DVAR TORAH

At the end of Sefer Bereshit, we are presented with Yaakov’s final blessings to his children, the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. When we read these blessings, we realize that these are not blessings in the traditional sense; rather they are prophecies highlighting the unique and distinct character traits of each brother. Yaakov understood that each of his children had special character traits and unique potential that only they could achieve. His bracha to them was that they each achieve their potential. Rabbi Menacham Leibtag questions why Bnei Yisroel needed to be divided into shevatim at all. Why couldn’t we all have inherited Israel equally and thus avoided years of turmoil and civil war that plagued us throughout the Tanach? He uses these brachot at the conclusion of Sefer Bereshit to answer this question. Throughout Bereshit—from the failure of the Migdal Bavel generation to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov—we see that the major aspiration of the Avot was to “call out in the name of Hashem,” to motivate the nations of the world and to be pillars of inspiration for humanity. Based on this objective, Rabbi Leibtag explains the need for shvatim. If our goal is to inspire humanity, we must have the ability to reach as many people as possible. This necessitates the need for diversity among us. If we were all the same, we would only be able to contact a myopic group of like-minded people. In having different strengths, we are able to network a far more eclectic group, and ultimately fulfill our destiny. On tours of our school, visitors always point out to us the diversity of our student body. This is something that makes us unique, and something that we take pride in at Hillel Academy. Our school is a place where we celebrate the uniqueness of each student and learn and grow from one another. As it says in Mishlei 22:6, “Educate your child according to his way and even when he grows old, he will not depart from it.” Rabbi Weinberg, Principal

THE HILLEL HAPPENINGS

The Official Newsletter of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

5685 Beacon St, Pittsburgh PA 15217 • (412) 521-8131 • www.hillelpgh.org

December 29, 2017 – 11 Tevet, 5778 Parshat Vayechi

Candle Lighting by 4:44 pm Shabbat Ends – 5:52 pm

FIND US ONLINE

www.facebook.com/HillelAcademy www.instagram.com/hillelacademypgh

www.twitter.com/hillelpgh www.youtube.com/HillelHappenings

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The First Graders received their Chumashim!

NEWS & VIEWS

The students proved themselves to be impressively capable of solving the Bnot Sheirut’s Chanukah Escape Room!

Mrs. Levari reads birthday greetings from the GHS!

A big THANK YOU to the following people, whose generous donations made it possible to purchase the new tables in the Shul:

Mr. & Mrs. Zev Rudolph Dr. & Dr. Avrohom Heubner Dr. & Mrs. Lyon Mandlecorn

Mr. & Mrs. Chesky Dubin Dr. & Dr. Kurt Ackerman

Mr. & Mrs. Elan Sokol Dr. & Dr. Eli Kanal

“One who did not see Mesibat Chanukah at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh has not seen Chagigah in his life!”

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MITZVAH DAY Hillel Academy students participated in the annual Mitzvah Day activities around the neighborhood, lending their skills, enthusiasm and energy to a variety of organizations, including Tomchei Shabbos, the J-Café, The Friendship Circle, and The United Way.

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Some of these photos are provided courtesy of the Jewish Federation

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Reuven: Why did the chicken cross the road? Yosef: I don’t know. Reuven: He had a death wish. Yosef: Why don’t elephants use computers? Reuven: I have no idea. Yosef: They are afraid of the mouse. Yosef: Did you hear about the guy who got hit by a can of coke? Reuven: No. Yosef: He’s lucky it’s a soft drink! Reuven: Why did the elephant cross the road? Yosef: Why? Reuven: The chicken was already dead.

Yosef: Which country’s capital is growing the fastest? Reuven: Hmm... I don’t know. Yosef: Ireland's…every year it's Dublin. Yosef: I started a band called 99 megabytes. Reuven: Oh yeah? Yosef: But I still don’t have a gig. Yosef: Today a man knocked on my door and asked for donations for the new town pool. Reuven: Did you contribute? Yosef: I gave him a cup. Yosef: Did you hear about the fire at the circus? Reuven: Yeah! Yosef: It was in tents.

It’s hard to believe, but math teachers aren’t born wanting to teach math! As Mrs. McDougall explains, “I didn’t realize I wanted to be a math teacher until I was in my sophomore year of college.” In her freshman year, Mrs. McDougall was pursuing a chemistry degree, until she quickly realized it wasn’t as fun as it was in high school. Being unsure of what she wanted to do, she started working at a college tutoring center, and discovered she loved helping others learn math.

Math is very hard to enjoy when you don’t see the purpose for it. “I really enjoy teaching Calculus and Statistics as they have a lot of real-life applications,” she continues, “ a lot of math is logic based and takes good problem solving skills. I use my problem-solving skills every day in my life.” When math becomes applicable to everyday life, a student can then see the importance of learning it.

