MC 11 - Shalom Torah Academy

Friday, January 23, 2015
MA CHADASH
A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER FROM THE ADMINISTRATION OF
SHALOM TORAH ACADEMY OF WESTERN MONMOUTH COUNTY
The Extra Mile Club
A Torah Thought on the Parsha
One last request by G-d to Moshe before the Jews can
leave Egypt. Please command the Jews to go amass
gold and silver from their Egyptian neighbors. Rashi in
his commentary, points to the fact that G-d used
terminology in his request that connotes pleading. He
was, in fact, pleading with Moshe to make sure that the
Jews actually got this done before they left Egypt.
Rashi explains that G-d was concerned that if the Jews
didn’t follow this command and leave
Egypt with wealth, Abraham would
come to Him with a complaint,
stating that in the “Covenant of the
Pieces” – “Brit Bein Habatarim”- G-d
promised Abraham that the Jews
would be enslaved for 400 years, but
then they would leave with
tremendous riches. Abraham could
state that the first half of the
covenant was indeed fulfilled, but complain that the
latter part was ignored.
covenant has in fact been fulfilled. The only reason that
G-d felt that He had to go the extra mile and give them
physical wealth was for Abraham’s benefit. Why is this?
You see, Abraham spent his whole life giving to others
and going the extra mile for G-d’s creations. That is
why it was only he who could approach G-d and
complain, “I went the extra mile for your children, why
won’t you go the extra mile for mine?” It
was because of this that G-d in fact did
go this extra mile and ensured that the
Jews left Egypt with tremendous
physical wealth.
‫פרשת‬
‫בא‬
I think that this serves as a very
valuable lesson for all of us. It is the
ace in our pocket that we can pull out
at any time, our dedication to chesed and community
service. The caring that we show others and the time
that we give to others unconditionally will stand us in
good stead to receive a life full of blessings in every
area. When we have the ability to turn to G-d and say, “I
went the extra mile for your children, will you please
go the extra mile for me, your child”, we demonstrate
the right to receive blessings even if we personally have
not quite reached the mark. By doing this, we
demonstrate our value to the continuum of the world
and to making our world a better and more giving
place.
One may ask, why did G-d feel it necessary to comply?
Was it so that Abraham wouldn’t be able to lodge a
complaint? If indeed this was part of the covenant,
then shouldn’t G-d fulfill it regardless of Abraham’s
possible complaint?
Rabbi Meir Tzvi Bergman, offers the following thought
provoking answer. He theorizes that when G-d made
the promise that the Jews would leave Egypt with great
wealth, He was in fact not referring to physical wealth,
but rather spiritual wealth. When one faces adversity,
one of the natural consequences that may emerge is
spiritual growth and connection thereby raising the
level of spiritual wealth. However, another reaction can
occur when facing adversity; one can lose their faith
and thereby lower their spiritual assets. The Jews in
Egypt experienced the latter. Instead of the slavery
having the desired effect, they fell in their level of belief
until they reached spiritual poverty. G-d had the right
to say I offered you the opportunity to achieve spiritual
wealth, but you didn’t rise to the challenge. Hence, the
Let us all ponder these ideas and indeed find ways to
give of ourselves and to give unconditionally, so that we
can indeed become card carrying members of “The
Extra Mile Club!”
Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Motti Miller
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‫מילון‬
Hebrew Dictionary
‫חופשה‬
chufsha
vacation
‫טיסה‬
tisa
flight
‫מלון‬
malon
hotel
‫מסעדה‬
misada
restaurant
‫בריכה‬
braicha
pool
Melava Malka:
An Evening of Inspiration
Saturday, February 22, is a very
important date here at Shalom Torah. It
is the date of this year’s Mother Daughter
Malava Malka Dinner and Gift Auction, a
much anticipated and always wonderful
evening. This year marks the sixth year
we have had this event and every year it
is an evening of warmth, togetherness,
and great fun. A Girls of All Ages Night
Out.
Our girls in Kindergarten through the
eighth grade have formed a choir just for
this occasion. Listening to their melodious
voices as they rehearse is a beautiful
treat. Our teachers have, once again,
formed their own choir and we can’t wait
to hear them perform for us. And, of
course, we have ordered a tasty and
plentiful dinner and can’t wait to indulge
in our extravagant dessert bar.
As always, there will be a “tasty” activity
that we can all do together and we don’t
want to forget our Gift Auction. We have
collected a wonderful and plentiful
assortment of prizes and can’t wait to see
who wins.
The invitations have been mailed and we
await your responses. Don’t forget, you
are welcome to invite your mothers,
aunts, cousins, nieces, grandmothers,
sisters, your best friends, and your
Zumba friends to come along too.
If you have any questions or would like to
assist in the preparations please call Mrs.
Risa Gold.
See you there.
