Yeshiva Highlites: First Highlites of the Year!

August 28, 2015
13th of Elul 5775

Parshat Ki Teitzei

Candle Lighting at 7:27 PM

Striving for the Divine, Moving Towards Greatness

School has begun and the anticipatory excitement of a new beginning fills the air. Students enter their new classes excitedly and teachers prepare their lessons enthusiastically. On Monday morning at Freshmen Orientation, our 76 ninth graders began to chart their own YHS paths. That afternoon the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders filled the halls with tremendous energy, rounding out the entire student body with our all time high of 307 students! The electric atmosphere practically made our hair stand up straight! What significance can we draw from the excitement at the beginning of the school year?

Rav Yitzchak Hutner, in his first essay on Pesach, notes that the חפזון, the quickness with which the Jews left Egypt, contains an important theological dimension as well. As the Jewish people sped out of the physical confines of Egypt, they also demonstrated a drive to to be freed of the bonds of time. They moved as quickly as possible in order to reach beyond the finite constraints of the material world and the limitations imposed by time; they sought a deeper, timeless connection to a more Divine, infinite realm. Rav Hutner explains that this characteristic of חפזון or quickness was an important quality woven into the spiritual DNA of the Jewish people as they emerged from Egypt. The nature of the Jewish People would be to strive for the Divine and always move toward greatness.

I thought of this idea of Rav Hutner's as I watched the excitement and the חפזון of our students. I look forward to a year in which the energy of the first week is woven into the fabric of our school year and forms the foundation of a dynamic and engaging year of growth in learning as we develop the next generation of Jewish men and women.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Jonathan Kroll
Head of School

Upcoming Events

Tues. Sept. 1
Meet the Teacher Night

Wed. Sept. 2
First Night Seder

Sat. Sept. 5

Selichot Program

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Good and Welfare

Births

Elie ('08) and Naomi (Kasztl '08) Baratz on the birth of a son

Engagements

Rivka Pearlstein ('12) to Gilad Mordekovich

Michel Skura ('08) to Chani Jalus

Jonathan Belolo ('08) on his engagement to Orly Sonnenschein

Gaby Markovitch ('09) on her engagement to Elie Gabay

Sahar Zaghi ('06) on her engagement to Zach Wertheimer

Meira Salamon ('11) on her engagement to Shalom Zharnest

Marriages

David Clements ('09) to Talia Portal

Malka Hizkiya ('07) to Binyomin Edinger

Ariella Saragossi ('11) to Rafi Hopkins

Tamar Singer ('11) to Andrew Turk

BJ Litwin ('09) to Ayelet Lerman

Zack Goldglantz ('10) to Shira Litchman

Eitan Heering ('08) to Kayla Adler

Condolences

To Sarit Lasry on the passing of her father

To Diane Magid on the passing of her mother
To Ken Bender on the passing of his mother

Faculty Mazel Tovs

Mrs. Kanner on the birth of a grandson

Mrs. Anna Weber on the engagement of her son

Alumni in the News

Jared Samilow ('14) for having an editorial published in the Jerusalem Post. Click here to read: "Why We Shouldn't Be So Upset That Matisyahu Got The Boycott".

Welcome Back

Orientation Kicks Off the New School Year

Graphic by Tamar Ciment ('16)

Article by Shanee Markovitz ('16), Staff Writer

On Monday, YHS students opened the newest chapter of their high school careers. Students in tenth through twelfth grades assembled in the Boca Raton Synagogue sanctuary for preparatory programming and orientation. Students then took class photographs, caught up with friends, and were treated to an ice cream party. Rabbi Jonathan Kroll, Mrs. Ora Lee Kanner, and Mr. Shimmie Kaminetsky addressed the student body on upcoming changes and new programs. YHS then screened an opening video which recalled last year's highlights and featured the much-anticipated new building. After such a wonderful kickoff, students could hardly wait to start classes. May the 2015-2016 school year be the best one yet!