MDS Messenger November 16, 2012

Candle Lighting Time - 4:19 PM Page 1

Volume 12, Issue 7 November 16, 2012 פרשת חיי שרה בס"ד

Making a Difference in Long Beach By Yehudit Robinson, Director of Educational Technology, [email protected]

When confronting devastating destruction, what is the appropriate response? An MDS parent organized four busses that travelled to areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. Three busses went to Long Beach, and one bus went to the Rockaways. These bus-ses were filled with MDS students, teachers, and parents, and other volunteers from the community. The ride was uneventful until we arrived in Long Beach. As we were going over a bridge to enter the area, Rabbi Jeremy Litton pointed to the water and said, “see over there? There used to be a baseball field over there until the storm came.” And suddenly the conversation on the bus quieted down and people started looking out of the windows. Shortly thereafter, Rabbi Eli Goodman, who is in charge of the badly damaged Bach Synagogue, got on a bus and started giving a narrated tour of the neighborhood we were passing through. People took out their cell phones and started taking pictures of what they were seeing. It is one thing to view destruction through the distance of a televi-sion set, and quite another to view it in person. We saw tremendous piles of debris and destroyed possessions from peoples’ homes and mountains of displaced sand as tall as some homes. And we saw National Guard troops, American Red Cross personnel, and other volunteer groups, along with debris-removal equipment, such as cranes and sand sifters. [Continued next page]

Volume 12, Issue 7 November 16, 2012 פרשת תולדות

Page 2 Candle Lighting Time - 4:19 PM

Making a Difference in Long Beach By Yehudit Robinson, Director of Educational Technology, [email protected]

Upon arrival at the Young Israel of Long Beach, the only shul in the area that was still functional and is currently serving as a gathering place for the displaced members of the community, we unloaded all of the donations that we had brought—a tremendous amount of food, cleaning supplies, diapers, socks, etc. The busses then split up. Most of the adults went in groups to individual fami-ly homes, and the MDS volunteers went to the Bach Synagogue, whose first floor and lower levels were very badly damaged. I must say that our students did not shirk from service. No job was too demeaning; yes, our students did actually remove damaged furniture, take out the trash, mop floors, and clean toilets. They also helped remove sefarim that had to go to sheimos because they were com-pletely waterlogged and could no longer be used. Miriyam Goldman (8G) said, “When we got to the Bach Shul, the outside looked fine, but once you stepped inside it was totally different. There were pots on the floor, the closets and their contents were soaked, and the staircase was badly damaged. There was a lot of work to do, but we all had the motivation to help and think of others in need. I think we take too much for granted. We wake up every morning and if we have to go to the bathroom we go in our house, whereas the people in Long Beach have to use porta pot-ties until the water is restored. We have working cars, whereas so many families in Long Beach lost their cars in the flood. We don’t understand that everything we work so hard for can we taken away within seconds. We all learned a lot from this experience.” Thank you to all of the parents who joined the trip. We received numerous thank you notes from the Long Beach community expressing gratitude for our students’ physical assis-tance and emotional support and from MDS parents and Upper West Siders expressing grati-tude for the opportunity to help. All tzedakah collected in class tzedakah boxes this month will go to Long Beach. We will continue to let you know about other volunteer initiatives.



