“DARKENU” – The Yeshiva Way! “Who is in charge?????”
31 October 2014 – 07 Cheshvan NEWSLETTER NO. 32/14 MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ROSH YESHIVA DARKENU PARSHAT LECH LECHA “DARKENU” – The Yeshiva Way! “Who is in charge?????” Way back in the days of Enosh, a fundamental error crept into the service of G-d. The Sages of that generation developed a faulty theology, and Adam’s own son was one of those who erred. They argued that since G-d created the stars and the heavenly bodies to lead the world and He placed them on high and gave them honour, it is appropriate for man to praise them and to glorify them and to honour them – as this honours the King himself. Eventually this “innocent” error took hold and people began to believe that the stars themselves had power and they forgot about the King, and Avodah Zarah as is known today, became prevalent (Rambam.) These philosophies swept the world without any protest; until Avraham Avinu looked at the stars and pondered and thought. He realized there must be a Creator and Master of the Universe who controls everything. The question is that there were other great Sages and Tzaddikim in those times, including Shem and Ever. Rabbi Leff suggests that Avraham had a unique ability to lay bare the lies and the confusion that reigned. He ‘broke the idols’ – i.e. he showed that you cannot worship the sun on Sunday and the moon on Monday and still have a place in Shul on Shabbos. He recognized that you cannot ‘have both’ – the idol simply must be destroyed. One G-d means wholehearted service to Him. It means that you cannot allow confusion. Thus Avraham, above all, was the one to introduce the era of Torah to the world. Assuming Avraham as our model of educating and parenting, means learning many skills – including reaching out, caring and engaging with our environment. It also means looking and thinking and achieving clarity and absolutism. It means empowering ourselves and our children with the confidence of 100% truth! A truth that you can commit to, and live by – one that inspires and encourages. Such is the legacy of Avraham “our Father” – to whom we look for counsel and direction in the service of Chinuch. Good Shabbos Rabbi Avraham Tanzer Rosh Yeshiva SHABBAT TIMES Dads, For An Inspiring Uplifting Tefillah. Please join our Davening each morning Mesivta 06:45 Tichon 07:30 A L L W E L C O M E. Candle Lighting: 6.06 Shabbat ends: 6.57 CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ROSH YESHIVA 1 MISSION STATEMENT OF YESHIVA COLLEGE 3 MENAHEL'S MICHTAV 5 SHALHEVET 8 COUNSELLORS' CORNER 11 Y C SPORTS BUZZ 14 YESHIVA COLLEGE PRIMARY SCHOOL 16 YESHIVA COLLEGE PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOL (Includes Playschool) 20 ADVERTISING AND CLASSIFIEDS 24 CLASSIFIEDS 30 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 2 MISSION STATEMENT OF YESHIVA COLLEGE To create a nurturing environment in which the Yeshiva partners with parents to provide excellence in Torah Chinuch (education) and General Studies, in order to prepare children for life and its responsibilities as Torah Jews, with values in line with the core values of our school. CORE VALUES OF YESHIVA COLLEGE ● Ahavat Hashem – nurturing a meaningful relationship with Hashem. ● Commitment to Halacha – striving to live according to Torah values. ● Talmud Torah – pursuit of Torah learning. ● Derech Eretz – approaching all endeavours with responsibility and integrity. ● Gemillut Chassadim – respect, sensitivity, tolerance and concern for individuals and community. A social responsibility towards society. ● Love of Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel) and appreciation of the State of Israel. 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 3 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 4 MENAHEL’S MICHTAV As we bid farewell to our Kfar group who depart for Israel on Monday PG, perhaps it is fitting to devote this week’s Michtav to the Grade 10 class! A recent class photograph in Sandringham Gardens (literally!) An idea I shared with some of the Talmidim comes to mind. The protagonist of this week’s Parshah no doubt is Avraham Avinu. One of the themes that accompany him throughout is the mitzvah of tzedakkah. He perceives HaShem’s actions as tzedakkah and HaShem deals favourably with him (and us as a result!) because of the future tzedakkah Avraham & his descendants will do. Tzedakkah is a unique mitzvah in many respects, one being it is the only mitzvah we’re allowed the audacity of “testing” HaShem by making requests of Him in response to our fulfilment of the mitzvah! Our Nevi’im prophesied that the final redemption will come about in the merit of the mitzvah of tzedakkah and indeed a number of great Torah personalities in recent times have commented that if anything made us deserving of the Messianic reality that is the Modern State of Israel, it is the merit of the incredible tzedakkah World Jewry has been involved in over the past century. I was most taken by an item I saw in the news. After dropping bombs and deliveries of weapons over Iraq, the US Air Force air-dropped halaal meals for Iraqi refugees. This religious sensitivity that accompanied the humanitarian gesture made me gaze through the gloom of the millions of refugees in the Middle East and Asia and appreciate the significance of so many host countries as well as international organisations fulfilling the mitzvah of tzedakkah in supporting these millions of refugees. It made me proud to be a descendant of Avraham, the champion of tzedakkah, that so many countries, nations and organisations have (albeit as a reaction to crisis) embraced the Abrahamic values of tzedakkah! 