It’s Shabbos Time
This Friday, we once again held our
weekly Erev Shabbos Program called
“IT’S SHABBOS TIME”! Our fourth
grade performed one of the Shabbos
zemirot (songs) titled “menucha
v’simcha” (peace and joy) for grades 1
through Middle School. In this song, it is
mentioned how Shabbos is a witness to
the Six Days of Creation. For this
reason, each student wore a beautiful
picture depicting one of the days of
creation.
When the fourth grade students finished
singing their song, they taught it to all
of the rest of us so it can become part of
our repertoire of Shabbos songs. We
played a great game of “pass the
Shabbos treat” to the tune of this song,
and when the music stopped, the
students holding the treat came up to
sing one stanza. By the time we were
done, we were able to sing the entire
song all together - enhancing the idea
that Shabbos is a time of beauty,
especially when spent together with
friends and family.
Scenes from our latest Professional Development day.
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Professional Development Day
On Monday, January 19, the entire STA faculty
enjoyed our second Professional Development Day of
this school year. The day began with a light breakfast,
followed by a presentation by Rabbi Bak. The focus of
his workshop was ensuring students' safety. Rabbi
presented many important ideas regarding how to
safeguard our students. After this session, the faculty
split up into separate groups. The preschool teachers
enjoyed an in depth presentation about new concepts
for preschool curriculum as well developmentally
appropriate practices in the preschool classroom.
This material was presented by Mrs. Heni Mozes, a
very well respected and experienced Preschool
Director for the Lakewood Board of Education.
in a relaxed atmosphere is something the faculty
always enjoys immensely.
The afternoon session was presented to the entire
faculty by Mrs. Cheyenna Levy and Mrs. Miriam
Brody. The topic for discussion was the relatively new
science of Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
Researchers have uncovered an important link
between students' social/emotional well-being and
their academic success. Mrs. Brody and Mrs. Levy
emphasized the fact that teachers must be concerned
with all of the needs of their students. Focusing on
academic goals alone is no longer sufficient. The long
lasting effects of trauma on children's developing
brains was discussed, as were the long term
ramifications of this trauma in regard to academic
success. The teachers were fascinated by the
presentation and eager to learn how they can
maximize the learning process for every child.
The Elementary and Middle School teachers worked
with Rabbi Miller to complete the Teacher
Observation Protocols they had begun to design
during our first Professional Development Day. The
teachers were very excited to be personally engaged
in the creation of the observation format. This handson involvement gave the teachers a real sense of
what an in-class teacher observation is intended to
accomplish how important it is to them professionally
and how beneficial the results are to their students.
At Shalom we believe that a well-educated staff
results in well-educated children. Professional
Development Days like these provide excellent
results. Our teachers all agreed that the day was
beneficial to them.
The faculty enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch of
Mexican style cuisine prepared by our very own Mrs.
Gail Rifkin and Mark and Marlene Smalkin. The
opportunity to socialize with friends and colleagues
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Melava Malka Planning Meeting
Tuesday, January 28 - 7:30pm
Re-registration Early Bird Special
The Administration mailed all the STA families ReRegistration packets for the 2015-2016 academic year.
For your convince, the application form has already
been completed. Please make sure all the information
on it is accurate and up-to-date. Please pay special
attention to emergency contacts and work phone
numbers. Families that return their signed forms and
fees before February 17, will receive a $75 discount on
the regular registration fee. Please complete and
return the forms as soon as possible to take advantage
of the Early Bird discount.
Once again we will be meeting with enthusiastic
volunteers who have a passion for making school
events successful and wonderful. On Tuesday,
January 20 at 7:30pm, Mrs. Risa Gold will be hosting
another Melava Malka Planning meeting. Thank you
to all the current volunteers who were at this past
week’s meeting. Thank you, Gail Rifkin, for the
delicious dinner. It was enjoyed by all the participants
as we continued to plan the best Melava Malka ever.
-3-
National Puzzle Day
Next Week’s Menu
Monday
Split Pea Soup & Pizza
Tuesday
Lentil Soup
Cold Cuts, Sweet Potatoes
and French Fries
Wednesday
Butternut Squash Soup
Fish Sticks and Mashed Potatoes
Thursday
Chicken Noodle Soup
Beef Stew, Rice & Peas
National Puzzle Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated each year on January
29. It is believed to have been originated by the Falcon Puzzle Company as a
response to the overuse of electronics. Here, at Shalom Torah, the Preschool
has come together to commemorate this day by creating a giant preschool
puzzle.
Each student decorated a puzzle piece in the shape of a child using a variety of
materials. We joined these pieces together through their interlocking hands
showing we, here at Shalom Torah Preschool, are a cohesive community. We
invite you to come and look at our work and share our sense of unity. It is on
display on the bulletin board outside of the Infant/Toddler Room in the front
hallway.
Friday
Cream of Tomato Soup
Grilled Cheese
All meals are accompanied by:
Bread or rolls, daily Salad Bar,
hard boiled eggs, plain pasta and
This month’s joint-preschool activity was led by Mrs. Ellen Rosen, Nursery.
Thank you for a great job.
Scenes From Around STA
The nursery, using different materials and modalities learning colors .
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fresh fruit.