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| HEADMASTER'S MESSAGE | |
 In this week's Torah portion of Toldot we learn about the birth of Yaakov and Esav, twins who were complete opposites from their first moments on earth. It is often assumed that Esav was entirely wicked and did not possess a single redeeming feature. However, if we analyze the text carefully we discover that Esav did have certain positive qualities. One of these was his dedication to honoring his parents. An example of this may be found at the end of the Parsha when Yitzchak and Rivkah express their distaste for the women of Canaan and instruct Yaakov to travel to his Uncle Lavan's home in Padan Aram in order to find a wife. The Torah tells us that Esav gleaned an important lesson from this episode. "Esav saw that Yitzchak had blessed Yaakov and sent him to Padan Aram to find a wife...and Yaakov had obeyed his father and mother, and had gone to Padan Aram. Esav understood that the Canaanite girls were displeasing to his father Yitzchak. Esav therefore went to Yishmael and married Machlat, daughter of Avraham's son Yishmael..." This story illustrates Esav's desire to please his parents, albeit in his own way. It also raises an interesting question. Why does the Torah state that Esav was influenced both by his parents instructions to Yaakov, and Yaakov's subsequent departure to Padan Aram? Shouldn't it have been sufficient for Esav to hear that Yitzchak and Rivkah were opposed to intermarriage with the locals? Rav Moshe Feinstein (zt"l) explains that after hearing about his parents' admonition to Yitzchak, Esav waited to see what Yaakov would do. Once he saw that Yaakov obeyed his parents promptly and unhesitatingly, Esav deduced that Yitzchak and Rivkah must have been extremely serious about the issue and were not just offering a helpful suggestion to Yaakov. The lesson for us is that if we want to be effective role models, it is imperative that our actions match our words. It is the combination of both that truly influences how others respond.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Zvi Kahn
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SCHOLARSHIP DINNER PLANNING IN FULL SWING
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 On Sunday, November 24, 2013, Columbus Torah Academy will honor Drs. Dan and Leslie Chase at the Annual Scholarship Dinner to be held in the ballroom at the new Hilton in Downtown Columbus (new location).
Co-chairs for the evening, Esther Bernzweig, Dalia Koppes, and Murielle Rosenberg are planning a gala celebration that showcases CTA, Columbus' oldest Jewish day school, serving students in grades K-12.
Dan and Leslie Chase are committed and generous supporters of CTA. They moved to Columbus 15 years ago and immediately became active parents at the school. Dan began serving on the Board of Trustees in 2003 and since he became President in 2011, he has dedicated himself to adopting national best practices and to creating a renewed culture of success with the board and school. Leslie has volunteered on countless committees to help support the teachers, administrators and parents in strengthening the school community. In addition to being physicians in private practice, they are the parents of three daughters, Emily, a college freshman (CTA high school class of 2012), Ellie (12th grade) and Julie (9th grade).
Featured at the Scholarship Dinner, in addition to the Chases' honor will be a performance by the Lower School Choir, a video by the award winning CTA Film Studies Class and a Silent and Student Artwork Auction which features art projects by the students.
A special recognition of the Kahn family will be included in the dinner program to honor their achievements and involvement at CTA for the past 7 years as they prepare for their move to Florida this summer.
The evening will begin with cocktails at 5:30 pm followed by a sit down dinner and the program. If you have not received an invitation, need more information, want to RSVP or be included in the Tribute Journal to be distributed at the dinner, please contact [email protected] or 614-864-0299, ext 118.
