Seeking Direction Jokes abound regarding a man's reluctance to ask for directions.* There are plenty of scientific studies, too. One British study even reported that the average male drives an extra 276 miles every year simply because he refuses to stop and ask for directions. In this week's parsha, Yaakov sends Yosef from Hevron to go see his brothers who were tending to their sheep in Shechem. As Yosef approaches the area of Shechem he happens upon a man wandering in the field. In their brief exchange, this mysterious stranger guides Yosef in the right direction and helps Yosef find his brothers. Who is this mysterious man and why is this seemingly unimportant pitstop highlighted in the Torah's narrative? Ramban suggests that when Chazal say that the mystery man was an angel, they mean that he was a person sent by God in order to ensure that Yosef reached his destination. The lesson of the story is that God's plan will prevail. The Rashbam learns a different lesson from this episode. He claims that the Torah includes this story in order to highlight the greatness of Yosef, who strove to fulfill his father's mission even though he knew it was uncomfortable for him and even though he had to stop and ask for directions! Even in the times of the Chumash, men were evidently reluctant to ask for directions!
At WYHS, we strive to create an environment in which all students will feel comfortable asking for direction, and in which we all do our best to be that person wandering in the field ready to offer help to anyone who needs it. Thank you to the Highlites staff for putting together this issue and to all of the students and staff at WYHS for creating the the supportive and dynamic environment that you'll read about below.
* Why did Bnei Yisrael wander in the desert for 40 years? Moshe refused to ask for directions.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Jonathan Kroll
Head of School
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Thank Yous
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The Harris family for sponsoring night seder in memory of Stewart Harris Z"L.
Simcha & Debbie Firestone for sponsoring the upcoming Chanukah Mesibas at teachers' homes.
Ilan & Sharon Markovitz for sponsoring the teacher dinner for parent-teacher conferences.
Jeffrey Silkin, Brenda Arshawsky, and Leslie Firestone for their assistance picking things up for the Open House.
Nahum & Alli Zak and Simcha & Debbie Firestone for preparing beautiful snack bags for our teachers for parent-teacher conferences.
The Bensmihen Family, Joseph, Karina & Alegrina, for sponsoring breakfast for the school in commemoration of the Yahrzeit of David Bensmihen Z"L
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