Maimonides Community

BH. Cheshvan

3, 5776 / Oct 16, 2015

Candle-Lighting: Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District 6:05 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org Shabbos Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel Rubin & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 7:04 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY

maimonidesschool@gmail.com

This newsletter is sponsored in loving memory of

Rebecca Amann mother of Maxine Morgenbesser in tribute to her love of learning and support of education instilled in her children & grandchildren NOT A THREAD OR SHOELACE

MR. ROSSMAN’S FASCINATING FABLE OF NOAH’S ARK Morah Aviva’s father was in town visiting her from Oregon. He came into school to share with the kids his own creative fable based on the story of the Ark, but from the perspective of the animals! His story included (among other things) the huge rhinoceros, a hidden earthworm and a busy honeybee. Morah Aviva grew up & developed her own talents based on the stories her dad created just for her.

3rd graders learned in Chumash class about Avraham refusing to take even the smallest thing like a thread or shoelace from the spoils of the war, but didn’t extend that restriction to those who fought alongside him. It was a “Maimonides Middos” about not being selfish and greedy, yet also understanding that others might not have the same personal standards and that it could be different for them. 3rd graders (new to MC Newsletter reporting) were excited to share the connection with their English class, because “thread” was on their list of Vocab words! Indeed, we love intercurricular connections. And to make the point memorable, Morah Dini brought in “pull and peel” licorice for them to enjoy.

LOST AND FOUND

KINDERGARTEN SETS SAIL ON NOAH’S ARK First they cut out and pasted all these animals on the black paper below, and then got aboard their classroom Ark, to peer out happily from the peep-holes at the TNT photographer. This week we read in the Parsha about the Ark being refuge of safety in a turbulent raging world.

MAIMONIDES ISRAEL ON OUR MIND & HEART Like Jewish people everywhere, we are aware (each grade at their own level) and concerned about the wave of terror currently hitting Israel, especially in Jerusalem. See this week’s “High 5” (inside on page 3) for various ways we have been connecting with this situation at school, and what we’ve been doing in some small ways from a distance.

404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208

Did you lose cash in the school parking lot on Thursday? If you did, speak to Morah Leyee or leave a message with Sharona in the office. It so happens that several of our grades are now learning the Talmud about Lost and Found “Eilu Metziyos” with Rabbi Shmuly.

LEARNING ABOUT ROSH CHODESH ON ROSH CHODESH 3rd grade Mishna (yes, they did a lot of reporting in TNT!) learned with Rabbi Shmuly about spreading the news of Rosh Chodesh - and it was Rosh Chodesh that day!

They learned about ancient methods of spreading the word long before telephones and emails, including fires on mountaintops.

THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE KERIAH-METER PIZZA PARTY 3rd graders finished their first Keriah-Meter thermometer of 1,000 lines read at home, and were treated to a Pizza Party in Nathan’s Kitchen at school. They enjoyed both making the pizzas (dough from scratch) and of course eating it as well. Now they look forward to the next Keriah-Meter challenge that’s more than double their first one!

8th graders are reading another short mystery of Sherlock Holmes, this one has a simple but clever ending.

APPLE ADVENTURE @ GOOLDS First and Second graders went on a field trip (literally to a field!) to Goold’s Apple Orchards to pick apples, have a tour of the farm, and learn how they are grown, cared for, harvested and sold. They were very proud of the delicious apples they picked!

GOING THRU ELLIS ISLAND Mrs. Ramsay’s 8th grade Social Studies is learning about the Ellis Island experience.

They are writing journal entries from the perspective of immigrants at that time, took a virtual tour of Ellis Island and even took sample immigration tests.

RUNNING CLUB @ RIDGEFIELD This week was the start of the twice a week running club with Mrs. Levin. The goal is to eventually build up to a 2-mile run! After a CHALLAH BULLETIN BOARD These two huge paper Challahs were drawn by sprint down to Ridgefield Park (right down Partridge Street) they split up into centers: the High School girls and hand filled with much wisdom about Challah from Chumash jump-rope, ball-throwing, jumping jacks, touch runs, and other readiness exercises. Remember to Talmud, Halacha to mysticism, based on to wear the right type of shoes! what they learned in their commentary-filled Chumash class Parsha Shelach with Morah Leyee. Stop by to read it next time you are in school. Note the silver-foil backing!

