From the Head of School

Shabbat Shalom

Dear Yavneh Family,

My two favorite words in the English language are "Student Leadership." This week's Tu B'Shevat and School Ruach (Spirit) celebration was just one example of this important religious and cultural aspect of Yavneh.

Following last month's Hanukkah celebration - which today's guest columnist, Benji Zoller '16 calls "one of the greatest days in school history"- click here to read Benji's sermon - this week's programming tied together our students' concern for the environment (so very apt for Tu B'Shevat) and served as a magnificent springboard for our second semester, complete with joyful prayer, team building and other activities.

Whether working together to tutor underprivileged students, planning a 3-on-3 basketball tournament to benefit Israeli terror victims, or coming together as a school community to increase school pride, School Leadership is the phrase that truly exemplifies our Yavneh Family!

Shabbat Shalom and Go Bulldogs!

Dr. P

There is a well-known Midrash describing what transpired before the Jews agreed to accept the Torah. The Midrash tells us that in fact the Jews were not G-D's first choice to receive his precious Torah, in fact according to the Midrash he first offered it to several different people. G-D first offered it to the children of Esa, but they would not accept it until they were apprised of what laws were stated in it. G-D explained that it contained the injunction against murder. The children of Esav immediately rejected the Torah claiming that murder was an integral component of their daily lives. G-d then approached the children of Yishmael and offered them the Torah. They too first wanted to know what laws were written in it. When they were told that thievery was not allowed they rejected the Torah as well. Finally, G-D approached the Jews and they accepted it unequivocally without questioning its contents.

The Gerrer Rebbe finds this Midrash to be quite puzzling. We have always taken great pride in the fact that we chose to accept the Torah while other nations rejected the principles and values laid out in the Torah, but if this Midrash is to be believed, then what are we so proud of? We only accepted the Torah because we never heard any of its difficult commandments. Perhaps if we had

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Mark Your Calendars!

February
2-5 & 2-6		On Campus Shabbaton
2-12 & 2-13		No School - Presidents' Weekend
2-26		Math Competition at Texas A&M

Click here to see more dates

Lunch Calendar

Remember, to hear more about the Parsha of the week, parents can join Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky in the Atrium Boardroom every Thursday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Reenrollment Reminder

Now is the time to reenroll your child for the 2016-2017 school year. The following fees are due:

Prior to Feb. 8	$200
Feb. 9 thru March 8	$400
March 9 or later	$600

To reenroll, go to MyBackpack, sign in, and click on "Enroll/Reenrollment" under Forms/Documents. Next,click on "Review Profile. You must confirm your profile in order to continue with the enrollment process.

Click Here

Support Us

Your Annual Fund gift supports the people, programs and classes that make Yavneh Academy of Dallas second to none. To make a donation or to learn more about how you can join one of the many groups of supporters and volunteers, please contact the Development Department at 214-295-3500 or email development@yavnehdallas.org.

Click here to donate

Bulldog Bytes

Click here to read BulldogBytes, a blog by Principal Rabbi Maury Grebenau.

SENIOR

Gavin Shrell

Name: Gavin Genecov Shrell

Parents: Julie and Rob Shrell

Synagogue: Anshai Torah

Prior School: Richardson High School

Favorite Class: History

Favorite co-Curricular: BBYO

Yavneh is .... the coexistence of the secular and religious.

Parent Coffee Get Together

In the spirit of building community at Yavneh, we are pleased to announce opportunities for Yavneh Parents to get together for coffee and conversation. We will meet on February 9 at 8:15 am at the Yiddishe Kup on campus and on March 10 at 7:00 pm at the Preston Forest Starbucks. This is open to all parents and is a great way to get to know other parents at the school! Check the Etone for upcoming dates and locations. For more information, contact Elina Minkoff at elinaglenn@yahoo.com or Terri Greenspan at tetg@aol.com.