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September 13th, 2019
3th of Elul, 5779
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Candle Lighting at 7:10 PM
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Knowledge and
Wisdom
"8 รท 2(2 + 2)"
You may recognize that as the viral math problem that lit up social media this past summer. This short mathematical expression divided the tweeting population into two distinct groups. One group declared 16 to be the irrefutable solution to this question, while the other, just as adamantly, proclaimed it to be 1. A colleague of mine asked my opinion. My response? "A tomato."
As the aphorism goes,
knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit;
wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. The strict laws of PEMDAS dictate that when there are two equal operations, like multiplication and division, the protocol is to calculate from left to right, yielding an answer of 16. However, there's no doubt that the intended solution here is 1. (That's right; I just took a side.) Meaning, while knowledge instructs that the starting point of any math expression is on the left side, sometimes a bit of math wisdom will tell you to flip it and begin on the right.
"Do not stray left or right from what they [the elders of the Jewish court] command you" (Deut. 17:11) Rashi, expounding on the metaphoric language of this verse, explains that even if the elders tell us that what appears to us to be our right is in fact our left, or that what appears to us to be our left is in fact our right, we are to defer to them and follow their mandate. How can that be?
Ostensibly, Rashi's message is likely the message of our math problem, and, of course, the tomato. Knowledge is essential to decipher facts and to make technical calculations, but absent of a broader wisdom, it can cause us to arrive at conclusions that are literally backwards. Knowledge is doled out in abundance, but wisdom is scarce. When encountering those with wisdom, those who have only been gifted with knowledge ought to take a back seat.
At KYHS, our goal is not just to impart knowledge to the next generation. We challenge our students to think systematically and to question analytically so that they too can discover and enjoy true wisdom.
"Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life." - Immanuel Kant
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Chaim Lanner
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Upcoming Events
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Meet and Greet with the Admins
at the home of Alan Berger & Aliza Septimus
3725 N. 37th Terrace Hollywood 7:45pm
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Good & Welfare
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Condolences
Terry Len on the passing of her beloved father, Peter Simson.
Jonathan Gritzman on the passing of his beloved father, Leon Gritzman.
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Club Fair Frenzy
Everybody Join A Club And Put Your Hands In The Air
Graphic by Devora Lome ('22) and Chana Schandelson ('22)
Article by Abigail Rosenthal ('23)
This week, we were introduced to this year's many club options through an online club fair. Twenty four clubs shared their short promo videos through an online file so the student body could get a taste of what each club is about. With our online club fair, students can watch all the videos at their leisure instead of getting overwhelmed at a chaotic in-person club fair. All the club presidents worked hard to make and edit incredible videos to show us why their club is the club to sign up for. Clubs can be a space for learning, improving different skills, or just a way to get involved and fun! They're also are a great way to meet new people from all different grades who share the same hobbies and interests. Many student favorite clubs are back such as Art Club, Harry Potter Society, and Sign Language Club, as well as some exciting new ones like KYHS in the Kitchen and the No Stress Club! If you are looking to express your creativity, the Art, 3D Printing, Or Graphic Design Club could suit you. If you want to be motivated to do more
chesed
, then the Social Activism or Yachad clubs are for you. There are certainly clubs for every type of student. Step out of your comfort zone and join some clubs this year. See you there!
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KYHS Families and Students Bring in Goods in Beautiful Relief Effort
Graphic by Aerin Tripp ('22)
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Fall Sports in Full Swing
Insightful Interviews With KYHS Sports Captains Show Their Dominance On And Off The Court
Graphic by Mayrav Saketkhou ('20)
Interviews by Chantal Newman ('22) and Judah Berman ('21)
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Interview With Girl's Volleyball Captain, Odelia Citron ('20)
Chantal: When was the last game you won?
Odelia: Ok tough question right off the bat. Probably sophomore year.
Chantal: How long have you played volleyball?
Odelia: I started playing volleyball in middle school and that carried on throughout my high school years. In sophomore year I started playing travel volleyball and this will be my third year going to tournaments and being on a club team!
Chantal: What is your favorite part of volleyball?
Odelia: I love that it is a team sport. There's so much teamwork and friendship involved. Without six players you simply cannot play volleyball. Also, volleyball is the only sport where whether you have won or lost the point, every person on the court gathers to pat each other on the back and regroup for the next play. It forces each and every team to become a family and that is what team sports are all about.
Chantal: Do you have a funny memory yet this year?
Odelia: Honestly probably Tuesday night when the other team had such terrible sportsmanship and were yelling while I was serving. Want to know what happened? My serve hit a girl in the face! They were quiet for my next serve.
Chantal: What is your favorite part of volleyball?
Odelia: My favorite part is the memories have been the bonds that I've made with girls in other grades. My friendships through volleyball are still my strongest friendships to this day even with them now in college.
Chantal: Lastly, how did you get into volleyball in the beginning?
Odelia: Sixth grade, I tried out at Hillel. Ever since then it has been my favorite sport!
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Interview With Boy's Fag Football Captain, Orrin Berkley ('20)
Judah: How was your summer?
