Congratulations to those artistic middle school students who did a magnificent job designing posters for the Salute to Israel Parade contest.  The theme for the poster is Lights, Camera, Action - Let's make a movie about Israel!  Kids used various designs such as motion picture reels, flags, cameras, the red carpet, famous people, the Kotel, and the old city of Jerusalem.  Some students painted the many faces of the people of Israel.  They used colored pencils, sharpies, paint, and cut-out pictures.  Let's hope that Manhattan Day School has a winner.  The contest is open to students in grades 4-8.  Good luck to our school!  The winning poster will be the official poster for the 2010 parade.  Save the date - Sunday, May 23^rd - for the parade.  For more information, please visit the Salute to Israel website, www.salutetoIsrael.com. 

We are very pleased to announce that our first Creative Writing Club kicked off this past Tuesday, March 16th.  The focus of our club is poetry.  Before we began writing, we read the book In November, by Cynthia Rylant.  We are studying her writing style and then will be writing our own poems in a similar craft.  Our members came up with many intuitive interpretations of the text and then began brainstorming ideas for their poems.  We are looking forward to developing the talents of our future MDS poets. 

(a) (1) Moshe was so humble, he wanted Hashem to use the word "vayiker" (and He chanced) upon Moshe, without an alef, just as when He met Bil'am (Bamidbar 23:16); Hashem ordered Moshe to write "vayikra" with an alef but agreed to a small alef signifying Moshe's humbleness (Ba'al haTurim). (2) The small alef indicates that Hashem's ultimate goal of the Shechina residing in its permanent habitat had not been completed when He called Moshe in the desert to serve Him; the Shechinah's permanent habitat is on Har haBayit in Yerushalayim (Zohar). (b) According to the: (1) Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim), these karbanot weaned Bnei Yisrael away from idol worship. (2) Ramban, these korbanot united Bnei Yisrael with Hashem, bringing the Divine radiance to the world (Meshech Chochma). (c) The rei-ach nichoach signifies that the korban was performed according to Hashem's will (Rashi). (d) The korbanot offered in the Mishkan or Beit ha-Mikdash had a rei-ach nichoach, but korbanot offered on bamot (private altars) did not (Meshech Chochma).  

(a) (1) Although an individual pays for his own personal korban, there are aspects for which the community pays, such as the wood for the fire and the salt for the korban (Toldot Yitzchak). (2) the Torah tells us that an individual (in the singular) bringing a korban or performing a mitzvah can bring all of Bnei Yisrael (in the plural) closer to Hashem; (b) (1) cows or oxen; (2) sheep or rams; (3) goats; (c) (1) oxen recall Avraham's merit in using oxen to feed his guests; (2) sheep recall the akeida, where a ram substituted for the sacrifice of Yitzchak; (3) goats recall Ya'akov listening to Rivka to bring 2 goats to his father (Baba Kama 63a). (d) It shows Hashem's concern for Bnei Yisrael; He did not bother Bnei Yisrael to hunt and trap wild animals (Da'at Zekeinim). (e) The olah atones for improper thoughts, and the chatat atones for some improper deeds; the olah is presented first because improper thoughts precede and lead to improper deeds (Kli Yakar).

(a) It was a great personal sacrifice for very poor person to bring a korban mincha; it was as if he brought his very soul (Rashi).  (b) Minchat: (1) solet - offered in a raw, flour state; (2) machavat - griddle-fried; (3) marcheshet - pan-fried; (4) ma'afei tanur shel rekikin - oven-baked wafers; (5) ma'afei shel chalot - oven-baked thick matzot (Menachot 63a,75a).  (c) (1) Chametz represents both a lethargic lack of zerizut (alertness), like slow-rising dough, in performing mitzvot and yearning for "puffed-up" honor and self-gratification; (2) devash represents the propensity to spend one's life seeking whatever seems comfortable and pleasurable. Chametz and devash are banned from the mizbei-ach because to serve Hashem wholeheartedly, people must control these inclinations (Sefer haChinuch - Mitzvah 117). (d) (1) During the 2nd day of creation, Hashem separated the heavenly and earthly water; the lower waters "protested" their separation from Hashem; therefore, salt, which comes from the sea was added to all korbanot (Rashi).  (2) Salt preserves food and represents permanence; so, too, Hashem's covenant with Bnei Yisrael is permanent (Hirsch). (3) Salt is destructive by preventing plants from growing but is helpful by preserving food; neglecting korbanot  brings destruction and exile, but performing them properly preserves Bnei Yisrael  (Ramban).

(a) (1) Shelamim stand for "peace" (shalom) because they increase peace in the world; (2) a korban shelamim sacrifice is divided up in 3 parts among: (i) Hashem on the altar; (ii) the kohanim; and (iii) the korban's owners, and it results in peace among the 3 of them (Rashi). (3) Shelamim stand for "wholeness" (sheleimut), because they are motivated by one's desire for perfection by elevating one's spirituality (Ramban). (b) They: (1) could be slaughtered anywhere in the azara (courtyard); (2) could be eaten by non-kohanim; (3) could be eaten anywhere in Yerushalyim; (4) were not subject to meila (penalty for personal use) until the blood was thrown on the mizbei-ach (Meila 7b)

(a) (1) Falsely denying testimony; (2) entering the Beit haMikdash or eating korbanot while tamei (impure); (3) pronouncing a false oath unintentionally; (b) each of these three sins was so common that if the Torah required poor people to bring expensive korbanot, they would lose all their money (Sefer haChinuch - Mitzvah 123).