BH. THURS
Shvat 18, 5776 / Jan 28, 2016
Candle-Lighting: Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org 4:46 Shabbos Ends:
produced by Rabbi Mendel Rubin & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY
maimonidesschool@gmail.com
5:50
This newsletter is dedicated in honor of
Shira Levin’s Bat Mitzvah May she continue to be a Nachas for her parents & family and the entire community. IT’S BEEN A VERY FRUITFUL WEEK OF GROWTH AT MAIMONIDES Tu Bishvat (Jewish New Year for Trees) was a big theme this week, from classroom projects to Monday’s delicious Tu Bishvat Breakfast with student presentations (see page 2) and the reception at NYS Assembly (see below). Thanks to art teacher Mrs. Levin for these wonderful tree photo cutouts pictured above from Shira’s Bat-Mitzvah (more about that below, too!)
OUR GIRLS AT NYS CAPITOL WITH ASSEMBLYWOMAN PAT FAHY Our district representative Pat Fahy hosted this year’s Tu Bishvat reception at the Assembly, continuing many years of this tradition. She and her Assembly colleagues, including Speaker Heastie, David Weprin (a UAlbany and Shabbos House alum), and Dov Hikind (who was hosting a delegation from the Agudah that day) welcomed the girls warmly, took lots of photos, and enjoyed the fruit platters and pastries. Rabbi Rubin opened the Assembly with invocation about the lessons of change, growth and consistent persistence we learn from trees, even - or especially - in the middle of winter.
MAZAL TOV SHIRA Shira had a beautiful Bat-Mitzvah celebration, with friends and family visiting from out of town, a meaningful & memorable Bat-Mitzvah celebration at Maimonides at Motzai Shabbat DOUBLE “NUN” CROWNS with a traditional Melava Malka with a very nice communal turnout, a variety of songs and Do you know why? Hint: The Jews response before a big event in this week’s Parsha! songbook, too. On Sunday her classmates went up to Burlington VT and participated in MAIMONIDES a elegant communal TuBishvat celebration 404 Partridge Street that featured Mrs. Slonim of Binghamton as the guest speaker (she said that each person is Albany NY 12208 gold!) They stayed overnight and did some visits and nice activities while up there.
TWO TEFILLAH PARTIES ON TUES Kitah Alef’s Siddur Party with Morah Devorah, Kitah Gimel Mesibat Shmona Esray with Morah DL. See page 4.
LIMA BEAN PROGRESS Kindergarteners didn’t want us to print the top picture because the lima beans hadn’t sprouted yet, but now that they developed roots and were planted in earth for Tu Bishvat they were eager to show how their plants began to grow (picture below from their windowsill). It might be too small to see but in the top photo each student pictured holding a single letter that spells: “Grow Just Like Us!” as in the verse: “For man is a tree of the field”.
FRUIT MESSAGES These posters were made with the HS boys in the recent after-school program. Each has a life-message to be learned from these fruits: pistachios = accessibility, grapes = effort and growth over time, pomegranates = abundance of good deeds, olives = squeeze or pressure that can bring out the best in us. More posters not shown here.
THE TU BISHVAT BREAKFAST A beloved annual tradition at Maimonides! Every table got sparkling grape-juice, so we began with a Borei Pri HaGafen L’chaim, and then made the Ha’Eitz blessing on fruits of the 7 Kinds including figs and dates (see picture above of Kindergarteners holding up their sweet dates). Every table got a tray of dried fruits and a tray of tree-nuts, and some classes ate much of it! The most exciting feature are the “fruity” cereals, this year mixed with ricecrispies so we don’t get too much sugar all at once (it was just as yummy anyways). Then we had several student presentations, see on right:
ILLUSTRATED IVRIT FRUIT BOOKS
THE GIVING TREE
HS illustrated (beautifully) also with Morah Rivi, a Morah Rivi’s 4/5 graders made their own illustrated books with a Hebrew version of the Giving Tree (later to be big spectrum of Hebrew named bound). Afterwards the fruits. They shared selections of whole school watched the their books at the breakfast. film and discussed it a bit.