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 5 Israel was the place chosen for Avraham and his descendants to illuminate the World with the paths of tzedakkah, one of the many thongs Israel excels in, and it is wonderful that our Grade 10 students are en route to our incredible homeland to learn more about it and to taste the exciting experience of life in our Holy Land! With all the excitement of the Big Shabbat, yellow shoelaces and all, our Grade 10 students showed their “iCare” for the Golden Aged of our community and enhanced their Shabbat experience with a visit to Sandringham Gardens and a Besamim workshop to bring delightful fragrances to their Big Shabbat’s Havdallah. A booklet on Shmittah which we handed out to the class as well as a farewell “lunch” together with the wise & experienced Grade 11’s to share their sagely advice with the new group made for the perfect preparation prior to departure! The vibe for the Big Shabbat wouldn’t have been the same without the awesome vibe generated by the Moshav Band and we thank the Office of the Chief Rabbi for the opportunity to host these superstars of Jewish Music this past Friday! 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 6 Some other events making “headlines” this week: Mazal tov Rosh Yeshiva for the family wedding in Israel. Shkoyach to the Talmidim who participated in the first round of the Bible Quiz this week!!! Grade 11’s make the most of your last week of Kodesh before you become preoccupied with General Studies Exams. Behatzlachah!!! MATRICS – hope finals are going really well!!!!!! To end off with, some scenes from the Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan Avot uVanim: wonderful to see talmidim learning Torah with their fathers (and “adopted” ones Chananie )… Shabbat Sha-lom, Ilan Raanan 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 7 YESHIVA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SHALHEVET Girls High School Report-Tammy Levy We have had a truly fabulous and very busy week at the Girls High School! One could feel the excitement for the Shabbos Project in the air and see the enthusiasm on all our shoes! We took this Shabbos Feeling to Sandringham Gardens where the Grade 7 and Grade 10 students baked challot with the residents. It was beautiful to see so many Jewish women, spanning generations, smiling and baking together in preparation to keep it together last Shabbat. 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 8 One of the highlights of the week was our special Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan event last Friday morning. The moms of the Grade 8 class and many staff joined the Girls High School for tefilla and a musical Hallel performed by our new YC GHS student and YiD band. Our Beit Midrash was decorated so beautifully with art and pesukim relating to Parashat Noach. The Grade 8’s then performed an outstanding dance presentation and then enjoyed a festive breakfast with their moms. The atmosphere was so special and we thank the Grade 8’s for putting together a spectacular morning. A huge Yeshar Coach to the whole Grade 8 class. Shabbat Afternoon saw our Beit Midrash packed like never before. Or Zarua community hosted a panel discussion with 4 amazing Rebettzins from our community, for the Shabbos Project. The turnout was inspiring, as was the content of the panel discussion. On Friday, Our students decorated the Primary School hall and co-hosted an awesome seudah shlishit with Or Zarua on Shabbat afternoon. The food was delicious-thank you RTG- but more importantly our Chevra created a beautiful Shabbat atmosphere with singing and so much achdut! Thank you to all who helped and all who came. 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 9 Shalhevet hosted our final Imahot Ubanot event for the year on Tuesday evening. We started the evening enjoying delicious cookies and ice lollies. We had the special privilege to host inspirational speaker, Linda Levy. She warmed each of our hearts with the most beautiful stories and uplfiting talk. The topic was “When love replaces fear, Miracles Appear.” leaving each of us feeling inspired and with a new positive energy. Thank you to all the moms and daughters who attended and well done to Galia Ronthal and Dani Waksman who each won awesome swatch watches we raffled off. Our Grade 9’s will be having their YiD Shabbaton this weekend. We wish them and the YiD team an awesome weekend! A very “Happy Birthday and many more” to all our students who celebrated their birthdays this week: Jodi Benjamin, Shira Attia, Dani Jaffe, Galya Kangisser and