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DVAR TORAH
Parashat Terumah begins, "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they take for Me an offering; of every man whose heart make him willing, he shall take My offering. And let them make Me a Tabernacle, that I may dwell among them."
Many commentators are troubled with the fact that the construction of the Mishkan is defined by an inherent contradiction. On the one hand, building the Mishkan is mandatory and constitutes a mitzvah. On the other hand, the Torah explains that contributions for the building of the Mishkan should be voluntary, an expression of heartfelt devotion.
One of my Rebbeim at Yeshiva University, Rabbi Meir Twersky, used this paradox to explain a profound religious principle. We are commanded to seek holiness and to induce the shechina to dwell in our midst. However, it is impossible to attain kedusha if we act merely from a sense of obligation. To achieve kedusha, one must yearn for it. We must be propelled by a spiritual volunteerism. Accordingly, the mitzvah of "let them make me a sanctuary" requires meaningful devotion.
In education, it is so important that we ensure our students attain a personal yearning to grow and become better people. At the same time we must be careful that they don't view their education and schooling as a list of obligations and requirements. If that is how we present their education, we will ultimately undermine our own efforts and have negative effects.
This past week we were rattled by the terrible tragedy that took place at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School outside of Coral Gables, Florida. Tragedies like these cause a lot of questions and a lot of finger pointing. As an educator, I have been thinking a lot about our role as educators in the current political climate. One thing that I keep ruminating on is that we need to make sure that we teach our students to love school and love life. We must look at every individual and care for their wants and needs. We must enable them to be creators. and not G-d forbid destroyers. It is not an easy task, and one that we do not take lightly, but hopefully by being positive role models and encouraging our students to love life, we will help the world become a better place.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Weinberg, Principal
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Ms. Sara London is the newest member of the Hillel Family. She recently joined our school for second semester as an English teacher, and teaches grades 6, 8, and 11/12. She has two children,
Lena Rothschild, age 14, and Ezra Rothschild, age 11, who, along with her, are part of the Pittsburgh Jewish Community.
Ms. London grew up in "Mt. Lebanon, in the South Hills of Pittsburgh," and has lived in the Pittsburgh area for her whole life, "minus two [years] as a toddler, four in college, and a year and a half in my early thirties."
Ms. London earned her BA from University of Michigan in Creative Writing, and then went on to get her Masters in English, as well as a Masters of Arts in Teaching English, both from University of Pittsburgh. It was at Pitt where she met Ms. Myers, and as Mrs. Finder was her seventh grade teacher in Mt. Lebanon, she already knew the whole English department when she arrived at Hillel.
Ms. London has taught at eight different schools, including Hillel, and has "taught every grade from 4th to college seniors." This comes to a total of 26 years, including her "very first class, which was as a volunteer in a local high school while I was in college." The schools before Hillel were "Mt. Lebanon High School, Allderdice, Community Day School, Pitt, S.A.R. High School in Riverdale, Yeshivat Rambam in Baltimore, and Pittsburgh Perry." When we asked Ms. London how, in her experience, teaching at a private school has differed from teaching at public school, she replied, "I can't generalize on this. Public schools are really different from each other. Teaching in Mt. Lebanon was nothing like teaching at Perry. However, I guess the most consistent [difference] is that at private schools (and I've only taught at Jewish private schools), the freedom from standardized curricula and testing makes teaching more creative and enjoyable."
Ms. London's favorite part of teaching English is "when students think of new ideas and interpretations that I have never thought of before." [You hear this, students? Better get to work!] Ms. London has learned from her students "how to use a SMART board and play Kahoot."
Lucky for her, Ms. London got two winter breaks this year! "During the Pittsburgh Public Schools winter break, I went to Florida with my kids and extended family. During Hillel's winter break, I got ready for my classes and enjoyed an empty house while my kids were at school."
Ms. London has an awesome family. "My brother is a successful actor who has been in tons of movies and TV shows. He's currently the voice of the Liberty Mutual ads that you see on TV all the time. My daughter is a dance major at Pittsburgh CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) and dances for about 18 hours each week at school and the JCC. My aunt is a professional photographer. My 72-year-old father is writing his dissertation for a PhD in Art History and studied Landscape Design after a career in corporate law. I guess we're a pretty artsy bunch." [Woah. Talk about accomplished. I love these families where everyone's a talented genius.]
Now for the best part: CHOCOLATE! That's Ms. London's favorite food. Her favorite things to do on a rainy day are pretty chill as well: "cook, eat, watch a movie." Her hobbies are "gardening, cooking, working out, and reading the news." As an English teacher, we just had to ask for her three favorite books, so here's the advice from the expert: "To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Bone Black by Bell Hooks." We also asked her what the most exotic place she has been to is, to which she replied, "Laco
ste, Provence -- a 10th century stone village where I spent a semester in college." According to Wikipedia, "Lacoste is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France." And, if Ms. London could have three houses anywhere, they would be in "New York, the South of France on the ocean, New Mexico."
When asked what she likes about Hillel, Ms. London responds, "students are polite and motivated most of the time, and teachers are treated with trust and respect."
Hillel Academy is excited to welcome Ms. London into our community, and to get to know her better. We look forward to learning the valuable lessons we know she will teach us. Thank you!
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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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 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.
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Micki Myers, Editor | Hillel Happenings | 412 521-8131 |
h[email protected] |www.
hillelpgh.org
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