BH. Tishrei
5, 5780 / October 4, 2019
ב“ה
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 6:14 Shabbat Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel Rubin & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 7:12 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY
SHORT FIRST WEEK OF YEAR School started a month ago, but this is the first week of the Jewish Year of 5780, a short week school-wise since Rosh Hashanah was on Monday and Tuesday.
maimonidesschool@gmail.com
MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208
TZOM GEDALYA STUDIES On the day after Rosh Hashanah, Morah Rochel learned with middle school students the passage in Jeremiah that describes the tragic assassination of Gedalya, the last governor of Judea after the Babylonian conquest, by a fellow Jew. Rabbi Mendel learned with them the Talmud text in Rosh Hashanah (18b) which discusses (based on a verse from Zecharia) this fast in the context of the other 3 fasts for the Temple’s destruction. Rabbi Rubin showed the HS Girls an infographic-type video about the interesting connections between the killing of Gedalya and the selling of Yosef, how the wordings match up and both speak to how destructive brotherly (insider) hatred can be and how powerful the reverse/positive is!
This MC Newsletter is dedicated in loving memory of
Dr. Bernard Teitelman 14th Yartzeit: Yom Kippur by Joyce and the Teitelman & Lew Families MOLDY BREAD EXPERIMENT
Germs are hard to see, so Mrs. Mattice’s students did a hands-on experiment with plain bread (the control) and bread that had been handled a lot with unwashed hands and coughed upon etc and they saw which bread got moldy quicker and stronger. It’s a good science experiment in 1st and 2nd grade and makes you think more about hand-washing, THE EFFECTS OF ONE DROP cleanliness and hygiene. Ms. Ramsay’s students observed the effect of a single drop of food coloring in a clear cup of IN THE water. Then they tried to predict how the BALANCE effect might change with hot water instead? Mrs. Maher’s 3rd graders MACHZOR PREPARATION THE CASE OF BROKEN GLASSES used a bucket Some classes learned Yom Kippur Machzor 9th grade advanced Talmud class learned a balance type liturgy preparing for holiest day of the year Teshuvah (Rabbinic Responsa) scale to (and a lot of time in Shul) this coming week. about a case of a yeshiva student measure the who put his glasses on the floor near mass of YAHADUS - JUST IN TIME his bed and asked a friend to wake him in the everyday morning, but when the friend came to wake 5th grade Yahadus class learned the unit ordinary him he stepped on the glasses and broke them! about Yom Kippur this week, to celebrate the objects in their holiday with more background knowledge! Is he responsible? This traces right back to the classroom. piece of Bava Kamma Talmud they’ve been This is also very fitting for this time of year studying. And in addition to the case and MAZAL TOV SIMONS before Yom Kippur on the Jewish calendar ruling, Rabbi Motti showed them the Hebrew Mazal Tov to MHDS alumnus Baruch & Sara Wikipedia entry for the author of this specific with its traditional visual imagery of the scale Simon, newly of Florida, on the birth of their of good deeds, each and every good responsa, where they found connections to first daughter and second child. Mazal Tov to deed can tip the scale! other Rabbis they heard of before. grandparents R’ Nachman & Clara Simon.
DENSITY WITH MS. BROWN
ROSH HASHANAH
HS Chemistry with Ms. Brown experimented with layers of corn-syrup, baking soda, oil and water. They mixed food coloring & vinegar, dropped it in with a dropper to measure density: would the vinegar reach down to the baking soda (to fizz and bubble up) or not?
HIGHLIGHTS Students in various grades shared some of their Rosh Hashanah highlights, listed here in random order. Our brisket was so good, it went flying, it was
REVOLUTIONARY WAR AGAIN
finished so fast!
HS girls history is revisiting the Revolutionary War one more time, but this time through the SURPRISE! INSIDE THE BAG... lenses of psychological, economic and sociological factors of how the Patriots viewed Nursery students stuck their hands inside Morah Rivka’s brown paper bag to try and (sometimes misconstrued) the Loyalists, and guess what’s inside… vice versa, and how such side factors (totally unrelated to the dispute with England or the war itself) play important roles. This is true of many disputes to this day!
I walked an hour each way with my father to
TRANSFORMATIONS...
This sounds fitting for the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur season of Teshuva, but in this case it is about measuring and recording changes or movements of shapes on a graph in 9th grade geometry class.
