Dvar Torah
Parshat Naso
By Rabbi Dr. Richard Ehrlich
In Parshat Naso, it discusses the sacrifices that the Nesiim (Princes) brought on behalf of their respective tribes. The Torah comments and tells us (Bamidbar 7:3) that they (the Princes) brought their offerings before Hashem; identical sacrifice; with the identical accompaniments; (large silver bowls and basins, one ram, one sheep, one he goat, two cattle, five rams, five he-goat and five sheep.) Clearly an elaborate offering, and yet, when it came to wagons, it says they were commanded to bring 6 wagons; a wagon for each two leaders? The obvious question that can be raised is why if there were 12 princes, were there not 12 wagons brought? Could it be that they were over budget and needed to cut back so they halved the number of wagons? Obviously not! Therefore, why only six wagons??
The answer, I believe, can be found in a verse in Parshat Vayigash when Yaakov is informed that Yosef is alive and a ruler in Egypt and not dead, as Yaakov had assumed these past 22 years. The Torah tells us that Yosef sent wagons to help transport Yaakov and family to join him in Egypt. Rashi comments that there was a subtle hint to convince Yaakov that he (Yosef) truly was alive and well in Egypt, since the last Torah portion studied between them was the Portion of Eglah Arufah, the decapitated calf, and Eglah (calf) and Agala (wagon) are similar, thus serving a dual purpose; to transport the family and serve as a hint that Yosef indeed was alive and well.
Interestingly, though, is the comment of the Daat Zikaynim M’Baalei Hatosfot, who give a completely different interpretation to this message of the wagons sent by Yosef. The reason they offer for how these wagons were able to lift Yaakov’s spirits was actually an allusion to our story of the Princes. Yaakov saw that in the future, 12 Princes would bring offerings, but only 6 wagons would be used, indicating that they would not fight or compete with each other, but rather, would cooperate and work together to insure unity and respect. This message was so important for Yaakov to hear as this would show him that in the future, the problem which caused them to go down to Egypt (hatred, jealousy, sinat chinan) would eventually be resolved and brothers would work together to mutually bring G-d’s presence upon us.
This concept of peace is still one that we Jews find elusive. We know that in Israel especially, there is conflict and strife between the various factions. Let us hope that we will put those differences aside and work together to build a better world. No doubt there is more that binds and unites us together as a nation/people than divides and splinters us.
Special Announcement
Shabbat Week Campaign:
Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we had an awesome Shabbat week at school!
The students all took home their Shabbat contest sheets and amazing Shabbat packages.
We’re looking forward to an exciting Raffle Auction on Tuesday where all the students will put in a ticket into a raffle prize of their choice with every check on their contest chart. There are tons of exciting raffle prizes!
Delicious donuts will be given out to all students who completed their charts.
We’re looking forward to receiving many many completed contest charts on Monday.
Shabbat Shalom U’mevorach!
Enjoy your weekend.
Best regards,
Mrs Perlstein (Miss Dershowitz)
WOW!!! What a week our amazing seniors had! We went on our fantastic senior trip that the students spent all year anticipating and raising money for. We boarded the vans nice and early on Wednesday morning and headed to Six Flags for a day filled with rides and fun. The children enjoyed going on Superman, Nitro the water log and many other exhilarating roller coasters! We then had a delicious dinner at Dougies followed by a beautiful walk/hang out on the boardwalk.
We woke up bright and early the next morning and headed to Lakewood where we enjoyed a yummy breakfast at Bagel Nosh. The girls then headed to the home of Mrs. Miriam Bracha Glantz who shared her inspiring story of conversion. The girls were really touched by what she had to say.
Overall, the senior trip was a great success filled with lots of laughs, fun times and memories that will last a lifetime!!!
Thank you 8th graders for being so amazing!!!
Donated by rabbi Ehrlich family
Boys learning in BMG
In front of one of the ten buildings of BMG
Boys are astounded by over one thousand Jewish men studying Torah in partnership in one large room.
There are seventeen of such rooms
Judaics
Kindergarten and First Grade
We had a great busy week!
Mazel tov to the first graders upon receiving their siddurim!!! They did a great job on their siddur performance and were so excited to begin davening from a real siddur!
Mazel tov to the kindergarteners upon their aleph bet party to celebrate learning all the letters of the aleph bet! We made aleph bet crowns (and one for Parpar too!), played a game of aleph bet darts, and had a party cake!
We were busy preparing for Shabbat this week! Both classes made beautiful napkin rings for Shabbat. We also had a model Shabbat meal on Friday with real challah, grapejuice, candles, and even havdala in the end!
Please enjoy your complete Shabbat packages this week and try to get as many checks in your green chart as possible!
We can’t wait for another great week!