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Sunday, November 3: Daylight Savings Time Ends-turn clocks back 1 hour
Steak & Jazz Night, 5-7 pm, Beth Jacob
Monday, November 4: Macaroni & Cheese: Volunteer-Y. Levi
Spirit Day and Turn in Tzedakah Box
Tuesday, November 5: Chicken Nuggets: Volunteer-L. Hoffman
Wednesday, November 6: Lasagna
Thursday, November 7: Chicken Cutlets: Volunteer-O. Gerberg
Lower School Student Council Meeting, 4-5pm
Friday, November 8: Fish Sticks-Volunteer: C. Wolt
2:00 pm Friday Dismissal Schedule Begins
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Monday, November 4-24: Online Scholastic Book Fair
Monday, November 11: CTA Executive Board Meeting, 7:30pm
November 11-15: Scholastic Book Fair (Open Conference Day)
Wednesday, November 13: Parent-Teacher Conferences-NO SCHOOL
Friday, November 15: Lower School Dress Down Day
November 17-21: 8th Grade Washington Trip
Sunday, November 24: CTA Scholarship Dinner, Hilton Downtown, 5:30
November 28-29: Thanksgiving Vacation
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SCRIP UPDATE - PLACES TO PURCHASE SCRIP
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CTA Scrip Office, 864-0299 ext. 112
Monday-Thursday- 7:30am-4pm
Friday-7:30am-2pm
The Scrip Office keeps a variety of available scrip on hand. Special order scrip from hundreds of stores is available by sending your request to [email protected]. To see a complete selection of all of the Scrip choices, go to www.glscrip.com. To benefit CTA with online purchases, register at www.iGive.com.
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Remember: Target Take Charge of Education Program; Box Tops for Education; Giant Eagle Apples for Students, Kroger card, and empty inkjet cartridges into the box at the front office. To view the vendors participating in the Scrip Program go to www.glscrip.com.
Call & Deliver Program for Scrip: email [email protected] or call 864-0299 to order scrip and have it delivered to your home!
If you would like to volunteer, contact Volunteer Coordinator, Kim Abelman, at 855-5195 or [email protected]. Volunteer time is worth $25 per hour towards Give & Get.
Featured Fundraisers: Fun Factory collection of Ink Jet cartridges, and iGive.com.
Attention Giant Eagle Shoppers! Shop. Scan. Support Our School. Apples for the Students starts again October 1. This program is a great way for our school to earn educational rewards such as computers, software, video equipment, gym and playground gear, and more. Is your Giant Eagle Advantage Card registered? Now is the time to check. All you need is our school code 4389 to verify a card or register a new car.
2. Enter your Giant Eagle Advantage Card number (which appears under the bar code).
3. Enter the school code.
4. Done! Please encourage your extended family and friends to register, too.
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NEWS FROM THE LOWER SCHOOL JUDAIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT
By Dror Karavani, Lower School Judaic Studies Coordinator
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Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away...Water is something in Israel that is not taken for granted. Every drop counts. The water level in the Kinneret is something that Israelis are always aware of and so are we. During the month of Cheshvan, the need for water in Israel is part of our curriculum. The students learn that Cheshvan is actually an Aramaic word and that the Hebrew word for this month is "bul" (from the word, "mabul"- the great flood of Noah, which began this month). In Modern Hebrew, the word "bul" means "stamp." Our students worked on a project by creating an Israeli stamp, which they will share with their friends in the Shiloh school in Israel.
 New Israeli Friends for our Kindergarteners: Our kindergarteners have joined together with kindergarteners in the Rakefet School in Kfar Saba, Israel, to have special friends to share their experiences with, just as the students in our older grades have done. Through pictures, they saw similarities and differences between the two classes and were excited about the relationships that will develop over time. Our children wrote and decorated cards which will be sent to the school and plan on exchanging various projects and ideas throughout the year. This is one more thing which we're doing in CTA to strengthen the students' Jewish identities and their connection and love to the State of Israel.
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SAY IT IN HEBREW
By Galit Golan, Hebrew Language Coordinator
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ON THE UP & UP:
NEWS FROM THE UPPER SCHOOL JUDAIC STUDIES DEPT.
By Rabbi Zecharia Weitz |
Project Based Learning (PBL)
Rabbi Drandoff's Junior High Chumash classes had just finished learning the first paragraph of Shema and he was looking for the right project to bring it alive. "The Cube" offered a unique model of differentiated instruction; students were given a list of 6 different methods (6 = the sides of a cube) to answer the questions and challenges presented to them by the project. "It has been especially rewarding to see the different projects that the students have produced. All of the projects have been creative and contained a unique form of expression of the concepts that we have studied as a class." reflected Rabbi Drandoff.
 Table Talk: Yaakov was clearly a stronger candidate for Patriarch than Eisav. However, from literally the day he is born and throughout his life, Hashem makes Yaakov struggle for the position (e.g. holding onto Eisav's ankle, tricking Yitchak to give him the berachot, wrestling with Eisav's angle, etc.). Why is this the appropriate model for Yaakov's unique Patriarchal role?