Michael McDonnell Visits MDS By Messenger Staff

This past Friday, we were honored by a visit by Michael McDonnell, a man who saved six lives as Hurricane Sandy made the Rockaways perilously dangerous for its residents. If you google his name, you can read about his heroism. Our middle school students listened spellbound as he explained how he tied electrical wires together using fishermen knots and thus created a lifeline that allowed him to transfer six residents from several homes that erupted in flames to safety by carrying them on his back through the raging floodwaters, holding on to the rope he had created for balance. Before he moved the individuals from danger to safety, he instructed them to take four minutes to gather necessary papers and meaningful mementoes so they would be able to restart their lives. He lost his home and all of his possessions, but he is promising to rebuild. We thank Mrs. Julia Averbuch, Reading Coordinator, for connecting with Mr. McDonnell and bringing him to MDS. This visit was noted in the New York Daily News. Mrs. Rebecca Tenzer’s 5th Grade Language Arts classes wrote letters to Michael McDonnell. Here is one of them: “You are a true hero and we enjoyed hearing your story. You described your experience so clearly and we were able to really get a sense of what you went through. You inspired us to always help other people when we can and how much of a difference it can make in their lives. You should be proud of yourself for having risked your life to save others. They say that ‘saving a life is like saving the world’, so think about the impact that you have made by saving six lives! Even when situations seem scary, it is important to stay strong and help to keep others strong too. This is what you have done. You are so clever and resourceful for having used the materials that were available during this hard situation. You selflessly saved lives of people during a time when most others would run away. These lucky people will never forget you. It is clear to us how special you are and how big your heart is. As Thanksgiving approaches, we thank YOU for inspiring us and for making Thanksgiving possible for others. Please continue to visit other schools to inform and inspire other students like you have done for us. When kids think of heroes, they think of people who can fly and shoot lasers. But really, they are all made-up heroes when you are the real hero!”



Veteran’s Day Program: Celebrating Service By Messenger Staff

Thank you to Avi Solomons (6B) and Ms. Atara Neuer for their moving video narrating letters written by Avi’s grandparents Hy and Tess during WWII when Avi’s grandfather served in the military and the only way he and his wife could communicate was through intermittent letters. This video served as the anchor to our Vet-eran’s Day program this past Friday. We also want to thank Rod-ney Simon, who works in our Kitchen as part of Aleta’s crew. Rodney served in the military on a naval ship from 1990-1993, and he showed amazing photos from boot camp and from the ship. In the image on the right, Rod-ney is showing his cabin and the bunk beds. He explained that the beds lifted and under the mattresses were areas for storage of personal belongings. He worked as an hydraulic elevator me-chanic in the weapons department. Ms. Demirtas’ art students made a mural for the soldiers which you can see in the image below on the left side. Our fifth grade choir sang patriotic songs, such as “You’re a Grand Old Flag” in memory of Major Stuart Adam Wolfer. Our students also wrote letters to the soldiers currently serving overseas. Thank you to Mrs. Judy Melzer, Mrs. Karen Daitchman, Rabbi Jeremy Litton, Mr. Richard Acosta, and Ms. Leyla Demirtas for all of their help in plan-ning this powerful and meaningful commemoration of Veteran’s Day.



How to View Your Sunday Conference Schedule

Conferences will take place this Sunday, November 18th.

Start / End Times: Early Childhood Department Conferences will take place from 9 am— 3:30 pm

Special Education Conferences will take place from 9 am— 3:30 pm Grades 1-4 Conferences will take place from 9 am— 6 pm Grades 5-8 Conferences will take place from 9 am—5 pm

Conference Length:

Early Childhood Department Conferences will be 15 minutes each. Special Education Conferences for grades 1 - 6 will be 20 minutes each. Special Education Conferences for grades 7 - 8 will be 10 minutes each.

Conferences for grades 1 - 8 will be 10 minutes each. If you have children in multiple divisions, the system will prevent you from creating scheduling conflicts.

Childcare: To save you the hassle of having to arrange a babysitter for your conferences, childcare for kids of all ages will be available in the

school library all day for a cost of $8 per child. This service is only available for the duration of your conference times. Please email Dori Shwirtz, [email protected], to sign up in advance.

Log into ParentLocker to view your conference schedule and locations. Please see the image below:

View Your Conference Schedule

mailto:[email protected],�



MDS Merchandise Sale, 11/18

THE PARENTS COUNCIL INVITES YOU TO SHOP OUR

MDS MERCHANDISE SALE

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH 9AM-5PM, MDS LOBBY

On your way to your Parent Teacher Conferences, stop by the MDS Merchandise sale in the lobby and shop our selection of MDS logo’d apparel and accessories. Purchase a sweatshirt, umbrella, tote bag, or some kippot

and show your school spirit.

Many thanks to Julie Ackerman for chairing this committee and keeping us well-styled in MDS fashions. Look for exciting, new MDS merchandise which

will be on sale in the upcoming months.