MALE & FEMALE IN SPANISH As in Hebrew, but unlike English, the words change for masculine or feminine, so it does depend whom you are talking to or about. But it is complicated because depending on the ending vowel, some words are used for both.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN! HS Girls in “Better 2 Lead” went to The Massry Residence and made popout New Year cards with the seniors. They were very pleased that the seniors remembered them from last year’s visits!
FIVE PROHIBITED ON Y.K. Nursery students made a wheel of 5 prohibited things on Yom Kippur - a day that we are likened to the angels. Speaking of angels: Has anyone seen a local mural of the Global Angel Wings Project? where “angel wings” are painted on a wall in a way that people can stand and take photos between the wings. It is starting to show up in cities all over…
COLONIAL QUILTING
This is made (by students) out of paper not fabric TALMUD ON STINKY HANDS but Mrs. 6th grade Social Studies is learning about the Mattice’s 5th Phoenicians and the role they played in grade students collecting snails to make beautiful purple dye, did this colorful prized the world over. The collection process quilt project to was so tedious and made the hands learn about this of the dyer so yucky & stinky that popular style even the Talmud speaks of legal from Colonial ramifications in dealing with dyers who times that was both useful and decorative and had this repulsive smell on their hands. could make something beautiful out of whatever random pieces of material they had GOT CANS? available. It’s about being resourceful! Our school’s “Kids Can Build” can project needs AVINU MALKEINU A LOT of (Kosher) tuna This dual track formula (father: cans, especially ones that are bluish or closeness, love, informal; king: distance, greenish color. Please start sending whatever respect, formal) first invented by Rabbi Akiva blue or green tuna cans you can (pun is now a beloved list of very short prayers on intended!) into school as we start building our the High Holidays. 6/7 and HS learned how project. Thanks! At the end all cans will go to relevant (beyond davening) this dual track is in Shalom Kosher Food Pantry. all areas of life: teachers, parents, spouses…
blow Shofar at a senior home even though I am only ten. We found a strange berry-type fruit on a tree on our property, researched it online and ended up using it for Shehechiyanu! Watching older people cry and get emotional when the Shofar was blown. Some of the Dvar Torahs were really cool, I liked the ones that use parables and stories. I liked going to Birchas Kohanim to get a good blessing for a good year. The pomegranate we had was fresh and moist and sweet this year, it usually isn’t in season. Our shul’s Shofar was very long. Not the time but the Shofar itself: long and twisted. Some families went to make a special Rosh Hashanah for the people at the old Bnai Brith apartments. They sang Russian songs, heard Shofar and were so touched we came. Our Birchas Kohanim was all mixed up tunes of different traditions, it sounded so unique! Monster Fruit! Other exotic Shehchiyanu fruit included Kiwi-Berries (like grapes), Mamey (like sweet potato but eaten raw), Dragon Fruit (looked pretty but had no taste) We blew Shofar for a 105-year old who speaks a perfect Yiddish! Sweet Tzimmes. The fish-head. Things you don’t usually eat all year. It’s interesting to see people who you usually wouldn’t expect, come to Shul and daven and really get into it. My mother made really good stuffed chicken. I liked the davening, especially the songs. It was fun to have guests! I tried to blow the Shofar. Too young to do the Mitzvah but not too young to try! Apple in Honey is the best, especially because we had different apples to taste. The desserts were so good. Apple pie, Apple Roses (with jam inside!). So many sweet ways to use apples! And good texture Honeycake... It was so nice to have family come visit. Tashlich is so beautiful. It was a little rainy but so nice to see everyone outdoors. The davening was more meaningful when I was able to understand parts of it, especially when the Rabbi explained or introduced it. It’s cool when the Shmona Esray (Amidah) stops in middle to blow the Shofar. One person who came to hear Shofar never heard it before in her whole life!
CREDIT HISTORY In Personal Finance class this week they learned about credit history, your credit score and how to maintain good credit. Teen years is the best time to start this off right! They also tested their knowledge of how to reconcile and balance accounts by looking through a sample bank account and trying to find the errors.
EARLY UNIONS 6/7 grade history learned about Samuel Gompers, an immigrant Jew who helped found the AFL - American Federation of Labor (today the AFL-CIO, the largest union of unions in the United States) and how it was different from the KOL - Knights of Labor.
