• Now that Pearl has left, for financial services, please contact the CFO of the Federation, Shelley Crawford, at 613-798-4696, ext 244.
• Please note that silly bands are no longer allowed at school. They have become a significant distraction and the source of great distress when lost or broken.
• Please send in an extra set of clothing for your child, particularly for the children in the lower grades, in case of an accident (it doesn't have to be a uniform).
• Save the date! Our Chanukah Celebration will be on Wednesday, December 8th at 7 pm, this year.

In the past several years, the Resource department at Hillel has grown and developed significantly. Students now get extra help and enrichment in important subjects such as math, reading and French. However, what makes our school unique is the devotion to supporting student needs in Hebrew as well. In a variety of grades, from ADK to grade 12, Morah Sheli provides basic Hebrew and Judaics 5 days a week to students who need it. She also teaches English as a second language to the native Hebrew speakers in our school. (Below, Sheli works with two 2nd grade Israelis, Michael and Omer, on their English.)

Morah Sheli's job is to assess each of her student's needs and abilities, and tailor her teaching to that. There is very little professional guidance in this area, so Morah Sheli spends her a lot of time going through different literature on Jewish education, picking out what she can use for her students. Even within one group, there is a wide range of abilities, providing their teacher with quite a challenge. Fortunately, Morah Sheli loves that challenge, and it is one she is very used to.

"Teaching these kids is like a dance," says Sheli. "How do you dance with each child to best help them grow into contributing members of our Jewish community?"

Sheli has had a great deal of experience teaching Hebrew and special education. She was the principal of Temple Israel's school for 14 years. She has a Masters in Special Education, and 3 of her 5 children had special needs growing up.

When asked what she does in her spare time, Sheli laughs and says, "I have 5 children, 3 grandchildren, 3 dogs, a bird and a husband. And I run an Orthodox home. Spare time?"

D'var Torah

One of my favourite comments on Parashat Hayyei Sarah is a famous Talmudic discussion on the verse, And Hashem blessed Abraham with everything [ba-kol].

Now this would seem to be a clear sentence, but of course our Rabbis will find deeper significance to each word. Here they explore what the Torah means when it says, ba-kol/"with everything": It was taught: Rabbi Meir says: Ba-kol - that he had no daughter; Rabbi Yehudah says: That he had a daughter (for personal reasons I rather like this interepretation...); Others say: He had a daughter and her name was Bakol; Rabbi Eliezer Ha-Moda'i says: Our father Abraham had the knowledge of astrology, and all the kings of the East and West would come early to his door [for advice]; Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai says: He had a precious stone which he hung around his neck, and whoever was sick would gaze at it and would immediately be cured.  (Bavli Baba Batra 16b)

Our rabbis seek to understand what it means to be blessed "with everything." For some, it is the blessing of children - no matter the challenges, raising children brings unique fulfillment to life. For Rabbi Eliezer Ha-Moda'i, the crown of honour and respect is the most profound blessing. For Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai, the most fulfilling blessing is bringing healing and peace to those around us.

All of these are important insights. As we enter Shabbat, let us think about these insights as we reflect on the past week and look ahead to the next. Let us remember the blessings we have in our lives, and, even more importantly, the things we can do to ensure that we are blessed "with everything".