February 22, 2019

17 Adar Rishon, 5779

Volume 13, Issue 18

Your dedication here!

Call the office at

(305) 867-3322

Ki Sisa Candle Lighting:

6:00

Schedule reminder

Tuesday, February 26—Parent Teacher Conferences 7:00 p.m.—9:30 p.m.

Please call to schedule your appointments

ATTENTION ALL PRE-K PARENTS FOR 2019-2020

If you have not already applied for the VPK voucher for your 4 year old entering Pre-K next year, please do so ASAP.

Please contact Beth at the school office if you need any help applying for VPK.

P A G E 2 T H E Y . E . S . P R E S S

D’VAR TORAH and INSPIRATION By: Rabbi Sholom Volk, Fifth Grade Rebbe

As Moshe Rabbeinu descended from Har Sinai, he saw the people dancing around the Eigel Hazahav, made the instant determination that they did not deserve to receive the Luchos, and smashed them on the ground, destroying the divine gift. The Torah presents this to all pos-terity as the crowning achievement of that greatest of men. The question is as obvious as it is well docu-mented: Moshe, the man who was Hashem’s instrument in bringing the Makkos and in lead-ing the B’nei Yisrael out of Mitzrayim, who wrested the Torah from the Malachim and de-livered it to K’lal Yisrael and mankind, Moshe’s greatest, most glorious moment was – The smashing of the Luchos?! As necessary as he may have felt the action to be, how are we to understand that this, above all else, is the semi-nal accomplishment of the life of Moshe Rabbeinu? Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein points out that there are not one, but two places in connection with which we find mention of the Keruvim. One, of course, is at the commandment to build a Mishkan and to make an Aron HaKodesh atop of which would stand the Keruvim. Long be-fore this occurred, we find that when Adam Ha-rishon was expelled from Gan Eden, Hashem put the Keruvim to the east of the Gan to stand guard. There is, however, a startling difference between Rashi’s interpretation of the word Keruvim in each instance. In connection with the Aron HaKodesh, Rashi states that the Keru-vim resembled children, whereas in Parashas Bereishis he says that they were “Malachei Chavalah” – Messengers of destruction. All jokes aside, how are we to reconcile these two interpretations of Rashi? Rav Epstein asserts that, taken together, these two statements of Rashi allude to a profound and important concept which must inform the parenting and teaching of every parent and edu-cator who wishes to raise their young charges to be successful members of society. The Mishkan served as a microcosm of life. It presented to us a shining example of how to

conduct our lives – Through faithful discharge of required service, with a sense of responsibil-ity borne of a joyous relationship with Hashem. Children raised in an atmosphere akin to that of the Mishkan will maintain youthful vitality and freshness in the constant development of that relationship. Gan Eden, on the other hand, brings to mind a place where all of one’s needs are provided for, where a person obtains all of his heart’s desires with no effort or cost. Children who suffer such an upbringing, says Rav Epstein, are at risk of developing into Malachei Chavalah. Moshe Rabbeinu had worked his entire life for the moment when he would bring the Luchos to the B’nei Yisrael; this was to be the realization of his entire life’s mission. The vast majority of K’lal Yisrael, without doubt, were anxiously anticipating his return with the Luchos. When Moshe cast the Luchos to the ground, the peo-ple must certainly have been devastated by the loss, especially considering that there was no guarantee that the Luchos would ever be re-placed. Many would argue that perhaps it was an overreaction to destroy this irreplaceable gift, that the nation should be given “another chance,” and not lose the opportunity to enjoy Hashem’s gift. With Rav Epstein’s insight, we can perceive a profound perspective on the actions of Moshe

Rabbeinu. Moshe understood that at that time the people needed to be shown the gravity of their actions. In an act of absolute dedication to Hashem and His People, Moshe denied himself what was to be the supreme accomplishment of his life, and his people what they so desperately desired. He preferred instead to teach the na-tion the lesson they needed to learn: That bene-fits and privileges can be provided only to those who are deserving of them. In so doing, he laid the groundwork for them to reach, albeit over the course of many centuries, the goal and mis-sion which had been set forth for them at Matan Torah – “V’atem tihyu li mamleches Kohanim v’goy kadosh.”

Ah Gutten Shabbos!

T H E Y . E . S . P R E S S P A G E 3

Oh, the Places You'll Go (in First Grade!), by: Dr. Seuss

This week, First Graders had a

blast exploring Dr. Seuss's books, as we were transported on a jour-ney filled with imagination, crea-tivity, and humor. Students enjoyed writing about their favorite Dr.

Seuss book and shared why they liked it most. You may have also seen First Graders walking around wearing their very own funny Dr. Seuss hat!

Second Grade Moving Forth

Mazel Tov to Rabbi Larson’s Second Grade boys upon finished their fourth Perek of Chumash of the year. Before you know it, they will be making a Si-yum on the entire Parashas Vayeira!

