YESHIVA DERECH HATORAH FAMILY ALBUM VOLUME 9 NUMBER 11 DECEMBER 19, 2014 CANDLE LIGHTING 4:11 PM 27 KISLEV 5775 D’Var Torah — Mikeitz From the Talks of HaGaon Rabbi A. H. Leibowitz Friday-Monday, 12/19-12/22 Chanukah Recess NO SCHOOL **** Tuesday, 12/23 7:30 PM YDH Chanuka Extravaganza Concert by Nachas **** Wednesday-Friday, 12/24-1/2 Regular classes NO YELLOW BUS SERVICE **** Motzei Shabbat, 12/27 YDHWO Bingo **** Sunday,12/28 9:30 am - 12:30 pm Grades 1-8 Parent-Teacher Conferences **** Wednesday, 12/31 Deadline for submission Of Box Tops for Education **** Thursday, 1/1 Asara B’Tevet Friday schedule (No yellow bus service) T his week, we celebrate the victory of a handful of devoted Jews over the mighty and oppressive Greek nation. The Greeks set out to destroy the spiritual fiber of our people. They prohibited the learning of Torah and banned the observance of mitzvot. In the words of the Midrash (ibid.), “They darkened the eyes of the Jews with their decrees.” It is interesting to note what is singled out by the Midrash to exemplify the maliciousness of the Greek decrees. “The Greeks would command the Jews, ‘Carve a message on the horns of your oxen — We have no part in the God of Israel.’” With this decree, the Greeks forced the Jews to remind themselves of the sin of the Golden Calf (Rashi, ibid.), causing them to despair and give up hope. Evidently, Chazal are telling us that this decree was the prime example of the darkness of Greek tyranny experienced by the Jews. Wouldn’t another decree— the banning of Torah study, brit milah, Shabbos or Jewish festivals— have been a more suitable example? After all, over two thousand years had elapsed since the episode of the Golden Calf, which wasn’t even a rebellion against Hashem. (The Daas Zekaynim [Shemos 32:1, 7] explains that the Golden Calf was not meant for idol-worship at all. Rather, it was meant to replace Moshe, who was assumed to be dead. Even though it was made l’shem shomayim and with proper intentions, its creation was still somewhat improper. Only because of the Children of Israel’s lofty spiritual level— the lowest among them merited seeing great prophecies— were they so severely punished.) The actual sin was committed by only a very small fraction of Children of Israel, and furthermore, Hashem forgave us for this sin (Bamidbar 14:20). Compared to the painful religious persecution the Jews suffered under Greek domination, this small reminder of an ancient forgiven transgression should have been a mere nuisance. Why does the Midrash select this decree to epitomize the “darkness” of Jewish suffering under Greek rule? Man, by virtue of his inherent nobility, is sensitive to even the smallest flaw in his behavior. The lofty neshamah within him is acutely aware of any shortcoming in its striving towards perfection. By reminding the Jewish people of their sin, albeit minute, centuries old and forgiven, the Greeks caused us pain and anguish that rivaled any physical torture or oppression. This was the “darkness” that was Greece. With Hashem’s help, the miracles of Chanukah came to be— a military victory against overwhelming odds and a wondrous jar of oil that lasted for eight days, burning defiantly bright against the darkness of Hellenist culture. If this is the pain they inflicted on the noble souls of our people, then we can surely learn this lesson: to be sensitive to the feelings of others and to realize how deeply our words and actions can hurt them. As we kindle the menorah, let us ponder the fight against the darkness of the Greeks that these lights symbolize, and may our dealings with others be a shining beacon of love and concern for the sensitive beauty of every human being. From Mr. Jacob Abilevitz, YDH President I would like to take this opportunity to express my Hakarat HaTov to all who help our Yeshiva to be the success that it is. A special thank-you is noted to our Women’ s Organization for their hard work and dedication on behalf of all our kids. As they lead by example, I urge all our parents to join the YDHWO and become more actively involved in our Yeshiva. Thank you to all our volunteers; parents, grandparents, and alumni parents who continually support all our activities. My wife, Karen, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish our Yeshiva Derech HaTorah family a Happy Chanukah. May we have the z’ chut to have our light rekindled in the same manner that the Chashmonaim revived the spirit of the Jewish Nation during the times of the Yevanim. Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom. From Rabbi M. Moscovitz, 5th Grade Rebbi How exciting it is to be in the 5th Grade right now! We have just spent the first trimester focusing on Mishnayot Masechet Sukkah. We culminated with a terrific Sukkah project in which the boys demonstrated creativity and ingenuity with styrofoam, wood, Lego, and other materials in building the various cases mentioned in the Mishnah. The beautiful projects will be on display at the Hatchalat Gemara celebration to beheld this coming week. We shortly begin to explore the depth and profundity of Gemara. I am confident the boys will rise to the challenge and will enjoy the unique methodology and logic. Additionally, we will place tremendous emphasis on vocabulary skills, considering that the Gemara is written in Aramaic, a language unfamiliar to the boys. We are also forging ahead in our study of Parashat Sh’ mot and Navi Shoftim. In Chumash, the emphasis is on comprehension as well as reading skills. Given the appropriate assistance and materials, the boys surprise themselves with how much Chumash they can learn on their own! In Navi, we are delving into the story of the conquering of the Land of Israel by our ancestors. This gives the boys a deep appreciation for our special Land! “Talmid HaShavuah”- 12/8-12/12 Grade 1 — Grade 2 — Grade 3 — Grade 4 — Grade 5 — Grade 6 — Grade 7 — Grade 8 — Jack Golomb Avraham Mosseri David Kivelevitz, Daniel Tennenbaum Meir Kivelevitz Zelig Kaplan Yisroel Ginsberg Natanel Wolff Shlomi Kraus MAZAL TOV !! “Student of the Week”- 12/8-12/12 Grade 1 — Maor Goldberg Grade 2 — Azzy Eisner Grade 3 — Isaac Alkhabaz Grade 4 — David Hill Grade 5 — Abie Moskovitz Grade 6 — Jacob Ginsberg (Sci.), Shlomo Chaim Tangy (Math), Netanel Sabo (SS), Boruch Deutsch (ELA) Grade 7 — Adir Kahn (Sci.), Natanel Wolff (ELA), Eitan Birnbaum (Math), Oren Harar (SS) Grade 8 — Aaron Birnbaum (ELA & Math), Benny Zylberberg (SS), Shlomi Kraus (Sci.) ETEL GOLDSTEIN CHESED FUND If you would like to acknowledge a simcha/honor, or convey your condolences to someone, the YDH Etel Goldstein Chesed Fund can do it for you. Please send in the information and a $5.00 donation to the YDHWO, c/o Shelley Babich Librarian). Dvar Torah: Holy Days Written by Ben Rose CHANUKAH SAMEACH!! A great rabbi, HILLEL, taught that on the first night of Chanukah we light one candle and each successive night we add an additional candle until on the eighth night there are eight candles. Why did Hillel prescribe this method for commemorating the eight days of Chanukah? Wouldn't it have been more impressive to light eight candles each night? There are two important lessons for us to learn: (1)We must always strive to grow and increase our spirituality. One never stays in the same place -you either improve or you fall behind. (2) It is a mistake to grasp too much too fast. Growing spiritually is like climbing a ladder. If you try to climb too many rungs in one step, you're likely to fall. That is why we increase the Chanukah lights one candle at a time! (Shortvort.com) Sports News This past Sunday, December 14, 2014, YDHHS hosted a wrestling tri-meet with DRS and North Shore Hebrew Academy. It was well attended. In addition to saluting the entire YDHHS Wrestling Team, special congratulations to Aaron Leviev (11), Gary Postrygacz (11), and Mikey Sutton (10) who were victorious in their matches. Please see the accompanying picture. Congratulations to Adam Motovitch (10) for breaking the Jewish Hoops America scoring record this past Motzei Shabbat. He poured in 52 points in a losing effort against Rambam Mesivta of Lawrence. The game was quite close as YDHHS came within 8 points of defeating a much larger school. We wish Coach Mitch Hill and the rest of the Bulldogs much success as they wind down their season in the next couple of months. Midterm Exams Midterm exams will be held Thursday, January 8, through Wednesday, January 14. Please look out for more information and schedules in the coming week. Shabbat Shalom and Chanuka Sameach, Rabbi Ungar CALENDAR NOTE: Although the calendar does not indicate so, Parent-Teacher Conferences For Grades 1-8 are scheduled for Sunday, December 28th. Doing Saying over the Reading (Adult Signature Required) at the Shabbat table (Adult Signature Required) 5 minutes each night (Adult Signature Required) Going to shul Friday night and Shabbos Morning (Adult Signature Required) Homework Writing in Yoman Doing the HW Bringing it in to be checked (Adult Signature Required In Yoman) Shabbos Kodesh Checklist filled out with “ ” (Adult Signature Required) Saying a Proper 5x— , 3x— From a siddur or bentcher (Adult