Kindergarten Math: Comparing Sets of Objects By Jamie Bunin, [email protected], Jennifer Bieber, [email protected], and Rochel Dahan, [email protected]

The Kindergarten classes at MDS have been working on a variety of math concepts this year. The stu-dents typically work in small center-based groups as they complete math activities. This week, they began to ex-plore the concept of comparing sets of objects. The students used the words “more than” and “less than” as they did their comparisons. After practicing the vocabulary and the concepts as a large group on the carpet, the stu-dents visited math activity centers to apply their new skills. At one center, they played “war”, a card game where they quickly realized that the cards with the higher numbers were more valuable. At another center, they spun dice and created sets of stickers which were more and less than the number they spun on the dice. The class’ fa-vorite activity center was a game in which they took a handful of hibernating plastic bears out of their cave (a pa-per bag) and sorted them by color. Students then recorded how many bears of each color they had, and finally they circled the color that had the most. These concepts will continue to be reinforced throughout the school year.



Mi Chadash b’MDS? Chana Raitman! By Messenger Staff

The Messenger introduces you to the new teachers who infuse our school with extra energy. This week, meet Ms. Chana Raitman:

I grew up in Melbourne, Australia. I received a BA in Education, specializing in Hebrew Language Immersion programs, through Lauder Chabad in Vienna/Austria. I then returned to Australia where I was in-volved in curriculum building and teaching grades 5/6 Judaic Studies.

My goal as a third grade Jewish Studies teacher is to infuse the students with a love for Judaism and help them grow in their avodat Hashem. I would like my students to explore the beauty in Judaism and understand that every mitzvah/ kind deed inherently changes and impacts the world for the good.

I have a passion for children and feel privileged to be a part of MDS. I have a strong passion for imparting knowledge, building skills, and designing and running innovative programs that enhance students to positively impact themselves and the wider community on a practical level. I also enjoy embracing the digital world and using new pedagogical strategies to engage my students makes learning fun and exciting! My third graders have already witnessed how scenes of Chayei Sara are really taking place in our classroom. News reporters visit our Parsha class weekly….

I am involved in a research program at the moment. I have chosen to focus on factors that affect academic performance to better enable my students to achieve their goals and measures of success in life.

MDS is a school that is addicted to striving for excellence! Such an approach I believe sets out high standards and cognitive mechanisms for achievement. Furthermore it instills in students the fundamental idea that a Jew should never remain stagnant rather “Maalim Bakodesh.” We are always striving to be be better. Students have moments of recognition and satisfaction. Failures and setbacks propel them forward at greater speed and momentum. My message to all students is that “we are all works in progress”. Student motivation is unsurprisingly a deeply rooted factor caught up in the web of the learning process. The positive linear correla-tion between those that are driven and results being successful have well been established. I am certainly driven and excited to be here!

Making Chumash Study Interactive By Adina Laury, [email protected]

The students in Room 407 are busy learning Parshat Miketz this year, and the girls enjoy showing their knowledge of the Chumash vocabulary by writing the translations of new words on the board. We’ve been discussing the dreams of Pharaoh and building our ‘Al Mi Ne’emar’ and Divide-and-Conquer Milim skills. These exercises tie in with our Lashon lessons, and the girls are really picking up on the inter-disciplinary learning. Keep it up, Room 407!



Taking Ivrit Skills to the Next Level By Adina Laury, [email protected]

There's always a lot happening in the 3-4B classroom! 3rd and 4th grade boys are taking their Ivrit skills to the next level by completing various Hebrew Bananagrams activities. The students were challenged to spell out as many words as they could, as long as they knew the translation! A second round had students building words based on particular subjects, such as 'items found in a house' and 'food items'. The boys also spelled out words from a book we've been reading and really reinforced their Hebrew spelling, Kriyah and vocabulary skills. Other classroom Kriyah favorites are the Siddur game (who can find the word fastest?), Kri-yah Tag, and paired Kriyah time. If you really want to be able to figure out who is a student of the 3rd and 4th grade boys class, though, just ask them a question about the Parsha! These boys are sure to know the answer, and to have a fabulous question of their own in return. It's amazing to see how our students are always trying to understand the Parsha in more depth, and how well they remember the Torah they've learned. Yashar koach to Jacob Tennenbaum on his unique structure he built at home (pictured on the right).



