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Next Week at TVT:
O Ambassador
Rummage Sale
(US Parking Lot)
7am-12pm
Spring Play
2:00pm
MARCH 23
K-5 Havdallah
Assembly (LS MPR)
8am
DARE Class
12th Grade
Special Programming
2pm
Varsity Golf
SBVC vs TVT
4pm
MARCH 24
Boys Varsity Tennis
12pm
College Visit -
West Point
Military Academy
2:30pm
US Math Contest
4pm
Boys Volleyball
6th Grade Informance (Erysichthon; Phaeton) 3pm
Boys Varsity Tennis
MARCH 26
Boys Varsity Tennis 3pm
Varsity Golf
4pm
Boys Volleyball
6:00pm
SAT/ACT Prep Course
MS Student
Council Movie Night (US MPR)
Staff
Development Day -
No Classes
Varsity Baseball
2:30PM | |
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| PARSHAT OF THE WEEK - VAYAKHEL PEKUDEI |
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In this week's Parshiyot we find ourselves in the thick of the building of the Mishkan, the portable tent of worship that G-d commanded us to build as a tikkun "spiritual repair" for the sin of the Golden Calf. At first glance, a building project might seem a strange solution to the problem underlying the sin.
Behind the incident of the Golden Calf was a profound "clueless ness" about the nature of G-d and the role of Moses as prophetic leader. Having experienced the miracles of the ten plagues, the awesome splitting of the Red Sea, the stunning destruction of their pursuing enemies, the entire drama of the redemption from Egypt, the Jewish people were still clueless. At some very basic level they didn't get it. The commentators differ in there explanation of this clueless ness in the face of such overwhelming experience.
One persuasive argument is that it was all too much for them. They didn't have the time or preparation to really assimilate the experience. They needed something to allow it all to sink in. This in itself is a powerful educational lesson. Learning requires time for reflection and absorption. The building project was G-d's answer to this problem. It was the opportunity for their newfound experience to sink in.
We might wonder why G-d didn't tell Moshe to attack the problem directly. He could have offered classes and seminars in theology. He could have given lectures with bullet point visuals. He could have published workbooks and study guides to teach who G-d was and how we should relate to the divine. G-d chose a building project.
The people had to give of their possessions to provide the materials. They had to give of themselves and their skills by making things. They made curtains, boards, utensils, hooks and sockets. They made practical things and fancy things. But how does a rag-tag nation of former slaves know how to do all this? The Torah tells us that what allowed them to do this was their "wise heart."
Every wise-hearted person among you shall come and make everything that G-d has commanded. (Shemot/Exodus 35:10)
Every wise-hearted woman spun with her hands. (35:25)
He [G-d] filled them with a wise heart to do ... every craft. (35:35)
This same phrase, wise-hearted, chacham lev, is repeated two more times. The great medieval sage, Rabbi Chaim Attar (The Ohr HaChaim) explains these repetitions in a beautiful way. He says that wisdom of heart was not simply a magic power. It was not some amazing intuitive power that miraculously gave them the skills they needed to build the mishkan. The Ohr ha Chaim tells us that the repetition of the phrase hints to us of a more gradual process. Wisdom of heart, he says, is what grew out of their involvement in the holy work of the mishkan.
By building, weaving, carving and giving of themselves to the cause, they gradually developed over time a deep knowledge of G-d and his world that allowed them to create. Mystical sources teach us that at their best these wise-hearted creators were not just manipulating physical objects but relating to the "matrix" that underlies the material world. Remarkably, this wisdom of heart was not born from academic study but from action and involvement.
This is a powerful lesson in Jewish education. It is not all about the books. Judaism is a "full contact sport." No Judaica class, no lecture by a scholar, no study of Jewish text alone will create the wise heart which is the ultimate goal of all Jewish education.
What is required is to give students the opportunity to give of themselves, to use their as yet uncultivated talents. It requires an environment that invites students to work together and cooperate to build something together, rather than simply compete for athletic or academic honors. The training of a wise heart calls on the student to use all their resources even ones they didn't know they had. It demands of all of us to use the best of what we have in the service of the highest of our values.
