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 This Shabbat is called Shabbat Hagadol - the Great Shabbat. This title is given each year to the Shabbat that comes directly before the holiday of Pesach (Passover). As we prepare to celebrate Pesach, perhaps it makes sense to dwell for a few moments on the famous ruling by the great sage of the Mishnah, Rabban Gamliel, who taught that, "Whoever does not mention the Pesach offering, the matzah, and the marror (bitter herbs) has not fulfilled his obligation." Clearly, Rabban Gamliel felt that these three items contain the fundamental themes of the holiday. What do they symbolize? On the most basic level, the Pesach offering represents the unique mission of the Jewish people. When G-d struck the Egyptians with the terrible tenth plague, the death of the first-born sons, He "passed over" the Jews and spared them. G-d's protection was not arbitrary; it was intended to preserve us as a nation which was destined to accept the Torah and strive to live by its precepts and values. Matzah is the flatbread that "did not have sufficient time to rise." G-d's redemption came so quickly and unexpectedly that even the lowly slaves who yearned for it the most were caught unprepared. The matzah expresses G-d's awesome redemptive power which should never be forgotten or counted out as a life-changing force in both individual and societal matters. Marror teaches us that suffering and sadness are a natural and inevitable feature of life. They are part and parcel of G-d's plan for the world and we must do our best to accept them and learn the profound lessons inherent in the painful and difficult experiences that we all must face. Pesach, matzah and marror: three symbols that are full of meaning and that deserve a lifetime of study, or, at least, one long night of discussion and reflection.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Kahn
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VALUE PROPOSITION OF JEWISH DAY SCHOOL
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Both the perceived value of a service and the value of the service to be delivered form the value proposition of a given item. In the current economy, our expectations of value are high - for our groceries, for our utilities, for our commerce and banking, for our relationships, among others. That value proposition is never higher then when we speak about the value of our children's development - specifically their education.
At Columbus Torah Academy, we value each and every family that has made the decision to send their children to Jewish day school. We recognize that you have choices and we appreciate that you have chosen Columbus Torah Academy.
The administrators, staff and board work hard to provide a high quality Jewish and general studies education for every student. We make every effort to customize and individualize our instruction based on student need and to offer a wide range of opportunities and experiences for our students.
The cost of providing a high quality, customized dual curriculum is significant. Tuition is only a part of our general operating expenses and we need to increase the amount of support that we receive throughout the community - both financially and in terms of enrollment.
Our Annual Fund campaign helps us to raise the needed money for the 2014-2015 school year. To be a part of this campaign, contact Shari Herszage.
As you and your family sit down at the Passover seder to recall the story of the Exodus and the freedom of the Jewish people, be thankful for the opportunities that your children have to attend Jewish day school and learn and worship in a free country. Wishing each of you a Happy Passover!
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PREVIEW OF THE WEEK OF APRIL 21-25
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Monday, April 21: Passover Break - NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, April 22: Passover Break - NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, April 23: Passover Break - NO SCHOOL
Thursday, April 24: Turkey Pastrami-Volunteer: M. Napper
Friday, April 25: Fish Sticks-Volunteer: P. Schiff
Lower School Dress Down Day
4:00 p.m. Friday Dismissal Schedule Resumes
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PREVIEW OF THE WEEK OF APRIL 28-MAY 2
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Monday, April 28: Pizza Bagels-Volunteer: R. Fineberg
Tuesday, April 29: Chicken Nuggets-Volunteer: S. Lubow
CTA Twirlers, 4-5pm
Wednesday, April 30: Lasagna
Thursday, May 1: TBD
Friday, May 2: Tuna-Volunteer: C. Wolt
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May 5-9: Ohio Achievement Assessments, Grades 3-6
Monday, May 12: Annual Meeting; Board Elections, 7:30pm
May 18-20: CBI - Columbus Baseball Invitational
Sunday, May 18: Spring Fling
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 It's
Thursday, April 24
AWAY Baseball Game vs. LCCA
5:00pm
Monday, April 28
HOME Softball Game vs. Patriot Prep
5:00pm
AWAY Baseball Game vs. Gahanna Christian
5:00pm
Thursday, May 1
AWAY Baseball Game vs. LCCA @ Liberty Christian
5:30pm
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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!
BUY KROGER GIFT CARDS: Jewish Family Services is asking for donations of $10 Kroger Gift Cards to use for their Passover Basket Project to benefit families in our community. You can purchase gift cards at Kroger using your rewards card that is linked to CTA and a percentage of the purchase benefits CTA as well as helps families in our community. For more information about helping with the JFS Passover Basket Project, contact JFS at 231-1890.
