Greetings From The Head Of School
What a difference a King makes. It may seem frivolous to compare Pharoah to our Prince Topher, but clearly there is a difference in the way different rulers treat their subjects. In this week's
Parsha, Va'erah, we learn how Paroh became increasingly more adamant in his refusal to free the Jewish Slaves, and while we know it was prescribed by Hakadosh Baruch Hu, that the Jews would go down to
Mitzrayim, it was up to Paroh how he would treat them. We see that even as the plagues are rained down on Egypt, Paroh becomes more and more stubborn. Indeed , it is written ה' הכביד את לב פרעה, Hashem hardened Paroh's heart. Again, one may ask - if hashem hardened his heart, why was it Paroh's fault for not letting the Jews go? There is a famous Rashi in Bamidbar in reference to Bilam, which states בדרך שאדם רצה ללכת בו מולכים אותו- in the way a person wants to go, that is where he is lead. Someone who is inclined to do evil, will find the road open to him to perpetrate evil on others. However, the opposite is true as well. We learned at our beautiful performance of Kindness in the Kingdom, that goodness can not only prevail but can actually change the destiny of nations, and yes, Cinderella is a fairy tale- but does it have to be? Goodness, kindness, understanding, acceptance and compassion are not impossible to achieve!
Kudos to everyone involved in the amazing performance of Kindess in the Kingdom. I can tell you that on a daily basis I have witnessed the teamwork, the camaraderie and the dedication that our students displayed to ensure the success of the Production. While I am sure everyone in the audience enjoyed an incredible musical display, I want to share with you that to accomplish this, the students devoted weekends, weeknights, and days of preparation -- all while balancing their regularly scheduled classes. Of course, we thank the teachers as well for being cooperative and understanding throughout these intense past few weeks.
There are many people who deserve thanks for Wednesday evening's success -- people who went above and beyond the call of duty to support the students and allow them to shine. At the risk of leaving anyone out, I would like to thank Rabbi Michoel Sheinkopf, Rebbetzin Naomi Sprung, Ms. Alecia Chapin, Ms. Monica Vera, Mrs. Parnes, Ms. Stephanie Couto, Mrs. Debbie Hirsch, Mrs. Sandra Goldenberg, Mrs. Rivka Bodkins, Mrs. Tobi Wolf, and most of all our Directors, Mrs. Goldie Berman and Mrs. Penina Rottenberg.
Thank you also to our student heads who demonstrated patience and perseverance as they transformed themselves into true leaders:
Production Heads: Simona Zwelling assisted by Malka Igalov
Dance Heads: Penina Rosenbaum, Batia Segal, Alysa Suissa,
Assistant Dance Heads: Chana Lopez, Alitah Fromme
Costume Heads: Ahuva Simpser, Yehudit Fink, Hadassah Martinez
Props Heads/Backstage: Leah Tempelberg, Rivka Sheinkopf
Ticket Sales: Sarah Aaronson and Arielle Chemtov
Concessions: Tamar Waisman. Raquel Cojab, Rony Gir, Hana Koskas
Playbill: Mrs. Couto, Hila Menachem
Please forgive me if I have inadvertently left anyone out; everyone really worked together on this school-wide endeavor and everyone deserves recognition.
May kindness always prevail throughout the kingdom!
Have a Shabbat Shalom.
Dr. Rochelle Brand
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Calendar News
Please click here to view the complete calendar and latest news on our website
shaareibina.org
January 15
- Better Together
January 15-17
- Names Not Numbers interviews
January 18-28
- Winter break - no sessions
January 29
- school resumes
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D'var Torah Parshat Va'erah
In the merit of righteous women our ancestors were redeemed from Mitzrayim. In the future, they will also be redeemed.
What did women do in Mitzrayim that was so outstanding? What do we know about the women of that time and how will our knowledge help us realize our future redemption?
The heroism of the two courageous midwives, Shifra and Puah (Yocheved and Miriam) is certainly famous. They stood up to the Pharoah of Egypt and refused to help him in his genocidal plans. Yet, our Sages do not say that it is in their merit alone that the entire generation was redeemed. The midwives were personally rewarded with dynasties. Yocheved is the queen mother of all Leviim and Cohanim and Miriam is the queen mother of royalty.
Clearly, there other woman who did remarkable things.
We do know that the woman of that generation donated their copper mirrors to the building fund of the Mishkan. Moshe was hesitant to accept their donations because their mirrors were used to beautify themselves for their husbands in order to encourage them during their days of slavery. But Hashem told Moshe to accept the mirrors because they were beloved to Him.
Perhaps that is the key. During the terrible holocaust of the Egyptian Exile, Jewish women were determined. Discouragement would have been easy and expected. But these women had a goal and nothing would shake them from their purpose. They were unwavering in their pursuit of forming a viable Jewish Nation. In the harsh, repressive Egyptian concentration camp, there was no possibility of rallying the troops and fomenting a successful revolution. Grand gestures and heroic acts of rebellion would have been futile. Instead, they found a different way.
