In the onset of Parashat Vayikra, we are introduced to the requirement that any animal brought as a sacrifice must possess the quality of tamim — “completeness.” The Talmud in Masekhet Bekhorot (39a) concludes that the tamim requirement extends even to an animal missing a certain internal organ.
Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, in his Torah commentary, explains the symbolic significance of this requirement of tamim, which demands both external and internal perfection:
“So that for each and every aspect of our relation to G-d which is to be expressed by an offering, ‘completion’ is the first and most indispensable condition....Anything missing of the living creature which is to express our relation to G-d would give the idea of excluding this missing organ, and thereby the sphere of our life which this organ serves to represent, from our relation to G-d, and from our giving ourselves up to Him in that particular sphere ... so certain is it that the very smallest, the slightest keeping back of any part of ourselves and our lives as being excluded from our relation to G-d is a denial of His Oneness.”
The sacrificial offering represents the concept of our devotion to Hashem. The absence of any organ, whether external or internal, would imply that the aspect of our being which is signified by that organ is excluded from this devotion. The requirement of tamim thus relates to the all-encompassing nature of avodat Hashem; the obligation we bear to devote ourselves entirely to the service of G-d. Just as every part of the animal must be present and intact for it to qualify as a sacrifice, so must each and every part of our body and soul be included in our religious devotion.
We all have unique talents and traits that help us relate to our service of Hashem. For some of us, religion is intellectual, as we explore the depths of the Torah and nuances of Halacha with our brains. For others it is emotional, as we search for spiritual heights within the depths of our “hearts.” And for others it is through our arms as they shake a lulav, our hands when they are used to save lives, or our eyes when they are used to seek out the less fortunate among us. While all these strengths are necessary, it is important that we focus on being well-rounded as well, to ensure that every part of our body and soul is included in our devotion to Hashem. At Hillel Academy we strive to create well rounded students who constantly strive to improve all aspects of their being. This past week the Girls High School put on an incredible production of
The Lion King
and our Boys High School is attending the the Red Sarachek basketball tournament at Yeshiva University. Through these extra curricular pursuits our students continue to grow in all aspects of their life, which will ultimately allow them to grow in their relationship with Hashem and become stronger members of the Jewish community.
Rabbi Sam Weinberg,
Principal
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You’d think the High School Girls might have had enough of dressing up in costumes lately, but you’d be wrong. So, so wrong.
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Nothing can “mask” these students’ joy when it comes to enjoying Purim!
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The First - Fourth Graders made masks for Purim! They then made smiley cookies as part of this month’s Middah of Simcha in memory of Morah Shirley Dorsey OBM. The cookies will be donated to Tomchei Shabbos. Don’t worry, the students got to enjoy a cookie as well!
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The Hillel Camp Open House allowed students and parents alike to get a taste of the fun activities they can look forward to this summer!
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The Seventh Grade Girls were challenged to make hats using Pi! Did you know that yesterday was PI DAY? 3.14!
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Many months of hard work and long hours culminated in two spectacular performances of The Lion King! As you can see from these pictures, this year’s Production allowed all of the actors to morph into fantastic (and colorful) creatures. If you ever wondered “how young is too young?” to be included, the answer is eight months old! (OK – nearly nine months.) Corbin Wimer starred as baby Simba, with Shoshana Kisilinsky taking over as young Simba. Our heartfelt thanks to all — students, teachers, administrators, parents, tech and make-up folks, Officer Sage, and the JCC — who contributed to making the play a success!
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CAST AND CREW
Production Head: Batya Mandelbaum Backstage Crew: Amital Leibovich, Costumes: Chaya Sutofsky Shira Sutofsky, Nechama Rodkin
Scenery: Elana Eydelman
Dance: Janet Anderson and Aviva Itskowitz
Publicity: Avital Segal Playbill: Batya Mandelbaum and
Props: Sarah Hertzberg Elisheva Friedman
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GUESS WHO!
Who are these Hillel Academy faculty and/or staff?
Answers in next week’s issue!
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PLAY SPOT THE BALL!
Where is the football that Akiva Camp is about to catch? Put an X where you think the center of the ball is!
(Answer in next week’s issue!)
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One of the things students learn in their journalism elective is how to take and edit photographs for publication. Here, Aaron Kraut models the concept of centering and staging a compelling focal point in a portrait.
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After School 4-8b Art Club: felt food stitchings are almost there! And their ability to multitask is quite impressive... I hope I can eat pizza while simultaneously sewing when I grow up! — Miss. Bouton
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Purim cards are now available in the office
$4 each with proceeds supporting Tomchei Shabbos.
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We are excited to open registration for Hillel Academy Summer Camps. This is our fourth year of offering summer camp, and every year is more fun and exciting than the last. This year we have four separate divisions ranging from ages three years old through Eighth Grade. Our most significant improvement will be the addition of Ms. Rebecca Huff to our team. As you know, Ms. Huff is the STEAM coordinator at Hillel and we will be incorporating various week long explorations into Robotics, Coding, Ecology, Fine Art, for out campers.
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The Hillel Happenings is published on Thursdays. Please submit stories, photos and ads by Wednesday afternoon to:
Thank you!
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Once again this year, Hillel Academy will be participating in the Box Tops for Education Program. My name is Barbara Uebing and I’m thrilled to be the Box Tops Coordinator. Clipping Box Tops is an easy way for you to help our school buy what it needs. Box Tops are each worth 10 cents and they quickly add up to real cash for our school. This school year, our school’s earnings goal is $2000.00.
To help our school, just look for pink Box Tops on products, clip them, and send them to school. Pre-K — Fourth Grade will be having a friendly collection contest to help motivate school supporters to clip Box Tops. When sending in Box Tops, please be sure to write your child’s name and grade on the outside of the envelope or baggie. For more information on the Box Tops for Education program, including a list of participating products and school’s progress, visit
www.BTFE.com
. Be sure to become a member to receive exclusive coupons and recipes and learn about extra ways for our school to earn.
I hope you’re excited for everything we can do this year with Box Tops! If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at
buebing@hillelpgh.org
. I’m here to make our school’s Box Tops for Education program a huge success this year.
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Interested volunteers please contact
Dan Kraut
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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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MISSION STATEMENT
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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Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh | 412 521-8131 | hillelhappennings@hillelpgh.org | www.hillelpgh.org
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