The Seder, which we will experience in just a few weeks, reinforces this same lesson. The Seder is meant to create an experience. There is study. The Hagaddah is a profound and sophisticated text. The context we create for that learning is environmental, the smells, the tastes, the textures, the object lessons and presence of warm and supportive family. It is through that total involvement of the whole person that we cultivate the wise heart.
May Hashem help all of us in this TVT community, all of us together, the students, the parents, the faculty and staff, the administration and the board of directors to involve ourselves ever more fully in Jewish life and the wise heart that has always been the pulse and life of the Jewish people.
BY LEE WEISSMAN - TVT JUDAIC STUDIES INSTRUCTOR |
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"O AMBASSADORS" |
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Walk-&-Learn featured on ABC-7
This afternoon ABC-7 filmed the TVT "O Ambassador Walk-and-Learn" event to be aired as part of this evening's newscast. The student-led Walk-&-Learn event was an incredible success. The event opened with a number of speakers including the Consul General of Kenya, Nyambura Kamau, Professor George Wajackoyah of the American Heritage University, as well as a special presentation of a $20,000 gift from Family Philanthropy of JFOC. The Kenyan Consul presented the "O Ambassador" Africa team with special pins and brought gifts for the entire school. Attended by approximately 700 students, staff, faculty, parents, grandparents and members of the community, the Walk-&-Learn event raised awareness about Kenya, the UN's Millennium Goals, and the "O Ambassador" Project itself. It is estimated that individual sponsorship of the event already raised $10,000 toward the construction of a school in rural Masai Mara, Kenya. 
Kol Kavod!
To contribute, please visit the "O Ambassador" Club Website.
KENYA CONSUL GENERAL ,
NYAMBURA KUMAU
 2009 "'O AMBASSADORS" accepting the JFOC FAMILY PHILANTHROPY DONATION
TVT
STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN
THE WALK-AND LEARN
O Ambassador Yard Sale This Sunday
Support the "O Ambassadors" (and check out countless treasures unearthed from TVT family garages) at the Community Private School Multi-Family Yard Sale
Sunday, March 22, 2009
7am-Noon
Upper School Parking Lot |
| TVT SWEEPS HIGH SCHOOL "COLOR IT ORANGE" COMPETITION |
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Sam Sholkoff (11) and Maya Or (11) received top honors at the annual "Color It Orange" art competition in Laguna Beach. Each earned a prestigious scholarship to attend a specialized class at the Laguna College of Art & Design. Chosen from among 4,000 first-round competitors, Sam and Maya were among only ten selected to receive top awards. They were in great company; ten TVT students made it into the final round (displaying over 25 individual works of art). Taylor Dwyer, Michal Elzur, Elon Rov and a collective known by the pseudonym "Adam Tov" (translating to "good man") all received honorable mention. This is in addition to the 40 Lower School students who also participated in the event. Help celebrate this amazing accomplishment at the "Color It Orange" special exhibit:
Laguna College of Art and Design
Through March 22nd
2222 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach, CA 92651 |
| LOWER SCHOOL HAVDALAH ASSEMBLY |
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| The name Havdalah comes from the Hebrew word l'havdeel, which means to distinguish or separate. Havdalah is a ceremony that distinguishes between the holy Sabbath day and the secular work week. Our Lower School students begin each week with a Havdallah service at their grade-level T'fila. Once a month, our K - 5 students gather in the MPR for a school-wide Havdalah. Our parents are always encouraged to join us during the week for T'fila and on Friday's for Kabbalat Shabbat.
Join us in the Lower School MPR on Monday, March 23 at 8:00am. |
| SPRING SPORTS |
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The soccer, volleyball, tennis, and baseball seasons are off to a great start! More information can be found on the TVT website.
Softball:
Our Girls beat Calvary Baptist 19-7. They now have a 3-1 record.
Volleyball: Both our JV and Varsity teams won their games this week.
Tennis: Our Varsity tennis team played Whitney H.S.and Calvary Baptist. They won only 2 matches each day, but the season is young and the team is working hard. Good luck for the upcoming week.