MINUTE-TOWIN-IT Throwing marshmallows into a cup is a lot harder than you might think! The two Esthers won by getting 21 into the cup in under 1 minute! Amazing!
KINDERGARTEN TRIP TO ELLMS FAMILY FARM Mrs. Hoffman and Morah Dini took Kindergarteners on an amazing trip this week where they climbed up climbing walls on the side of a barn, jumped away on a Pumpkin Bounce, rode trikes around a hilly path, wandered through a Kiddie Corn Maze, creeped they way through a rope spider web, rode a hay ride trolley around the farm, and they rode a linked car train, too! They picked pumpkins to take home and learned about a farm as they had a lot of fun!
ORIGAMI WHALES HOW MUCH WAS IT IN TOTAL? Mrs. Mattice got a few books on sale, and she paid only 10 cents each! So before reading the books to her class she asked them to tally up the total cost, and they answered the correct amount in a split second!
APPLES UP ON TOP After reading this lively classic beginner book, Mrs. Hoffman’s Kindergarteners illustrated “10 Apples Up On Top” as they learn to write their numbers! They didn’t have to balance it on their heads, but did work to do it on paper…
Morah Rivi taught her art students how to make Origami Whales (for the Jonan story read on Yom Kippur) but this girl used the style to create a whole family.
OUR COMPOST IS WORKING
SO MANY SOURCES!
The kids are amazed to actually see the peels turn into dirt. The weather is turning colder now, so we’d really like to fill it up as much as possible to keep it a little warm deep inside. So please keep sending in veggie peels, cut-up newspaper or little pieces of soft cardboard (but not dairy or meat, no onions or citrus). We were asked to present in mid-November about our compost project at the regional Air & Waste Management Association!
WHY SUCH A LONG DAVENING?
AND TUNA CANS… But we need these cans filled with tuna! Blue cans and green colored cans are preferred. It’s for our “Kids Can Build” project. Thanks!!
Students noticed now many source texts there are for each page of Selichot, some pages have 30 or 50 or more source texts in the footnotes! It shows how magnificent the liturgical poems are in Selichot, borrowing phrases, weaving texts together, each word and every line has so many layers of meaning. Something to think about when we daven on Yom Kippur…
It does cross your mind on Yom Kippur. Look up the online story of Moshe Greenberg Siberia Machzor 1951 or for a parable about this put Windows 7 upgrade into the search bar on ShabbosHouse.org
at Maimonides and in the Community 10/5: SHABBOS SHUVAH The Shabbos between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is known as Shabbos Shuvah. The Torah portion read this week is the very short (30 verses of) Vayeilech. Kiddush at Shomray Torah this week is sponsored by Joyce Teitelman in honor of her husband (long-time Shomray Torah Gabbai) Dr. Bernie Teitleman’s yartzeit (on Yom Kippur).
memory of their daughter Esty (Rubin) Cohen as her yartzeit approaches just after Sukkos. 8:30pm at the Shabbos House Sukkah. Please park in the nearby Dutch Quad Lot in rows closest to SH.
10/16-17: GREAT ESCAPE SUKKOS!
Rent an Adirondack Suite (4 per room) for $179 at the Great Escape this Chol HaMoed (or 2 nights for $300) with included unlimited access to indoor 10/5: SHABBOS SHUVAH DRASHA waterpark and gender exclusive swim on Wed & Thurs. Sukkah on-site with outdoor food prep It’s customary for the Rabbi to give a big talk this Shabbos. Rabbi Rubin will speak at Shomray Torah areas. https://www.sixflagsgreatescapelodge.com/ offers/special-offers/overnight-stays-starting-at-179/ on why there’s an allusion to Rabbi Akiva in Kol and mention Chabad. Nidrei and an explanation of an intriguing Rabbi Akiva issue in the siyum of tractate Me’ilah in Daf Yomi. Rabbi Roy Feldman at CBAJ will speak this 10/16: SUKKART FOR WOMEN Shabbos on: For the Love of G-d! 6pm Soup & Sushi, 7pm Creative Torah Journaling Workshop with visiting Rae Shagalov of 10/6: BRONCK HOUSE CRAFT FAIR Joyfully Jewish in LA. $18pp for women & girls The Bronck House Museum in Coxsackie (90 Hwy 12+ at 5 Mannix Rd, East Greenbush. Info etc… 42, 12051) hosts an annual craft fair with vendors Call Nechama 518-727-9581. 12-4pm. Free admission, get to see the place.