They "PUT ON THEIR LIPSTICK" every day and encouraged their husbands. They looked at each day as an opportunity and they never gave up. They toiled daily in their holy mission of taking care of the constant needs of their husbands and their children and never wavered in their belief that Hashem would eventually redeem them. They did what they needed to do - and they did it with STYLE!
That is the definition of a righteous women and that is what Hashem loves most of all.
The purposeful everyday actions of the women of that generation is what pulled our nation out of the terrible exile of Egypt and we will continue to uplift our nation and pull it out of today's sorrows and our own exile.
Life has highs and it has lows; it has joys and it has sorrows. Sometimes, it seems overwhelming to keep going. But, that is the strength of the Jewish Woman. We always find purpose in our daily lives and never waver from our beliefs. We study our Torah and face our responsibilities with faith and purpose - and we do it with STYLE.
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An Introduction To Kindness InThe Kingdom
In my own little corner, In my own little chair,
I can be whatever I want to be...
On the wing of my fancy I can fly anywhere
And the world will open its arms to me
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Bruno Bettelheim, the renowned child psychologist, undertook an analysis of fairy tales in his book, The Uses of Enchantment. He wrote: If we hope to live not just from moment to moment, but in true consciousness of our existence, then our greatest need and most difficult achievement is to find meaning in our lives....". He explains that when we finally do so, we can consider ourselves "psychologically mature".
As parents and teachers, we all know the the most difficult but fulfilling task in raising a child is helping her find that meaning. At Sha'arei BINA, we look to The Torah for clear objectives and a proper pathway to true belief, Emunah. We nurture each girl and encourage her to gradually learn to know herself better, so that she can to learn to understand others and develop meaningful relationships with them.
We inspire her to develop her inner resources, so that her emotions, imagination, and intellect mutually support and enrich one another. Her positivity will give her the strength to develop her rationality and face the adversity that is an inevitable part of human life. She will come to believe that she can and will achieve in a significant way. This will help her find even deeper meaning in life.
The genre of fairy tales, though ancient, is highly relevant to contemporary life. Dr. Bettelheim explains that a fairy tale is not simply entertainment; it is attuned to the child's anxieties and aspirations. It stimulates the imagination and helps the child's developing intellect clarify emotions. It validates the difficulties that the child confronts in her inner world, helping her to find resolution and move forward.
We are all children in some sense of the word. The fears and hopes that we experience early in life burrow deep down inside of us, elusive yet always present, poised to impact our choices even when we are adults. Fairy tales captivate us because they speak to us all, at every age, and address the universal conflicts that we confront as part of the human condition.
We hope as our highly talented cast entertains you, this tale will touch the child within each of you. You may find yourself identifying with universal themes of sibling rivalry, blended families, dreaming of a better life and finding a realistic way to actualize those dreams...
Recognizing the difference between domination through power, and leadership through idealism; between accepting the status quo, and rising up courageously to change it...
Finding meaningful relationships, where partners work together towards the higher ideal of Kindness in the Kingdom...
Relationships that coincide with the Torah view of a Jewish Marriage and everything we teach here at Sha'arei Bina: BELIEVE, INSPIRE, NURTURE, ACHIEVE.
To
Achieve
what once seemed impossible.
The world is full of zanies and fools
Who don't believe in sensible rules
And won't believe what sensible people say
And because these daft and dewy-eyed dopes
Keep building up impossible hopes,
Impossible, things are happ'ning every day.
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Production News: A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words!
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.....I could not go to sleep before writing a quick e-mail. I was totally blown away by tonight's production. These amazing girls performed so beautifully and every aspect of the play was a delight to see. I was very impressed with the opening speech and the message that you were trying to relay to the audience. It takes strong women like you to empower my daughter Adiel and her fellow classmates to live the life they dream. A special thanks to all of you who are working so hard and believe in our daughters, nurture them, and inspire them to achieve!
.....Tonight was a triumph for your students and entire school. I was moved to tears by the talent, hard work, absolute delight of the girls and spirit of love and accomplishment. Yeshar Koach. You have the formula for greatness.
.....Tonights performance of Kindness In The Kingdom was absolutely amazing! I am so proud of these girls. Thank you Sha'arei Bina for allowing our girls to shine in every way possible!!
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The Bigger Picture
Production STEM
Mrs. Englard
The beautiful theme of kindness permeated not only the script of the production, but the collaboration of Shaarei Bina students as they worked together to assemble an amazing show. Though it likely wasn't foremost in their minds, our students also engaged in many aspects of computational thinking, math, and science as they built sets, designed costumes, choreographed dances, configured stage moves, sold tickets, and ultimately, performed their songs, dances, set moves, and dialogue. Next week students, through their computer, STEM, and Physics classes, will have a chance to reflect on connections between their classroom learning and their work on the production. Stay tuned...I hope to report back in a future newsletter with their thoughts and observations!
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