September 19, 2017 | כ''ח אלול תשע''ז | ערב ראש השנה

A business executive was transferred overseas by his firm with the understanding that he would receive an extensive benefits package–one commensurate with his prestigious position. After a period of time, he inquired why he had not yet received even a single pay check. When his employer asserted that his benefits package represented their compensation for his services, he countered that benefits are never in lieu of one’s salary and that they are provided to enable the employee to accomplish his task in a more expansive manner. Thus, while salary represents the basic bread and butter, benefits are but an enhancement.

Similarly, the Jew is placed in this world with the express purpose of perfecting it through Torah study and mitzvah observance. Along with this daunting, yet glorious assignment, HaKadosh Baruch Hu blesses His nation with myriad benefits–all of which are provided in order to encourage us to accomplish our mission and achieve our goals in life in the most expansive manner possible. Benefits such as loving parents, a supportive spouse, adorable children, and all of the many gifts in this world that enhance our quality of life are just enhancements—benefits—that encourage and reinforce our efforts to accomplish our core purpose in life.

However, there is the real danger that an individual may forsake his life’s purpose and live solely for its enhancements. This would be akin to the executive who trades his basic salary for luxurious, but not life sustaining, benefits.

In life we must clarify our priorities and identify our challenges—and on Rosh Hashanah we do just that: We acknowledge our life-long priorities by proclaiming Hashem as King, the Almighty Sovereign of creation. And this is the theme and hope expressed in our tefilos at this time.

Thus, what we consider to be essential and critical facets of life may, in actuality, only be of relative importance. A studied look at the text of our tefillos reveals our complete preoccupation with exalted world of our spiritual purpose in life—for even our heartfelt prayer to be inscribed in Sefer HaChaim, the Book of Life, is "l'maancha, for Your sake (Hashem)."

Our declarative and definitive expression of Hakadosh Baruch Hu's undisputed Sovereignty is accomplished through introspection, evaluation, rededication and an acknowledgement that mankind's sojourn in this world—in the end—amounts to little more than a flock of sheep walking single-file toward their judgement.

May we merit to be appropriately sincere and worthy of acknowledging Hashem's Sovereignty on Rosh Hashanah and thereby be worthy of His benevolence and protection. May we be inscribed in the Sefer HaChaim for a shanah tova – a year blessed with good health, peace, prosperity and nachas from our children and one another.

ל -בברכת כתיבה וחתימה טובה לנו ולכל ישרא

ד‘‘בס

SEPTEMBER 21-22

Rosh Hashanah

NO SCHOOL

• • • • • •

SEPTEMBER 24

Tzom Gedaliah

Boys Minyanim 8:30

School Begins at 9:30

• • • • • •

SEPTEMBER 29

Erev Yom Kippur

NO SCHOOL

• • • • • •

SEPTEMBER 30

Yom Kippur

NO SCHOOL

• • • • • •

OCTOBER 1

School Resumes

Regular Minyanim

School begins at 9:30

Yavne - No School

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Please see the attached flier inviting boys in seventh and eighth grades to a Shabbos Shuva Drasha in both

neighborhoods.

The Peterson program at the Oakwood campus is well underway and off to a great start. Our interventionists, Mr.

Steve Marlow and Mr. Eric Baker have begun meeting our students as well as assessing their needs. Aside from the

academics, they look forward to putting emphasis on study skills, organizational skills and social skills. In Peterson

coordinator, Rabbi Ellis' own words "This is an exciting time in education, when the Hebrew Academy can now have

access to the resources needed to provide academic and behavioral support toward all of our students. I feel proud

to be part of this monumental transition and look forward to a very positive year."

There was lots of excitement and fun in kindergarten this week. Many beautiful Rosh

Hashanah projects were completed and sent home. Mrs. Aliza Koval went into the

classes and the children got to see and touch some of the simanim including a real

fish head. Each child made Bracha and got to have an apple dipped in honey. After

that, a Rosh Hashanah lotto game was enjoyed by all.

First graders, previously in Morah Tova’s kindergarten class, proudly display their well

-deserved rewards for completing their summer Kriah homework… great job, girls!

As sounds of shofar blowing filled the Yeshiva Ketana hallways, we also

celebrated several simchos this week as well. Mazal tov to Meir Rokowsky who

made a siyum in Rabbi Drazin’s 4th grade classroom on Meseches Megillah, and

to Yosef and Tzvi Langsner who made a siyum on Meseches Sukkah in Rabbi

Fleisher’s 6th grade class. May they continue to make many more siyumim! We

also celebrated some upsherins in the Yeshiva Ketana. Mazal tov to Tzviki

Rothenberg, son of Rabbi & Mrs. Rothenberg, who had his upsherin in Rabbi

Matitia’s third grade, and to Moshe Klahr, son

of Rabbi and Mrs. Pesach Klahr, who had his

upsherin in Rabbi Ellis’s class. May they both bring

much nachas to their families!