How ‘bout Them Atoms? By Atara Neuer, [email protected]

In seventh grade science we are learning about the atom, which comes from the Greek word “atomos”, meaning “indivisible”. All matter is made of atoms. Alt-hough the atom was too small to see and almost too small to measure, scientists like John Dalton learned about atoms by studying how matter behaves. What else can you think of might be described as invisible, invisible, and the origin of all things? That's right...God.

Although we cannot see God in the physical sense, we “see” God in everyday miracles that are right before our eyes. A newborn baby, a rainbow, a warm hug from somebody who loves you. Just like scientists learned about the atom by observing the way it behaves in matter, we learn about God by the world He created. The foundation of all matter is the atom, and the foundation of the world, the origin of all things, is God. In today’s time science and religion are taught separately in school, but this wasn’t always so. Early scientists were philosophers who sometimes incorporated religious ideas about God into their discoveries. Science is very much part of the Torah.

How ‘bout them atoms?

MDS Hall of Fame By Alli Kert, [email protected]

At the start of the school year, Manhattan Day School launched our Hall of Fame initiative for stu-dents in grades 1-5. The goal of this initiative is to en-courage our stu-dents to show re-spect for them-selves, their peers, and our school, by demonstrating cour-teous behavior in our hallways. We asked our students what this means to them, and they helped guide the development of this program. They believed that it is im-portant for their fellow students to speak softly, walk slowly, and use kind words. We agreed, and the Hall of Fame initiative was born. The program was introduced to the students in September. After a month of practice, observation, and guidance, the program officially launched in October. Our faculty watched closely over this past month, to help determine which class should be highlighted as October’s Hall of Fame honorees. The class that is being honored consistently demonstrated the behaviors that we believe help to create an environment of respect, fairness, and integrity. We are proud to salute the students in Morah Tara’s, Morah Ilana’s and Morah Bonnie’s class for winning the October Hall of Fame contest: Daniel Beyda, Noam Chameides, Mervin Dayan, Benjamin Gin-di, Eathan Guttman, Samuel Hamway, Jack Maleh, Yonatan Marciano, Charles Shehebar, and Andrew Srulowitz. Congratulations! We’ll continue to watch all of our classes closely for November’s honorees.



Making Hebrew Reading Fun By Tara Hirschhorn, [email protected]

The students in room 307 are learning their Hebrew letters and sounds using a multisensory program that works on decoding and handwriting. Instruction is given in step-by-step lessons, where students are taught the sounds letters and vowels make and how to write them. The multisensory approach uses visual (the letters), auditory (the sounds), and kinesthetic (motor patterns for writing letter) modalities to strengthen associations and memory. The students start learning the Alef-Bet with the letter Resh because once they learn how to write that letter, they will be able to write other letters that start with the same motor pattern. The curriculum starts with individual letters and progresses to the reading of multi-syllabic words.

When the students sit down for Hebrew reading groups, they start with a review of all of the letters and sounds they have already learned. Each lesson is supported with reading and writing materials from the letters and sounds that were learned before. The program allows students to read accurately and fluently and is fun, too!



A Rosh Chodesh Literary Treat By Holly Tanz, [email protected], Rebecca Gotlib, [email protected], and Jamie Bunin, [email protected]

As a special treat for Rosh Chodesh Kislev, the 5/6 grade boys from Ms. Tanz’s class read to the kindergarteners in Morah Ja-mie’s K5B class. The kindergarteners chose books they wanted us to read. We really en-joyed reading to the children. The kids were really nice. It felt good to read to the kinder-garteners because they were very enthusiastic about the books. It seemed like they liked when we read one word at a time, and showed them the pictures. It was a treat for all!



Yachad Shabbaton By Jamie Bunin, [email protected]

This past weekend the 8th Graders spent shabbos with Yachad in MDS. The girls prepared by baking challah for shabbat. We had a wonderful time davening, eating, singing and dancing with our friends in Yachad. We made many new friends and had a fun weekend to boot! What a special way to spend shabbat!

