Friday, November 22, 2013
18 Kislev 5774
Parshat  Vayeishev
Candle Lighting at 5:11 PM


 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 

 

Follow WYHS on Facebook and Twitter 

 
Thank Yous

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
Coming Attractions

Wed. Nov. 27
Erev Chanukah       3:30 Dismissal

Nov. 28 - Dec. 1
No School
Happy Chanukah &
Happy Thanksgiving
 
Wed. Dec. 11
Girls Musical:
The Wizard of Oz 
Good & Welfare

Marriages 

Rachel Dolgow

('04) to Joseph Belleli 


Mazel Tov

Rabbi and Mrs. Schochet on the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Tani.

 

Condolences

Dr. Steven Charlap on the passing of his brother 

 

Mrs. Cammy Leff on the passing of her grandfather
Welcome to our House
WYHS Hosts Record Crowd for Annual Open House
Graphic by Avi Schneider ('14)
Footage of Open House activities                  Official Open House Video 5774

Classroom Innovation

Graphic by Simcha Stadlan ('16)

Our classrooms are buzzing with energy as teachers introduce several innovative techniques for teaching and assessment. Teachers are using every opportunity to promote students' active engagement in their learning. This is manifesting itself in many ways, including unique hands-on experiences in class, dramatic displays of students' skills and comprehension, and creative projects that demonstrate our students' mastery of the material they have covered in class and/or researched independently. Check out the images above for a small taste of some of these exciting learning experiences. 

Veterans Visit
Juniors Honor Veterans in Special Program

Graphic by Cherie Landa ('15)
Article by Daniella Cohen ('15)

Last month, the junior class visited the Forest Trace Senior Community, where they interviewed World War II veterans. The juniors were inspired by the firsthand stories of determination and by the sheer bravery of these military heroes. This past Tuesday, the students once again had the opportunity to meet with and honor these veterans. Forest Trace residents came to WYHS for a wonderful program where students shared some of the veterans' biographies and presented each veteran with an award. Ellin Gurvitch ('15) shared, "I could tell they were all glowing with happiness when they were called up to the stage." The students loved presenting the veterans with their awards just as much as the veterans enjoyed receiving them!
This Week in Pictures

Graphic by Noah Brown ('16) Eric Ditchek('14)