIENCE-ENRICH As part of a unit on electricity, Mrs. Ballard is teaching 2/3 (and other grades) about the +/you find on a battery, using buzzers & motors to see how the wires need to line up. This is how power cords and outlets work…
BE GOOD FOR SUBSTITUTES With Mrs. Sanda out with her newborn baby, (Mazal Tov!) Mrs. Sahay visiting her ailing father abroad (we wish her & her family the best) we have a few classes having substitute teachers for a certain topics for few weeks (part of which falls during the vacation-time & half-days of Thanksgiving and December holidays). Its important that our kids (always) be their best, but especially for transitions. So far its going pretty well! Thanks Kids!
HS GIRLS AT CONVENTION Our HS girls traveled down to Brooklyn for the weekend (thanks to Morah Stephanie for chaperoning) to attend a conference of HS girls from around the country. Above left they are wearing their new maroon and cream sweatshirts with the Maimonides logo on front and this “Our Journey Starts Here” with Albany marked in a map of NY State. We found this picture (above right) online of a general session on Thursday night, and guess who is sitting up front in the first row? Go Albany!! They also prepared a video on happiness that will be screened at the conference and will be posted online on YouTube after the convention. Thanks to Mrs. Leah Caras for working with them on the short video.
ELISHA THE WINGED ONE 7th graders are learning the laws of Tefillin, and came across an amazing story in Gemorah Shabbos (49a) about a man called Elisha who wore Tefillin even when it was forbidden by the authorities. He got his unusual name when he was once caught, and his life was in grave danger, but when he opened his hands, all the police saw was a bird! So what do Tefillin have to do with birds, and why was he named for the wings? Because like birds’ wings, Tefillin help us soar upward spiritually. By the way, when Moshe R. got his own Tefillin before his Bar-Mitzvah, the Sofer showed him a tiny pair of faded but Kosher Tefillin, so small that the pair could easily fit into the palm of his hand with plenty room to spare. They were designed for hiding, perhaps in Russia.
DAILY WORD PROBLEMS Mrs. Maher’s students get a daily word problem, in addition (pun intended) to their other math work. They have to show their work, how they arrived at that result. It helps them learn to analyze a problem, organize their thoughts, become solutionoriented, look at different possibilities and come up with the best solution.
DREIDEL IN FOCUS
Just in time for Chanukah, but good all year round: “All the darkness in the world can not extinguish the light of even a small candle!”
Our students have been enjoying the sports equipment, but balls have been wearing out. We could use 2 of each: soccer balls, footballs & basketballs, and maybe some plain rubber balls for the younger kids. 5 THINGS ABOUT THE RARE
SHALSHELES TROPE FOUND IN THIS WEEK’S PARSHA
by Rabbi Mirsky’s 7th graders
LIST OF NEW HEBREW WORDS
Morah Rochel makes this list of new words (or new forms of words) when her students YUD-TES KISLEV TREATS come across them Today before lunch Rabbi Rubin gave out while reading a “Lasso” lace/rope candy recalling the “oxenHebrew story. cables of love” that the Alter Rebbe says in Then these words Tanya chapter 32 should be how thick, strong become a focus for and multi-faceted our Ahavat Yisrael should their efforts to get be, even to Jews who are different than we are. used to them, There was also grape-juice for Lchaim! know them better, and get tested on them later on. What’s a new word now, will become a recognizable word in a little while.
WHAT A GREAT LINE!
NEW SPORTS BALLS NEEDED
J.J. took time to get this photo right. This dreidel is hanging high up near the light fixture in the 1 & 2/3 Hebrew classroom, so it wasn’t easy to get it into focus, but J.J. persisted and finally got a few good shots!