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| MAZAL TOV TO: |
Danny Lebowitz (Class of 2011) and Valery Galakchieva (Class of 2010)
on their engagement
Viktor and Tanya Fedorovskaya on the marriage of their daughter Sonya
Casey Washer (Class of 2006) on his marriage
Marilyn and Stuart Cole and Leonore Zusman on the birth of a
granddaughter and great-granddaughter. Proud parents are Sara (Cole)
Pearlman (Class of 2000) and Ilan Pearlman
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| CTA SENIORS SELECT JUMP AS CLASS PROJECT |
The 12th grade class at CTA spent Sunday and Monday in New York at NCSY's Jewish Unity Mentoring Program (JUMP) National Leadership Seminar leadership conference. The Conference was the inauguration of the JUMP program for 2013-2014. Advised by Rabbi Drandoff, the senior class will participate in JUMP throughout the school year as a class project.
JUMP will engage CTA's students in opportunities to become leaders who will make positive changes in their community. JUMP participants are challenged to use acquired leadership skills and a broadening understanding of global issues that face to Jewish people to plan and complete a series of community wide projects.
Jewish day school students from across the country participated in the comprehensive two-day leadership seminar where they heard from influential members of the Jewish world who play significant roles in various prominent organizations and institutions.
In addition to the speakers and skill-building sessions, the JUMP Challenge was officially launched at the Conference. The challenge consists of five student-coordinated events, which includes a campaign for the prevention of bullying, a Chessed project, a fundraiser, an Advocacy for Israel Event and a Holocaust education event. At the culmination of last year's challenge, the winning team met with Donald Trump who presented them with a check of $2,500 for the implementation of their unique project. CTA is excited to have the opportunity to participate this year in this distinctive JUMP challenge experience. Pictured are several members of the senior class who participated in the conference which was held in Long Island, New York.
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| PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES |
Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 13. There will be NO school on that day. Please email Norma Whitmyre at [email protected] by Tuesday, Nov. 12, to schedule your conferences. Please be sure to include the teachers you want to see and the time you would like to start.
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| STAR KITCHEN STAFF MEMBER: SANDI TURNER |
 Sandi Turner has joined the school's highly competent and caring kitchen staff. Sandi is originally from Knoxville, Tennessee and now resides in Groveport. She had a full career at the Department of Defense in Security Services before coming to CTA. Sandi is the proud mother of two daughters and the doting grandmother of three grandchildren.
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| PARENT DIRECTORY |
The CTA PTO Parent Directory is being sent home today with the youngest child of ALL PAID PTO members. Don't miss out on this important booklet. Become a PTO member for just $20. Please send your check, made out to CTA PTO, to the school office. We'll send the Directory. Please add the following family: David & Nada Al Moshi, 4921 Kathryn Place, Grove City, OH 43123, 598-7656, Taha, Kind.
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| COME TO CTA'S SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR - A COOL PLACE TO DISCOVER HOT BOOKS! |
 The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to CTA, and you're invited! Our theme is Reading Oasis: A Cool Place to Find Hot Books! - emphasizes the importance of reading by giving kids access to a wonderful selection of fun, engaging and affordable books. Giving children the opportunity to choose their own books motivates them to read more and provides hours of enjoyment. And, the more kids practice reading, the better they get!
Reading is one of the most important skills you can teach a child, and it is one you can influence the most. We invite you to visit our Scholastic Book Fair and join with your child in celebrating reading.
Our Book Fair is coming just in time for Chanukah. We'll have countless books including some of the newest books and most sought after.. We'll have Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck, the final book in the Divergent trilogy, Allegiant, and Heroes of Olympus' House of Hades to mention a few. And, for our littlest, look for more fun with Pete the Cat and Fly Guy!
Book Fair Dates: November 11-15
Shopping Hours: M, T & TH 10-3 F 9-1
Special Events: Open Conference Day Wed., Nov. 13 from 9-3
All booked up during Book Fair week? Have friends or relatives out of town? Visit us at http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/cta . Our Online Fair is available for an extended time from Nov. 4 - 24. Online purchases will be delivered to CTA and given to your child or may be held for parent pick-up on request. We look forward to having you participate in our Fair, and remember, all purchases benefit our school library.
