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HEADMASTER'S MESSAGE |
This week we read two Torah portions, Vayakhel and Pekudei. These parshiot continue the discussion of the Mishkan, focusing on how it was constructed and the dedication ceremonies that followed its completion. The Torah relates how the entire Jewish people joyously contributed the materials needed to build the Tabernacle. We are even given details about the special gifts that the princes of each tribe brought to the Mishkan. Here, the commentators point out the Hebrew word for princes, Nesiim, is intentionally written with a letter missing. This served as a kind of slight criticism of the princes who, we are told, chose to wait and see what everyone else donated before deciding which items to contribute themselves. We might wonder why the tribal leaders were rebuked for this. Actually, it made sense for them to delay their gifts until they could ascertain which items were not given in sufficient quantity because this would allow them to supply whatever was missing. Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, known as the Brisker Rav, explains that although their reasoning was solid, it was inappropriate for them to delay their donations. When a person is presented with the opportunity to do a mitzvah, he or she should hasten to perform the mitzvah as soon as possible. The Nesiim should have demonstrated this important concept to the nation. By not doing so they deserved to be gently criticized. Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Zvi Kahn |
YARN HAIR, POPSICLE-STICK MOUTHS, SPONGE BOB WITH A BUS: CTA KIDS SHOW OFF THEIR ART TALENT IN THIS MONTH-LONG SHOW |
It was easy to figure out who some of the children in the self-portraits were, even before they showed up to tell you. Wry or mischievous expressions, noses drawn just at that certain angle, and yarn hair woven in descriptive colors prompted a lot of pointing and chuckling, and great pride on the part of the parents and teachers who filled the gallery.
You, Me & We: Investigating Identity, on display until March 25 in the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Carnegie Gallery, features the work of CTA's kindergarten-through-fifth grades. Work in several media, directed by CTA art teacher Amy Neiwirth, reveals the introspective and whimsical side of our Lower School students.
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PREVIEW OF THE WEEK |
Sunday, March 14: Bingo! Come Volunteer!
Passover Storytime, 4pm, Barnes & Noble, Easton
Daylight Savings Time; turn clocks ahead 1 hour
Monday, March 15: Pizza Bagels-Volunteer: Y. Levi
March 15-19: Ohio Graduation Tests, Grade 10
Tuesday, March 16: Chicken Nuggets-Volunteer: A. Hoffman
CTA Twirlers, Old gym, 4-4:45pm
Wednesday, March 17: Lasagna-Volunteer: P. Rodier
Thursday, March 18: Chicken Wraps-Volunteer: P. Young
Friday, March 19: Fish Sticks-Volunteer: M. Rosenberg
Lower School Dress Down Day
4:00 p.m. Friday Dismissal Schedule Resumes |
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DATES TO REMEMBER |
March 29-April 7: Passover Vacation
Thursday, April 8: School Resumes
April 8-20: March of the Living & Internships
Friday, April 9: End of 3rd Quarter
April 17-21: 9th & 10th Grade New York Trip |
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SCRIP UPDATE - PLACES TO PURCHASE SCRIP |
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Monday-Thursday, 8:00am-4:00pm
Friday, 8:00am-2:00pm CTA Scrip Office, 864-0299 ext. 112 or contact Aliza Finegold at 239-6356 or scrip@torahacademy.org.
REMEMBER: Target Take Charge of Education Program; SchoolMall; Box Tops for Education; turn in paper for recycling in the bin in the upper school parking lot, and empty inkjet cartridges into the box at the school entrance. To view the vendors participating in the Scrip Program go to CTA Scrip List.
Yossick's is offering pizza after Shabbos and a delicious Sunday brunch. Get your Yossick's scrip and give them a try. Yossick's is located at 539 South 5th Street in German Village.
Gili's Goodies: Miss your kids, family and friends in Israel? Send them a gift basket, birthday cake, balloons or other treats for any occasion from Gili's Goodies, a bakery and gift basket company in Jerusalem. CTA will receive 10% of your order. Call 1-866-721-7292 or go to www.gilisgoodies.com.
Giant Eagle's "Apples for the Student" Program runs until March 31, 2010. The school ID Number is 4389.