MEIR’S BIRTHDAY GIFT Guess what Meir I. gave for his birthday? You read that right. It’s not what he got for his birthday, but what he gave! In honor of his 3rd grade birthday, Meir and his family donated this book called “Adventures in 3D” to the “Esty Library” for other students to enjoy.

Morah Dini took the book out, and is reading parts of it to her students now and then when they finish their work.

FIRST SIGHTING OF SNOW! Rabbi Rubin & Morah Rochel were out with 6/7 on an outing this week when they came across a pile of snow! It was behind a skating rink, and it turns out that the shavings from the ice are dumped outside and turned to snow. The plan was to go to a Bubble-Show, but as it was too full, they stopped off to pick some apples and then at a playground with tunnels and slides - and a skating rink behind.

FIREPIT AT SLEEPOVER HS Boys enjoyed their first Monday sleepover at Shabbos House, and cooked their own dinner over a perfect cooking fire they built, using leftover ends of Schach branches.

Hotdogs, burgers, potatoes, s’mores of course.

They learned life lessons from 3 Paintings: a war scene, a bird in a field and a courtroom.

HOW GLUE STICKS BEST In Science Enrichment last Friday, Mrs. Ballard-Hubble gave student teams in several grades the same amount of flour to mix with water to make a glue paste. The flour amount was fixed, students had to experiment with how much water to use to create the stickiest working glue solution. Kit had to be glued to junk pieces of cardboard to test its stickness and strength. Some students got it to a very sticky consistency and even built mini Sukkahs out of the cardboard and the school-made glue paste. One student who lived in Israel said he remembers them using such a type of paste to throw signs up quickly on walls before a political election or to make other such announcements. The memory stuck!

PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS HS girls are learning about the political and election process by following the current candidates. They’ve watched portions of the debates, researched their policies, backgrounds and are forming their own opinions. They are not far off from the age of voting themselves, so learning the process is a great skill to have.

Due to the current terror situation...

ISRAEL ON OUR MINDS, & ACTION

1

TEHILLIM: We’ve been saying extra Tehillim in our classes for the Jewish people in Israel now facing a wave of terror, especially in Jerusalem (Psalm 122 has beautiful lines about seeking the welfare of Jerusalem and peace in its gates). We mention specific names of some of the wounded, but have all of Israel in mind.

2

TZEDAKAH: Morah Rochel announced that all monies in the classroom Tzedakah boxes this month will be saved up for an organization in Israel. It’s always good to bring a daily coin for Tzedakah, but this month please make a special daily effort.

3

KEEPING INFORMED: Many of our classes are talking about what’s happening now in Israel, some of our older students are getting a closer look via online resources. One class watched a video of the ZAKA volunteers (who help at the scene of Israeli emergencies and tragedies) come back to the scene of an attack and sing hopeful songs together.

4

FIRST PERSON: Morah Devorah just returned from Jerusalem, so she was able to give us a first-person report. Another student met a visiting Israeli who lost a friend to a stabbing attack. One of our families has a neighbor in NY who is related to the man who was killed in Jerusalem. In addition we are in touch with friends and family in Israel to get first-person perspective that you can’t always get from news and online. Remarkably, Israelis (while worried and concerned) have tremendous faith.

5

MITZVOT MERIT Let’s add in Mitzvot, increase in light, in the merit of those in harms way. Science shows us the widereaching ripple effects of our actions or inactions, and Torah tells us the same. Each Mitzvah can make a difference!

PJ LIBRARY / SIFRIAT PIJAMA Maimonides was just approved to be part of both the Hebrew and English free PJ book club for families of children ages 2-8 years old.

Enrollment forms and explanations of each of these book programs will be sent home and are also available at the school office.

SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE NIGHT Parents, please save the date for a meet the teachers night on October 21st. This is an opportunity to meet our new (& old) teachers, NOTHING BEATS PARSHA WITH hear about the curriculum and plans and expectations for the year. There will be Parent- “THE TORAH TIMES”!

8th graders had a blast with Rabbi Rubin’s Teacher conferences at a later date.