Karyn Moshe! And finally, we say farewell this week to many of our Grade 10 Chevra who will be boarding the plane to Eretz Yisrael for the Grade 10 Bnei Akiva Kfar Haroeh Programme. We wish them a derech tzlacha, a fantastic time and a safe return. We know that you will learn and grow so much and look so forward to your coming back and enriching us with what you will no doubt gain over the next few weeks. Tammy Levy Shalhevet 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 10 COUNSELLORS’ CORNER The Day My son Gave up on me Ever since our two sons began sharing a room, their bedtime routine has been the same. Baths, PJs, teeth, stories, cuddles. And every night as I leave their room, Eli always says, "Remember to come up, cuddle, and bring water!" I head down the stairs with a quick, "Okay!" knowing full well that the likelihood of following through on that promise is next to nothing. The days are long, and by bedtime I'm ready for some downtime. Even then, I still need to finish cleaning the kitchen, pick up stray toys in the living room, and pack a lunch for my kindergartener before I can even consider sitting down. Occasionally, after several minutes of quiet, the hollering will begin. Although it's low at first, it quickly gains volume and frequency. "Mommy. Mooommmyyyy. MOOOOMMMMMMYYYY!!!" So I stand at the bottom of the stairs and yell back in annoyance, "What??" "Can you bring up water?" "I'll be up in a few minutes." I finish my current task, fill a couple of water bottles, and begrudgingly climb the stairs, annoyed that my 'me time' has been cut into. Quickly handing out the waters, I give one last round of kisses, and skedaddle on out of there as fast as possible, telling myself that my children need sleep. I'm just looking out for their best interests. For over two years, some form of this scenario has played out nearly every night, which makes it all the more surprising that I didn't notice when it recently changed. I was cuddling with Samuel and listening with one ear as he told me his latest superhero tale while with the other I caught snippets of the conversation between Eli and my husband. 'Mommy' and 'grump' were the two words that stood out. I jokingly reached 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 11 across the beds to tickle or pinch whatever flesh my hand could reach while crying, "Hey, who are you calling a grump??" Not long after, I plopped myself in the living room chair beside my husband. As I settled in, he said, "Did you hear what Eli said? ‘Mommy was always grumpy when I'd call her to come back up to cuddle, so I stopped asking.'" Immediately, I felt the old familiar weight of guilt drape itself over my shoulders like an unwelcome blanket on a hot day. I stood, dashed up the stairs, and rounded the corner into the boys' bedroom. Eli had just dozed off. As I lay down on the bed, he stirred and I took the opportunity to whisper in his ear, "I love to cuddle you." He mumbled something back and drifted off again, arm around my neck, face pressed in close to mine, just the way he likes it. All was forgiven; the situation rectified. But as I lay beside him, the true weight of his words hit me. "I stopped asking." I never gave much thought to the way he perceived our night-time ritual, always assuming my words and actions were inconsequential. Unbeknownst to me, however, my hurry to be somewhere else did not escape him, nor did my attitude. At some point he decided that it wasn't even worth the trouble anymore. Which makes me wonder what else he might eventually stop asking. "Mommy, will you read to me?" "Will you play with me?" "Mom, listen to this joke!" "Guess what happened at school today." "Will you watch me shoot hoops?" "What do you think of this girl?" "Can I talk to you about something important?" And what will be my reply? What will be my attitude? "In a minute." That turns into three, four, ten, twenty minutes. "I don't have time right now," mumbled in frustrated distraction. 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 12 "We'll do it later." And the pile of broken promises builds and builds. My excuses may be valid and sometimes even necessary. Children need to learn patience and that sometimes something other than them must take priority. But it is my words coupled with my attitude, week after week, month after month, year after year: At some point maybe he'll stop asking again, and it might be about something a lot more important than a glass of water and an extra hug. So lately I've been giving longer cuddles at night and I've been making sure that when I say 'Just a minute', it really is just one minute. My son gave up on me, but I realized it early enough to make it right. I shudder to think how life might turn out if I had learned that lesson too late. This blog post is part of a series for HuffPost Moments Not Milestones, entitled 'The Moment I Stopped Being Perfect.' 