GIVE & GET: We invite all parents to take an active part in the education of our children by becoming involved at CTA as a volunteer. We hope each family will contribute at least 20 hours in the 2009-2010 school year. There are many ways to volunteer. Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Robin Garvin, at 235-0350 or rgar234@yahoo.com, to get involved.
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MAZAL TOV TO: |
Avi & Amira Kagan on Ori becoming a Bar Mitzvah
Elisheva Capland Balouka (8th Grade Class of '00) on the birth of a son |
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REFUAH SHLAIMA TO: |
John Schwarz
Larry Garvin |
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SAVE THE DATE |
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Sunday, May 2, 2010: Lag B'Omer Spring Fling Concert and Carnival
Thursday, May 6, 2010: Annual Giving Event, 7pm at the home of Michael & Patty Schiff |
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BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION |
Thank you to all who brought their Box Tops into school. This year CTA raised $497.10. Please continue to bring in your Box Tops all year round. They can be left in the collection box at the front office. |
STUDENTS LEARN WHY ORGAN DONATION IS OK FOR JEWS |
When 17-year-old Netanel Goodman and 16-year-old Rachel Theler died, their families donated their organs for transplant, saving the lives of seven people. These selfless acts of kindness are rare for two reasons. First, Jews among all ethnic groups have the worst record of organ donation. Second, both the donors and their families are Orthodox. They donated organs in spite of the common misperception among Orthodox and secular Jews alike that Jewish tradition categorically prohibits organ donation.
Robby Berman of the Halachic Organ Donor Society visited CTA on Tuesday and spoke to our high school students about organ donation. He addressed the halachic concerns that many Jews have about the issue.
His talk dovetailed earlier presentations by Amy Baden, Regional Representative of Lifeline of Ohio. Baden spoke to CTA boys' and girls' health classes on the need for organ donors and ways that a person can register. She also sat in on Berman's lecture.
"He was accurate, compelling and truly has a gift for reaching his audience. In doing so, I saw the powerful impact he had on many of the students," she remarked later.
Berman explained that while there are legitimate halachic issues concerning the moment of death that might, in certain circumstances, forbid donation, Judaism places the highest priority on saving and preserving human life. Most rabbis agree that, in most cases, saving a life overrides the biblical and rabbinic prohibitions of mutilating the body, delaying burial, and getting benefit from a corpse.
(A portion of this report is taken directly from an article written by Berman and published by the Nachum Goldman Fellowship Alumni Web site.) |
A BOOK OF THEIR OWN: CTA FIRST-GRADERS GET THEIR VERY FIRST SIDDURIM |
Each year, staff and families look forward to the display of patent-leather shoes, fidgety expressions and extensive learning that crosses the bimah at the Chag HaSiddur.
This year, 19 first-graders demonstrated their knowledge of daily prayer through 30 minutes of recitation and song, led by teacher Morah Myra Elbaz. Then each received his or her own prayer book from the rabbi at that family's synagogue.
The children proudly displayed their personally decorated siddurim for everyone to see. Visiting rabbis were Howard Zach of Torat Emet, Chaim Yosef Ackerman of Ahavas Sholom, Tuly Weisz of Beth Jacob, Melissa Crespy of Agudas Achim, Emily Rosenzweig of Temple Israel, Levi Andrusier of Chabad and Henoch Morris of the Columbus Community Kollel. 
