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October 20, 2017 - 30 Tishrei, 5778
Parshat Noach
Candle Lighting by 6:14 pm
Shabbat Ends - 7:21 pm
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At the end of Parashat Bereshit, we are introduced to the main protagonist of this week's Parasha, Noach. The name Noach means rest or tranquility. The verse tells us that Noach was given this name because "This one will bring us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands" (Bereshit
5:28
). Rashi, based on Medrash, explains that Noach was given this name because in his lifetime the world saw advances in farming technology that freed men from their toil in the field. With better plows, irrigation, and other farming techniques, the world was brought a reprieve from the burden of working the land.
It is rather puzzling that the Medrash cites this as a defining characteristic of Noach. Noach lived through the great flood. He saved his family, and by extension, all of humanity from destruction and devastation. And now he is known as the man who was alive during the invention of the plow? It seems to be trivial compared to living through the great deluge.
Rav Avraham Pam zt''l, explained that Noach's name and the invention of the plow is an integral part of the story. Rav Pam explains that the reason the world fell into moral decay and corruption was because people had all this extra free time. They no longer had to work every hour of their waking day to provide food for themselves and their family, and this free time led to the downfall of humanity.
Today, more so than at any other point in history, life has never been so easy. We can get produce from New Zealand and Ecuador delivered to our door in the dead of the winter. Our phones tell us how many steps we take a day and can tell us how to get to a doctor's office in Wexford. Amazon plans on using drones to deliver diapers and toiletries directly to our doorsteps. So now that we never actually need to leave our houses, what are we doing with our extra time? Are we using our time productively, or spending more time on fantasy football?
The story of Noach reminds us how important it is to use this extra time wisely. We should take that extra time and use it for good. We should use that found time to spend with our families, learn Torah, do acts of kindness, and help others.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Weinberg, Principal
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NEWS & VIEWS
The Hillel Academy Junior Varsity Cross Country teams put a lot of trophy bling in the school's display cabinet by running their socks off at fall invitational meets.
Congratulations to the athletes, their coaches, and thanks to all who came out to cheer them on!
The walls go up at the Bartlett St. Building as an elevator shaft rises higher and higher.
The Hillel Academy pumpkin patch has produced an amazing crop this year due to the careful attention of students who have watered and weeded the vines during recess all year. Pumpkin pie, anyone? Anyone?
Alert students and faculty may have noticed a certain structure appeared in the lunch room over Sukkos break. Contrary to popular belief and rumor, it is not a new "Time Out" room for frazzled teachers, but a much-needed storage unit for ECC toys, which tend to replicate all by themselves. Scientists have yet to learn how and why this phenomenon occurs.
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HALLS & WALLS
The Art Club used leaves to make colorful prints.
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TEACHER FEATURE: Mrs. Wimer
You may know Mrs. Wimer as the powerhouse secular studies teacher responsible for bringing history to life for our high school students, or opening imaginations with her world cultures class, or broadening perspectives with social studies for the sixth grade. Perhaps you've heard about the way she oversaw the dissection of brains (not human) as part of her AP Psychology class. You may know her as the new girl's gym teacher, where she uses her considerable energy to fire everyone up. Or you may have seen the results of the work she's been doing behind the scenes producing the last two Girl's High School productions. Or you might simply know Mrs. Wimer as that teacher with the great big smile you've seen in the hallways hurrying students along to get on a bus she's driving as a chaperone for the Eighth grade girl's Washington DC trip.
By now, you might have gotten the idea that Mrs. Wimer does an awful lot around here - and you'd be right. In the five years she's been at Hillel Academy, the former Miss Brett has made a deep impression in the lives of students - but there's more to her story that's worth knowing.
Despite the diverse classes she's taught at Hillel Academy, Mrs. Wimer maintains that "
Hands down my favorite subject to teach is American History. It's the most conducive to encouraging students to think for themselves, pursue the relevance of more marginalized figures, and write historical analysis. Because the subject covers such a short time period (relative to other history subjects) you can get into so much depth and appreciate the details." Teaching physical education requires quite a transition between disciplines. "When I first started teaching at Hillel," she says, "I had a stint coaching girls' cross country and then I taught a fitness club, which I loved. When there was a need for a gym teacher, it seemed like a natural progression. I'm a big fan of the 'healthy body, healthy mind' philosophy, so PE and history class actually go hand in hand."
Outside school, Mrs. Wimer enjoys spending time with her beloved dog, Nigel, who has made guest appearance in the GHS production of Peter Pan. "Nigel has the ability to bring joy to so many people - which I find pretty extraordinary - and he finds so much joy in so many things, which is contagious," Wimer enthuses. But that is not all. "More specifically, he gives a solid high-5, balances superbly on a paddle board, and is an incredibly strong swimmer, like the Michael Phelps of Sheepdogs. His zest for life is a beautiful thing."
