The Hillel Happenings

The Official e-Newsletter of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

5685 Beacon Street ~ Pittsburgh, PA 15217 ~ (412) 521-8131

Parshat Shemot

January 1, 2016 - 20 Tevet 5776

Shabbat Candle Lighting - 4:46pm

Shabbat Ends - 5:54 pm

Dvar Torah

In Parshat Shemot, we read about the early life of Moshe Rabbenu. The Torah describes a turning point in Moshe's life when he came to the rescue of a defenseless Hebrew slave and killed his Egyptian taskmaster. The verse states, "He turned this way and that, saw there was nobody, and killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand"(2:12).

Rashi cites the Midrash (Shemot Rabba 1:29) as interpreting the phrase, "He saw there was nobody" as referring to the fact that Moshe used prophecy to see if any righteous people would descend from this taskmaster. Only after he ascertained that the Egyptian was not destined to produce anyone righteous, Moshe proceeded to kill him.

Chazal here emphasize the need to consider all possible repercussions of our actions. The thought process of "he's wrong, I must act against him" is an overly simplistic calculation, especially when considering drastic reactions. Chazal tell us that Moshe looked forward all the way to the end of time to assess the consequences of the act he was about to commit. This teaches us the importance of seeing and weighing the full range of consequences before acting.

In life, we constantly encounter situations which demand our action. While often we are correct in the moment, it is imperative to think about all of the consequences of our actions, even the ones which may not be readily obvious.

Have a wonderful Shabbat

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Weinberg

Useful Information

Read archived Hillel Happenings - by clicking HERE
Our website is www.Hillelpgh.org
2015-2016 School calendar

Alumni Updates

Bobbie (Wasserman) and Ari Gordon: Mazel Tov on the birth of Leora Yitta!

Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Rebbitzen Wasserman and Elaine (Gordon) and Yisroel Weiman and the entire Wasserman/Levene/Gordon/Weingarten family on the birth of a baby girl, Leora Yitta, to Ari and Bobbi Gordon in Jerusalem!

Emily Mostow: Mazel Tov to Hillel alumna Emily on her marriage to Nati Wind in Israel! Emily made aliyah last year and is an elementary teacher in Jerusalem at the Armenian School. Emily graduated from Brandeis with a BS and a Masters in Education.

Shayna Stiebel: Mazel Tov to Hillel alumna Shayna and her chatan Moe on their engagement last week and the L'Chaim in Pittsburgh!

Amalia Levari:

Amalia Levari, sister-in-law of Mrs. Yikara Levari, visited our school, and made a guest appearance in the FAB GHS for a presentation to the students on her career and recent Emmy award. She offered some tips on how to be successful in whatever field you chose.

Julia Segal: Mazel Tov to Hillel alumna Julia Segal on her engagement to Yonasan Freund, who happens to be Rabbi Smith's brother-in-law. So, Mazel Tov to the entire Smith and Segal families!

New! - FAB GHS Newspaper - Humans of Hillel

Click here to read the newspaper in its entirety.

Clubs

Are you ready for second semester clubs?

HAIHL Standings

Team ~ Captain	W	L
Team A ~ Pinny	5	1
Team D ~ Yitzy	5	1
Team C ~ Zalman	1	5
Team B ~ Reuven	1	5

The boys' art club works on their 3D sketching.

Please consider joining and/or donating to the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western PA. They are one of our generous donors who help make clubs possible.

Go Figure

Points

scored by Moshe Eli in the first game of the Colfax Holiday

Tourney, a PR for him.

60-22

The score of the middle school basketball team in their victory over Imani Academy.

155

Followers on Twitter, two more than last week.

Points scored by each Moshe Eli and Aaron on Tuesday

during their holiday tournament victory.

573

Facebook likes, three more than last week.

2016

Mr. Werber's gematria

for the new year is 20+16 = double chai!

