Sunday, September 1
Labor Day Weekend, No Sessions
Varsity Hockey Tryouts in the Lions Den
Shacharis at 9:00am - Ends at 12:30
Labor Day, No Sessions
Tuesday, September 3 Regular Sessions
Wednesday, September 4 - Shabbos, September 7
Rosh HaShanah break |
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A Message From Our Rosh Yeshiva
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Shoot for the Stars
Rabbi Michael Taubes
One of the famous questions asked regarding
Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the holidays often identified as the Yomim Noraim, is that they seem to occur out of order. Rosh HaShanah is described in the Mishnah (Rosh HaShanah 1:2) as a true Yom HaDin, a Day of Judgment, on which all living creatures pass in front of G-d, as it were, to be closely scrutinized and held accountable for their actions. Yom Kippur, however, is a Day of Atonement, on which misdeeds are forgiven and transgressions are pardoned. On Rosh HaShanah the emphasis is on G-d's attribute of strict justice, and on Yom Kippur it is on His attribute of mercy and compassion (for an elaboration of this idea, see the comments of the Ramban to Vayikra 23:24, towards the end). Would it not then make sense to have Yom Kippur precede Rosh HaShanah? Wouldn't it be better to have all our sins eliminated and removed from the records prior to appearing before G-d for His judgment?
One answer, suggested by the Sefas Emes, may be that the lesson of having Rosh HaShanah come in advance of Yom Kippur is the lesson of setting lofty goals, of shooting for the stars, of raising the bar. Rosh HaShanah represents how things ought to be: our relationship with G-d, our commitment to His Torah and His Mitzvos, our interest in leading a proper lifestyle, should all be such that we would have nothing to fear about standing in judgment before G-d. We should be able to emerge unscathed even when being confronted with His attribute of strict justice. That is the preferred state of affairs, the "lechatchilah." And that's what comes first. On Rosh HaShanah, we focus on what should be and we set our sights high.
Of course, the nature of the human condition is such that we quite often fail to live up to those kinds of standards, and so, a few days later, we need Yom Kippur - indeed, we need it very much - because we know that we have fallen short, sometimes far short, of achieving the levels we were striving towards. We are thus fortunate that G-d understands this, that He allows us to respond to reality and to have a Yom Kippur when we benefit from His mercy and compassion. But Rosh HaShanah comes first because we must never lose sight of what our goals, our aspirations, and our standards should be.
I think that this lesson is highly valuable to consider not only at the beginning of a new Jewish calendar year, but at the beginning of a new academic year, and a new z'man, as well. When we return to school after what is hoped was a pleasant, relaxing, and refreshing summer, it is important for all of us - administrators, faculty, parents and especially students - to set lofty goals for ourselves, to aspire to attain great things, and to reach for standards of true excellence in all our pursuits, whether religious, academic, extra-curricular, social or emotional, in accordance with our individual abilities. We may realize that despite our best efforts, we might fall short in at least some areas, but that does not absolve of our obligation to set our sights high, to raise the bar, to shoot for the stars. That's what the beginning of a new year is all about.
It is my pleasure to wish everyone in the Yeshiva University High School family a truly wonderful and successful year, filled with growth and accomplishment along with good health and happiness, and a Kesivah VaChasimah Tovah.
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Hatzioni meets with former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman
by David Aaronson ('14)
Hatzioni has been very busy over the summer. We've had several meetings with public officials including Mayor Cory Booker, Ambassador Haim Waxman, Governor Mike Rounds, and of course, former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman.
During his tenure, Senator Lieberman was the only Orthodox Jew in Congress. In 2000, he was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President, but lost in a close and conflicted election. In the Senate, his support for Israel was unwavering, as it continues to be, despite his retirement from politics.
We spoke to him about his political future and asked if he would be open to serving in a Presidential Cabinet. We also discussed his past runs for President and Vice President. He shared his thoughts on the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, and he told us his views on the situations in Egypt, Syria, and Iran.
It was a truly unique experience, and we were honored to have met with such a distinguished individual like Senator Lieberman. Thank you to those that organized the meeting.
On behalf of Hatzioni, I must say that we are really looking forward to another great year of many more Hatzioni activities and events, and we urge all interested students (especially freshmen!) to get involved and become members.
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Welcome to the Class of 2017
On Tuesday, the incoming freshman class came to MTA for the first time as actual students to have their orientation and opening day. After davening in the Beis Medrash, Rabbi Taubes welcomed everyone to their first day of what we know will be four amazing years!
After breakfast, the freshmen split up into their respective morning shiurim, met their rebbeim, and heard an opening shiur from them. During the rest of the day, the new students met their teachers, received their books, and learned more about the many exciting opportunities that await them in MTA.
 Later in the week, distinguished YU Rosh Yeshiva and Rosh Kollel Rav Hershel Schachter, shlita, visited each of the four freshman shiurim. He spoke about his own experience as a student in MTA many years ago, the school's prestigious and unique legacy, and our connection back to the illustrious yeshivos of Europe. He closed by wishing everyone a successful year. |
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New Year, New MTA
by Shimmy Mandelbaum ('16)
As school begins, many students, from freshmen to seniors, are eager to learn new subjects, join different clubs and teams, as well as explore the MTA building. Over the course of the summer, the YUHSB campus has been renovated and updated. Some of the new renovations include a snack vending machine in the lunchroom, fresh hardwood floors in the main office, and improvements in other offices. A beautiful new hardwood floor in the Max Stern Athletic Center (with the recently changed YU Maccabees logo in the center) was also installed.
More improvements that are scheduled to be completed in the near future include a glass enclosed reading room with comfortable couches in the library, which will be across from a brand new research room. Also scheduled to be added this year to the top floor of the library are Mac computers.
In addition, we are excited to have a new fencing team and a new Director of Admissions who will be named shortly. We hope that all of these additions will benefit us throughout the year, and we wish everyone a Kesivah VaChasimah Tovah.
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 Both Junior Varsity and Varsity basketball tryouts took place this week. Good luck to all those who tried out!
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MAZEL TOV
Mazel tov to Miriam Goldberg, Chair of YUHS Board of Trustees, and her husband, Alan, on the birth of a grandson to their children, Sarah and Ephraim Mernick!
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Avraham Tsikhanovski
8/26
Ezra Wildes
8/26
Jason Blatt
8/28
Paul Friedman
8/29
Ben Tzion Zuckier
8/30
Gabriel Kesten
9/1
Ronnie Mursiano
9/3
Simcha Hoffman
9/5
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Upcoming Events
9/10
Back to School Night
9/17-9/29
Sukkos Vacation
9/30
Regular Sessions Resume
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