We would like to like Mrs. Sharon Haberman and Mrs. Tracy Gerber for organizing the housing for the shabbaton. We would also like to thank Aleta for taking care of all of the food and for the wonderful pizza and ice cream desert on Saturday night!

We would also like to thank all of our wonderful spons-ers. The shabbaton could not have happened without all of you! It was a fantastic weekend for all and we are thankful that we were able to meet so many new friends in Yachad and be part of such a wonderful experience! A special thank you to the 8th graders for their amazing enthusiasm throughout shabbat!



7G Bat Mitzvah Program By Messenger Staff

Thank you to Robyn Samuels, Johanna Guttman Herskowitz, and Rebbetzin Sarah Robinson for their excel-lent stewardship of the 7th grade bat mitzvah program. This cohort celebrated the bat mitzvahs of Chana Radensky, Riva Cogan, Lily Snyder, Ga-brielle Posner, Kayla Fried-man, and Talia Gerber. After a special group tefillah, the girls heard a devar torah from Reb-betzin Sarah Robinson which was introduced by Mrs. Judy Melzer and then enjoyed a special breakfast. Stay tuned for a grand finale for this co-hort!



Where Are They Now? Charles Steinberg ‘57 By Messenger Staff

The Messen-ger periodically recon-nects you with alumni. This week, meet Charles Steinberg:

Through a very unusual set of circumstances, I have discovered the MDS website and archive of weekly newslet-ters. At the outset, let me tell you how im-pressed I am by the overall quality of each issue. It certainly shows a lot of time, effort, and energy very well spent.

You may wonder why this is meaningful to me. The simple answer is that I am an alumnus of MDS, class of 1957. Of course, way back then, the MDS that I knew and loved was located at 110 Manhattan Avenue - about 30 blocks north of the present location. When I began kindergarten, the principal was Dr. Arthur Spier and the school was called the Jewish Community School (JCS). The next principal (who was principal for most of my years at MDS) was Dr. Herman C. Axelrod and the Executive Director (a man who was a special friend to all the students) was Jerry Cohen.

In 7th and 8th grade we enjoyed playing punchball (to those who never heard of this game, it is similar to baseball except that your fist is the bat and the ball was a small, pink Spalding rubber ball). The boys played punchball every afternoon (not sure what the girls were doing). One afternoon, there was a stranger at the yard gate. We greeted a NYC policeman. He had seen us play-ing and wanted to join in the game. I remember him teaching us how to fall and slide without getting hurt on the concrete. He only appeared that one day and we never saw him again.

One of the 4th grade teachers was Dr. Leo Rothchild. We were all petrified when we found out we would be in his class as he insisted that all conversation had to be spoken only in Hebrew.

I am not sure if it was once a week or once a month but I remember going to the auditorium with several other grades for music. The teacher was Mr. Seymour Silbermintz (who became very well known in the Yeshiva world). While teaching us the music to many Hebrew songs, he would also teach us which syllables needed emphasis so we would pronounce them correctly.

Hot lunches were cooked in school by Mr. Blum. He was a heavyset individual and provided us with our introduction to Chow Mein.

During the year, classes had to put on plays. I have never forgotten one that was done when I was probably in 2nd or 3rd grade. I had to dress in a clown costume. Not one of my happiest moments!

The highlight of our senior year was graduation. We spent quite a while rehearsing our cantata which included songs and dramatization. Our graduations were held at the Kauffman Concert Hall at the 92nd Strret “Y.” Someone (perhaps on the PTA) de-cided that our well-rounded education had to include the ability to dance (formal dancing such as waltz, fox trot...). Once a week we headed to a dance hall located above the CBS theater which housed the Ed Sullivan Show and today houses David Letterman. Who can forget learning to dance while wearing white gloves.

Following my graduation from MDS, I attended YUHS. I had no school on Fridays and so I returned to MDS to help out in the office. In addition to mimeographing (the precursor to Xeroxing) and running errands to the classrooms, I clearly remember how “honored” I felt when Dr. Axelrod gave me the keys and told me to ring the bells for a fire drill. That became my job each month.

