BH. Tevet
22, 5777 / Jan 20, 2017
Candle-Lighting: Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District 4:35 404 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 5:40 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY
maimonidesschool@gmail.com
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WELCOME WAVE AT THE GRAND CENTRAL SIYUM! This Sunday morning after 8am Shachris at Shomray Torah, our 6th grade students with Rabbi Shmuly will teach a small segment of the Talmud Bava Metziah for about 10-15 minutes, as a “welcome wave” to the Daf Yomi Talmud Express which recently concluded that same tractate. All kids (and adults) are welcome, and there will be a special treat for all kids who come. The special edition bookmark on left has the ten chapter titles of tractate Bava Metziah (3 of these chapters are being learned by various classes at Maimonides) with a short Hebrew synopsis of each chapter. The new Daf Yomi tractate is Bava Basra, an even longer tractate, the first chapter of which deals with privacy, zoning laws and a nice big section with laws and inspiration about Tzedakah.
MHDS ALUMNUS TO FARBRENG We’re excited to have our very own engaging and entertaining Rabbi Zalmy Kudan back from California to farbreng this Sat Night 7:30pm at Maimonides in honor of Chaf-Daled Teves, the Alter Rebbe’s Yartzeit. Tevet 24 is also the yartzeit of Mr. Joe Saidel, an attorney and longtime Minyaneer and a founder of the local Daf Yomi.
REFUAH SHLAYMA Keep Shlomo Yaakov ben Henna Chaya in your prayers for a speedy & complete recovery.
LT. LANS AT “THE SPA” THIS SUNDAY Laurie (Zimet) Lans has a very inspiring personal story serving both G-d and Country as a Naval officer, and wife of a US Army chaplain. She’ll be speaking at this year’s “Spa for the Body & Soul” event, this Sunday at Shabbos House, a special event for women in the community.
SEEING INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
BABY MOSHE IN THE NILE These Nursery students are playing with a toy Moshe in the Nile for the Parsha this week.
“DEAR AMERICA” Mrs. Crawford assigned each 7/8 grade student a different book in the Dear America series of historical fiction including periods like Titanic, Oregon Trail, and the Revolution.
MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208
Some of our classes watched portions of today’s presidential inauguration. Yes, this has been a highly unusual and very controversial election and there are very strong feelings on all sides, but it is current events and history in the making and valuable for students to experience. Rabbi Rubin pointed a piece of Talmud (Brachos 19b) about the value and insight gained by going to see even non-Jewish kings (and leaders) and Rabbi Kelman was there and pointed out various Tehillim lines and Torah references that were quoted.
FOOD FOR BODY & FOR SOUL HS Girls are learning in Tanya chapter 5 how Torah needs to be digested and absorbed to be spiritually nutritious and sustaining, and that’s why Torah is compared to bread and food. At the same time they are learning about the digestive system in science, and there’s a kids poster hanging in their classroom from 7/8 grade science of the digestive tract and how food gets broken down and absorbed. Another Tanya 5 inter-curricular connection they learned has to do with an introduction to Chumash Devarim (spoken from Moshe’s perspective) they learned this week—about how Torah shapes us and how we in turn shape the Torah we learn and how we can become unified with Torah.
STUDY BUDDIES One day last week 7/8 graders paired up with 3rd graders to help them review their Navi and Chumash. Sometimes you learn the most by teaching: “from my students most of all!”
MAKING SOAP FROM ASHES In Social Studies 4th graders are learning how Native Americans made soap out of ashes heated with animal fats. At the same time in science class they’re learning the difference between physical change vs chemical change: chemical change can not be undone, so soap made of ashes & fat is a good example of that.
A MASTODON TOOTH Also, in 4th grade Social Studies, they learned how Native Americans used to hunt the nowextinct massive elephant-like mastodon. A mastodon skeleton is on display at the NYS Museum downtown. When the Gurocks were visiting Atlanta, they went to a science museum there where they got to touch a mastodon tooth. And that one tooth (rough with bumps) was the size of their hand!
COOKING HALACHA
SPEAKING OF MEZONOT AND THE THIRD GRADE... Morah Devorah Leah owed these third graders a long overdue Siyum treat and they didn't forget about it, so one day this week she took them down to “Nathan’s Kitchen” to bake their own choco-chip mandelbread. Yum!
FRACTIONS, FRACTIONS, FRACTIONS... FOOD CHAINS Ms. Ford’s first grade students made hanging plates demonstrating different species and levels of plant and animal life that feed on & are supported by the next level on the chain.
FROM FIRST TO HIGH SCHOOL
A triple connection! All from this week: (1) 4th graders are learning fractions in Math with Mrs. Maher. (2) In Mishna with Rabbi Shmuly they learned about the fraction of wine or liquid deducted due to absorption in the barrels. (3) And in Yahadus with Morah Mushky they learned how each individual person in a Minyan is a fraction that builds up to a complete Minyan.