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| HEBREW STORY TIME AT BEXLEY LIBRARY | |
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SCHOLARSHIP DINNER CORNER
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1) Ad deadline for Tribute Journal is extended until November 11. This is the BEST way to meet your Give & Get Commitment! Contact Shari to get involved!
2) Alumni, Grandparent, Memorial and Yeladim Tribute Pages at $18 are available in honor of Norma Whitmyre and in memory of Moshe Frank, Marty Hoffman, Dr. Ivan Gilbert, Lev Simakovsky and Dr. Don Yehling. Contact Shari to get listed on these pages and show tribute.
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TZEDAKAH
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It has been a time-honored Jewish tradition to give tzedakah in recognition of important events. Todah Rabah to the following for their donation:
To the Scholarship Fund by:
Randall and Rochelle Topolosky in honor of Jay Schottenstein's recovery
Gary Liebesman and Stacy Leeman in memory of Lois Gruhn Lesser
Alan and Sara Shatz in honor of the engagement of Daniel Lebowitz and
Valery Galakchieva, in honor of the engagement of Sam Rosenstein, in
honor of Zoe Blumenfeld becoming a Bat Mitzvah, in honor of the
engagement of Daniel Zwelling to Diana Azose, and in memory of Rabbi
Goldberg's mother, Ethel Goldberg, Don Yehling and Matt Bailey's
grandfather
Marc and Sharon Schramm in memory of Moshe Frank
Paul and Karan Tanenbaum in memory of Moshe Frank, Don Yehling,
Ethel Goldberg and Matt Bailey's grandfather
Marc and Sharon Schramm in memory of Moshe Frank
Paul and Karan Tanenbaum in memory of Moshe Frank and Ethel
Goldberg
To the Library Fund by:
Martin and Miriam Linsey in honor of Jonathan Hartstein for his helpfulness
and wishing a speedy recovery to Freda Margolies
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COMMUNITY NEWS
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Creative Art Contest: The Ohio Jewish Chronicle is accepting submissions for their Annual Chanukah Creative Art Contest which is open to students ages 6-18 to design and create artwork that will illustrate the OJC's 2013 Chanukah Edition. Submissions should be 8 � x 11", 2 dimensional, paint, pastel, marker, crayon, charcoal, and must illustrate a Chanukah theme. Mail all artwork to: OJC, P.O. Box 30965, Columbus, Ohio 43230. Judging will be based on originality, creativity and technique. Let's go Lions!
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1. Why was it important that Yitzchak look like Avraham?
a. So everyone would agree that Avraham was indeed his father.
2. Why does the Torah stress that Rivka was Betuel's daughter and Lavan's sister?
a. To praise her, that even though her family was evil she was righteous.
3. What are the two differences between Tamar's pregnancy and Rivka's pregnancy?
a. Rivka gave birth at full term to two children, one righteous and one wicked. Tamar gave birth after seven months to two righteous children.
4. Why was Esav named Esav?
a. He was born fully developed. The name Esav is based on the Hebrew word for "made."
5. Who gave Yaakov his name?
a. G-d.
6. How did Esav deceive his father?
a. Esav deceived Yitzchak by asking questions that suggested that he was very strict in mitzvah observance.
7. Why was Esav exhausted when he returned from the field?
a. From having committed a murder.
8. Why are lentils a food for mourners?
a. They are round like a wheel and mourning is like a revolving wheel that eventually touches everyone.
(Parsha Toldot Quiz appeared on the Ohr Somayach website)
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As part of our partnership with the Shiloh school in Israel, we will be receiving riddles each week relating to the Parasha. You will notice this each week on this back page. The goal is to have the parents and children discuss the parasha, while trying to figure out the connection between the picture and the parasha. All answered riddles should be given to the Judaic teacher on Monday. The names of the winners will be announced and sent to our friends in Israel.
 What is the connection between the picture and the parasha? Look in Chapter 25, Verse 26. You will find the answer there.
 The winner of last week's riddle is Shalva Finegold.
Moreh Dror Karavani will collect all of the submitted answers, put them in a box, and save them for the big raffle! You will hear more about this very soon. Keep your answers coming.
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I hope you enjoy the electronic version of our Dateline. Please check out our website at www.torahacademy.org.
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