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December 21, 2018
12th of Tevet, 5779
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Candle Lighting at 5:15 PM
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There's No Place like Home
As Sefer Bereishit comes to a close and Yaakov senses his own mortality, he asks his son Yosef to assure him that he will be buried not in Egypt but in Israel. Why is Yaakov so insistent that Yosef take an oath to not bury him in Egypt?
Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch offers two explanations. Perhaps Yaakov realized that this mission would be very difficult for Yosef to accomplish since Yosef had attained such high social status in Egypt. Refusing to bury his father in Egypt would signal Yosef's lack of attachment to his adopted land. Yaakov therefore makes Yosef take an oath in order to ensure that Yosef will indeed perform this politically-difficult task.
Rav Hirsch suggests that there may be a deeper reason as well. Yaakov understood that his children and grandchildren were beginning to get very comfortable in Egypt. He realized that "they had begun to regard the Nile as their Jordan, that they had ceased to regard their stay in Egypt as an exile." By demanding that he be buried in Israel, Yaakov sought to deliver a powerful message to his children: Although we may need to be in Egypt now, we should always recognize that Egypt is exile and we should strive to be in our own homeland instead. There's no place like home indeed.
This weekend is our annual shabbaton in Orlando where we will recharge our spiritual batteries and remind ourselves of what is really important in life. Let's heed the message of Yaacov as we remind ourselves that we are proud American citizens but that our deeper identity and mission is that of committed Jews, loyal to Hashem and His Torah.
Thank you to the Highlites staff for another great issue.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Jonathan Kroll
Head of School
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Good and Welfare
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Births
Mindy (Fuchs '03) and Max Horowitz on the birth of their son, Ezra Naftali
Julie (Rosenberg '08) and Jared Schulman on the birth of their son, Judah Dov.
Marriages
Arielle Odiz ('16)to Simcha Bonnardel
KYHS Principal Mrs. Ora Lee & Dr.Michael Kanner on the birth of their granddaughter,
Nava Miriam
Condolences
Dr. Steven Weiss, Batyah ('06), Meir (and Suri Orzechowitz '07), Tehila ('08), Didi ('11), Yisrael Boaz ('13) and Moshe ('15) on the loss of their beloved wife and mother, Mrs. Naomi (Nomi) Weiss.
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College 101
Juniors Attend College Night to Learn All They Need to Know About the College Process From College Guidance Superheroes
Graphic by Liora Mayer ('20)
Article by Sydney Freedman ('20)
Junior college night was a smashing success, as Mrs. Robert and Mrs. Teplitz introduced 11th graders to the nuts and bolts of college application process. Students learned about standardized testing, GPA calculations, and other fun, exciting, and very necessary things in store for the next year. Juniors and parents were excited to begin the college process, with one student even describing herself as "thrilled to get started with the transition into the next phase of their life". All juniors know that they will be well equipped going into the college process with the fantastic KYHS guidance team behind them, and college night only reaffirmed that knowledge!
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Jacob Katz Regales Students With Tales of Army Service and Challenges Students to Think Outside of The Box of Life
Graphic by Justin Isaacs ('19)
Article by Lexi Cohen ('19)
On Monday, seniors had the honor of hearing from Israeli soldier and KYHS alumnus Jacob Katz. Katz introduced the JED talk by reminiscing about his times at KYHS. He delved into his life-changing decision to remain in Yeshiva, join the Israeli army, and not attend his dream school of Washington University in Saint Louis directly after his year in Israel. Katz decided to spend a year and a half in the Israeli army. He served in the religious division and became a paratrooper. Jacob Katz concluded his talk by answering a plethora of questions from the eager seniors, such as "Was it difficult to maintain your religious identity in the army?" To which Katz replied, "While the religious division did accommodate all my needs, I struggled with the difficulty of motivating myself to partake in, for example, early morning davening after a midnight hike." Hearing Katz speak was an incredible opportunity, and the senior grade is so grateful to him for coming to present his story.
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Rebbe Gives You Wings
Rabbi Sugerman And The 12th Grade Shiur Gather For Isaac Shapiro's Lottery-Won Wing Day
Graphic by Akiva Stadlan ('19)
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Remembering Honest Abe A Century And A Half Later
Students Gather To Mourn And Eulogize The Great Emancipator
Graphic by Benny Keehn ('22)
and
Penina Kahane ('22)
Article by Al Dimont
This past Wednesday, Mrs. Seidenfeld's AP United States History classes traveled back in time to President Abraham Lincoln's funeral. Acting as different important historical figures, each student gave a eulogy in character, presenting different perspectives on the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. For example, John Wilkes Booth described Lincoln as a tyrant who forced his will upon all people. On the other end, Frederick Douglass, a runaway slave, praised Abraham Lincoln for his great work. Despite the solemn mood of the funeral with everyone dressed up in their finest black funeral attire, the audience was always laughing with the speaker's, at times, humorous eulogies. For example, John Booth made a joke about being Booth's brother even though they clearly expressed the same views. (It was more humorous at that moment.) Overall, the "funeral" was a fun way to be exposed to the varying perspectives of American history!
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Organization That Brings American Vets To Israel Speaks To Students
G
raphic by Avi Linzer ('19)
Article by Dahlia Sered ('19)
In one of the most incredible JED talks yet, KYHS seniors heard from
Heroes to Heroes
members.
Heroes to Heroes
brings veterans who can't adjust back to their lives after facing hardships from battle. The organization brings ten American veterans to Israel at a time where they experience a life changing transformation along with IDF soldiers. As they travel Israel together, they begin to heal spiritually and start to find inner peace with themselves. Two US veterans and an American IDF veteran spoke to KYHS students, expounding on how
Heroes to Heroes
literally saved and transformed their lives for the better. Omer Jana, Harrison Manyoma, and James Mannino spoke from the United States forces. Simba Lefkowitz spoke as a member originally from Monsey who joined the IDF. The veterans explained how the journey through Israel was life altering and created lifelong friendships with between American and Israeli soldiers. Rabbi Kroll explained the importance of the talk, saying, "There's something very powerful about encountering a hero who has suffered such emotional trauma and recovered. And to see how valuable of a role the IDF and the State of Israel is playing in the lives of US veterans inspires a good about of pride." KYHS seniors were truly moved by their stories and saw Israel not only a spiritual place for the Jewish people, but for everyone. KYHS thanks
Heroes to Heroes for all the work they do in helping veterans and for coming to inspire the senior class.
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Ask Adina
Hear Sage Advice From An Experienced Senior
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Hey! I'm so excited for the Shabbaton, but I'm nervous it will turn into a FLUjiwhara repeat! Do you have any advice?
Hi! The shabbaton is so much fun and is definitely my favorite event of the year. Getting the flu would really stink. Here are 4 tips on how to avoid getting the flu:
- If you are feeling sick, stay away from everyone.
- Wash your hands and use a lot of hand sanitizer.
- Eat healthy-ish; obviously you're not going to be as healthy as you might normally be but try to eat some fruits and veggies to support your immune system.
- SLEEP! Even though we all know that this isn't gonna happen much on the Shabbaton, catch up on sleep on Monday.
Hope you have a sick time:)
Adina
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This Week in Pictures
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The Yeshiva Highlites Staff
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