Also this week, as first graders learn the food chain, HS Science students with Mrs. Kirkley RESPECT BEFORE TORAH are learning about the different kingdoms of 7/8 wrote poems or other expressive life from the simplest one-cell organism all the writing about this Pitgam-saying: way to humans. They learned about Fungi, “Derech Eretz Kadma L’Torah” Monera and Protists. respect and decency come before Torah.
AND SPEAKING OF CYCLES 4th grade Navi learned about the repetitive cycle of Jewish behavior during the time of the Shoftim: They got comfortable, grew lax and sinned; an enemy gets strong, there’s danger and punishment; they cry out and return to Gd; Hashem appoints a Shofet Judge to lead them; they stay in a good groove until, they get comfortable again, grow lax and…
HS Girls with Morah Dini are stirring up the pot, keeping the lid on the stew (both puns BRACHOT with Halachic implications) as they learn MAVENS advanced Halacha on the complex laws of Kindergarteners are Bishul cooking before and on Shabbos: things learning about that increase heat, things which don’t, what’s blessings we make on considered partially cooked, and the difference different categories of between L’chatchila (first-case scenario) and food. 3rd graders joined them as “Study B’dieved (after-the-fact) rulings. Buddies” and helped them make signs for each of the blessings with illustrations of food GRAPHIC DESIGN UPDATE types that fit that blessing. This one pictured is HS now learning Photoshop with Morah Rivi. of the “Mezonot” blessing.
BIRKAT KOHANIM In Yahadus curriculum this week, 4th grade learned about the priestly blessing, how the Kohain has to wash his hands, go up on the Duchan platform before Retzay in the Amidah, the famous hands-split, and the blessing they recite before blessing the people— which is “Hashem commanded us to bless his people with Love!”
PLEASE RETURN ESTY LIBRARY BOOKS, THANKS! We’re delighted that our students enjoy reading! But please remember to return your borrowed Esty Library books each Friday so that other students can read the same book you enjoyed. There are a considerable number of books out now, please find and return them. Thanks!
BOYS THURSDAY MISHMAR 7/8 grade boys took the initiative to set up a Thursday afterschool Mishmar for boys in grades 3+, that started with a Parsha study, they enjoyed treats and played a musical chairs game. It went very well, good leadership! They plan to do this monthly. For the next Mishmar, HS Girls will do something for girls on those Thursdays, stay tuned.
REFLEX MATH UPDATE 4th graders got certificates with their fluency levels RABBI ROY FELDMAN SPEAKS ABOUT THE RAMBAM based on the computer program, and 3rd graders are excited to have begun using Reflex Rabbi Feldman of CBAJ spoke to our middle school & HS students on the Rambam’s yartzeit this week focusing on the various books that Rambam (Maimonides, our school’s namesake) Math for the first time! wrote, from his early works: Commentary on the Mishna (written in Arabic, the first-ever Mishna-only commentary) and Sefer HaMitzvos (the groundwork to his later Mishna Torah/ SAD SONG WITH MORAH RIVI Yad). Rabbi Feldman showed them sample texts from both Mishna Torah (also known as the 7/8 Navi is covering a historical period with a Yad HaChazakah) about the time for the nighttime Shema and Moreh Nevuchim (Guide for lot of drama: Absalom’s rebellion against his the Perplexed) about what it means “B’Tzelem Elokim” - does Hashem have an image? father King David. There was a word used there that reminded Morah Rochel of a NEW THINGS ABOUT modern Hebrew song, so she asked Morah Rivi to teach them in Ivrit class “HaChovesh” THE RAMBAM song about the medic and the wounded. learned at school for his yartzeit this week
PARSHA ON THE BOARD 7/8 was learning a Parsha Shmot thought explaining a Rashi about the tribe of Levi during Egyptian bondage—and to help them visualize the idea, one student doodled it on the board, and one thing led to another and by the time class ended they had the whole thought mapped out in vivid visual!
LITTLE LIBRARIES Now at the sanding stage, later shellacked, and lettered before we fill them with books to bring to area senior homes for “Better Together!”
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THE BIG COMPLAINT: Other Rabbis were upset: No footnotes! No sources! The Rambam did that to keep his work more user-friendly and accessible to average folks. But his lack of footnotes did create a whole industry of Rabbis for generations trying to source his work.
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HIS BROTHER’S SHIPWRECK: and other hardships in his life, including his family’s flight from the fanatical Almohad Muslims in his youth. Incidentally, his brother’s shipwreck (and the subsequent financial ruin) is what led him to become a medical doctor.
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NOSEI-KEYLIM/ARMS-BEARERS: In a classic Rambam edition, the Rambam text is surrounded by commentary, similar to the way the Talmud looks. Most of those Rabbis explain his work or trace and source his rulings but some argue with his conclusions, including the famous Raavad who disagrees in tiny cryptic notes.
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HOW MANY BOOKS HE WROTE: and his important letters! Rabbi Feldman (see picture caption above) shared the messages of two of Rambam’s letters: Iggeret HaShmad and Iggeret Teiman, the current events relevance to the challenges of those times and the impact those letters had on those Jewish communities and beyond.