“Torah Times” this week. There’s some much WHY ARE CLOTHES SO CHEAP? creativity, insight and sourced commentary in Sometimes they may feel expensive when you every line! Sometimes you think something is go shopping, but if you realize what goes into there casually or just for fun, but it also has clothes, and how most people nowadays have meaning and relevance, it is so cool & clever! many more items of clothing than people used to have - you realize that its not as expensive as it would be if it was all made in the USA. 6/7 grade read an article in Social Studies class that explains how modern clothing is made, and aside for automation and machinery, one of the ways companies keep prices low is because the industry relies on very low-paying jobs with long & challenging work conditions in far-off countries, but for those people it is a income they wouldn’t have otherwise.

A boy was walking down the street with a monkey on his shoulder. A policeman stopped him and said, “You should take him to the zoo.” The next day, the same policeman saw the boy again waking down the street with the monkey sitting on his shoulders. The policeman asked, “Didn’t I tell you to take that monkey to the zoo?” The boy replied, “Yes, that’s what I did yesterday. Today I am taking him to the movies!”

When does the stadium get hot? When the fans leave!

What stays in its corner yet can travel all over the world? A stamp.

What has one head, one foot, and four legs? A bed.

JEWISH CALENDAR TRICKS Rabbi Avraham Kelman taught our HS students some great tricks about the Jewish calendar. If you know what day of the week the first day of Passover will be, there’s an “AT -BASH” easy Hebrew way to know what day of the week most other holidays will be that year, too! They learned “GUCH-ATZAT” a mnemonic to remember which years of a 19 year cycle will be a leap-year. You know the “Chalakim” announced at the Molad? They learned how to calculate that, too!

WORDS REALLY DO MATTER There has been much attention (especially on social-media) to the wording of headlines and news stories in the current wave of terror attacks in Israel, some of which are biased or deliberately meant to shift blame or misinform which is dishonest journalism, at the very least (and emboldens terrorists at worst). Our students were discussing this, and a teacher brought to their attention how this can be an important lesson: Words matter! Knowing how to use your words well makes a big difference because a slight change in wording can change the whole story! This is something to think about when speaking with or about friends, and also to remember when working in English class and wondering why it all matters.

MAZAL TOV Mazal Tov to all the local Mets fans as their team enters the NLCS series against the Cubs, but special MZT to Rabbi Nachman Simon and Stan Rosenberg, longtime dedicated Cubs fans on their team making it to the NLCS, second round of the playoffs! The first game starts right after Shabbos, right after Havdalah.

CAN YOU SUE FOR PRIVACY? This is a big Talmud question at the start of tractate Bava Basra. Our HS boys are enjoying learning this with Rabbi Rubin, especially with the live relevant perspective. Stay tuned!

at Maimonides and in the Community 10/17: HAGOMEL KIDDUSH Everyone at Shomray Torah is happy to see Reb Moshe Losice back in good health, there will be a Kiddush this Shabbos after Musaf.

10/18: JEWISH GIRLS UNITE Online this Sunday at 1:30pm “United for Israel, You Complete the Circle” a virtual Rosh Chodesh celebration for mothers and daughters. See website for directions: www.JewishGirlsUnite.com

10/19-20: DR GIL TROY ON CAMPUS Jewish Federation is bringing Dr. Gil Troy to speak at Union College on Monday 10/19 (7:30pm at the Nott Memorial) and at UAlbany on Tuesday 10/20 (7:30pm at the Campus Center Assembly Hall) about Israel, Zionism & History co-sponsored by the respective college Hillels. He is also speaking separately at the Federation for school teachers, especially Social Studies/History.

10/20: SHANGHAI TRIP No, not to China. But our HS boys are going on another trip to visit and interview people involved in the Shanghai WWII rescue story. It’s a most auspicious day because it is the yartzeit of Rabbi Meir Shapiro (founder of Daf Yomi & the Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin) whose students were in Shanghai, including a man they are visiting.

10/21: MHDS OPEN HOUSE NIGHT 7-8pm at school. Meet teachers, discuss curriculum plans and expectations for the school year. This “Open House Night” is not a parent-teacher conference to discuss individual student progress, which will come at a later time.

10/31: DAF YOMI SIYUM Melava Malka Siyum at CBAJ celebrating the Siyum of tractate Nazir studied daily (mornings at CBAJ, weekends at Shomray Torah) by the Daf Yomi Study Group. All welcome!