Weekly Photos

Last week the 4th grade finished Perek 4 in Sefer Yehoshua. The perek describes how Bnei Yisrael finished crossing through the Yarden into Eretz Yisrael after Hashem made the waters of the river rise up like a pillar. Yehoshua then commands the Jewish people to take 12 stones from the Yarden and make a monument at Gilgal to commemorate the miracle of crossing the Yarden. The pasuk says:

וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁאָלוּן בְּנֵיכֶם מָחָר אֶת אֲבוֹתָם לֵאמֹר מָה הָאֲבָנִים הָאֵלֶּה וְהוֹדַעְתֶּם אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם לֵאמֹר בַּיַּבָּשָׁה עָבַר יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן הַזֶּה

And he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What are these stones?"

Then, you shall let your children know, saying, "Israel came over this Jordan on dry land."

One of the students asked if this monument still exists today. We answered that while we do know the general area of where the crossing took place, the monument has not been found. Another student brought up an interesting point, if the monument was meant to serve as a reminder for all generations of Jews to look upon, and be reminded of the miracle of the crossing of the Yarden, how can it not be there today? So the 4th graders took it upon themselves to make a "reminder" for us in Pittsburgh! They gathered stones from the playground and made a mound with a sign reminding everyone about the great miracle of crossing into Eretz Yisrael! As it says on the sign, for more information about Sefer Yehoshua, or about our experience, please ask one of the 4th graders at Hillel Academy!

Rabbi Oren Levy can be reached at Olevy@Hillelpgh.org.

Our Fifth and Sixth Grade girls are participating in a program called the Eco-Connection. We are paired with a school in Israel to learn together the importance of protecting our environment from both a scientific and Judaic perspective. Our kickoff video conference took place on Dec. 29th when we Skyped with the 5th Grade class at Moreshet School in Israel. The girls shared information about themselves and the schools in both English and Hebrew, participated in ice-breaker activities, and sang together. The theme of the conference was "We Stand With Israel." Next, our class will work on an environmental project here at school and periodically share our progress with Moreshet.

Mr. Don Garwood can be reached at Dgarwood@Hillelpgh.org.

The 8th graders had a "break out" for the middle school performance that will take place at the end of February 2016.

Shabbat party!

Mock Shabbat meal.

High school physics class, built bridges and competed to see which students bridge could support the most weight.

The finch dance-off in the third grade.

Mitzvah Day

TribeLive http://cbsloc.al/1IuBUqS

1st Grade Chumash Presentation

Mazel Tov to all the first graders and their families on receiving their very first Chumashim. This is a major milestone in their young lives. We wish them all mazel and bracha and they should continue to bring nachas to us all.

Hillel Pop Grid by Liora Nimchinsky

Liora spoke with the mock trial team to find out their views on some popular topics. Good luck mock trialers and thanks for your time!

Students in the Mix Mock Trial Crew	What three words do you think best describe yourself?	If you could invent something that would make life easier for people, what would you invent?	Who is someone famous that you'd like to be friends with?
Chedva Silver	Passionate Hardworking, BRILLIANT!	Egg Yolk Separator	J.K. Rowling
Adina Kisilinsky	First World Problems	Sleep Exercise - Mr. Kraut's idea - he told me that one time he dreamed that he had been exercising intensely and then when he woke up, he felt great and super fit!	Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
Shira Nimchinsky	Rule. Breaker. In. Fact. How. About. Eight. Words?	A coffee cup with a compartment to catch the drips	Shaquille O'Neal
Rachel Cohen	Lackadaisical. Awe-- . zzzzzzzz .	Shoes that tie themselves	Mary Queen of Scots (My doppelganger )
Liora Nimchinsky	Hungry. Twenty four. Seven.	Waterproof flash cards or a setting in your computer that automatically converts everything into one tense.	Mark David Chapman
Yael Itskowitz	I. Can't. Even	Umbrella with a cup holder- you can hold your book, your coffee, and your umbrella at the same time.	Calvin Klein
Shira Itskowitz	O.M.G.	Holographic phones	Blake Lively
Shira Rivka Friedman	I. Don't. Know	A capsule that allows you to see the future and make decisions based off that.	Elvis Presley
Michael Sohnen	All day everyday	Automatic dog walking robot	Isaac Newton (he needs a friend)
Evan Stufflebeam	Tired. Hungry. Bored	Time traveling device	Bob Marley
Isaac Brown	In. The. Fineprint.	That thing	Will Ferrell
Ben Ungar	Ready for fun?	A portable teleporter	Ms. Myers' mom
Philip Stein	Food. Video. Games.	A drone to go to school for you	Kim Jong-Un
Yosef Cohen-Melamed	A flying sephardi	Self cooling clothes	Ringo Starr
Mr. Garwood	Science, Fun. Boom	Automatic Direct Exam writer	Mr. Spock