A PAPER LEAF EXPERIMENT As Ms. Ford’s students learned about deserts, they cut out leaf-shapes out of paper and dipped them into water. Some leaves were placed in wax paper and pasted on a window facing the sun, and the others were pasted on without the wax paper covering. Guess which leaves stayed moist longer? This experiment reflects how some leaves in nature have a protective coating to help them preserve water.
ORDER SHMOT TORAH-TIMES As we begin the new Chumash of Shmos you can order Shmos Torah-Times for $18 or one joint convenient volume of Breishis & Shmos for $24.99 printed and shipped to your door. See the Amazon order link at: www.TheTorahTimes.com
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THE GREAT EAGLE: Why is Rambam called that title? His Mishna Torah was a result of a way high-up birds-eye view of all of Torah, yet with pointpoint precise vision of every detail. And the strong wing-span!
MORE PAPER FUN/LEARNING They’re making origami with Morah Rivi, paper isn’t only base for art, it is the art itself.
at Maimonides and in the Community 1/21: SHABBOS SHMOS We’re starting a new Chumash this week. The new Torah-Times is out for Shmos, you can now order (not on Shabbos, of course) a printed book of Breishis & Shmos (or Shmos alone) from the Amazon link at: www.TheTorahTimes.com
1/21: MONSEY YESHIVA VISITS Rabbi Shwab’s Degel HaTorah Yeshiva in Monsey will once again be up for a Shabbos visit. They’ll be staying at school and davening at Shteeble. Rabbi Rubin will share further insights with new material, on the longstanding developing discussion on the case of “The Shopkeeper’s Candle” and the blessing on a public Menorah. The booklet pictured has a picture of Mr. Joe Saidel obm, for his Tevet 24 yartzeit this Sunday.
495-0779, Chanie 439-3919 with any questions. Remember, parking is at the Dutch/Gold Parking lot, closest University lot to Shabbos House.
1/23: MEET & GREET JOHN FASO Meet & Greet Breakfast With Congressman John Faso, 8am at Jewish Federation, 184 Washington Ave Extension. RSVP/Info: 783-7800.
1/23: UALBANY KOSHER DINING UAlbany Kosher Dining at Indian Quad under Vaad HaKashruth and open to community resumes after winter break. See online: ualbanydining.com/ dining-choices/kosher-kitchen.html
1/28: PIZZA NITE III At “Nathan’s Kitchen” at Maimonides, run by HS Girls, benefits their extra-curricular. They’ve been very efficient, a great team, making delicious pizzas.
1/28: NCSY 8-12 SNOWTUBING NCSY is taking teens in grades 8-12 snowtubing right after Shabbos, 6:05pm from CBAJ. $14pp.
1/29: J-FED’S SUPER SUNDAY
Federation’s Super Sunday fundraiser supports both local and overseas beneficiary organizations, 1/21: KUDAN KIDDUSH from Maimonides to Sderot, from PJ Library to Kudans sponsoring Kiddush this week at Shteeble. summer camp scholarships. Parents: please sign up for a shift to call, or for one of the follow-up calling 1/21: TEVET 24 MELAVA MALKA nights. It benefits the greater community as well as Sat Night 7:30pm at Maimonides. Informal Melava our school, and overseas Jewish needs as well. Malka/farbrengen commemorates yartzeit of Alter Rebbe (and locally Joe Saidel) at the same time it 2/14: MEGA KIDS CHALLAH BAKE happened in 1813, Motzai Shabbos Shmos. Rabbi Exciting hands-on Mega Challah Bake experience Zalmy Kudan (MHDS alumnus) visiting from CA for kids ages 5-13. Sunday, 2:30-4:30 at the Albany will be the guest speaker. JCC. Children should be accompanied by an adult. No Charge. Please RSVP by Tuesday, February 7. 1/22: WELCOMING THE DAF YOMI RSVP: www.CapitalKidsChallahBake.com GEMORAH EXPRESS AT SIYUM Chanie@CapitalChabad.com 439-3310. Our students (also studying Bava Metziah) are waiting at the “station” to welcome the Daf Yomi 2/16-20: FEB BREAK UPDATE Bava Metziah Express and will present at Daf Yomi As on the original school calendar, there will be no Sunday, after 8am Shacharis at Shomray Torah. school Thursday 2/16 thru Monday Feb 20th. This will be on the yartzeit of the Alter Rebbe, and School resumes Tuesday, the 21st at 8am. of Joe Saidel obm, a founder of the local Daf Yomi.
1/22: LAURIE LANS TO SPEAK AT WOMENS SPA FOR BODY & SOUL Lt. Commander Laurie Lans of the US Navy (and wife of US Army chaplain Rabbi Moshe Lans) will be the guest speaker at this year’s spa for the body and soul. She has a unique story, both of her military career and personal journey. $25 at the door. Spa treatments 1:30-2:30pm; soups, salads, sweets, raffles and speaker 2:30-4:30pm. Call Leyee
2/24: FED CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS Federation Camp Scholarships are due by this date, forms are available from Federation or from the school office.
3/24-25: REGIONAL SHABBATON Chabad on Campus Regional Shabbaton to be hosted at Shabbos House.
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!”