Fifth Grade Berachos Odyssey Continues

For the Berachos of Roka Ha’aretz, Hameichin Mitzadei Gaver, and Ozer Yisrael

B’gvura, the Fifth Grade girls journeyed to the beach park to learn in a hands on and fun filled way. Our adventure began with a discussion about the gifts of walking and dry land. The girls shared how grateful

they feel for these gifts and how often they use the Beracha of movement throughout each and every day. Mrs Matz and Mrs. Teicher then tied the girls’ feet together

and the girls were given an opportunity to run up a large sandhill. The girls soon saw how difficult it was, and gained a heightened appreciation for their ability to walk with comfort and ease. The Fifth Graders enjoyed digging in the sand, climbing the

trees, and bonding with classmates. A meaningful and memorable experience was had by one and all.

Chocolate Sale Update:

All Orders, payments, and prize selections are due by this coming Monday, February 25.

Students will deliver chocolate to their buyers before Pesach.

First Grade Chumash Mesiba

This Wednesday was a special milestone for the First Grade girls as they received

their very first Chumashim. The event began with the girls singing a medley of Torah

songs. The girls learned a

special message about each

song that they sang relat-

ing to our Mesorah and

Kabolas Hatorah. Then,

Rabbi Janowski inspired

the girls as he explained

how the

Torah is

really a

blueprint

for the en-

tire world.

Finally,

each girl

(with the

help of

her moth-

er)

worked

hard

to

deco-

rate

her

new

Chumash. The real excitement was the next day as the girls opened their Chumashim

with confidence and smiles and learned their very first Pasuk. A special thank you to

Mrs. Kaufman, Mrs. Victor and Mrs. Tokayer for attending to and enhancing so many

aspects of the Mesiba.

P A G E 4 T H E Y . E . S . P R E S S

Important Notice

Please do not leave your car unattended in front of the school building unless it is legally parked. In addition to being dangerous and unlawful, it is very upsetting to our neighbors when they are not able to access their vehicles. If you must enter the school building for any reason, please make sure to park legally. This in-cludes when escorting your children to class when they come late. Thank you.

Fifth Grade Boys Celebrate Haschalas Gemara

The Talmidim of our Fifth Grade held a gala celebration this week in honor of their be-

ginning to learn Gemara. At the

event, the boys put on a terrific

presentation of Y.E.S. Around the

Year, featuring songs relating to

Shabbos and the various Yamim

Tovim on the Jewish calendar.

Under the capable direction

of Rabbi Goldberg, they did

a great job. Following the

performance, the boys joined

their Rebbeim and fathers

for some dancing in honor of

the Simcha. Eventually, the

crowd found their seats for a

Seudas Mitzvah, during

which Rabbi Janowski ad-

dressed the boys. The

Menahel impressed upon the

students the momentous sig-

nificance of the occasion,

noting that they would now

embark on a lifetime of

training themselves to emu-

late the thought pro-

cesses of HaKadosh

Baruch Hu Himself,

K’vyachol. The

crowning moment of

the whole event was

the formal presentation of the Gemaros to the Talmidim, who could barely contain their

excitement. All in all, the event was a fitting expression of the Kavod HaTorah which

we endeavor to inspire within our Talmidim. May they continue to bring much Nachas

to their families and HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

Much thanks to Mrs. Wendy Tokayer for her dedication, devotion, and hard work in

bringing this event (and so many others) into reality, and to Mrs. Matz, Mrs. Singer, and

Mrs. Victor for helping to make the event as beautiful as it was.

T H E Y . E . S . P R E S S P A G E 5

The Y.E.S. Press is always on the lookout for stu-

dent work, whether it be art work, poetry, or some other type of creative writing, for publica-tion in the Student Showcase sec-tion. In order to submit your work, simply give it to your teach-er, who will forward it to us. Pro Tip: Bold colors print better!

MAZAL TOV

Mr. Chaim and Mrs. Hudis Meisels on the engagement of their son

P A G E 6 T H E Y . E . S . P R E S S

Second Grade Looking Forward

Mrs. Aquinin’s Second Grade girls cele-brated the 100th day of school with deli-cious cupcakes. They decorated 100 day glasses and then wrote about what they would like to accomplish by the time they are 100 years old! They then en-joyed a good laugh when Mrs. Aquinin gave them a computerized picture of themselves at 100 years old!

Shivisi Program Update

Rebbeim at all levels report that Talmidim love the Shivisi Program, and find that it helps them focus on their Davening, and to approach this de-finitive form of Avodas Hashem with great seriousness. In addition to the weekly raffles (some of whose winners are pic-tured here), there will be auto-matic prizes available for students who participate at certain specific levels for the duration of the program.

T H E Y . E . S . P R E S S P A G E 7

Kindergarten Mitzvah Party

We celebrated our filling up the foun-dation of the Bais Hamikdash with mitzvah tickets, by making a huge mitzvah party! Of course, we wanted to do a special mitzvah at our mitzvah party so we made refuah shelaima cards for sick kids and shared with them some of the yummy snacks we brought in for the par-ty. We want to thank Mo-rah Sharon for helping make our party so special. She read us a great story, and she called each child up and awarded him/her with a well-deserved Ohev Shalom certificate. We enjoyed all the dancing, musical bal-loon games, and a fun game of friendship musical chairs. It is really beautiful to see how the children care about their class-mates and how nicely they try to treat each other. The chil-dren certainly de-served their mitzvah party!! Mazal Tov!! Even though we will no longer be earning mitzvah tickets, we will BE”H continue to try to do as many mitzvos for our friends as we possibly can.