Yeshiva Highlites: NOPE, Night Out, and a New Look At Tefilah
Reply:
rpt@wyhs.net
Friday, December 4, 2009 17 Kislev 5770
Parshat Vayishlach Candle Lighting at 5:10 PM
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What Color Are Your Glasses?
Many people in our school community have unfortunately been
faced with real adversities during the past year, brought on by either the
economic downturn or by serious medical challenges.
I have been truly awestruck by watching adults who have hit
tough times increase their davening and chesed. Others have
become true prophets of doom, pining for the good days which will never come
again.
One of the most important life skills that we can posses is
having a positive outlook. Two people look at the same situation- one sees the
up side and an opportunity, and the other sees a problem and danger. The first
person is, in general, a happy person. The second one is not.
The positive person is one who gets involved and wants to
add value. The negative person is one who complains and doesn't really want to
hear solutions.
Like most things, the color of children's glasses is learned
from watching their parents deal with adversities, small and big. I always tell
my children that "we have no problems". Thank G-d, we live in a great community
and a safe and beautiful place, and are truly privileged to be born both Jews
and Americans. Look at all the blessings that we have in our individual and
collective lives!
The radio personality who, when asked how he's doing, says
"better than I deserve" has the right attitude. Focusing on what we don't have or once had
isn't productive. As Rabbi Orlofsky told the students last week, you will be
overwhelmed by gratitude when you start contemplating all the good in your
life.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
Head of School
Chanukah is 1 Week Away!
Sunday 12/13
No mishmar
Monday 12/14
Chagigah 5:30pm for present students & their families Click Here to RSVP
Tuesday 12/15
Panapluka
Lunch & 6th Period
Wednesday 12/16
Rebbemania
Periods 1&2
No Night
Seder
Thursday 12/17
Extreme
Sports
Lunch
Monday 2/22
Golf Tournament
Mazel Tov!
Esti Tokayer ('07) on herengagement to Jake Asher of Los Angeles
Girls Varsity Basketball Team on their victories over HA Montreal 41-12 Maimonides 29-17
News Brief
Laughin' & Learnin' Rabbi David Orlofsky Speaks to WYHS
By Rashel Maikhor ('12)
STAFF WRITER
On the Wednesday
before Thanksgiving break, WYHS students had the privilege to hear
from renowned speaker, scholar, and comedian Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky.
Rabbi Orlofsky spoke about the importance of tefilah and why
praying and praising Hashem are crucial to our existence.
With his
amazing humor that constantly made people laugh, he truly transmitted
the message that we should be thankful to Hashem for everything we
have and should vocalize our thanks daily through tefilah. "A
person idolizes a baseball player because he can hit a ball with a stick,"
he said, "but not Hashem, who gives a person life?" The lecture
was not only a great way to segue into Thanksgiving, but also a
lesson to all that we should give thanks everyday.
Jumble Words
Feature Story
Just Say N.O.P.E.
WYHS Students Learn About the Dangers of Substance Abuse
By Sarah Struhl ('12) STAFF WRITER
The students of WYHS were
in for a huge reality check this past Tuesday,
when representatives and participants of the NOPE Task Force gave a powerful
presentation regarding the immediate dangers of substance and alcohol abuse.
NOPE, which stands for Narcotic Overdose Prevention and Education, specifically serves
to discuss the deadly consequence of abusing prescription drugs even if one may
just be "trying it only one time."
To begin the program, a
short video was shown elaborating on the goals that NOPE strives to accomplish,
through showing one teen's own situation which ultimately led to his death. The eerie words, "Death is Final," lingered
on the screen. Next, Captain Fred Mascaro
from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spoke further about the horrible
places where illegal substances can lead you.
As numerous names and pictures of teenage victims
of substance abuse were displayed on the screen, Captain
Mascaro briefly described each
teenager's individual story and how they and their families suffered greatly
due to this horrible addiction.
Afterwards, a Palm Beach Country sheriff who works with juveniles described
some of her own experiences of finding people harmed and sometimes killed due
to substance abuse.She described the
horrific scene of someone being found lifeless because of his or her horrible decision to take any sort of illegal drug. In addition, she greatly emphasized that if
anyone suspects that a friend has a drug issue, he or she must tell someone
right away, and if he or she suspects that a friend is currently on a drug, he
or she must call 9-1-1 immediately. One phone
call could very likely save that person's life and get him or her the appropriate
help.
To further convey the severity of the consequences of drug usage, two parents
who tragically lost their children to substance abuse told their heart-wrenching
stories. As tears filled everyone's
eyes, the point was made that drugs do not only affect you, but they
affect your family, your friends, and everyone else around you, and that the danger
of death is real.
To conclude the sorrowful
yet thought-provoking program, a video was shown to commemorate those whose lives
were cut short due to substance abuse. The
presentation was an overall success in instilling an awareness of the dangers
and consequences of substance abuse in every single WYHS student.
Featurette
The Race is On! The Junior Night Out: Extreme Go-Karting & Arcade Fun
By Jacob Levenson ('11) STAFF WRITER
On your mark, get set, GO!
The Juniors raced through a night full of extreme carting, gaming, and
bonding at X-Treme Indoor Karting this past Monday on their Junior
Night Out. The excited Juniors and their teachers relaxed
during a work-free night, competing in the greatly anticipated
high-speed carting races. They also enjoyed two jam-packed
hours of arcade games and friendly competition.