SHORT FILMS In addition to Giving Tree, Rabbi Yossi also found a number of short Tu Bishvat films screened at the breakfast, including a clip of when the Hechts’ great-grandfather brought fruits to the Rebbe.
CARING FOR A LOST ANIMAL Rabbi Shmuly’s 4/5 graders are learning about Lost & Found in Gemorah Bava Metziah. Now they’re learning about caring for a lost animal, which is very different than caring for a lost object, and therefore the subject of Talmudic argument because there are more expenses and a higher level of care required.
THE WITCHES: BOOK VS. FILM After finishing the book, 4/5 watched the film of Roald Dahl’s “The Witches”. Then they analyzed the similarities and differences between the book and the film. One ADDING HA’ADAMA BLESSINGS interesting thing is that the book ends on a Morah Devorah’s first graders made a big tree cliffhanger, while the film adds on an ending filled with Hebrew-titled fruits (in their own and an extra character, too. handwriting) for Tu Bishvat. They expanded underneath the tree with a whole set of Borei THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER Pri Ha’Adamah vegetables. It’s a work in 8th grade science class is learning with Mrs. progress: The word Borei is almost filled in, Roland about radioactivity and the effects of but Pri Ha’Adama is not filled in yet! exposure to high levels of radiation. They watched a film about the Chernobyl disaster DOES IT LIVE UP TO/FULFILL in Belarus Russia, and later connected that EXPECTATIONS & POTENTIAL? with the Chabad Children of Chernobyl 6/7 grade boys learned a tiny 3-line Sugyah humanitarian project, still ongoing! (Talmud topic) on Sukkah 3b on this theme that had to do with qualifying (very small) 16,000-30,000 WORDS houses to connect cities to extend Shabbos HS girls are writing novels in English class walking limits, but it has important lessons for with Mrs. Crawford. The size of their works all areas of life, especially when judging and range between 16,000 and 30,000 words. They evaluating ourselves and others. are now in the editing stage. Painstaking work!
BETTER TOGETHER ESSAYS The essay contest is back! Middle and HS students (6th grade and up who participated in most of Better-Together school programs) can write about senior citizens or the elderly, or their interactions with them, growing old or intergenerational experiences. It can be based on the Better-Together program or your own personal experience. Essays must be at least 2 pages long, or a maximum of 4 pages, with1.5 line spacing, 12 point font, and 1 inch page margins. Essays have to be student work, but faculty or parents may assist with editing. Entry deadline is March 20th. Prizes include camp scholarships, tuition for GAP year programs as well as a generous stipend to the schools or sponsoring organizations of the top three winning essays.
FALSE PROPHETS
J-FED CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS
It’s an old problem! Morah Dini and the HS Girls learned pieces of Talmud and other classic Rabbinic sources on this topic after learning this issue in their Navi class.
The Jewish Federation offers scholarships to area children & college students for overnight Jewish camps, Jewish travel experiences, summer and yearlong Israel programs. Due to limited funding, its based on financial need: questionnaire form, parents recent federal tax return, and possible telephone follow-up. Application Deadline is March 4 for programs of summer 2016. Questions? call Rebecca Miller at Federation: 783-7800 x225, rmiller@jewishfedny.org. Forms are available at the school office or online at www.jewishfedny.org. For local day camps, the Federation funds eligible day camps directly (to a certain degree). Parents should apply directly to these camps for campership.
JUDICIAL SYSTEM In Social Studies class HS girls are learning about the judicial system among the branches of federal government.
SOUP OF THE WEEK Kids love it! Thank to the parents who have been coming in to prepare a different soup each week in “Nathan’s Kitchen” for the kids and students to enjoy.
RED HEIFER IN CHUKAT HS girls are learning all about the laws of purity and impurity in Chumash class.