Alumni Spotlight : Rabbi Bernard Fox

Hi and thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. When did you attend Hillel Academy? I attended Hillel Academy from kindergarten through twelfth grade. I graduated in June of 1974.

Rabbi Fox's Hillel yearbook photo.

Very nice. Few of our alumni are "lifers." Please share a favorite memory from your days at Hillel with our readers. Wow, that would take some time. But, here's one you can use. I recall that beginning in 7th or 8th grade when our rabbayim invited us to visit their houses on Shabbat afternoons. Rabbi Brodie was one of the faculty members who extended this invitation. These were awe-inspiring experiences. Some of the relationships that I developed with our dedicated mechanchim have endured for decades. In general, Hillel and Shabbat were intertwined. Throughout most of my high school years, we had a Shabbat minyan at the school. Often, we had a kiddish afterward. Rabbi and Mrs. Rottenberg, OB"M, on a number of occasions hosted me for lunch.

Yes, Shabbat is a very special time and our faculty members use this time to further bond with our dedicated students. What organizations are you currently involved in? Northwest Yeshiva High School of Seattle, Washington and various other organizations in Seattle. I continue to support Hillel and PZ. I also remain in touch with Yeshiva Bnai Torah. My weekly writings on the parasha are featured on OU.org and Mesora.org.

That is good to know! How do you earn a living? I am the head of school at Northwest Yeshiva High School. I am completing my 31st year.

Wow, that's wonderful. We live in a time when people switch jobs and even careers often, how are you able to stay at your job so long? The more typical tenure for a head of school is 5-7 years. I think that there are advantages to tenures of that duration. A head of school brings with him a vision and a set of skills that differs from his predecessor. He takes those qualities and applies them to advancing his school. Once he has done this and made his impact, he may find he can have much more impact in another school.

My tenure was much longer. This created stability and continuity. We were able to perform experiments, try new programs, evaluate them, and decide whether they should be permanent or abandoned. However, in order to be effective, I brought in new people as often as possible. I was also careful to encourage them to think beyond the status quo at the school and consider how we might do things differently. This helped make sure that our program remained flexible and responsive and not stagnant and fixed.

How did Hillel Academy prepare you for the future? After Hillel I attended Yeshiva Bnai Torah, ultimately receiving smicha. I enrolled in graduate school without a conventional undergraduate degree. I earned an MBA and specialized in qualitative analysis. Essentially, the secular education I received at Hillel provided me with the background I needed in writing, composition, and mathematics to earn an advanced degree. I graduated from the MBA program with a 4.0. Of course, my love for Torah learning was first inspired in Hillel. My Hillel experience moved me to continue on to yeshiva and to further my Torah learning. Thank you Hillel.

That is a great plug for Hillel and you are welcome! Please share with our students something you wish someone had told you when you were in school. At some point, I realized that a focus on grades undermines the learning experience. While at Hillel, I developed the beginnings of an understanding of Torah and the world that surrounds us. The experience was wonderful and often joyous. But, to truly experience the excitement of learning new things, wondering at the mysteries of Torah and the world, and the adventure of discovery, one must get past thinking about the grade.

From a professional stand point, can you offer some advice on how to accomplish this?

I will not claim that this is easy to accomplish. Some of my students are truly committed to learning. Others are driven by grades. Let me make one comment. It is impossible to reach a student and

create in that student a connection to learning if the student does not learn.