The beautiful facility and the technological advances that are available to today’s MDS students did not exist in the 50’s and 60’s. Nevertheless, we were able to receive a wonderful education through the effort and determination of a wonderful faculty. I par-ticularly remember the familial feeling of the class I was in. We knew each other well and lived in close proximity to each other (unlike the MDS students of today who come from many different neighborhoods).

I was particularly impressed with the numerous photographs included in the newsletter. They certainly helped me get a glimpse of what is happening at MDS today. While the physical plant is different and the students and faculty are different, the name is the same and the memories are easily rekindled.

Now that I know the newsletter exists, I shall be sure to check in on a regular basis. I did have an opportunity to visit MDS and Rabbi Besser (we are old friends from the West Side and HAFTR) a few years ago. Hopefully, I will do so again.

Sincerely, Charles (Charlie) Steinberg



8G Devar Torah Project: Toldot Submitted by Bethany Strulowitz, [email protected]; Devar Torah written by Estee Gerber, 8G

It’s odd, isn’t it? How Yitzchak was forty years old, in Parashat Toldot, when he married Rivka but had children years later (at the age of sixty), only after Rivka begged and begged Hashem for children. Finally, after Rivka became pregnant, she felt the soon-to-be Esav and Yaakov fighting inside her. She inquired of Hashem as to why they were fighting. Hashem responded by saying how Rivka had two different nations inside of her, and the elder would serve the young-er. And sure enough, shortly after that Rivka had twins. The elder one was named “Esav” because he was red and hairy; the younger one was named “Yaakov” because he came out with his hand on his older brother’s, Esav’s, heel. As they grew older, Esav became a man of the field spending his time hunting, rather than learning in the tents like Yaakov. Rivka loved Yaakov, while Yitzchak loved Esav.

For most, having red hair means you are quick tempered and easily frustrated, says a Rab-bi Pliskin, quoting the Midrash. That assumption was made after Esav who quick to anger and quick to kill. However, that fact is not true when it comes to David. When Shmuel the Prophet went to anoint David to be the future king, he stopped as soon as he saw David’s red hair. Red like the color of blood and the rush of anger on one’s face. Red like fire and as dangerous as it too. Howev-er none of these thoughts entered Samuel’s head when he saw David. All he could see was the leer-ing face of Esav and a bloody crossbow at his side. Hashem, sensing how Shmuel felt, assured him by saying that David was a good and righteous person and would channel his fighting abilities for the battlefield. David lived up to the expectation and became an honorable leader to whom people still look up to today. Rabbi Pliskin continues, quoting the Vilna Gaon, saying that this teaches us that everyone has their own personality and, while it’s true we can’t get a new one, we can try and alter it for the better. As we see with David how he used his weakness (how he liked fighting) for good and turned it into a strength (he used it on the battlefield). We can learn from here that everyone has the ability to change their personalities for the better.

As it happened one afternoon, Yaakov was making a stew as Esav came in, exhausted, from the fields. Esav, feeling as if he was about to die, told Yaakov to pour some of the stew for him. Yaakov replied that he would only if Esav sold him his birthright, his legacy. So Esav swore to Yaakov saying he would give him his birthright, and Yaakov gave him the stew. He sold his first born priv-ileges for a pot of stew? From here, we learned that Esav had disrespect for his birthright because he sold it so easily for something as worthless as stew.

There was, once again, a famine in Eretz Yisrael, so Yitzchak and his family traveled to Gerar and Hashem commanded Yitzchak to live there (temporarily). Hashem continued that if Yitzchak settled there, Hashem would bless him and his future genera-tions, and give them the Promised Land. Hashem swore saying, that the Jewish people will be as numerous as the stars in the heavens.

After arriving, Yitzchak told everyone who lived in Gerar that Rivka was his sister, so he would not be killed by men who wanted her as their wife for she was beautiful. However, Avimelech, the King of Gerar, found out and Yitzchak then had to explain why he had lied. The king then proclaimed that, whoever harms Yitzchak or Rivka would be killed. Yitzchak did what he had to do in order to save his life. Many people in the Holocaust did the same. When you have to save a life, there are no rules.