Morah Chavi
Second Grade
We had an exciting week as SIHA is all ready for the Shabbat Experience. We made delicious cherry pies on Wednesday to save for Shabbat, we heard stories about variousShabbat themes. In one story a family was very poor and couldn’t pay their rent. The husband and wife both refused to work on Shabbat therefore, they were fired. This particular family couldn’t pay their rent and were told they could live in the furnace room of the building. The children were outside in their old torn clothes when a wealthy Jewish businessman saw them, he approached the parents and offered to help the family out financially. The family thanked the wealthy man but, said since he works on Shabbat they didn’t feel comfortable accepting any monetary gifts. The wealthy man went home to his wife and told her about this meeting. His wife said”remember we used to observe Shabbat when we lived in Poland, it was so special eating with our family, singing zimros(songs)together and going to pray together. Maybe we should also start observing Shabbat again.” The wealthy family became Shomer Shabbat and really enjoyed the sanctity of this special day without the use of phones. The wealthy man went back to tell the family he had met outside and told them what transpired. The wealthy man said he was inspired by the poor family’s devotion to Shabbat and his wife had fond memories of past Shabbosim when they lived in Europe.” The poor family now very much appreciated the generous offer the wealthy man had given them. Many years later the rich man’s son married the poor family’s daughter. As a Shabbat treat this week the class enjoyed some hot potatoe kugel which Morah Spiegel brought in. The children began learning Chumash this week and are so excited to delve into the holy words of our Torah. Shabbat Shalom!
Fourth Grade
Dear Parents,
What a thirst for Torah we had when we came back to School this week. We learnt very well.
In Chumash class we reviewed the travels that Avram did with Lot. Avram said to Lot we cannot stay together. If you go right, I will go left and if you go left, I will go right. We see from here how important it is not to have negative influences. We must always do the right thing and have good neighbors and good people we learn from.
In this wonderful class, we have very many friends that we can learn from. We must make sure we include everybody in the game. If someone gets out of the game, don’t embarrass him. Encourage him.
We had loads of fun this week with Shabbat week. We heard beautiful Shabbat songs. We put together a delicious mini pie. It was tons of fun mixing the ingredients.
Matthew and Josh Davened beautifully this week.
Leah, Lia, Sarina and Ariella did great on their Chumash review.
Ben, Alivia and Zohar played very nicely with their friends.
Let us all enjoy the beautiful Shabbat.
Keep up the good work.
Rabbi B.
5th and 6th Boys
This week, we began another new Mishna. We learned about a Suka that has 4 walls and Kosher S’chach, but the S’chach is in the center of the room and does not reach the walls. We learned that the suka will be kosher as long as there is less than 4 Amot [less than approximately 7 feet] – cubits from the S’chach to the walls.
This is based on the idea that the “wall is bent” = “Dofen Akuma”, and therefore does reach the kosher S’chach. The same would be true in other similar cases.
In Parasha, we covered many ideas;
Every 7 years is Shmita , just as every 7 days is Shabbat.
On Shabbat we do not work, so too for the entire year of Shmita, we do not work the fields in Eretz Yisrael aka Israel. This year 5782 is Shmita , in Israel, many many farmers are respecting the Torah and keeping the laws of Shmita. Jews around the globe are making it easier for them to keep Shmita by raising money for them as they may not sell/profit from this year’s crops.
We also learned that every 50 years is Yovel the Jubilee year.In our times we are not able to celebrate the Yovel.
We learned about not jipping people monetarily, and about not hurting people’s feelings. We also covered that everything that we have is from Hashem.
We are to use His gifts for what He wants us to use them for,i.e. $ for Tzedakah charity.
WAR breaks out in SIHA… color war.
Blue team versus Green team.
We enjoyed some real school spirit!.
Thank you to Miss Esther Klahr and all of our beloved generals for running such a fun program.
Refua Shleima to Gavriel ben Bilha, and Yonah Dovid.
Shabbat Shalom
7th and 8th Boys
I hope everyone had an excellent Shavuot. We came back to the classroom with a thirst to learn and accomplish.
In Pirkei Avot class we learnt that if you have 3 people that are sitting and there are not words of Torah between them, this is a sitting of Leitzim – joking people. It is extremely important that when we are with our friends we need to talk about Torah.
In Halacha we spoke about the great Mitzvah of Honoring our Parents. Yes, you have to give your Parents a drink, and not only that, but it must also be done with a smile.
The boys did their worksheets beautifully.
Oren, Etai, and Asher Davened beautifully with their Tefillin this week.
Mark and David worked hard together on their Kriah.
Doron said over part of a Lesson like a Pro.
Keep up the good work!
Have a great Shabbat
Rabbi B.
7th and 8th Girls
This week;
In Parasha, we covered a few ideas;
About a Nazir, like Shimshon aka Sampson, one who separates himself to/for G-d. He/she may not become impure to a dead person, may not drink wine or hard drinks and may not cut their hair.
We also learned about a Sotah a wayward wife. While on that topic we discussed the very important and very relevant Halachot of Yechud-man and women not related not being secluded together.
Finals!!
We did a major review and ALL the girls are very ready to review at home and score really well on the upcoming Judaic final!
Shabbat week!
We enjoyed decorating our napkin holders with rhinestones and putting together our Shabbat packages. We are going to try go keep Shabbat this week as much as we can!