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CTA WINNERS IN THE YOUNG JEWISH ARTIST COMPETITION |
Congratulations to the following CTA students who participated in the Justine Hackman Memorial Young Jewish Artist Competition at Tifereth Israel: 2nd Place in the Senior Division: Alexander Weiss, violinist, and Honorable Mention in the Junior Division: David Polster, piano. All winners of the competition will perform on Thursday, April 29, at Congregation Tifereth Israel, at 7:00 p.m. |
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All current participants in the Kroger Rewards Program must re-enroll for the program in order to earn funds for CTA during 2010. Beginning Thursday, April 1, visit www.krogercommunityrewards.com, click on "Ohio" to sign up for a Kroger.com account or click on "Already enrolled? Sign In" if you already have an account. All participants in the program must have a valid online account at Kroger.com to participate. |
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TZEDAKAH |
It has been a time-honored Jewish tradition to give tzedakah in recognition of important events. Todah Rabah to the following for their donation to:
The Scholarship Fund:
The Bloch Family in appreciation of Shalot Manos gifts
Stacy Leeman & Gary Liebesman in memory of Rabbi Stavsky
Susan and Victor Schmelzer and Family in memory of Rick Cohen's
father, George Cohen, in memory of the life and legacy of Frank Nutis,
in memory of Tricia Rosenstein's father, in honor of the engagement of
Shayna Cohen to Chaim Pinsker, in honor of Joe Nutis' graduation from
Ohio State University, in honor of the engagement of Scott Shulman to
Deena Bracha Rendel, in honor of the engagement of Debbie
Weinerman to Nadav Recca, and in honor of the Bat Mitzvah of Hava
Parks
Elsie Oppenheimer in honor of Frank and Boots Nutis
The Annual Giving Fund:
In Memory of Frank Nutis:
Stuart and Tari Modes
Jonathan Silberstein
The Cabakoff Family
Barbara and Irvin Flox
Marsha Emerman
Michael and Mara Ryan
Rita Waitzman, Jay, Steven and Karen
Lawrence and Audrey Goldsmith
Baruch and Minna Shifman in memory of Jerome Schottenstein
Marlene Wolf in honor of Jeffrey Wolf
Theodore and Mildred Blumenfeld in honor of Sarah Blumenfeld, for her
birthday from Lee Blumenfeld
John and Rose Schwarz in honor of Jeremy Schwarz
Stacy Leeman and Gary Liebesman in memory of Esther Kravitz and Dan
Leeman
Andrew and Patricia Rosenstein in memory of Stanley Rosenstein, Mel
Fine, and Frank Nutis
Max Tennebaum in honor of Catherine Garret
Mr. & Mrs. Joey Schwarz in honor of Henry and Candy Schwarz |
PARSHAT VAYAKHEL-PEKUDEI QUIZ by Rabbi Zecharia Weitz |
1) On which day did the assembly of Vayakhel occur?
a) The day after Yom Kippur
2) What was unusual about the way the women spun the goat's hair?
a) It was spun while it was still attached to the goat (Medrash)
3) What were the Cheruvim and where were they located?
a) Two angel figures that were located on the kaporet (the lid of the Aron Kodesh)
4) When traveling, who were appointed to carry the vessels of the Mishkan and who was the head officer in charge of them?
a) The Levites, led by Etamar the son of Aharon
5) What was inscribed on the stones on the shoulders of the Eiphod?
a) The names of the tribes
6) What was the Me'il and what was attached to its hem?
a) The robe worn by the kohen; attached to its hem were woven pomegranates and golden bells
7) What were the mitznefet and tzitz and what did the kohen-gadol wear in-between them?
a) The mitznefet was the turban-like hat the kohen wore. The kohen gadol wore the tzitz, a golden plate inscribed with the words "Holy to Hashem", on his forehead. Between these two he wore his tefillin.
8) On what date was the Mishkan actually erected (without being taken down right afterwards)?
a) Rosh Chodesh Nissan (of the second year in the desert)
9) What special additional parsha do we read this Shabbat?
a) Ha'Chodesh (about Rosh Chodesh)
10) Why do we read this especially this time of year?
a) The mitzvah of sanctifying the month was initially given to us in Mitzraim for the month of Nissan. Nissan will begin this Tuesday, particularly recalling this event.
Discussion Questions
1) After this Shabbat, we will have read five consecutive parshiot completely or partially devoted to the construction of the Mishkan. One would assume things repeated are being emphasized. Why then is Hashem putting so much emphasis on the construction of something that, in its inception, was not meant to be permanent and whose vessels should only need to be made once?
2) Rosh Chodesh was the first mitzvah given to us as a nation. Why was this the appropriate mitzvah and message to begin our unique national relationship with Hashem?
**Correction: Last week I incorrectly identified Charvonah as Daniel. It was actually Hatach that was Daniel. | |
I hope you enjoy the electronic version of our Dateline. Please check out our website at www.torahacademy.org. |
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