Growing up, math wasn’t incorporated into her life more than anyone else. She was just a normal student trying to surpass the stress and challenges of high school (just like the rest of us). Just because she wasn’t so intrigued about math doesn’t mean she didn’t like her teachers, however. “ I had a couple favorite teachers; one

TEACHER FEATURE: MRS. MCDOUGALL

By M.D. Luzer and Aaron Kraut

of my favorites was my AP Calc teacher, Mr. Komorek,” she explains.

Nowadays, Mrs. McDougall teaches many math classes in the middle and high schools. And for the students who need a little extra tutoring, Mrs. McDougall runs an after-school math support club to get the students the extra help they need to succeed.

Mrs. McDougall says that she likes “the challenge of solving a problem and coming to a conclusion.” This approach to life probably helped with a challenge on the home front. “I moved into a new house in April,” she notes. “Some of the new challenges my husband and I have faced are figuring out why the previous owners did certain things (like carpet the upstairs bathroom). We painted the living room and dining room. The dining room was a VERY deep purple previously and the living room was partially green and partially white. We painted both rooms a subtle tan-ish color called ‘sour tarts.’ We also put in a fence in the backyard for privacy and did a lot of landscaping.” Consider those problems solved, and a satisfactory conclusion reached!

Oh no! Mrs. McDougall has lost her protractor! Can you find it?

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The Persian Matzah Ball

“Gondy”

For the the Broth 10 cups of water 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons chicken or onion consomme powder ¼ teaspoon turmeric 2 zucchinis, washed and cut into 1-inch chunks 1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

For the Meatballs 2 pounds ground beef, or chicken 1 large onion, liquefied ½ cup chickpea flour 2 eggs 3 tablespoons canola oil ½ teaspoon turmeric 1 tablespoon cardamom powder (optional) 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper

➪ In a 6-quart sauce pan, bring the water, salt, consomme powder, and turmeric to a boil. ➪ Meanwhile, mix all meatball ingredients together. When water boils, drop in meatballs the size of golf balls. ➪ Bring water to a boil again and add the zucchinis and chickpeas. ➪ Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. ➪ Makes about 20 meatballs.

What I like about this recipe in particular is that you get the texture of a matzah ball, but with a meat-flavored twist. —-Yosef Cohen-Melamed

From the book Persian Food from the Non-Persian Bride And Other Kosher Sephardic Recipes You Will Love by Reyna Simnegar

SEPHARDIC COOKING

By Yosef Cohen-Melamed and Reuven Kanal Sephardic food is all about using spices and powerful flavors. On the other hand, Ashkenazi food tends to be more bland. Sephardic food emphasizes salads, stuffed vegetables and vine leaves, olive oil, lentils, fresh and dried fruits, herbs and nuts, and chickpeas. Ashkenazi food uses fish, and is generally less spicy because the Ashkenaz people are from Northern Europe, where people were poorer. This meant that they couldn’t buy expensive spices and those that they could buy were used sparingly.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bne i Ak i v a :

3 : 3 0 -4 : 3 0 pm

a t Shaa r e T o r ah

GIRL’S ONEG

For girls in grades K-6.

Please join us each week

from 3:00-4:00

in the PZ Educational Building

CLUB REMINDERS No clubs on the following days: Jan 1 Jan 8 - final week Please email the school by 11am with club changes. Please be prompt for pick ups.

MAZEL TOV

to Ryan and Hodaya Adeleye on the birth of a baby girl!

Mazel Tov to big brother

Yonatan!

Hillel Academy alumni Moshe Wasserman, Joshua Hertzberg, Jacob Wiesenfeld, and Avigdor Felder reuinited in Israel.

SAVE THE DATE!

Grades 1-8 Mother Daughter Brunch

Sunday Feb 18

REMINDER: NO SCHOOL!

New Year’s Day January 1

Winter Break January 15 - 19

MAZEL TOV

to Elan and Chaya Sokol on their baby boy!

Stay warm out there!

Mrs. McDougall is pictured enjoying the 5+ feet of snow that fell in Erie, PA, this past weekend.

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Mrs. Kohanbash’s Nursery class played the popular game featuring the folk song “London Bridge Is Falling Down.” Until the mid 18tth century, the old London Bridge was the only bridge crossing the river. It even had houses on it! It was damaged in a fire in 1633, but during the Great Fire of 1666, this damage acted as a fire break, preventing the flames from reaching the south side of the river. This bridge had 19 arches, which often prevented boats from passing underneath it. It was replaced in 1831 with a new London Bridge, but in 1968 it was bought for $2.5 million, dismantled, and transported to Lake Havasu City, in Arizona. The transporation and reassembly cost an additional $7 million. It now spans a narrow channel that leads from Lake Havasu to Thompson Bay. The current London Bridge, a box girder bridge made from concrete and steel, is located 98 feet upstream from the previous bridges which bore this name. It is owned by the Bridge House Estates, a charity of medieval origin.