TORAH365 learning this coming week the end of Avos Chap 3
“Rabbi Elazar ben Chisma says: The laws of bird offerings and womens cycles are ‘Gufei Halachos’ while astronomy and geometry are ’Paparaot’ of wisdom” (Last Mishna Avos Chap 3) from Rabbi Rubin’s Pirkei Avot commentary: Most translations see “Parparaot” as seasonings or condiments, and ‘Gufei Halachot’ as essentials, which seems to put astronomy and geometry on a lower level or priority. But R’ Elazar ben Chisma himself was a mathematician! And why differentiate between the calculations of cycles, patterns and probabilities in the laws of Birds and Womens Cycles, to astronomy and geometry is used extensively in the laws of establishing the new month and in the laws of Eruvin? Both are crucial to Torah law, why the difference?
HS TRIPS TO NORTH & SOUTH Our HS boys went on two recent exciting trips. (a) For Yud Shvat they traveled to Crown Heights where Motti chaperoned them for a very full trip. They had a meal and study at Anshei Moshe after arriving in NY on Tuesday, spent Wednesday davening and learning at the Rebbe’s Ohel, in the Rebbe’s Room, got a tour of the Freidiker Rebbe’s apartment, and also prayed Mincha in the Rebbe’s home on President Street. That night they joined hundreds of students from Yeshivot all over the county (and the world!) for a gathering and a late-night farbrengen. (b) The next Sunday Mr. Kochman drove them up to Lake Thirteen in the Adirondacks, where they snow-shoed across the lake (see picture above) and even did a nighttime snowshoe excursion as well. Thanks to Rabbi Kellman for helping them out up there.
Let’s take a closer look at “Paraparaot”, a versatile word used in various ways in Mishna and Talmud Brachot: it can mean appetizer or dessert, which are both seen as a bonus but non-essential, or it can be seen as a side-dish or spread which becomes part of the meal itself. In fact, to bentsch you need to eat a Kzayit volume of bread, but the “Paraparaot” side-dishes can count towards that because they become an integral part of it. This, says Rabbi Rubin, may be R’ Elazar b. Chisma’s message, opposite of its conventional interpretations: Certain calculations (such as the probabilities in the laws of bird offerings or the patterns of womens cycles) have limited (but very important) use to those specific laws “Gufei Halachos” those laws themselves. But the knowledge and skills of astronomy and geometry have broader application and can become a sidedish and integral part of many areas of Torah learning and understanding!
DAILY VOTE THRU MARCH We need a new playground, let’s try this sweepstakes. It’s one click a day for our school (12208) let’s give it a shot: http://www.togethercounts.com/healthyplayground-makeover It’s one click a day! And a good pledge we can all agree with!
LEGAL ASSUMPTIONS FUN FRIDAYS W/ MS. FORD If they get all their work done, 1st and 2nd graders get to play games on Friday but guess what - these games are learning, too!
When it is safe to assume? When does physical possession of something telling? These are questions our HS Boys are learning with Rabbi Rubin and Rabbi Simon in different parts of the third chapter of Talmud Bava Basra. They had a flashback to a NYS Law, too!
at Maimonides and in the Community 1/28-31: EXTENDED WEEKEND OFF 2/6: TORAH365 CHAPTER 3 PARTY 1/28: Half-day General Studies, 11:30am dismissal The Torah365 study schedule is now finishing chapter 3 of Pirkei Avot with a siyum party at 1/29: No school on Friday CBAJ after Shabbos morning services. 2/1: School resumes 9:30am (after davening)
1/28: THURSDAY THINGS TO DO
2/7: WINTERFEST IN WILTON
1/30: SHABBOS PARSHA YISRO
10am-2pm at Wilton Wildlife Preserve (80 Scout Rd in Gansevoort), free admission, drop-in event. $5 rental: snowshoes or cross-country skis at Info Booth in Parking Lot #1. (87 North Exit 15, north on Route 50 for 5.3 miles. Left on Scout Rd. Past railroad bridge until crosswalk, right into Parking Lot #1). Bonfire at old Scout Camp’s fire-circle.