Orrin: It was awesome! I shadowed at a veterinarian office and did some AP summer work.
Judah: Sounds cool! How do you think your team did in the first game?
Orrin: Well we have a new coach this year and we lost a lot of guys in the offseason. But we also have a lot of new guys. Overall it went very well.
Judah: Yeah, I heard that there was a coaching change. How is your new coach different from your old coach?
Orrin: He isn't too different in terms of play-calling and defense, and we're running the same sets. However, practices are different and we now have guys playing on both sides of the ball.
Judah: What do you think is the strongest aspect of the team this year?
Orrin: I think our defense is very strong, and we have a few explosive receivers.
Judah: What is an area that the team can improve on?
Orrin: Honestly, being quiet in the huddle is something we have to improve. It's always a really important part of the game so we've got to get it together in the huddle.
Judah: How far do you think you guys will go this year?
Orrin: I think we can go all the way!
Judah: Glad to hear it! Good luck!
Orrin: Thank you.
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Night Seder Begins With a Slice
Boys and Girls Enjoy Tasty Torah on Wednesday Nights
Graphic by Naomi Reichemberg ('22)
Article by Ariella Greenberg ('22)
This Wednesday evening was the kick off of the Night Seder program! Night Seder is a weekly initiative where students have the opportunity to hear from upperclassmen who lead
chaburas
, or discussions about various religious topics. After the last bell on Wednesdays, students from all grades file out and head to Night Seder.
First, there's delicious pizza and snacks for the attendants to enjoy while getting settled to hear the weekly
chabura
options. Each week there are
chabura
options with topics ranging from Tefillah to Pirkei Avot! Some continue from week to week while others are short, one week topics.
This week, the options for the girls' Night Seder included Hakarat Hatov with Leora Cohn, Making Shabbos a Living Beit Hamikdash with Leora Winograd, The Corellation between American Law and Halacha: Death Penalty with Batsheva Shekhter, as well as our weekly learning session of Iggeret Haramban with Chani Kaminetsky.
For boys, there are several
chaburas
, but they also have the option of
chevruta
learning. After the
chaburas
, Rabbi Hochman gave a Dvar Torah about this week's Parsha.
Bathsheva Shekhter, an experienced leader of Chaburas, remarked, "Night Seder is a great opportunity for students from different grades to learn together and share words of Torah. I can't wait for my third year of giving Chaburas and sharing my love of Torah learning." This year's first Night Seder was a true success. It felt great to get back to incredible after school learning after a long summer without it!
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Tomorrow's Leaders Take Office Today
Polls Are Closed And Results Are In
Graphic by Benny Keehn
('22)
Article by Rebecca Henner('22)
On Wednesday, September 11th, KYHS held its annual student council elections. Signs were hung up all around the building: on vending machines, water fountains, the staircase etc. All of the amazing candidates prepared videos which were presented to each grade in order to show other students who was running and why they should be chosen to be representatives of their grade.
Tehila Zaghi ran unopposed to be the female school president. Yoni Kurtz, Shmuel Belizon, and Aron Katz were the male school president candidates. Many promises were made including tailgates during lunch, grade wide sport games, and most importantly, new toilet paper in the bathrooms.
Students contemplated which candidate was most fitting for the job and were later tasked to make the very difficult decision of who to vote for. At 8:00 PM sharp, the voting was officially over. The results were in. The winners, Yoni Kurtz and Tehila Zaghi will be playing the roles of student council presidents. We can't wait for a year filled with lots of new ideas from the student council that will fill fill our school with even more ruach!!
Here are the other election results:
10th Grade Class Presidents: Eilat Berger and Ben Corcos
11th Grade Class Presidents: Eliana Broide and Levi Stein (both unopposed)
12th Grade Class Presidents: Sivan Mussaffi and Andrew Galitzer(unopposed)
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An
Iconoclast's Inspiration
Mr. Yehudah Alcabes Speaks To Seniors About His Time In Israel
Graphic by Ariella Mayer ('23), Rebecca Adler ('23), and Leanne Mizrahi-Mann ('23)
Article by Al Dimont ('20)
Last week, the Senior Class of 2019 had the special privilege of hearing Mr. Yehuda Alcabes, a school guidance counselor, speak about his journey to find inspiration. Mr. Alcabes first described himself as an iconoclast, cynical of Judaism's "wacky" customs and infatuation with Torah. Like most Jewish teenagers, however, he wanted to go to Israel for the year to learn and maybe find some spiritual connection.
Most Israel schools come and talk about how great they are and how you must come to their school. Being iconoclastic, Mr. Alcabes wasn't going to fall for that. But when a Rabbi came in talking about making the right choice instead of making their choice, he decided that that school was the one.
Once at the school, Mr. Alcabes said that he didn't take things seriously. He didn't go to class and would stay up all night. At a certain point, he realized that he had to start taking things seriously. He explained it as a turning point and how at some point in your life you're going to be faced with a decision. He started then learning that day. And the next day. And the next. In the end, he ended up staying for another two years. Think about where you're going, Mr. Alcabes said, as it will help you find your inspiration.
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The Yeshiva Highlites Staff
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