No-one really knows who the “fair lady” of the song was.

The original London Bridge in 1710.

The new London Bridge in the late 1800s.

The same (new) London Bridge at Lake Havasu! The current London Bridge (those spires are in the background).

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TERRIBLY IMPORTANT POLL OF THE WEEK:

DO YOU PUT KETCHUP ON MAC & CHEESE?

G ir ls

Rivka K: No way!

Chana K: No!

Aviva I: Always!

Rachel C: Absolutely not! It’s a crime against humanity!

Rivky G: Sometimes

Batya M: No.

Rachel L: *eyeroll* ugh.

Chaya S: Yes, yes, yes, yes!

Chana Y: No! It’s wrong!

Ms. Myers: No! It’s puke-a-licious!

Sarah G: Mostly no, sometimes yes.

Naomi E: It’s disgusting.

Amital L: Atrocious

Eliyanah VS: Yes

Rivky Saxon: Absolutely not.

Michal A: No! No way!

Maya D: 100%! There is no way it could be bad!

Devorah M: Once in a blue moon.

Bluma R: Ew.

Ms. Kraybill: Hard pass

Shira S: Yes!

Sarah H: Strong no!

Elisheva F: No!

Esther Rochel: Yes.

Avital S: No.

Janet A: Yes.

Shira W: Absolutely not! That’s disgusting

Elana E: Yes

Mr. Garwood: No!! But hot sauce is ok.

Boys

Yehuda R: Sometimes

Akiva S: Best!

David E: Usually yes, but it depends…

Zalman R: If not for ketchup, what would I put on my

mac & cheese?

Tovia G: Yes

Mendel W: Depends

Shmulik E: Mac and cheese is mac and cheese

Noah L: Nooooo!!!

Shmuel T: Never

Sethy M: No, but everybody in my family does

Yermi VS: No

Yaakov B: Yes, sometimes

At Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, we educate young men and women with unlimited capacity who compete in a superior manner in all challenges undertaken. Our students are Torah observant models of exemplary character, who love G-d, the Jewish people, and the land of Israel. To say that our students possess a love of learning, confidence and the ability to think critically, merely highlights the value of a Hillel education. What we ultimately achieve each day, and have been achieving for 70 years, is the gift of instilling each student with the foundation for a life spent actively serving and leading the Jewish community and society.

When you #StartWithaSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh. Bookmark the link and support us

every time you shop. https://smile.amazon.com/ch/25-1067130

Interested volunteers please contact dkraut@hillelpgh.org

EARN MONEY FOR HILLEL ACADEMY SIMPLY BY USING YOUR GIANT EAGLE ADVANTAGE CARD

From now until March 16, you can earn funds for Hillel Academy by using your Giant Eagle Advantage Card every time you shop or fill up at Get Go Gas stations through their Apples for the Students program. Register your card today to help us raise much-needed funds. It’s easy: just go to www.GiantEagle.com/AFTS to link your card to Hillel Academy’s account using the School ID number above.

FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE • SCHOOL YEAR 2018-2019

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh awards grants to students who reside in the Greater Pittsburgh area (Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, Washington and Westmoreland Counties).

WHAT IS THE CENTRAL SCHOLARSHIP AND LOAN REFERRAL SERVICE?

The Central Scholarship and Loan Referral Service (CSLRS) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh coordinates the efforts of a group of organizations, agencies, and scholarship endowment funds which provide need-based scholarships to local undergraduate and graduate Jewish students.

CSLRS is a program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and is administered by Jewish Family and Children's Service.

WHO QUALIFIES?

Any Jewish high school senior, college or graduate student with demonstrated financial need is eligible to apply. All applicants must be bona fide residents of Allegheny, Beaver, Washington, Butler or Westmoreland counties for at least two years. Individuals are known by number, not name, to ensure confidentiality.

When a student applies for aid, the CSLRS committee matches the student with the funding source or sources for which they qualify. Some funding sources require high academic achievement; all require students to demonstrate financial need.

HOW DO I APPLY?

For school year 2018-2019 Central Scholarship will again be using an on-line application process. The on-line applications will be available in late November at http://www.centralscholarship.org. First-time applicants must be interviewed by CSLRS staff.

Application deadline is February 12, 2018.

Regrettably, applications received after that date will not be considered.

For further information, contact Jewish Family & Children’s Service, 412-422-5627 or alowenberger@jfcspgh.org.

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