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APPEARANCE AND MEANING: Its shape is a 3 stacked left-pointing arrows, vertical zigzag or like a Harry Potter-type lightning strike. It symbolizes dramatic struggle, ambivalence and hesitation. Literally the words Shalsheles means (links in) a chain. WHEN A SHALSHELES APPEARS: Only four times in the Torah! It’s first found by Lot hesitating to leave Sodom (Breishis 19:16), Eliezer before meeting Rivka (24:12), Yosef refusing Mrs. Potifar (this Parsha: 39:8) and when Moshe anoints Aharon as the Kohain Gadol (Vayikra 8:23). IN THIS PARSHA: Yosef hesitated before refusing Mrs. Potifar. He was tempted but got the courage to resist when he saw an image of his father in a window (Rashi). He also visualized the chain of Jewish history and knew that he wanted to stay connected to it! STRONG RISING SOUND: Some say that the increasingly rising sound a Shalsheles makes symbolizes Yosef’s gaining courage to resist Mrs. Potifar, each time he said NO! it got stronger and with more confidence. NOT WELL-KNOWN: In addition to the zigzag symbol on top of the word, another part of the symbol is the vertical line after the word. Like all trope and vowels you only see this in a Chumash, not in the Torah itself.
at Maimonides and in the Community 11/23: SIT DOWN HOT KIDDUSH The Caras family are sponsoring a full sit-down Kiddush this Shabbos at Shomray Torah with challah, cholent and the works (and of course stories, song and inspiration, too) in honor of YudTes Kislev (yartzeit of the Maggid of Mezritch, and the anniversary of the Alter Rebbe’s release from Czarist prison in 1789).
Thurs 11/28 until Monday morning 12/2. Enjoy the break and good times with family!
11/28: KOSHER THANKSGIVING Annual communal dinner tradition at Saratoga Chabad this year coincides with Chanukah. Call 526-0773 for cost and RSVP.
11/30: CBAJ LUNCH & LEARN 11/23: SAT NITE w/RABBI REISMAN Rabbi Lehrfield to speak on “No Chanukah Rabbi Reisman’s weekly Navi class 7:30pm live at CBAJ. Rabbi Frand is Thurs 9pm, also via satellite.
Presents” and a (no-charge) Kiddush Luncheon at CBAJ for Shabbos Chanukah.
11/23: YUD-TES KISLEV SAT NIGHT
CHANUKAH LIGHTS (UPDATED LIST)
Communal Farbrengen Melava Malka, 7pm held at Maimonides School. Guest speakers & storytellers are Rabbi Yitzchak Hecht and Rabbi AB Itkin of Kingston NY. As of this time, there is no separate children’s program planned, those attending can sit with their parents and enjoy the food, melodies, and stories. There’ll be a short skit by the 8/9 grade boys too, and possibly a kids coloring book of relevant stories that they prepared.
11/23: PARENT-CHILD AT CBAJ
Parent & Child(ren) study 6:15pm at CBAJ with pizza and prizes for K-8. Texts provided or bring your own. All kids must be accompanied by adult.
11/24: J-FED SOCIETY EVENT
7:15pm at Agudat Achim in Schenectady, $25pp. Dan Raviv’s topic: “Spies against Armageddon Inside Israel’s Secret Wars” (his most recent book). Raviv is CBS foreign correspondent for many years, and has interviewed many Israeli Prime Ministers and major Mideast leaders and players. He also spoke at a Maimonides dinner a few years back when we honored his in-laws Leo and Ruth Phaff. Food at the event is by Agudas Achim catering. There is limited seating, very few seats left.
11/27: iTHANKYOU APP Just before Thanksgiving, on this AM-only half-day Rabbi Yossi will introduce younger grades to the new “iThankYou” (by Jewish Interactive) educational app that helps kids appreciate what they have, developed by a team of Jewish educators with characters designed by Disney animator Saul Blinkoff (Pocahontas, Mulan, Tarzan).