Shabbat Shalom
Elementary School
Kindergarten
This week kindergarten continued to work on independently writing a nonfiction book about an animal. They learned to read and spell words that end in ER and EST. They read many nonfiction books and identified the text features. In math they took their math test on the analog
clock. I am so proud of the class. The entire class got a 92 or higher on the math test! They used place value blocks to add and subtract large numbers such as 30+8 and by the end of the class they were all able to add and subtract these large numbers using mental math! They are all amazing! Some students were even able to add and subtract numbers such as 36-3 using mental math. In science they were so excited to see that all 5 caterpillars made a chrysalis. They learned about how butterflies have special adaptations to hide from predators and they painted butterflies. In social studies they learned which country they live in, which state they live in, and how to find it on a map.
First Grade
This week the first graders explored life cycles. We discussed how some animals like salamanders, grow quickly while others like elephants take up to 20 years to become adults. Students wrote about the life cycle of the butterfly
They were amazed at how quickly it changes from a caterpillar into a butterfly.
First graders also learned about government and citizenship. They now know the names of our mayor, governor, and president. They recognize that thw mayor leads the city while the governor leads the state. They even built a model of the president’s home, better known as the white house. Students were excited to learn that the citizens of the United States have the right to vote for their leaders.
Second Grade
This week in math, 2nd grade finished up our unit on fractions, and started learning how to tell time. In ELA, we are learning about parts of a short story, and we began writing our own short stories! We also had the science symposium this week! 2nd grade’s projects were beautiful, and the students did a great job presenting their projects to their peers, and answering questions about their experiments.
Third Grade
In math this week grade 3 reviewed skills that needed to be strengthened before we make our way to grade 4. We worked in small groups on multi-digit multiplication and division, multiplying with zeros and we also continued to build fluency in addition and subtraction with Number Talks.
In ELA this week we practiced each day for next week’s Spelling Bee. We also began our historical fiction class read aloud of “I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944”. We have been taking time for class discussions to answer many questions students have. We also wrote letters to the characters in the text, Max and Zena.
Fourth Grade
This week in math we continued to work on measure unit and reviewed previous topics.
In ELA kids identified adverbs and completed writing activities.
We are almost finished with our last class chapter book The Tale of Despereaux.
In Social Studies we are learning about the North American Neighbors. Kids also memorized the fifty states and capitals.
Fifth Grade
Greetings and salutations!
This week has been brief but busy for the 5th grade.
The 5th graders started their new novels. I am happy to see that both classes are enjoying their new novels! I enjoyed our discussions in class over both City of Ember and Coraline.
They also began their projects for the previous novels.
Middle School
Middle School ELA and Social Studies
6th
Greetings and salutations!
This week has been brief but busy for the 6th grade.
In ELA, students wrapped up their novel study of the Outsiders and their persuasive writing unit. We are preparing for a debate next week!
In social studies, the 6th graders were learning all about the fall of the Roman empire. We have a few fun projects coming up in the coming weeks. I know the 6th graders are looking forward to them!
7th Grade
In ELA, the 7th graders continued their novel unit on The Giver. Students are doing an amazing job in class discussion, and are ready to finish the novel next week. Students practiced writing wonderful paragraphs, and learned about writing structure in class.
In Social Studies, students wrapped up our unit of the Civil War.
8th Grade
Eighth graders concluded their final novel study, and practiced for the final.
Middle School Math
5th grade finished learning about angle, quadrilateral, and triangle properties.
6th grade finished learning about circumference and area.
7th grade finished learning about systems of equations.
8th grade has been reviewing for their regents.
Middle School Science
6th
Students started a new Unit: Energy and Motion.
Students described balanced and unbalanced forces; define acceleration; calculate net force; explained how the forces of friction, magnetism, and gravity act in our daily lives.
7th Grade Science
Students are investigating how our body systems work together to maintain homeostasis. They are currently taking a journey through the digestive system and discovering how nutrition and circulation play an important role in supplying our body with the nutrients it provides and how it actually gets through our bodies.
8th Grade Science
Students are preparing for the Living Environment Regent by taking practice exams and working through various aspects of this regent. In addition, students are investigating how energy flows through ecosystems, how biotic and abiotic factors affect those ecosystems and the importance of interdependence within each system.
Jewish History
7th grade continued our discussion on what is fair and what is equal as we learned about Korach and how he felt it was unfair that he was not appointed the leader of his tribe. We learned how each person gets exactly what they need and what is good for them. We read a funny story about what would happen if everyone was treated exactly the same. We also had a side discussion on how to make a non-Kosher kitchen kosher and the merit of even a small amount of kosher food.
8th grade had our very last lesson for the year! We discussed the 21 prophecies in Tanach that were said about the entire Jewish people. We saw how 16 already came true and 2 are true until today. Based on that, it is 100% certain that the final 3 will come true: in ingathering of the exiles, the coming of Mashiach and the building of the third Bais HaMikdash and the Revival of the dead.