Golf: The Boys were edged out by Oxford Academy 265-258. Senior Mark Pattis posted an impressive 2 over par and Junior Zach Barbour scored his all-time career low (60). The team didn't fare quite as well against Sage Hill, on Thursday.
Go Get 'em, Lions!!
MS SPORTS The middle school soccer games this past week were very exciting!
The girls lost to Carden Hall by a score of 2 - 1. The boys lost to Carden Hall 2- 0. When the girls played Mission Hills they tied the game 1-1, then beat them 2-0 in penalty kicks. When the boys played Mission Hills, they tied them 2-2, then lost 3-2 in penalty kicks.
The 8th graders will be away next week from March 23rd - 30th. The 6th and 7th graders will practice on Monday and Wednesday from after school to 4:15 pm. |
| FINAL PERFORMANCE - SUNDAY 2PM MATINEE
US SPRING PLAY - FIRES IN THE MIRROR |
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This Sunday, after you finish working or shopping at our giant yard sale in the morning, grab some lunch and you'll be just in time to catch the outstanding Upper School students' performance of the spring play, Fires in the Mirror.
The story is of the clash between the Jewish community and the African-American community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn that ignited riots after the accidental death of a child. It sparked a conflict that resulted in the stabbing death of a visiting student.
FIRES IN THE MIRROR distills interviews with 26 different people involved with or connected to the riots and offers a complex view of race relations in America. A broad cross-section of characters examine themes about identity (racial, religious, gender and class) and the historical conflict between Jews and African Americans. Students will perform these interviews as a series of monologues that offer a glimpse into these complicated events in 1991.
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| JOIN US SATURDAY NIGHT FOR THE PTSO'S CHAWAIIAN CHAGIGA 8-11pm |
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Don't miss the fun! Tomorrow night TVT is going Hawaiian!
March 21st, 8pm - 11pm in the Upper School MPR
Join TVT's parents, faculty and administration for a CHawaiian CHagiga party celebrating the TVT community! The evening will feature a DJ, dancing & a SILENT AUCTION!
You can bid on events and activities your student can share with their favorite TVT teacher or administrator. All monies raised from the CHagiga support PTSO sponsored Student Programming!
Fruit and Deserts will be served. Cash bar available.
$18 Per Person.
TVT Staff, Faculty and Administration are our Guests! |
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TVT 4th GRADER PUBLISHED IN LA TIMES |
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The classroom staple, a standard book review, may be old hat for a Tarbut V'Torah's forth grade students, but it is more than that for the Los Angeles Times. The newspaper, which recently published a book review by TVT's own Griffin Knutson (age 10), offers young authors of exceptional work a platform from which to express their unique insight into the literary world. Griffin wrote his piece for Mrs. Fierle and Mrs. Cabouat's class at TVT, in which he learned to integrate the historical significance of the California Gold Rush with literature and art as part of our school's project-based curriculum. To view Griffin's review - and the accompanying illustration - please visit the LATimes website. Click on the link for more information about TVT's innovative curriculum. |
| PESACH DELIVERED TO YOU! |
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The Pesach Seder and meal is the most time consuming meal on the Jewish calendar. Save yourself the work of having to do your Pesach cleaning AND cooking . . .
Order your seders from Hotz Stuff! !
Click on the link to see the delicious menu they are offering.
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| COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE LIST GROWS |
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This was a big week for our Seniors! Congratulations! The College Acceptance List has grown to include the following Universities:
UC DAVIS
UC SAN DIEGO
UC IRVINE
UC SANTA CRUZ
UC SANTA BARBARA
UC LOS ANGELES
AMERICAN U
U OF DENVER
NORTHEASTERN
MIT
NYU
U MASS-AMHERST
U OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
MARYMOUNT C
CHAPMAN U
Mazel tov to our Seniors! |
| LEARN TO READ HEBREW |
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| Interested in learning to read Hebrew?
Beth Jacob Congregation of Irvine offers a Beginning Hebrew Class. Learn more by clicking on this HEBREW link. | |
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