Help CTA to Win a Wireless Lab from Discovery Education and CDW-G. Enter daily until May 1. Go to:
http://cdwg.discoveryeducation.com/wawl/enter/index.cfm
and be entered to receive daily reminders. The more times you enter, the more times we have the chance to win!
iGive: Do you and your family make a lot of purchases on the internet? Have you registered for iGive? More than 1400 stores are connected through iGive and when registered, a percentage of your purchases will benefit CTA. We have been registered since 2011 and have earned close to $1000. However, we only have 62 registered members. Are you one of them? To get connected, go to http://www.igive.com/HS49PpM and register today!
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NEWS FROM THE LOWER SCHOOL JUDAIC STUDIES DEPART.
By Dror Karavani, Lower School Judaic Studies Coordinator
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 These last few weeks, the students have been busy with lots of learning, activities and art projects, revolving around the Passover holiday. Seder plates, four cups, afikomen covers, towels for Rachtzah (washing), and of course, the individual Haggadah which each child made to share and help lead the seder, were just some of the things that kept the students moving. An added treat was when Rabbi Andrusier, the director of Camp Gan Israel came to bake matzah with us. But that wasn't all. On Wednesday, we were greeted by the Galron Choir from Kfar Saba. Not only did they go to the classrooms to do activities with our children, they also performed some songs for us. On Friday, we had our traditional model seder around the decorative tables with all of the seder plates and special foods which accompanied them. With many games, songs, and visiiors, the students demonstrated their knowledge of the "lail haseder" night. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful Judaic teachers, who once again went above their expectations and gave the children a variety of incredible information and experiences and prepared them for this holiday. Chag Pesach Kasher V'sameach.  
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ON THE UP & UP:
NEWS FROM THE UPPER SCHOOL JUDAIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT
By Rabbi Zecharia Weitz, Upper School Judaic Studies Coordinator |
e-Haggada 
Just when you thought your Pesach couldn't be higher...the CTA Upper School e-Haggada Companion is here! After a good deal of research, refection and revising, this Haggada is a collection of 16 of our High School students' personal understandings of what it means to be "Chosen." This interdisciplinary endeavor took well researched and processed concepts from our Chumash classes and, under the guidance and prowess of Mr. Guinan and Mrs. Moreno, turned them into compelling essays. We are proud of our product and hope it will add meaning to your Pesachs for many years to come. Please click the link to read and or download: http://www.torahacademy.org/haggada/
 Balancing the intellectual connection with the experiential, after learning Divrai Torah about Pesach with her class, Mrs. Claman's class took a moment to get into the Yom Tov mindset.
Giving Back: In from Israel, Max Herszage accepted Rabbi Drandoff's invitation to give a shiur to his Gemara 2 class. Max used the entire period on an in-depth, text-based discourse on halachot of the Seder. Max then reflected on his year in  Israel and how students could best utilize their time at CTA to prepare for this experience (we allowed him to go overtime).
Table Talk: It is noteworthy that each of the 3 Regalim; Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot, all correlate to a season. Pesach starts off the cycle and, based on the Torah's instruction, must fall-out in the spring - so much so that there is a mitzvah to adjust the calendar to ensure they line up. Shavuot then follows to correlate with summer and Sukkot with autumn. What is the thematic connection between the Regalim and the seasons they are associated with?
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SAY IT IN HEBREW
By Galit Golan, K-12 Hebrew Language Coordinator |
If you are a CTA student, you must be either a Hebrew reader, or in the process of becoming one. Fourth graders Nadiia Bielozub and Cece Mastracci joined CTA this year. Although they did not read Hebrew at all prior their arrival to CTA, they are catching up quickly.
 Nadiia and Cece work daily with Moreh David, and quickly progressed from learning the Alef Bet to fluent reading. Now, they are already expanding their Hebrew vocabulary, and learning new words every day.
CTA kindergarten students are also learning the Alef Bet. After starting at the beginning of the 3rd quarter, they already learned fourteen letters and one vowel group, and are now learning the letter Lamed. Yishar Koach to all the new readers!
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| KROGER REWARDS RE-ENROLLMENT - EFFECTIVE APRIL 1! |
Is your Kroger Reward card linked to CTA? If no, do it now! If yes, you MUST re-enroll your rewards card beginning on April 1. This DOES NOT HAPPEN AUTOMATICALLY. The rewards program terminates EVERY APRIL, and you NEED TO RESTART IT!! UNLESS YOU RENEW YOUR REWARDS (every April), CTA will NOT BENEFIT AT ALL. Please take 5 minutes & go to: www.kroger.com. Select "community"; then "Kroger Community Rewards"; log in; (remember to find AND select Columbus Torah Academy) & save. If you have any questions or want help, contact Kim Abelman or Shari Herszage.