This week we read about the Giving of the Torah! Try to make it to Shul to hear it if you can!
2/13: PIZZA NIGHT IV
Albany Institute of History & Art is free 5-8pm on Thursday evenings, look for the 50 Objects Spy Night for ages 5-10 4-5pm at Mechanicville Library 664-4646, decipher codes, laser maze etc. Short&Stout tea talk 8pm @Guilderland Library
1/30: RABBI REISMAN SAT @7:30 Rabbi Y. Reisman’s live Navi class from Brooklyn is screened 7:30pm at the CBAJ Media Center. Rabbi Frand’s class is screened Thursdays at 9pm.
There’s a half-day (General Studies only) on Thursday January 28th (11:30am dismissal), and no school on Friday January 29th. School resumes at 9:30am on Monday, February 1st.
There’s interest in continuing the Parents & Kids Learning at the Pizza Night. If anyone would like to sponsor that night’s extra nosh (beyond pizza night) and prizes, speak to Rabbi Israel Rubin.
2/14: GEM & MINERAL SHOW
Sunday hours (1-5pm) at the Bach are in part to accommodate Sabbath observant library patrons.
NYS Museum hosts this 30+ vendor annual sale. $5pp admission but kids 12 and under are free. Even w/o purchases, can experience as a museum.
1/31: GOT TEFILLIN?
2/21: NEW YORK IN BLOOM
1/31: J-FED’S SUPER SUNDAY
2/28: NEXT KIDS AFTERSCHOOL
1/31: BACH LIBRARY SUNDAYS
PARENTS: NOTE EXTENDED WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Shabbos House needs extra pairs of Tefillin for an Annual event at NYS Museum, $5pp, kids 12 and ambitious Tefillin attempt 11am Sunday, the 31st. under are free w/adult. 100+ floral exhibits.
Federations’ annual phone-a-thon fundraiser for local agencies and beneficiaries (including Maimonides) and overseas Jewish needs. MHDS parents requested to volunteer to make calls.
4th grade and up. Boys and girls programs till 4:30 Stay tuned for details!
1/31: SHLUCHOS CONFERENCE
The 11th year! This year’s speaker and featured presenter is Chana Apfelbaum, a popular and engaging food blogger in NYC. This event at Shabbos House (320 Fuller Rd, parking in UAlbany Dutch Gold lot) is co-sponsored by Capital Chabad, area Jewish Womens groups and the Jewish Federation. $20 ahead, $25 at the door. For more info or to RSVP call Leah 495-0779 or Clara 439-8280 or email: jwc@capitalchabad.com. Event includes spa treatments and luncheon.
Chabad Shluchos Womens Conference climaxes this weekend with a Sunday evening banquet that is viewable live online at: Chabad.org.
1/31: 18TH CENTURY MEDICINE Step back in time to learn about leeches and bloodletting etc at 2pm with museum educator and re-enactor at the Emma Treadwell Thacher Nature Center. Call 872-0800 for more info.
2/4: SIDDUR & S.E. PARTY DAY Two milestone Tefilah parties at school the same day: 8am: Kitah Alef (1st grade) Siddur Party with Morah Devorah 9am: Kitah Gimel (3rd grade) Mesibat Shmona Esray with Morah Devorah Leah
2/28: “BUSY IN BROOKLYN” AT WOMENS SPA FOR BODY & SOUL
2/28: SHLOCK ROCK CONCERT Sponsored by a dozen area orgs, Shlock Rock will be in concert at the Albany JCC, starting at 4:30pm. Email: ShlockRockinAlbany@gmail.com
2/5-7: NCSY REGIONAL IN ALBANY Regional Shabbaton in Albany for grades 8-12, cost $149. Info/Reservations: upstate.ncsy.org
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!”