February 23, 2017  27 Sh'vat  5777                Hashavua - The Week
MESSAGE FROM 
THE RABBI

It was a typical Monday morning at Yavneh. Parents were mingling in the lobby, students were greeting each other after a weekend away and the 8th graders were in the MPR doing a final run through for the Keshet of Kavod Assembly that was to begin at 8:30am, but something made this Monday and this Keshet of Kavod assembly different.  

לֹא-תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל בְּעַמֶּיךָ Lo telech rachil b'amecha (Leviticus 19:16)
Commonly translated as don't go about your community tale-bearing

On Monday morning, January 23rd the 8th graders taught this verse to the entire school as they introduced the value we have been exploring this past month - Yosher - Honesty. The skit was funny, the students learned while laughing and we closed by singing a song from the prayerbook about Emet (truth), but what was different on this Monday was that on the day prior, the phrase "alternative facts" was introduced to the English vocabulary.

All month long as as our school delved into exploring what Judaism teaches about honesty and how each of us can work on developing honesty as a character strength; falsehoods, "fake news" and "alternative facts" became the dominant discourse in American politics and culture. The irony was not lost. How do we teach ethics and character trait development given the current cultural climate? In some ways Judaism has always been counter-cultural. Practicing a Jewish life often means sticking to one's beliefs or acting out one's particular values in opposition to a universal culture. So how do we help our children and students make sense of this uncertain time we are living in? How do we continue to raise them to be mensches who value honesty and kindness when spreading falsehoods and hate seems to be on the rise?

Perhaps there is wisdom in the verse from the Torah that the 8th graders taught that can help guide us. לֹא-תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל בְּעַמֶּיךָ Lo Telech rachil b'amecha - don't go about your community telling false-tales. This verse, is part of a section of the Torah known as the holiness code, which opens with the command to every single member of the community to be holy because God is holy. This commandment is followed by an extensive list of commandments that almost entirely have to do with how people are supposed to treat each other.  Included in these verses are such commandments as do not stand idly by, don't place a stumbling block in front of the blind, don't hate another in your heart, judge people fairly, leave the corners of your field unharvested for the poor and the stranger and of course the verse that was taught at our assembly, to not go among your community telling lies. The implicit connection made by many commentators is that doing these actions is what makes us holy and what brings holiness into the world. According to our verse and it's proximity to the other verses implies that the importance of honesty is central to the well-being of the community. The commandment is not "don't lie" or "be honest" it is not a commandment only about one's own personal character. The commandment is specifically framed about an individual's relationship with their community and the stories they tell to the other members of the community. Don't be a person who spreads false stories in your community.

In a few of our classrooms hang signs you may have seen, they read: THINK before you speak and each letter of the word think stands for a question to ask yourself before you let the words come out of your mouth or the letters punched into your keyboard.
T: Is it True?
H: Is it Helpful
I: Is it Inspiring?
N: Is it Necessary?
K: Is it Kind?

If we ask ourselves these questions and teach our children to ask ourselves these questions before we speak, email, tweet or facebook post we as a community will surely be able to to uphold the verse from the Torah לֹא-תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל בְּעַמֶּיךָ Lo telech rachil b'amecha (Leviticus 19:16) and allow the value of honesty to thrive in our community and beyond.

Our next Keshet of Kavod Assembly is this coming Monday, February 27. Please join us to learn about our new value Ometz Lev - Courage.

Shabbat Shalom,
Laurie

MIDDLE SCHOOL IN ACTION
Kitah Chet visited the American Red Cross this morning in San Jose to deliver supplies for the people affected by the flooding.

STUDENTS IN ACTION 
Kitah Alef is learning about the weather and how tornadoes are created. They illustrated the concept by making an individual tornado and vortex in bottles. 
Kitah Bet has been learning weight, multiplication, division, regrouping, and measurement in math. 
Kitah Gimel has been studying the moon, Earth, sun and space, to prepare for their field trip tomorrow to Chabot Space and Science Center. 

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Basketball has begun and the team had their first win!

JAM KABBALAT SHABBAT

Yavneh held our first Jam Shabbat (all music) last Friday. The faculty band made their debut along with three rocking modern band performances. Join us for the next Jam Shabbat on Friday, March 24th.

YAVNEH DAY SCHOOL PRESENTS

Thu. Mar. 9, 7:00pm
Fri. Mar. 10, 1:15pm
APJCC Auditorium

This original musical celebrating over 500 years of Jewish American history will be performed by students in Yavneh's Performing Art's program.
All students will see the Friday performance at no charge.

Purchase advanced tickets now! 
$10 in Advance, $15 at the Door



Tickets are selling fast! Click to purchase your tickets and tributes! 

CALENDAR

Fri. Feb. 24
Grade Group Kabbalat Shabbat 2:30

Mon. Feb. 27
Keshet of Kavod Assembly
8:30am

Wed. Mar. 1
Kitah Alef Milestone

Mon. Mar. 6
Parent Teacher Conferences
No School 

Tue. Mar. 7
Parent Teacher Conferences
No School 

Thu. Mar. 9
Golden Dream!
7:00pm

Fri. Mar. 10
Golden Dream!
1:15pm 

Sun. Mar. 12
Purim 

Mon. Mar. 13
Purim Celebration 
12:15pm Dismissal
Middle School Purim Party
12:30pm-2:30pm

TOMORROW
EMERGENCY TEXT MESSAGE TEST
We will test our emergency texting system tomorrow with a Shabbat Shalom text message. If you DO NOT receive a text by the end of the school day, please notify Melissa

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Make sure to sign up for conferences! Emails are going out. 
Click here for childcare information during conferences on 3/6 and 3/7.

SPRING AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT SIGN-UPS
An email will go out tomorrow to sign up for spring after school enrichment activities. 

NEW MARCH/APRIL HOT LUNCH AND BRUNCH MENU NOW LIVE!
Click here for menu and ordering

COMMON GROUND
SPEAKER SERIES
Yalda Uhls, PhD & Laura Kastner, PhD
Parenting in the Digital Age: A Fact Not Fear Approach

Tue. Mar. 7, 9:00am 
Harker Middle School
Tue. Mar. 7, 7:00pm
Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton 
Wed. Mar. 8, 9:00am
The Nueva School

BOX TOPS
Drop off your Box Tops in the office by Tomorrow 2/24
IN THE COMMUNITY
SAN JOSE 
FLOOD RELIEF
The Red Cross urgently needs FINANCIAL donations in order to provide relief services to victims of the Coyote Creek floods in San Jose. Text "CAFLOODS" to 90999 to donate $10.
Click here for more info

LOVE SICK
A Passionate New 
Musical Play
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
Now-March 12
Click here for more info and tickets

fun-glasses-banner.gifPURIM CARNIVALS
Sunday, March 12

Congregation Beth David
Shushan County Fair
11:00am-3:00pm

Congregation Shir Hadash
Purim Festival
11:30am-2:00pm

Congregation Sinai
Purim Carnival
11:30am-2:00pm

Temple Emanu-El
Purim Carnival
11:30am-1:00pm

Don't forget to stop by the Yavneh tables. Contact Lauren to volunteer at the
Yavneh tables.

ULPAN 
SAN FRANCISCO
SUMMER 2017
Ulpan San Francisco is a three-week intensive Hebrew language program.
Mon.-Fri. 
July 10-July 28

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