Signature Required) -Reviewed Parasha questions at the Shabbos Table -Said at the Shabbos Table (Adult Signature Required In Yoman) Saying a Proper 5x— , 3x— From a siddur or bentcher (Adult Signature Required) Homework Writing in Yoman Doing the HW Bringing it in to be checked (Adult Signature Required In Yoman) Davening Maariv At least 3x that week 1 card - at home 2 cards with a minyan (Adult Signature Required) Saying a Proper 5x, 3x-From a siddur or bentcher (Adult Signature Required) Homework Writing in Yoman Doing the HW Bringing it in to be checked (Adult Signature Required In Yoman) Davening Maariv At least 3x that week 1 card - at home 2 cards -with a minyan (Adult Signature Required) Saying a Proper 5x, 3x-From a siddur or bentcher (Adult Signature Required) Saying and singing at the Shabbat meals (Adult Signature Required) Saying a Proper 5x, 3xFrom a siddur or bentcher (Adult Signature Required) Davening Maariv At least 3x that week 1 card - at home 2 cards -with a minyan (Adult Signature Required) Keep them coming: Keep sending in your box tops for education for a SURPRISE in January. The deadline for submissions is December 31st. The WO has raised over one hundred dollars! Sixth grade has sent in the most boxtops with fifth grade and first grade as runner ups. You class can win a special SURPRISE!!! You can find box tops on Kleenex tissues and cereal in addition to many other products. Contact your WO presidents if you would like to sponsor a SURPRISE for the winning class. Thank you for supporting our school and thank you Morah Shelly for your help in coordinating this project. Lillian Eliezer Malka Husarsky (917) 817-3048 (917) 974-8461 YESHIVA DERECH HATORAH WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION Thank you for your interest in the YDHWO. The Executive Board members are happy to welcome new volunteers and we are interested in hearing your input. Please complete the following information. Name: ___________________________________________________________________________ What grades are your children in? _____________________________________________________ Are you interested in becoming a class mother? __________________________________________ Email address: ____________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number: ________________________________________________________________ When are you available to volunteer? __________________________________________________ Which projects are you interested in? (Circle all that apply.) Please note that some have daytime commitments while others have evening commitments. Chanukah Boutique Mishloach Manot Mother’ s Day Flowers Plant Sale Grade – Specific events BINGO End-of-the-year Event Father’ s Day gifts Supperette Would you be interested in sponsoring any program? ____________________________________ Do you have any goods or services you would be willing to donate? ______________________________________________________________________________ Do you have any suggestions for other programs? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________ We are always interested in hearing your suggestions and we look forward to greeting you personally at our next event. YESHIVA DERECH HATORAH WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION Dear Parents: To facilitate the ordering of Chessed Dollars, we would appreciate your using this order form. It should be sent with your son or mailed back to Mrs. Sima Sabo (1st floor office), or you may email her at ssabo@ydh.org. We will have your order for next-day pick-up. Special orders (over) may take up to a week. Listed below are the gift certificates which are always available. Please indicate the amounts you are ordering next to each one. Payments by check (made payable to YDHWO) must be enclosed. If you are paying by cash, you must pay at time of receipt. Thank you. DERECH HATORAH WOMEN’ S ORGANIZATION CHESSED $ _______ SHOPRITE _______ WALDBAUMS _______ PATHMARK _______ HOME DEPOT _______ OLD NAVY _______ BARNES & NOBLE _______ TOYS R US _______ MACYS _______ FOOD BASICS _______ STOP & SHOP _______ METRO CARDS _______ ($19.05 OR $38.10) STAMPS _______ (SHEET OF 20 FOR $9.20) SPECIAL ORDER: ___________________ _______ ___________________ _______ ___________________ _______ _______ TOTAL NAME _________________________________CLASS___ TEL. # ___________DATE _________ Special Order YESHIVA SHOP GIFT CERTIFICATES 5 Banana Republic Baskin Robbins Bloomingdale’s J C Penney Kay Bee Toys K-Mart Loehmann’s Marshall’s Payless Shoes Saks Fifth Avenue Sterns Syms T J Maxx 10 20 25