11/27-12/1: THANKSGIVING AND CHANUKAH WEEKEND BREAK 11/27: Wednesday Erev Thanksgiving Half-Day AM Hebrew only until 11:30am. No School from
Wed 11/27: Bethlehem Chabad 5:30pm at Four Corners in Delmar (Delaware & Kenwood) the Chanukah Wonderland (395 Kenwood) will be open 4pm on Wed, and 1pm on Sunday Dec 1st. Thurs 11/28: Annual Kosher Thanksgiving & Chanukah Dinner 4pm at Saratoga Chabad For Cost/RSVP call: 526-0773 Friday 11/29: Ice-Skating 12pm at Delmar YMCA Call Rabbi Simon 439-8280 for info. Sat 11/30: CBAJ Game Night, 6:15pm, $5pp. Sun 12/1: “The Giving Menorah” Celebration at Clifton Park Center -Mall, 4pm near Boscov’s Sunday 12/1: Chanukah in the Chocolate Factory w/ Gelt-Games, Golden Tickets, Oompa Latkes… 2-4pm at the East Greenbush Library Sunday 12/1: Menorah Lighting in the Park 5:30pm at Congress Park in Saratoga Mon 12/2: Last Menorah with Mayor Jennings, at Albany City Hall, completing 20 years in office Mon 12/2: Chanukah on Ice in Saratoga, 5pm at 40 Wiebel Ave, near 87 Exit 15. 526-0773. Mon 12/2: A “Major” (University Majors) Menorah Lighting 4:30pm at UAlbany’s Small Fountain outside Campus Center Mon 12/2: 5:15pm Festive music, magic show, raffle & Dinner at Beth Israel Schenectady. Kids who bring Chanukah art come free w/paying adults. Cost?/RSVP: 377-3700. Tues 12/3: Chanukah Bowling at “Spare Time” in Clifton Park 4pm. 495-0772/9 for info. Tues 12/3: Menorah Lighting with the Mayor of Troy 5pm at the Atrium in downtown Troy. Wed 12/4: School Auction & Chanukah Dinner
5-7pm at Maimonides on the last night of Chanukah! Annual Chanukah Dinner (this year with Greek dairy foods by the Kochmans at “Nathan’s Kitchen”) $7pp/$25 per family, and the annual School Raffle-Auction. This is an important annual fundraiser, and is also a nice annual communal event. Tickets can be purchased online, via mail, by calling the office, or at the event itself.
12/16: WOMENS BET MIDRASH This month’s topic is the “Tenth of Tevet” and the discussion will be led by Raizy Rubin, Monday night, 8pm at Maimonides.
12/25-29: JGR WINTER RETREAT Find out more at www.JewishGirlsRetreat.net or call Mrs. Nechama Laber 833-0704.
12/23-1/1/2014: END OF DECEMBER & NEW YEARS MHDS SCHEDULE Mon 12/23 thru Wed 12/25: Half-Day Hebrew Only 8-11:30am. HS Girls are offering to host (for small charge TBD) an after-school (until 1:30pm) activity day. Stay tuned for details, be in touch if interested. Thurs 12/26 thru Mon 12/30: No School Tues 12/31 & Wed 1/1: Half-Day Hebrew Only Please note that there will be educational activities & experiences planned for some of these half-days.
1/26: JFED’S SUPERSUNDAY This annual phone-a-thon raises funds for the Federation’s allocations to local beneficiaries (including Maimonides) as well as overseas Jewish needs. Maimonides Parents are asked to please volunteer for one-shift as this supports our school!
Looking ahead… Save the Dates! 1/11: Chabad 40th Year Melava Malka @ SH (they’re looking for people to share 30 second to 1 minute video clips of what Chabad locally means to them, or a specific memory of an event, teaching, experience etc). 2/9: Annual Womens Spa for Body & Soul (Committee now underway, contact Clara Simon, DL or Leyee Rubin if you would like to be involved). 5/28: Annual MHDS Scholarship Tribute Dinner
12/3: #GIVINGTUESDAY After Black-Friday, Small-Biz Sat, Cyber-Monday, comes something new: #GivingTuesday. Look it up, it’s to encourage charity, so that we give and not only get. It’s the day just before our RaffleAuction… one way to give on #GivingTuesday!
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!”
12/4: MHDS RAFFLE-AUCTION
CARDBOARD FUN DAY Do you have a few cardboard boxes at home that you were going to throw out? If its clean & dry, save them (and future boxes) for a special fun day at school at the end of December. Break-down the box so it is flat, and save them at home. There’s a cardboard activity day planned at school for one of the December half-days, it will be used in an educational craft project and then picked up from school for recycling.