10/17: SUSHI IN THE SUKKAH
10/6: NASSAU JEWISH FARMERS “Jewish Immigrant Farmers in Schodack and Nassau, 1900-1940,” a 1-3pm talk with Nassau historian Kurt Vincent at the Jewish Federation. Info? Email: crjgs1@gmail.com.
Annual event at Clifton Park Chabad on Moe Rd. For more info call: 518-495-0772/9. 5-7pm. $5pp suggested donation, $25 max for family. Music, soups & salads, sushi, desserts and crafts.
10/17: BETH TEPHILAH SUKKAH
10/6: BATTY FOR BATS @THACHER Thursday Sukkah event at Beth Tephilah in Troy. 1pm at the Thacher State Park Visitor Center. Learn about bats (as our 5th graders are now).
10/6: SHAHAR AZANI AT SIENA Jewish Federation’s Joint Society event hosts Shahar Azani (formerly a director of Stand with Us) for a talk at Siena College on “Israel in Public Opinion: Does She Stand a Chance?” 6pm at the Snyder Residence Hall, Massry Dining Room. $25pp in advance, $36 at the door. Food is under Vaad HaKashruth supervision. Register and more info at: JewishFedNY.org/events/azani2019
10/15: MOTZAI MUSICAL SUKKAH
10/17: HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE! A great title! This talk is about “lessons from a year among the oldest old” by John Leland (NY Times reporter and author) at the Founders Room in Daughter of Sara. RSVP/Info: 518-724-3261 or email: foundation@dossc.org. No fee to attend, participants receive complimentary book.
10/17: SIX WHO CHANGED WORLD Dr. Steven Berk’s lecture series at Agudat Achim, this lecture on Winston Churchill. 7:30-9pm at 2117 Union Street in Schenectady. Call ahead for admission cost and other info. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STAY TUNED FOR SUKKOT INFO… Will have more Sukkot info in the next MC before Sukkot… Does anyone have good ideas for Chol HaMoed outings? This year it falls on Wed (10/16) through Sunday (10/20) though the most ideal days for outings would be Wed and Thurs.
Rabbi Rubin & Morah Rochel invite community to live music and celebration in the Sukkah in
RAFFLE-AUCTION Do you have something to donate? Would you like to sponsor a prize package? Please speak to Raizy Rubin so we can get this important school fundraiser prepared and ready for print in early to mid November.
APPLE PICKING SEASON Is just about over now with the frost kicking in. But there should be Apple-Picking on local farms for 2-3 weeks. Call ahead and see what’s available. Some farms have other activities, too, including pumpkin patches, corn mazes, some have animals and playgrounds…
A PLACE FOR YOM KIPPUR? Don’t have a place this Rosh Hashanah? Area Chabads, Shomray Torah/Shteeble, CBAJ and Beth Tephilah (among others) welcome you!!!
LULAV & ETROG SETS Rabbi Nachman Simon has sets available for $75 each. Contact him: 518-439--8280 or email: DelmarChabadSimon@gmail.com BNOS ISRAEL ALBANY MIKVAH
HIGH HOLIDAY MEN’S MIKVA TIMES Dates and Times: Erev Yom Kippur: Tuesday, 10/8/19 12:45pm-2pm and 3pm-4:30pm Everyone MUST Shower Prior to Immersion **Please Bring Your Own Towels** Price List: $10 per person per day (plus $2 extra charge for towel) $30 maximum per household per day Ages 12 and under free (Children under 18 must be accompanied by parent) NOTE: Kelim (vessel immersion) Mikvah can only be used in daylight hours and can not be used after sundown. Thanks!
HOLIDAY MONTH OF TISHREI MAIMONIDES SCHOOL SCHEDULE Sept 30-Oct 1—No School Rosh Hashanah Oct 2—Fast of Gedaliah, 9:30am Late Start Oct 8-9—No School Yom Kippur Oct 10—9:30am Late Start Oct 14-22—Sukkot Break, No School Oct 23—9:30am Late Start
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!”