The Shulchan Aruch tells us that during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva we should be especially diligent in our performance of mitzvot and that we should go above and beyond the letter of the law. During this introspective time of year we aim to "put our money where our mouth is" and show that our promises and intentions are not mere words but that we back them up with action. This week at WYHS we did our best to fulfill that idea. There was a lot of action at school as we prepared ourselves for Yom Kippur. This issue of Highlites will give you a good idea of all of the action that we engaged in this week.
I had the privilege of addressing all of the boys on Monday night and all of the girls on Wednesday night at our annual Kinnus Teshuva. After school, teachers opened their homes to the students for dinner, and then everyone returned to school, where I led a discussion about ways we can approach teshuva and how we can all work on shaping our school culture. In an effort to promote even greater unity, I issued a challenge to all of the boys and to all of the girls: which boy and which girl would be the first to be able to correctly name each of the 256 students in WYHS? Students accepted the challenge with gusto. Within less than 24 hours, Yitzchak Kaminetsky and Elisheva Phillips each met the challenge!
Whether tapping into spirituality through a kumsitz, or participating in student-run Divrei Torah during breakfast, WYHS students prepared themselves with actions in this week leading up to Yom Kippur.
I hope you enjoy this Instagram edition of Highlites. Best wishes for a Gmar Chatimah Tova.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Jonathan Kroll
Head of School
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