Not only did this entertaining night give students a
chance to put the pedal to the metal (at speeds of up to forty-five miles per hour) and show off their flawless
driving skills, but it also allowed for a night of connecting with
friends and teachers. The Junior Night Out successfully
integrated a night of fun into the year's busy schedule, and definitely will
be a memorable highlight of the year.
Multimedia
Jewish Music Pick of the Week
By Zack Raab ('10)
MUSIC CORRESPONDENT
Album: Lo Lihityaeish Artist: Shua Kessin
Lo Lihityaeish is Shua Kessin's debut album. It is a very Chassidic album and the songs range from Generations, an English song about the Holocaust, to Bye Bye Bye, which is a song from Brich Shmei. Bye Bye Bye
is by far the most capturing and upbeat song -- in the Chevra style --
that many would enjoy blasting really loudly. It is an Aramaic song
with words that remind us that we have faith in Hashem. Lo Lihityaeish is a fantastic
album with unique lyrics and tunes and a great final track that many
will want to keep on repeating.
My three favorites are: Bye Bye Bye, Beitin, Lo Lihityaeish
Click on the image above to listen to album samples.
In Focus
Lights, Camera, Yonah! Rabbi Lanner's Class Makes Movies About Sefer Yonah
By Andrew Wald ('12) STAFF WRITER
For the first time in
WYHS history, the Navi students are learning the five megillot
and the book of Yonah.
Many teachers are
implementing new and creative ways to bring these exceptionally interesting
stories to life. Rabbi Chaim Lanner
broke his classes up into two- or three-person groups and assigned them a
project to make brief movie trailers promoting the story of Yonah.
In creating their video
clips, the students had a lot of fun while reviewing the insights from the text of Yonah they had learned
in class.
After being asked of his
opinion of the assignment, sophomore Josh Hirth
immediately exclaimed, "That was by far my favorite project I've ever
done."
As for Rabbi Lanner, when
asked about his reasoning behind such an interesting and nontraditional class activity,
he explained, "I
try to employ multidimensional teaching and differentiated instruction to
appeal to the multiple intelligences and diverse learning abilities and
capabilities of my students. And
besides...who doesn't like watching movies in class?" He also divulged that Yonah was just
the beginning. Students of Rabbi Lanner
will be ecstatic to hear that there will be many more trailers to come.
Click on the images below to play a few of the Yonah movie trailers.
Culture Poetry & Prose
The Light
By Daniella Lieberman ('10)
as originally published in the WYHS Literary Journal, Allie's Mitt
I
braced myself as I held
The
leather-bound wonder
In
my hands.
The
beautifully embroidered cover
With
gold, inscribed letters
Assured
me that
What
I was about to study
Would
be life-changing.
As
though by a miracle
The
book opened,
Revealing
a world of
Mystery,
clarity, questions, and,
Rarely,
answers
Words,
Wonderful, beautiful words
Come
alive on those aged pages.
When
read,
Ideas,
emotions,
Happiness,
stubbornness,
Grief,
despair;
Were
felt.
The
world as I knew it dissolved around me -
Darkness
gloom doom confusion
Were
no longer.
The
book took the place of the horrible;
It
illuminated the world,
Enlightened
the mind,
Comforted
the heart.
In
theory and in reality
It
solves all problems,
Despite
the fact its
Archaic
words were never modified.
The
worn, torn, ivory pages hold
The
key to the answer,
The
answer to all mysteries.
My
world is illuminated. But the
Darkness
is
Coming:
it infiltrates through the
Spaces
of light,
Trying
to slam the book closed. Nevertheless,
The
sacred book which brings truth to the world
Fights
for the
Right
to outlive the lies.
SpiritualityD'var Torah
The Name of G-d
Parshat Vayishlach
By Rebecca Fuchs ('10) D'VAR TORAH EDITOR
In this week's parshah, Vayishlach, Hashem appears to Yaakov and introduces Himself as "Kel Shaddai." There are many interpretations as to the significance of this name.
Every name of G-d signifies a certain attribute. The first half of His name, "Kel", represents G-d's attribute of Mercy. "Shaddai" comes from the word "Dai", which means sufficient.
As
most people know from personal experience, the world is an incredibly
difficult place in which to live. Throughout our lives on this world,
we are constantly troubled with challenges and plagued with miseries.
When one must cope with a struggle or face a difficulty, as we all must
at some point, it can be very easy to give up hope. After all, how much
pain can we endure, how many tests can we prevail over? It is extremely
simple to doubt our capabilities and claim that we are unable to deal
with that which has been presented to us. The name of "Kel-Shaddai", however, teaches us that we are entirely capable of overcoming any challenge that G-d may present us with.
As
His name suggests, G-d provides man with a sufficient amount of mercy.
G-d understands what makes us tick, what we can endure, and how much
struggle is necessary for us to be able to accomplish our mission in
this world. He knows our limits and stretches them, but does not give
us more burden than we can bear. Every single trouble that we face is from
G-d, and we must understand that we can get through even the most
difficult situation because He is there supporting us every step of the
way. Additionally, every time that we are faced with a test in which we
feel that perhaps we are not yet able to overcome our Yetzer Hara,
we must remember that G-d has sent us this test only because He knows
that we have the ability to make the right choice, and grow as a result
of the decision we make. May G-d's sufficient Mercy grant us the
confidence and support necessary to face any and every challenge
throughout our lives.