Speaking of a zest for life, Mrs. Wimer has travelled far and wide. Recent vacations have seen her in Utah, Mexico, and Hawaii. "Namibia was pretty epic," she recalls, "you can climb the tallest sand dunes in the world, kayak through the largest seal colony, go on a safari, and drive through the desert for an entire day without seeing another person. It's all so untouched with incredibly stark beauty and was so different from anything I had ever seen." But it's not all fun and games - she's worked abroad, too. "I spent some time volunteering in rural Kenya, where I worked with several schools in bridging our two vastly different cultures through Elewana, the Swahili word for 'understanding,'" she relates. "After installing solar panels and setting up laptops, I got to teach high school students basic computer skills, which is pretty hilarious given my dearth of computer knowledge. I was able to travel around Kenya, as well, and loved experiencing African wildlife on a few safaris."
It's no wonder that Mrs. Wimer has been given the 2017 Unsung Jewish Heroes Award, and was honored with the
Chantze and Donald Butler Teacher Recognition Award, which she accepted with her family present at the Annual Dinner. "
It's hard to explain the feeling of being recognized for doing something I love so much every day, but in a nutshell, it was pretty fantastic, and means that I am exactly where I need to be, doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing," she notes. "It made me proud of myself, proud of my students and all of their accomplishments, and proud of Hillel Academy for bringing us all together. It's simply awesome that the Butler family and the whole community support the stellar teachers and administration in this way."
It's clear that "Elewana" is a concept that has stayed with Mrs. Wimer since her time in Kenya. Teachers not only provide the occasion for students to gain understanding - but the really great ones demonstrate that they understand their students too. Thank you Mrs. Wimer!
MD LUZER AND YOSEF COHEN-MELAMED INTERVIEWED MRS. WIMER FOR THIS ARTICLE.
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THE BRIDGE IS BACK!
On October 14th at 9:30 AM, the Greenfield Bridge re-opened to the public after a two-year closure which saw the original bridge imploded and re-built from scratch. The new bridge incorporates a dedicated cycle lane, pedestrian walkway, and bright lighting. The old, winding, crumbling road leading from the bridge to Pocusset St. has been re-opened as a two-way cycle lane, making access to Schenley Park easy for Squirrel Hill residents.
The Original Beechwood Boulevard Bridge under construction circa 1920, before the Parkway East existed!
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Breakfast at the JCC
It looks like a cereal battlefield. Several cereal battalions have fought bravely, their fallen lying amid small puddles of milk - some Rice Krispies here, a few Apple Jacks there. Captain Crunch cowers beside the remains of a single Shredded Wheat. As you cautiously step into the room, the sound of Fruity Pebbles exploding beneath your shoes means only one thing: it's first period, and classes at the JCC are about to begin.
Breakfast at the JCC is not a place for a weak-hearted person. It is an all-out battle to be the first to reach the best box of cereal. To do this, one must be willing to push past their friends and sacrifice their own personal health. Even if one does reach the box, it is a whole other battle to open the bag without spilling it all over the cereal. But suppose one is able to fight through to the cereal and open it neatly, he will still need to pour the cereal into his bowl while at least five other boys are grabbing the box away from him.
Thankfully, the addition of Helen, the vacuum cleaner, has made a huge difference. Long live Helen!
Reuven Kanal and Aaron Kraut contributed to this article.
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Did You Know?
Cheerios, invented in 1941, used to be called "Cheerioats."
In 1970, there were only 60 varieties of breakfast cereal available. In 2012, there were 4,945.
Due to being the home of the Kelloggs and Post companies, Battle Creek, Michigan, is known as the "Cereal Capital of the World."
The first breakfast cereal, invented in 1863, was called "Granula," and consisted of bran and graham nuggets which had to be soaked overnight to make them soft enough to eat.
Reduced-fat milk, popularly known as "2%," contains 2% milk fat. Whole milk contains 3.5%. By comparison, heavy cream contains 36% milk fat.
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CAPTION THIS!
or put your suggestion in hte Hillel Happenings Dropbox!
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ALUMNI NEWS
Former Rebbe, Rabbi Jeremy Baran and recent alumni Tovia Jacobs and
Ezra Kraut met up at Yeshivat Mevaseret in Israel.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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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,
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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
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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 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.
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Micki Myers, Editor | Hillel Happenings | 412 521-8131 |
h[email protected] |www.
hillelpgh.org
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