11/1: KIDS STUFF GARAGE SALE 9am-1pm at Albany JCC. Clothes, books, toys.

11/3: HOWARD GARDNER SPEAKS

which tells the nearly forgotten story of Nicholas Winton, an Englishman who organized the rescue of 669 children during the Holocaust. Winton, who recently passed way on July 1st 2015 at 106 years old! did not speak about these events with anyone for more than half a century. His exploits may have been forgotten if his wife, fifty years later, hadn’t found a suitcase in the attic, full of documents and transport plans. Today this story is known all over the world. The film will be shown 6pm at Clifton Park Library on Moe Rd.

IT ALL STARTS WITH AN ALEF! Nursery students are proud to display their Alef pages (with red tissue paper for Adom = red) with Morah Rivka. They are on track (see Morah Rivka holding the locomotive?) to learn and love the whole Alef-Bais!

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

11/10: “MY ITALIAN SECRET” Another film about Holocaust rescuers, this one set in Italy. Kristallnacht screening 7pm at UAlbany’s downtown Page Hall, with La Rabinessa Liora Kelman of Congregation Beth Israel sharing her family story, the Saranos from Milan, how they were saved in the small Italian village of Mombaroccio, during the Holocaust.

11/14: ESTY MEMORIAL TBA The annual Esty Memorial Lecture has not been set yet, but we’re trying for a Sat Night Melava Malka and speaker on this date. Stay tuned, update soon!

11/21: FIRST PIZZA NIGHT Save the date for the first Pizza Night of this year’s winter season. Eat-In/Take-Out. All proceeds go to High School year-end trip and extra-curricular activities. Stay tuned for details!

12/4: “SHABBAT 360” UALBANY A joint effort is being made to have a mega Shabbat dinner in the UAlbany Campus Center Ballroom on this Shabbat. Area college students are welcome to join! Stay tuned for more info.

12/14: MHDS RAFFLE-AUCTION and Chanukah Dinner, at the very last moments of the 8th day of Chanukah, Monday 5-7pm. Save the date, and also please consider donating or soliciting prizes as we have to finalize the packages before the last week of October.

2/28: SPA FOR BODY & SOUL

Gardner is considered the father of the multiple The 11th year! Stay tuned for info. Save the date! intelligences theory, especially important in the educational field and approach. He’s speaking at Some tentative dates now being planned: Union College at the Feigenbaum Forum. Some of 11/14: Esty Memorial Lecture and Melava Malka our Maimonides teachers will be attending.

12/25: Erev Shabbos Day of Communal Learning 12/30: Themed Half-Day of Learning at School 11/9: “NICKY’S FAMILY” IN C.P. 12/31: Winter Camp Fun at School Clifton Park Chabad and Clifton Park Library present “Nicky’s Family”, an award-winning film

Morah Devorah’s Kitah Bet are each writing out and coloring opposite Hebrew words to be displayed on their classroom wall. Chazak vs Chalash = strong vs. weak, Sameach vs. Atzuv = happy vs. sad, Rachok vs. Karov = far vs. near and a bunch of other opposing words.

TORAH365 This coming week, the communal “Torah365” initiative will be studying Mishnas 4-7 in the first chapter of Pirkei Avot. See www.cbaj.org/ Torah365 for study questions on each Mishna, sample commentary, events and more info.

Here are some “local” tips from Rabbi Rubin’s commentary to Mishnas 4 &5 about the two Rabbi Yosi’s and their messages of hospitality: 1. Why do these Mishnas insist on naming the places (Tzreida and Jerusalem) these two Rabbis were from? Most Mishnas do not.

2. Notice the different focus on the type of guests each of these Rabbis encourage us to welcome.

3. Usually, we think of hospitality and warm welcome benefitting the guests. But what does it do for the hosts?

4. In the daily “Eilu Dvarim” Mishna we say in the morning blessings, notice how most Mitzvot are written in the singular but hospitality is written in the plural “Hachnosat Orchim” (plural for guests) and is also commonly referred to that way as well.

These questions are food for thought. Juxtapose these two Mishnas on a similar but different theme, of these Rabbi Yosi’s who were a pair.

What do these two Mishnas tells us as a set?

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!”