Friday, January 31, 2014
30 Sh'vat 5774

Parshat Terumah
Candle Lighting at 5:44 PM


 You CAN Take it With You
 

The aron is probably the most well known of the many items fashioned for use in the mishkan. Steven Spielberg's recreation of the ark in the 1981 classic "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was a faithful portrayal of the golden ark, including the carrying poles that were attached to the two sides of it. In this week's parsha, the Torah tells us that those carrying poles were never to be removed from the ark. Why not? Other vessels in the Mishkan had carrying poles that were allowed to be removed. Why was it forbidden to remove the poles from the ark? 

 
The Chizkuni offers a practical answer: Because the other vessels in the Mishkan were housed outside the Kodesh Kodashim in higher traffic areas, the poles would be removed from those vessels since they would likely get in the way of people walking around. The aron, however, was housed in the Kodesh Kodashim, which was a very low-traffic area. Only the kohen gadol entered the Kodesh Kodashim, and he did so only on Yom Kippur. Because there was no concern, therefore, that the poles of the aron would get in the way, they did not have to removed.

Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch suggests a more philosophical interpretation. The aron houses the luchot and, as such, represents the Torah. By ensuring that the carrying poles were always attached to the aron, the Torah conveys a critical message: the Torah is mobile; it is always on the go; it should not be limited to the Mishkan but should inform our lives wherever we are.

Thank you to our WYHS students for consistently bringing the Torah wherever they go and making sure that Torah values inform everything they do. I was particularly proud last night to see our tenacious and spectacular girls basketball team secure their place in the district championship game and a berth in regionals next week. Following the girls' game, my pride swelled even more as I watched the gritty determination of our wonderful soccer team display extraordinary sportsmanship and hustle as they came from behind to defeat a heavily favored opponent and secured the first-ever WYHS soccer victory in the regional playoffs! Both our teams "brought the Torah with them," showing us that the Torah is mobile and that its values inform all that we do. I hope you enjoy this version of Highlites which showcases so much of what makes WYHS special.
 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Jonathan Kroll  

Head of School 

 

Follow WYHS on Facebook and Twitter   

Coming Attractions

Sun. Feb 2  

Tues Feb 4  

 

Feb 3 - Feb 7
   
Good & Welfare

Births

Mera (Seligman- '02) & Akiva  Wienerkur on the birth of a baby boy!

 

Elana (Kasztl '04) & Justin Kohlhagen ('04) on the birth of a baby boy!

 

Marriages

Yoni San Solo ('07) to Talia Forman

 

Elan Aiken ('09) to Eva Bein

 

Engagements

Louise Jacobovitz ('05) to Ouri Cohen

 

Shana Maikhor  

('05) to Moshe Edelstein

 

Shana Itzkowitz ('10) To Jeff Meckler

 

Graphic by Cherie Landa ('15)
The Adventures of MMR
A Special Look at the Travels of the WYHS College Guidance Counselor
 
Graphic by Avi Schneider ('14)

Where in the world is Mrs. Roberts?  When not tucked away in her pennant-covered office, she is off meeting with deans and directors of college admissions from across the country to talk up WYHS applicants, attending national and international conferences to learn about the latest trends in college admissions, and giving presentations to students and parents right here in South Florida.  Earlier this year, Mrs. Roberts attended the College Board Forum (sponsored by the makers of the ever-popular SAT) in NYC, the National Association for College Admission Counseling Annual Conference (NACAC) in Toronto, and the Florida University System Counselor Tour.  Later in the fall, she was on the road again (humming that Willie Nelson tune), with trips first to Queens College for a session expressly for counselors from Jewish high schools and then onto Rutgers, where Mrs. Roberts serves on an advisory board to the admissions office and where she also met with Rabbi Akiva Weiss, the JLIC Rabbi on campus -- who happens to also be the brother of our amazing English Department Chair, Mrs. Ciment.  In between, she collaborated with her CAJUE colleagues from around the country; CAJUE stands for Counselor Advocacy for a Jewish University Experience, a national organization that Mrs. Roberts serves as vice president.  Closer to home, Mrs. Roberts popped up in Hollywood where she demystified the "alphabet soup" of college admissions testing for parents of freshmen and sophomores.  Back in Boca, Mrs. Roberts "kicked-off" the college process for juniors and their parents with College 101, organized a program on financial aid, and attended a seminar at Lynn University on easing the transition to college for students with learning disabilities.  In between those travels, she guided 49 seniors through the college application process.  Who knows where she will show up next!?

 

Phone a Senator
JUMP Team Runs Successful Lobbying Campaign

Graphic by Aaron Senfeld ('17) and Jonah Rose ('17)
Article by Ellin Gurvitch ('15)

On behalf of the JUMP team, we wanted to get students involved in Israel advocacy by reaching out to Florida Senator Bill Nelson. We implemented this by asking student volunteers to contact Bill Nelson's office to push him towards voting to strengthen the sanctions against Iran rather than weaken them. Approximately 100 students called Senator Nelson's office. Each caller received a raffle ticket for each call made. The winner of the raffle, Josh Bakst ('16), received a Starbucks gift card! The JUMP is proud of our success in leading our peers to be proactive by strengthening the Israel-America relationship.

This week in pictures...

Graphic by Shara Saketkhou ('16), Aaron Senfeld ('17), and Jonah Rose ('17)