April 8, 2016

28 Adar II 5776
 



  

 
     Parshat Tazria
Candle Lighting at 7:23 PM
 
Purifying Character
 
This Shabbat we read from three Sifrei Torah (Parshat Tazria, Rosh Chodesh, and Parshat HaChodesh). In Parshat Tazria we are introduced to laws of tumah and tahara. In describing the process by which a new mother must wait until she is ritually pure in order to enter the Temple, the Torah says: בכל קודש לא תגע ואל המקדש לא תבוא עד מלאת ימי טהרה. Literally, that means that she may not touch any consecrated food or enter the Temple until the completion of her days of purity. The chassidic master, Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk, interpreted the pasuk homiletically: One should not touch holiness or approach God until he has first spent considerable time purifying his own character. Character is the foundation on which we build our spiritual lives. I hope that as teachers, students, and as a community we are able to use all of the opportunities afforded to us to strive toward that sense of character development and religious engagement.

Thank you to everyone who came out in support of our Annual Journal Dinner on Wednesday night. It was a smashing success! And thank you to the Highlites staff for putting together yet another super edition of Highlites.
 
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Jonathan Kroll
Head of School
Upcoming Events
Tue. April 12
Spring Comedy 
Good and Welfare 
Engagements
Josh Kaminetsky ('09) and Alana Gross
Two
Bonding and Chesed
Freshman Chesed Day, Sophomore and Junior Days Out Bring Students Closer Together
Graphic by Tamar Ciment ('16)
Article by Highlites Staff

On Monday afternoon the halls of YHS were empty as the seniors were filming their senior video, the juniors headed to the FAU Ropes and Challenge Course, the sophomores went indoor go-karting at Xtreme Action Fun Park in Fort Lauderdale and the freshmen were gleaning at two local farms, picking produce for the less fortunate.  The juniors enjoyed their afternoon of team building, while the sophomores enjoyed their time on the racetrack, ropes course and at the arcade; both capped their evenings with a pizza dinner. The fun activities outside of the classroom gave students a well deserved break from rigorous studies and an opportunity to bond with classmates.
Two
Law and Order
Students Participate in Moot Beit Din as South Florida Hosts International Competition
Graphic by Akiva Stadlan ('19)
Article by Maya Borzak ('16)

With granola bars and fruit roll ups in the trunk of the car, Daniel Feldan, Leor Levenson, Jonah Keehn, Rabbi Horowitz and I drove up to West Palm Beach for RAVSAK's annual Moot Beit Din Competition. From Thursday, March 31, to Sunday, April 3, we participated in various activities, shiurim, and conversations with peers and teachers from all over the United States and Canada. In this pluralistic setting, Yeshiva High School was one of three Orthodox schools among the other denominational schools.

Thursday through Shabbat we participated in building a pluralistic community and a learning environment, and almost all of the students led and contributed to the running of Shabbat and activities. The competition itself took place on Sunday, in which each team presented a written decision and oral argument before a panel of rabbis, scholars, and lawyers, in response to a case.  This year's case focused on Jewish medical ethics and end of life care. Examining Jewish legal perspectives on medicine, each Moot Beit Din team responded to questions posed about the medical treatment of an elderly man with Alzheimer's disease facing a life threatening heart condition.  While we did not place in first or second place, we did get to apply our studies to everyday situations independently and represent our school with class.
Two 
AIPAC
YHS Students Head to the Nation's Capital to Lobby for Israel
Graphic by Simcha Stadlan ('16) and Justin Isaacs ('19)
Article by Shanne Markovitz ('16)

Mid-March provided dozens of students with a life altering opportunity. After months of educational preparation, we attended AIPAC's Policy Conference (most of us under the guidance of Rabbi Uri Pillichowski). Each day we heard from a handful of revered speakers, ranging from some of the most influential authors of our time to an African American Christian Pastor, to high ranking government employees.

A major highlight for many of the attendees was hearing from almost all of the presidential candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties. However, there was one lesson which stood out from the countless others: we each know so little. There is so much more to be learned about pro-Israel activism, and while at Policy Conference we delved into a massive amount of information- we were merely scratching the surface. Everyone who attended has come back with a stronger desire than ever to fight politically for our Jewish homeland, the State of Israel, and that journey has only set its roots at Policy Conference.
Two
Book It! 
Keeping Up with the English Department is No Small Task!

Graphic by Shara Saketkhou ('16)
Article by Highlites Staff
 
The YHS English department is bustling with activity.  
  • On Friday March 18, the freshman class heard from bestselling author of The Book Thief, Markus Zusak at the Posnack JCC; each student received a free copy of the book!
  • Earlier this year a record number of YHS students received recognition for their submissions in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition.  Recently, Ariella Mamann ('16) was named  a National Medalist recipient for her short story in the humor category, in which she wakes up one morning as an iPhone. This fall and winter, students across the country and from places abroad submitted nearly 320,000 works of art and writing to Scholastic.  Nearly 18,000 works earned regional Gold Keys and advanced to New York City for national adjudication.  Of those Gold Key works, just 2,400 received National Medals.  Ariella's work, is one of the top 1% of art and writing submitted to the 2016 Scholastic Awards!   
  • The English department recently launched its first ever Online Writing Lab.  Students working on essays can submit rough drafts of their work to [email protected] and a volunteer peer reader will look over the paper and provide feedback.
  • Finally, the YHS Literary Magazine is currently accepting submissions.  Work can be submitted by emailing [email protected].  The deadline for submissions is April 11.
Two 
Ambassadors of the Hebrew Language
YHS Students Participate in Unique Program With Other Area Day Schools
Graphic by Ariel Schneider ('17) and Noa Markovitz ('19)
Article by Noa Markovitz ('19)

The Young Ambassadors for the Hebrew Language program at Hillel of North Miami Beach was a great opportunity to learn about why Hebrew is important to us. It was the first this event has been held, and I was honored to be a part of it.  We met new people and learned new words in Hebrew by playing interactive games. The
Deputy Consul General of Israel to Florida and Puerto Rico Revital Malka, spoke with us about what we can do to maintain the Hebrew language in America and the power the language has to unite us.
 
One game that we played was to pick a few things we would take with us on a deserted island. There were options such as a first aid kit, a knife, a tent, etc. It was interesting to hear all the different reasons for why people chose their items. We also had a scavenger hunt, where we had to make a poem of the groups' names and find things that were scattered around the building such as scissors, leaves, and a rock. At the day's end, we were happy to have been part of this amazing event where we spoke Hebrew the entire day!
Two 
College for Beginners
Informational Session with College Guidance Department Kicks Off the College Process for Sophomores 
Graphic by Justin Isaacs ('19)
Artilce by Eli Litwin ('18)

Last week the sophomore class was privileged to attend a college guidance program led by YHS' Director of College Guidance, Mrs. Roberts. The program educated students about what colleges are looking for in college applications, as well as what steps would be beneficial for students to begin taking in order to build a strong and unique application.

The highlight of the event was the college admissions game! Mrs. Roberts, along with her sidekicks, Mrs. Seidenfeld and Mrs. Weber, organized a game in which students were able to identify the impressive credentials that colleges look for in their applicants. Some of the suggestions were to attend a prestigious summer educational summer program, participate in a plethora of extracurricular activities, showcasing individual and unique talents, as well as maintain a stellar GPA. The introduction to college guidance program was extremely informative and helpful for the sophomore class.
Two 
This Week in Pictures 

The Yeshiva Highlites Staff