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| PROPOSED SLATE OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR 2014-2015 |
The Annual Meeting for all parents and donors in good standing is
Monday, May 12, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. Elections will take place.
President Gary Blumberg
Vice President David Bernzweig
Vice President Bob Lane
Board Development Chairs Al Dembe, Ph.D.
Robin Garvin, Ph.D.
Finance Chair Aliza Finegold
Fundraising Chairs Jonathan Hartstein
Joey Schottenstein
Marketing Chair Joel Greff
Secretary Jeff Polster
Treasurer Laura Nutis
Members of the Executive Board of Trustees:
David Abromowitz Leslie Hoffman, M.D.
Rachel Berger Victoria Ilin
David Ginsburg Gary Liebesman
Jonathan Gisser, M.D. Debi Szatmary
Marcia Hershfield
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| MAGAZINE SALE CONTINUES! |
 The 7th grade Magazine Subscription Drive continues! Please help them raise money for the 2014 8th grade Washington trip. The subscription drive will run through the end of the year.
Please see any 7th grader OR go on-line to www.gaschoolstore.com. In the upper right hand corner, enter CTA's code, #2522449. Thanks for you support!
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| MAZAL TOV TO: |
Emily Sobol (Class of '10) on her engagement to Noam Polster of Beachwood, Ohio
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| REVISED 2014-2015 SCHOOL CALENDAR |
Please note that on Thursday, March 5, 2015, Purim Festivities will take place and school will dismiss at 1:00 p.m.
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| VOLUNTEERS FOR SPRING FLING AND CBI |
 Looking to Volunteer? Spring Fling and Columbus Baseball Invitational (CBI) are great ways to fulfill your Give & Get Family Commitment. Both events are happening May 18-20. You are welcome to volunteer at both!
For CBI, contact Jonathan Hartstein or Bob Lane to offer your help and leadership. 
For Spring Fling volunteer options, contact Yiska Weisband or go Click Here to sign up.
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| GALRON CHOIR |
 This week, Lower School students were treated to singing workshops and a short performance by the Galron Ensemble from Kfar Saba as part of their visit throughout Columbus. The Galron Ensemble is an award winning singing troupe and their performances in Columbus included a free community concert at Temple Israel which included some CTA students and visits to area synagogues, schools and community centers. Pictured are highlights of their interaction with our students.
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| 7TH GRADE FIELD TRIP |
Mrs. Moreno and her seventh grade social studies class took a field trip this week to The Great Circle Earthworks in Newark, Ohio. The trip was a culmination of their study of early North and South American civilizations, including the Eastern Woodlands mound builders. The circle was built by the Hopewell culture approximately 2000 years ago and is nearly 1200 feet in diameter and was used as a vast ceremonial center. The Great Circle is part of the largest system of connected geometric earthworks built anywhere in the world. The students engaged in hands on activities like flint napping and learning how to throw the atlatl. For definitions of these activities, ask a 7th grader.
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| LOWER SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL FOOD DRIVE |
 The Lower School Student Council held a very successful food drive that collected more than 600 items that will be donated to the Mid Ohio Food Bank. The student led initiative inspired the students to learn about this important chessed of donating to the needy and about the very real food scarcity that exists in our own community. Second grade brought in the most amount of items and earned an extra recess for their efforts.
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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:
Janet Schwarz and family in memory of Fagey Flamholz
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| SAVE $75 OFF JCC CAMP REGISTRATION | |
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1. Why does the Torah emphasize that Parshat Acharei Mot was taught after the death of Aaron's sons?
a. To strengthen the warning not to enter the Kodesh Kodashim except on Yom Kippur.
2. What is the punishment for a Kohen Gadol who inappropriately enters the Kodesh Kodashim?
a. Death.
3. How long did the first Beit Hamikdash exist?
a. 410 years.
4. What did the Kohen Gadol wear when he entered the Kodesh Kodashim?
a. Only the four linen garments worn by an ordinary Kohen.
5. How many times did the Kohen Gadol change his clothing and immerse in the mikveh on Yom Kippur?
a. Five times.
6. How many times did he wash his hands and feet from the Kiyor (copper laver)?
a. Ten times.
7. The Kohen Gadol offered a bull Chatas to atone for himself and his household. Who paid for it?
a. The Kohen Gadol.
8. One of the goats that was chosen by lot went to Azazel. What is Azazel?
a. A jagged cliff.
(Parsha Achraei Mot 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 16, Verse 8. You will find the answer there.
 The winner of last week's riddle is Avigdor Steinberg.
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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