Yitzchak became very wealthy. He owned many fields and numerous cattle, and in fact, he became so great that everyone became jealous of him. Avimelech then kicked him out of Gerar saying that he had become greater and wealthier than them. Thus Yitzchak and his family left and settled in the valley of Gerar and re-dug the wells that Avraham’s servants had dug and they called them by the same names. Yitzchak’s servants dug three more wells, and Yitzchak called them Asek, Sitnah, and Richobot. They then, once again, got up and traveled to Beer Sheva where, that night Yitzchak had a dream of Hashem. And Hashem said to him, “I am the G-d of Avraham your father; fear not, for I am with you, I will bless and increase your offspring because of Avraham my serv-ant.” Yitzchak then built an altar for Hashem and camped there. Imagine becoming a billionaire, in Canada, and then being told to leave because people were jealous of you. Most people would protest and put up a fight but not Yitzchak. Yitzchak understood and respected the people of Gerar so he left willingly.

Soon after, Avimelech, some friends and Peechol (his general) came to Yitzchak. So Yitzchak asked them, “Why did you come to me? I thought you hated me? You kicked me out of your country.” Avimelech answered that they now see that Hashem is with Yitzchak and that they want to make a pact with them. However, Yitzchak should not hold a grudge against Avimelech and his people. For Avimelech sent Yitchak away in peace. So they made a banquet and the next morning swore to one another, and then Yitzchak sent Avimelech and his company off in peace. Later on, Yitzchak’s servants found another well and they named it Shibah. Yitzchak was getting old, and his eyesight was dimming. He called to Esav and told him that he would soon die, but that he wants Esav to hunt and prepare for him a wonderful meal, and then, Yitzchak would bless him. Rivka heard what Yitzchak had told Esav but she wanted Yaakov to get the blessing instead. So she told Yaakov to go to the goat pen and bring her two young goats so that she can cook the meat for Yitzchak and prepare the fur for Yaakov to wear; this way, Yaakov would get the blessing instead of Esav. Yaakov did as she said and wore Esav’s clothes and the goat’s hair, so that he would appear hairy like Esav. Rivka then gave her son the meal, and then Yaakov went to Yitzchak. Yaakov pretended he was Esav and told him he was his firstborn and that Yitzchak should bless him. [Continued next page]



8G Devar Torah Project: Toldot Submitted by Bethany Strulowitz, [email protected]; Devar Torah written by Estee Gerber, 8G

When Yitzchak asked how he prepared his meal so quickly, he answered that Hashem, Yitzchak’s G-d, helped him. Yitzchak went so far as to talk like Esav to so he said “your G-d” like how Esav might say it. The Rambam says that this shows us that Yaa-kov tried to disguise his voice or thought that his voice sounded like Esav, but it didn’t work. Yitzchak knew the voice was somehow different from Esav’s, even though he felt like Esav. Yitzchak then ate and drank and then kissed Yaakov before he was ready to bless him. And Yitzchak said, “Hashem will give you rain, and you will farm the land well. People will serve and bow down to you, even your brothers. Those who bless you will be blessed and those who curse you will be cursed.”

Right after Yaakov had left, Esav came to Yitzchak for his blessing. Yitzchak trembled and explained what he now realized had happened. Esav begged for a blessing, and finally Yitzchak gave him one saying, “You will farm well and have rain, but you will live by the sword. You will serve your brother, but when you cry out you will no longer listen to him.” What does it mean that “when you cry out you will no longer listen to him?” The Rambam answers, that we should not provoke Esav’s children. The scholars con-tinue that, for six months Yoav and his men went and killed all the men of Edom. Hashem got angry with King David and exclaimed, “I thought I told you not to provoke Edom? But you just did!” Therefore, Hashem took away six months of David’s reign, says the Rambam and scholars. That’s why it says that David ruled for forty years when he really ruled for forty years and six months. We learn from here that we should definitely not provoke the descendants of Esav.