We wish everyone a good, g’bentched yahr full of good health, hatzlacha and

everything good! May the Ribono Shel Olam shower us with brachos and may we all be

zoche to the geulah bimheirah b’karov.

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Rabbi Simcha Dessler, Menahel, addressed our girls today on preparing for Rosh

HaShanah. Rabbi Dessler’s timely and meaningful words gave us all an

appreciation for being students in Yavne and inspired us as we enter the yamim

noraim.

Under the direction of our new art teacher, Mrs. Leah Jacobs, our 7th and 11th grade art students created original, still

life drawings. The drawings were then used to create L’Shana Tova cards.

Curricular Coaching Goals 2017-2018

This year our Instructional Coaches, Mrs. Spansel (Reading) and Mrs. Soclof (Math) continue to work with the teachers

to improve instruction.

Mrs. Spansel continues to assist teachers in the implementation of the Wilson Fundations curriculum to teach reading

with direct, systematic and multisensory instruction. Wilson Fundations makes learning to read fun while laying the

groundwork for lifelong literacy. Her goal is to assist in the following areas: the structure of the English language

including spelling rules; daily alphabet sequencing and letter name identification; daily reading accuracy and fluency

practice; daily spelling practice; daily practice in vocabulary and reading comprehension while simultaneously engaging

the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modalities.

While Fundations is the phonics emphasis, Mrs. Spansel is also excited about the adoption of the Journeys core

literature based language arts curriculum. The Journeys curriculum provides rich literature instruction and practical

application of comprehension and vocabulary. Mrs. Spansel will be working with the teachers across both curriculums

to provide pacing guidelines, creative instruction, assessment, and guidance of the grade level teams towards

collaboration and sharing of ideas. Mrs. Spansel hopes to coach every teacher to provide instruction that engages the

whole student in the learning process.

Mrs. Soclof continues to work with teachers to enhance math instruction. In addition to acting as a resource for

engaging and relevant math materials, providing professional development in the area of mathematics, and working

collaboratively with the teachers to fine tune our curriculum map and pacing guide, Mrs. Soclof also helps teachers

develop effective teaching practices to: build conceptual understanding of mathematics topics; encourage students to

explain their thinking both in a written and oral format; help students to make sense of problems and persevere in

solving them improve fact fluency.

Continued on page 4

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1st Grade Girls

Adina Reichman

Chana Schwartz

Dina Levine

Baila Rossio

Esti Klahr

2nd Grade Girls

Chaya Kaye

Chaya Rochel Auslander

Chani Faintuch

Tziporah Adler

Miriam Boim

3rd Grade Girls

Rochel Levine

Faigy Spolter

Chaya Mendelson

Rochie Kaye

Devorah Cohen

Rashi Klahr

Toby Strauss

Rivka Esther Corbett

Mindy Reichman

Ahuva Becker

4th Grade Girls

Chayala Maimon

Etta Fayge Shifrin

Kayla Gunzberg

Michal Kutoff

5th Grade Girls

Gitty Meisels

Yehudis Mann

Rochel Shira Lebovics

6th Grade Girls

Leah Mendelson

Batsheva Shyken

Rivka Clements

Rachel Clements

Yaeli Stelzer

Chana Levine

Sarah Berkowitz

1st Grade Boys

Yaakov Kulefsky

Meir Zelig Kutoff

Eli Post

Yosef Sokol

Yehoshua Gutman

Menachem Heifetz

2nd Grade Boys

Yehuda Aryeh Thav

Yeshaiah Hersch

Eli Meir Cohen

Shimon Meisels

3rd Grade Boys

Shai Gottesman

Azaria Feldman

4th Grade Boys

Gavi Krash

5th Grade Boys

Hershy Krash

Summer Packets

We applaud the efforts of these students, and their parents, for making the effort to complete their summer packets!

It’s so hard to believe that it was only a few weeks ago that school began. The children have become accustomed to

our daily routine, have learned where the playground, gym, and lunchroom are, and have also learned their classroom

rules and expectations. They know that when they walk through the halls they need to be quiet and not to touch any

of the hallway decorations.

Routines are certainly not all that the children have absorbed in such a short time. They have also learned about Rosh

Hashanah and that we eat round challos, we dip apples in sweet honey for a sweet new year, we eat the head of a

fish, a pomegranate, and carrots, all simanim for a good year. This year, because Shabbos immediately follows yom

tov, an eruv tavshilin is made. The children in Morah Shoshana and Morah Shanie’s class made a sign to remind their

families to make this eruv tavshilin; they glued an egg on top of a picture of challah because there needs to be 2

cooked foods that will be eaten on Shabbos.