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 13 Y C SPORTS BUZZ 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 14 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 15 YESHIVA COLLEGE PRIMARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Dear Parents, The weeks are flying by and we are fast approaching the end of the year! Please take note of the following information: Mitzvah Day Project 2014 The Union of Jewish Women will be participating in its 3rd Annual Mitzvah Day on 16 November 2014. Mitzvah Day is an international Jewish-led global day of social action where thousands of people from all faiths and backgrounds work together to reduce hardship and poverty, to help our environment and to bring a little joy where it is needed. The Union of Jewish Women will be embarking on visits to old age homes and domestic violence shelters, both Jewish and non-Jewish. They will be providing the residents with a morning filled with entertainment as well as handing over little gift packs to them. If any parents wish to participate, please send R10 to Miss Bear by 7th November. Please note that this is not compulsory. With sadness we wish Mrs Mink and the entire extended Mink family a long and healthy life on the passing of her dear husband Ronnie. May we only share good news in the future. Shabbat Shalom. Joseph Beer 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 16 YESHIVA COLLEGE PRIMARY SCHOOL (Cont.) PRINCIPAL As you know, parents are expected to participate in the protection of our children at school. By doing CSO duty you help contribute to achieving a high level of protection for our children at school. All that is expected of you is to keep your eyes and ears open, and to be aware of anything suspicious. Your attendance and punctuality is vital. Please report for security duty on the day allocated at 7.10 am at the main entrance, Long Ave. Duty ends 7.45 am. If you are unable to do the allocated shift, it is your responsibility to swap your shift with another parent. Please inform Mark Finkelstein on (082 808 8632) of the change or contact him should you have any queries. 03 – 07 November 2014 - 7.10 am Monday 03.11.14 Names Tuesday 04.11.14 Names Wednesday 05.11.14 Names Thursday 06.11.14 Name Friday 07.11.14 Names Stermer, Talia Waksman, Gavriel Swartz, Gabriella Weinstein, Mikaela Chaitowitz, Jason Diamond, Aaron Levitt, Shayna Lipschitz, Gavi Tomer, Meir Midzuk, Rafi Miller, Daniel Raz, Ora Sidi, Noa Smith, Benji Wolpe, Shimi 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 17 PLEASE CALL BEFOREHAND TO ARRANGE A TIME Contact Melanie: 011 440-1906/082 462-7713 PRICE LIST Jersey Girl’s Skirt Girl’s Shirt White Shirt (with or without badge) Sport Skirt Sport Shirt Sport Shorts Sport Caps (with Yeshiva logo) Swimming Costumes Tzitzit (not pasul) Raincoat Thick Rain Jacket Grey Pants Shoes Blazers 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 10.00 10.00 15.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 5.00 10.00 5.00 10.00 10.00 15.00 10.00 10.00 75 00 18 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 19 YESHIVA COLLEGE PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Dear Parents A very busy week has been had by all! Across the various units, the miracles of creation are happening as the children busy themselves with Bereishit activities through a variety of interesting mediums. After a busy time in the classroom, the perfect place to go have been the water troughs which, in this simmering heat, have provided many happy sessions of coolness! On Wednesday evening, we presented an overview of our Pro-Social Skills programme which will soon be introduced into the Nursery School and Grade R. Parents' participation is vital to its success and the turnout that we had was amazing. We look so forward to all the benefits that will be gained from the rollout of this programme. FRIENDSHIP LISTS Please ensure all lists have been handed back to your child's teacher. Please do not hesitate to speak to the teacher should you have any concerns. PHOTOS As mentioned in a previous communication, the photos of our children have arrived. Please make payment (R110 per pack) before taking the photo. 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 20 YESHIVA COLLEGE PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOL (cont). PRINCIPAL HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all our October children. May your year be filled with beracha and simcha! MAZALTOV to Jina and Layve Rabinowitz and family on the birth of a precious daughter. MAZALTOV to Rabbi and Julie Widmonte and family on the birth of a precious son. Have a wonderful weekend! SHABBAT SHALOM. Ruth Kirkel 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 21 YESHIVA COLLEGE PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOL (cont.) PRINCIPAL Please take note of the security duties for the week commencing 03.11.2014. Your attendance and punctuality is vital. If you are unable to do your allocated shift, it is your responsibility to swap your shift with another parent. Please inform Mark Finkelstein on 082 808-8632 of the change, or contact him should you have any queries. PLAYSCHOOL SECURITY ROSTER DATE MORNING SHIFT 07h45 – 08h30 Monday 3 November Gilad Karp Tuesday 4 November Arielle Lacob Wednesday 5 November Galiya Levy Thursday 6 November Mia Shishler Friday 7 