Some years ago, a junior boy asked to be excused from Gemara and to instead, be allowed to participate in an independent study. He explained to me that he does not get anything out of Gemara and does not see its relevance. I asked him to share with me more specifically his frustrations with his Gemara class. He could not be more specific. He did not know what perek was being studied. Neither could he share with me any of the material in the perek. I explained to him that of course, he was not getting anything out of the class. He was not really present. So, the first step is to get the student involved. Grades can be used as a means for motivating and creating that involvement. But then it is important to move beyond the grades into a true connection with learning.

I will add that Rabbi Brodie took this approach with me. He focused on using whatever means necessary to get me to learn Gemara. He worked with my father and he succeeded in getting me involved. That was the beginning of a life-long passion that changed my life.

Please share with us some information about your family. We have four married children and five grandchildren. Our three oldest children and their families are in New York. Our youngest son Chaim lives in Pittsburgh with his wife Alisa. We are proud that Alisa is a member of Hillel's outstanding faculty.

What was your favorite class? My ninth 9th grade Tehilim class with Rabbi Moskowitz.

Did you have a favorite teacher? Who was it and why? The two teachers who had the greatest impact were Rabbi Brodie and Rabbi Moskowitz. But, I had many other great teachers in secular and Torah studies at Hillel.

What is your favorite Torah subject to learn and favorite one to teach? Although I write almost exclusively on Chumash, my passion is for Gemara. My teaching preference really is determined by the students and not the subject. I enjoy working with a group of students who are eager to learn and who find meaning in the material.

Quick Picks:

Rashi or Tosvot? Both are essential. It is impossible to imagine learning today without both.

Pittsburgh Steelers or Seattle Seahawks? Black and Gold all the Way!

Twitter or Snap chat? Waste of time.

Coffee or Tea? I live in Seattle! Coffee!

Chulent or kugal? Can't choose.

Turf or grass? In Seattle grass is very popular.

Thank you so much for your time, it was wonderful "chatting" and hearing your insights. Shabbat Shalom!

R' Danny Shaw can be reached at dshaw@hillelpgh.org.

Tomchei Shabbos

If you are interested or know someone who might be interested in volunteering, please contact me at dkraut@hillelpgh.org.

HYPE - Are you HYPED?!

HYPE offers a variety of classes during the day and in the evening. Including this one with Rabbi Sam Weinberg: Exploring the Maharal on Pirkei Avot Thursday 1:30-2:15 pm

We also offer:

Rabbi Daniel Yolkut: Fresh Looks at Familiar Stories: Chumash through the eyes of Rav Yaakov Medan Wednesday 1:30 pm - 2:15 pm
Rabbi Oren Levy: Introduction to Talmud Monday 8:30 pm -9:15 pm
Rabbi Wasserman on Navi: The Book of Joshua - Mondays from 8:15 am until 9 am, main office.

Word of the week מילת השבוע

סְלִיק

סליק: כינוי למחבוא נשק של אנשי 'ההגנה' בתקופת המנדט הבריטי

Israeli history, during the British Mandate - hiding place for weapons, mainly by the

"Hagana" and the Palmach.

כל המילים:

שְׁבִיל טִיּוּל תַּרְמִיל תֵּל שלג אֲגַם מַצְפֵּן אָמָּנוּת יֶקֶב כַּד-חֶרֶס צִיפור

Hillel Gear Spotted Here!

You may not recognize this young stud, because now he is sporting a short hair do, but this is Avrumi Cook. He was excited to hold up the retro Hillel car magnet for this photo in his mother's "homeland," Australia.

If you are looking to slap one of our new car magnets on your ride, contact frontdesk@hillelpgh.org.

If you are interested in purchasing new Hillel gear, there will be a FLASH SALE after winter break.

Flashback Fridays Photo Challenge

We are so proud of our alumni! We continue to strive to keep them current on Hillel news and we want to know what they are doing. One of our more simple ways to do this is to post a photo from back in the day. You think you know the people in the photo? Great! E-mail us your guess and we will publish your name if you guess correctly.

This week's photo:

This week's Photo:

Debating Ethics - We are now on winter break and will resume Jan. 5

Open Beit Midrash with Dinner for Teens at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

Together with J Line, Hillel Academy is proud to offer the Torah for Teens

What: Study Texts Over A Great Meal with Your Friends

When: Tuesdays, 6:20 pm - 7:20 pm - Jan 5 -

Who: Teens

Cost: FREE!