Many of our classes learned that on the first day of Rosh Hashanah we go somewhere where there is water with fish

inside and at this place we throw away our aveiros. This is called tashlich and the children learn best by doing, so

many of the classes made pretend rivers or streams, the children cut and colored “fish” to put in the stream, and then

they went to the water and threw away their aveiros.

Continued on page 5

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Because teshuva is such an integral part of this yom tov, the children are taking

upon themselves to do more mitzvos, to do things better. They are going to try to

do the mitzvah of kibud av va’aim by being really quiet during shofar blowing.

We wish Morah Elisheva and her family a big mazel tov on the birth of a new

daughter. May she bring nachas to her family and to all of Klal Yisrael.

We wish all our parents a k’siva vachasima tova, a gut gebensht yahr, a year filled with health, parnassah, hatzlacha,

chachma on how to raise our children properly in this challenging world we live in, nachas, and only little problems that

are easily and quickly solved. We also hope that Hashem listens to our tefillos for the good and that we should hear

only besoros tovos about our families, our Cleveland community.

We ask all our parents to respond to the letter sent home about a new trial initiative to expedite our morning drop-off

process. Mrs. Shoshie Klein is trying hard to gather enough parent volunteers to make this idea a reality, so please get

back to her if you can volunteer for this service. She can be reached at shoklein1@gmail.com

Rabbi & Mrs. Zvi Belsky on the birth of a girl

Mr. & Mrs. Eli Perl on the birth of a daughter

Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Schabes on the birth of a granddaughter to Yitzi and Chaya Sara Schabes.

Mazel tov to Mr. & Mrs. Herb Schabes.

Rabbi Shlomo Davis, longtime Rebbi, Principal, and Registrar of Telshe Yeshiva passed away this past Shabbos in Chicago at the age of 101. Rabbi Davis was talmid of Telshe Yeshiva in Lithuania and the Davis family still has a postcard from a young Rabbi Nochum Zev Dessler zt”l inviting Rabbi Davis to join the Roshei Yeshiva in building the newly established Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland in 1941. Rabbi Davis devotedly remained with the Yeshiva for the next seventy years. He was also an excellent baal koreh and mohel. In the early years, he was a member of the Academy’s Vaad Hachinuch and his wife, Mrs. Bluma Davis, a”h was a dedicated morah at our school. Condolences to his son, Mr. Yosef Davis of Chicago and to his daughter, Mrs. Devorah Shoshana of Wickliffe, both Academy alumni.

המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים.

Cleveland Hts.

בס''ד

Hebrew Academy of Cleveland 

Yeshiva Ketana 

invites Boys in Grades 3‐8 to a 

 שבת שובה

Youth Drasha 

האזינו שבת קדש פרשת  

 

Hebrew Academy, Downstairs Bais Medrash 

5:30‐6:00 p.m.         Rabbi C. Ellis   

   

Yavne High School, Rm. 100  

5:30‐6:00 p.m.    Rabbi Y. Boim

 

University Hts. / Beachwood

If you don’t have a smartphone, you can still get text notifications. Text the message @hac613 to the

number 81010. If you’re having trouble with 81010, try texting @hac613 to (216) 672-5429.

Don’t have a mobile phone? Go to rmd.at/hac613 on a desktop computer to sign up for email

To:

81010

Message:

@hac 613

Sign up for important text updates from

The Hebrew Academy. Follow the instructions below to join the “class” you want to follow.

Text the message below to 81010. You will receive a

short text asking for you to confirm your enrollment.

Hebrew Academy Families @hac613

Beachwood Bus @bchwd

Early Childhood @ec1860

Girls Elementary @ge613

Oakwood Campus @yhs613

Taylor Road Campus @taylor613

Univ. Hts. Bus @uhbus

Wickliffe Bus @wickbus

Yavne High School @yavne

Yeshiva Ketana (boys) @yk613

There is no need to reenroll if you joined last year.

Please call 216.321.5838 ext. 122 for more information.

ד‘‘בס

in conjunction with

Simchas Beis HaShoeva בהשתתפות רבני ומחנכי העיר

חול המועד סוכות

Sunday, October 8

8:30 - 10:00 p.m.

*kumzitz to follow *

Hebrew Academy of Cleveland

Beatrice Stone Yavne High School

2475 S. Green Rd. in Beachwood

Music by “One Mann Band”

is pleased to invite the community to a