November Dani Tannenbaum PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOL SECURITY DUTIES DATE Monday 3 November Tuesday 4 November Wednesday 5 November Thursday 6 November Friday 7 November MORNING SHIFT 07h45 – 08h30 Ariel Ganon AFTERNOON SHIFT 12h20 – 13h00 Talev Klein Alivia Jacobson Yonatan Levy Ashira Marcus Avia Nossel Arbel Melchior Jordan Rubin Ayla Shaffer Liora Israel Yocheved Shishler Layla Jaches Michaela Kantor Sadie Kark Joshua Levy Yakira Klotnick Gavriel Mindel Talya Levi Akiva Tomson Michaela Lurie * On a Friday the Afternoon Shift begins at 12h00 and ends at 12h30 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 22 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 23 ADVERTISING AND CLASSIFIEDS FOR NEWSLETTER ADVERTISEMENTS, PLEASE CONTACT SHIRLEY SAACKS AT YESHIVA COLLEGE. TELEPHONE NUMBER: (011) 640-3111 - OR EMAIL SHIRLEY AT: shirley@yeshivacollege.co.za. THE NEWSLETTER IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE AND IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN HARD COPY (limited amounts) EVERY FRIDAY DURING TERM TIME. THE D E A D L I N E FOR INSERTIONS AND ADS IS 4 P M ON T U E S D A Y S. THE COST IS AS FOLLOWS: Classified Ad = R100 ½ Page = R200, Full page = R320 N.B. IF THERE IS NO PAYMENT IN ADVANCE -- THERE WILL BE NO ADVERT 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 24 Compassion is the basis of all morality. (Arthur Schopenhauer) “The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love. (William Wordsworth) 1. 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 25 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 26 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 27 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 28 BABY, TODDLER, KIDS AND MOMMY STORE OPEN FAIRMOUNT (behind Genesis centre) Call Toni - 084 604 1994 or email – toni@limekidz.com “Just what the neighbourhood needs” Clothes from birth to 12 years old, boys and girls Educational toys and games Class gifts Books Nursery Décor Furniture Gift Hampers Personalised gifts Banana Brushes – teethers, Sunhats, umbrellas, rain ponchos Stockists of: Precioux clothing Aden & Anais Havaianas Sophie Carters Melissa and Doug Djeco 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 29 CLASSIFIEDS A member of the Jewish Community needs a kidney transplant. Blood Group O If you would consider this great mitzvah of donating a kidney Please contact: Dr Robert Odes Email: drrodes@gmail.com Or: sms 082 391-5062 BOOK COVERING SERVICE I will take the hassle out of covering your children's school books for next year. Contact 082 775-8900 DO YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO SUCCEED? KUMON MATHS AND ENGLISH HELPS WITH NUMERACY CONCEPTUAL SKILLS, READING AND COMPREHENSION, SPEED, ACCURACY AND CONCENTRATION. CONTACT TESSA ON 082 900 3379/ 884 9022 TO BOOK AN ASSESSMENT. Qualified PA looking for employment. Has many years of experience as a Doctor’s receptionist and school administration. Excellent typing skills. Happy to do secretarial work too. Available to commence work immediately. Please contact Paula on 082-707 8615 My name is JOSEPHINA. I am desperately seeking a room to rent – either to work some days for it or to rent. Please let me know urgently if you can assist me. Also, if anyone has a bar fridge that they don’t need or wish to donate, I would be so appreciative. Thank you My phone no. is: 072 601 1394 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 30 MAHOGANY DINING ROOM TABLE AND CHAIRS FOR SALE Round mahogany dining room table plus 8 matching high back chairs. Diameter is 1.7 meters.R 15,000. To view call 0836590625. GLENHAZEL MIKVEH PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: Keilim Mikveh: Keilim Mikveh times – in order to protect the privacy of women using the main Mikveh, please observe that the open times are strictly from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. To ensure that vessels are toivelled in the proper manner, please remove all stickers before immersing . Ladies Tvilah Times Please note that the Mikveh is open from ½ hour before tvilah time and closes 1½ hours thereafter. If you intend to prepare at the Mikveh, come at least ½ hour before closing time. If you are running late, call the Mikveh on 011 485-1555 and the attendant will gladly wait for you. Enquiries and Bookings: Please book appointments for Friday evenings and Yom Tov (preferably 2 days in advance) Contact GLYNNIS SKLAR on 082 926-0965. 31 October – 07 Cheshvan 31 YESHIVA COLLEGE SHUL Include your Shul in celebrating your s’machot. Sponsor a Kiddush Sponsor the Newsletter Phone Beverley on (011) 640 3111 if you have an engagement, wedding, birthday, family birth, Barmitzvah or anything else worthy of a le’chaim. Do we really need an excuse for a party!! WEEKLY SHIURIM BY RABBI TANZER Gemara Shiur Masechet Megilla Every Tuesday Parsha of the Week Shabbat morning 11.15 ________________ Pirkei Avot Every Thursday (Ladies only) 10:30 19:30 Main Shul Sunday Morning FOOD FOR BODY AND SOUL 31 October – 07 Cheshvan In Rabbi A Tanzer’s office 32
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