Bring a Friend and Your Appetite - this week we will be serving pizza.

For questions please email dshaw@hillelpgh.org

Hillel Gym Schedule

There are many athletic classes offered in our gym, most are free of charge. They are not school sponsored so please contact the person in charge of that group with questions. If you are interested in using our gym please contact Danny Shaw - dshaw@hillelpgh.org.

Sundays - Women's basketball - Creegers@gmail.com
Mondays - Women's dance - ronitharold@gmail.com
Tuesdays - Men's Hockey - Olevy@Hillelpgh.org
Wednesdays - Men's basketball -creegers@gmail.com
Wednesdays - Teen fitness followed by women's fitness -shaynamarcus@gmail.com
Thursdays - Women's basketball -creegers@gmail.com
Saturday night or Sunday night - Men's Hockey - Olevy@Hillelpgh.org

Around Town

APPLES FOR THE STUDENTS: Please be sure to register your Giant Eagle Advantage Card by clicking HERE and enter our school ID - 0454.
BNEI AKIVA: Bnei Akiva Snif will be at Shaare Torah this week from 3:30-4:30pm for all kids grades 2-8. Don't forget to answer the weekly question and bring it to Snif! There will be a Magic Show for Chevraya Alef this Sunday, 1/3/2016 at Shaare Torah from 1-2:30pm. All girls and boys in grades 1-8 are welcome. The show will be performed by none other than Weird Eric, in addition to an awesome "magical" project! Cost will be $10 per person, $18 for two.
GIRL'S ONEG: Oneg Melava Malka Motzei Shabbos December 26th 7-8pm at Pfeffer 5840 Beacon st.
TEEN SCENE:

Shabbos Program is January 9th at PZ from 3-4pm. Looking forward to our next exciting event! Check out our blog teenscenepgh.blogspot.com
GYM & SWIM FOR BOYS: The program will begin this week on Motsoei Shabbos at Allderdice High School. The pool will be open for all students the entire time. The gym will be assigned as follows:1st Grade through 4thGrade: 7 pm - 8 pm 5th grade through 8th grade: 8 pm - 9 pm. The cost of the program is $4 per student. There is a family maximum of $12.Please note the program will take place on the following dates: December 19, January 9, January 16, January 23, February 20, and February 27.

Applications for need-based college scholarships for the 2015-2016 school year are available from the Central Scholarship & Loan Referral Service (CSLRS) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. This program is administered by Jewish Family & Children's Service. The funds are made available through the generosity of families who have established endowments through the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Jewish Community center, National Council of Jewish Women, Jewish Women International of Pittsburgh (formerly B'nai B'rith Women), The Pittsburgh Foundation, and Rodef Shalom Congregation.All awards are distributed on the basis of demonstrated financial need. Depending on the scholarship fund, other factors such as academic achievement, field of study, school attending, and Jewish and general community involvement will also be considered. In addition, the applicant must be Jewish, reside in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Beaver, Butler or Washington County for at least two years, and need financial assistance to attend an accredited institution of higher education We would appreciate your assistance in aiding local students by publishing an announcement about the work of the Central Scholarship committee. The 2016-2017 CSLRS on-line application is available at http://www.centralscholarship.org. All applications are due February 11, 2016.
First-time applicants must be interviewed. Students whose applications are received by
December 11, 2015 may be interviewed during winter vacation. All of the limited number of
after school, evening, spring break and Sunday appointments will be assigned on a "first
come, first served" basis to those whose applications are submitted by January 15, 2016. If
students have scheduling needs (such as work, or attending school out of town) it is
important to submit as early as possible, by 1/15/2016. All applications should be submitted
as early as possible to ensure processing.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at (412) 422-5627 or e-mail me at
alowenberger@jfcspgh.org.

Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

5685 Beacon Street - Pittsburgh, PA 15217

(P)412-521-8131

(F)412-521-5150

www.hillelpgh.org

Please send condolence notices to HillelHappenings@Hillelpgh.org.