Esav was extremely angry and vowed to kill Yaakov after Yitzchak died. Rivka heard and told Yaakov to run away, and Yitzchak told him to run to his uncle, Lavan’s house and marry one of his cousins and not Canaanite woman. And Yitzchak gave Yaakov a short blessing to be fruitful and numerous. When Esav heard that Yaakov had run away under strict orders from his father not to marry a Canaanite woman, Esav decided to be the good guy for once and married his cousin, daughter of Ishmael. Unfortunate-ly though, he did not divorce his previously- married Canaanite wives. If Esav was to go so far as to marry someone of whom his fa-ther might approve, then why wouldn’t he just divorce his other Canaanite wives? Rambam answers that although Esav was willing to avoid marrying a Canaanite woman once he learned that his parents disapproved of them, he was not yet “prepared” to divorce his Canaanite wives. This shows us that although Esav tries to do as his father asks, he himself will always be number one on his priority list.

Every day we are always deciding between good and bad. Let us be like Yaakov and David and make the best of things. Let’s try to change our personalities for the better and use our weaknesses as strengths. Let’s try to alter ourselves into better people and follow Hashem and do the Mitzvot. Shabbat shalom!

In honor of Parshat Toldot, the Early Childhood Department located a number of sets of twins! Introducing: Leo and Joseph Rosen-berg, Ava and Jack Gurfein, Dan and Ilai Mandelbaum, Chloe and Megan Ackerman, Chedvah Guttman, Sarah and Rebecca Mero,

Josh and Aaron Mitchell, and Claire and Brody Latkin



ECD Toy Drive, 11/12-26

Manhattan Day School Early Childhood Department CHANUKAH TOY DRIVE

Toys will be distributed to children at Chanukah parties held by organizations such as Jewish Family Service, Tomchei Shabbos, Ohel Children’s Home, Bikur

Cholim, Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, OTSAR, Emunah, and Chai Life-line.

We ask and hope that you contribute one (or more), UNWRAPPED, NEW toys.

Boxes for the toy collections will be on the second floor and in the lobby, through Monday, November 26.

Let’s continue to teach our children how to be involved in acts of chesed through-out the year.

*While this is called a “toy” drive, please remember that some of the recipients are older children. Ideas for this age group include sports equipment, tapes and CDs (Hebrew music is especially appreciated), books,

diaries and journals, radios, watches etc.



ECD Thanksgiving Day Parade, 11/21

EARLY CHILDHOOD ANNUAL

THANKSGIVING PARADE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2012

9:30 A.M. BEGINS AT 310 WEST 75TH

PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, BABIES…..

EVERYONE IS WELCOME !!!

* RAIN DATE, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26



Chanukah Boutique 12/1

Help your class win an ice cream party!

Submit your box tops to Sharon Newman In a bag with your name and class on it!

The contest is on…

Which class will win?



Share the News About MDS!

Recruitment for 2013-14 is underway!!

If you are aware of a family interested in a Torah-based,

developmentally appropriate Early Childhood Program for their 2-5 year old, please encourage them to contact

Cindy Sherman, Director of Admissions, [email protected], to arrange a tour.



Manhattan Day School 310 West 75th Street New York, New York

Tel: 212-376-6800 Fax: 212-376-6389

www.mdsweb.org

Tel: 212-376-6800 Fax: 212-376-6389

Email all articles and graphics to Yehudit Robinson,

Director of Educational Technology, [email protected]

…

Thank you for keeping our school a nut-aware environment.

Please join our daily parent tehillim group which meets in the library at 8:15 AM.

Shabbat Shalom! By Sharon Gopin, [email protected]

In the MDS Family… Marlene Yanofsky on the birth of a new grandson in Australia. Mazal tov to Leora and Nati Sulimanoff and family on the bris of Yair Shraga. Mazal tov to Sharon Newman on the bris of her grandson Aaron Ephraim to Joseph

and Melissa Newman. Correction: last week’s Reader’s—Writer’s Café article misattributed some student

quotes. Reflections on Hurricane Sandy were submitted by Jordana Posner and Gabriella Kronenberg.

The Faculty would like to thank the Parents Council for sponsoring a special Rosh

Chodesh Kislev breakfast in the two Faculty Rooms.

Documents

MDS Messenger November 16, 2012