Welcome to the Hillel Happenings!

January 5, 2018 - 18 Tevet, 5778
Parshat Shemot
Candle Lighting by 4:50 pm
Shabbat Ends - 5:58 pm


REMINDER: 
 Winter Break begins Monday January 15

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DVAR TORAH

In this week's parsha, we are introduced to perhaps the greatest leader in the history of the Jewish people, Moshe Rabbeinu. Interestingly, we know very little about Moshe Rabbeinu's early life growing up in the house of Pharoah, and it does not seem clear why Hashem chose Moshe to be His agent in Israel's redemption.
 
We are first introduced to the adult Moshe when he leaves his house to find an Egyptian and a Jew quarreling. In defense of the Jewish slave, Moshe fatally hits the Egyptian taskmaster. Our next encounter with Moshe takes place the next day when he leaves his house and finds two Jews quarreling among themselves. Moshe again intervenes. As a result of this event, Moshe runs away to Midyan, where his first encounter is with the daughters of Yitro as he protects them from the Midyanite shepherds.
 
Perhaps these stories can lend insight as to why Moshe was the perfect choice to lead Bnei Yisroel from servitude. In all three circumstances, Moshe intervened when he could have walked away. He was an Egyptian prince, a man of royalty. He connected with the plight of the Israelites and felt the need to act. Then when he saw the two Jews quarreling, and the daughters of Yitro being harassed, he again intervened when he ostensibly could have easily looked the other way.
 
These stories highlight what it means to be a Jewish leader. A Jewish leader needs to take action for the benefit of individuals and the community at large. A Jewish leader takes action because it is the right thing to do. We act because we are committed to the greater good. The Torah defines Moshe primarily by his humility, which is what allowed him to succeed. He was proactive in small situations where he saw injustice, but needed Hashem's encouragement before he embraced the role of national leader. He did not seek personal glory or self-aggrandizement; he realized the importance of the task.
 
Every day in a large and small scale we strive to impart the lessons of humility and action for the sake of others. As we continue to participate in community-wide volunteer programs, we look forward to seeing how our students put these lessons into action.

Rabbi Weinberg, Principal                              
      
 

NEWS & VIEWS









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RANDOM FACTS
 
By Rachel Luzer and Aviva Itskowitz
 
The part of a wall between two windows is called the interfenestration.
The part of your back that you can't quite reach to scratch is called the acnestis.             It's derived from the Greek word for "cheese-grater."
There was no word for the color orange in English until about 450 years ago.
In written English, only one letter in every 510 is a Q.
The opposite of déjà-vu is called jamais-vu: it describes the odd feeling that             something very familiar is actually completely new.
The dongle is the name of the device that makes it possible to connect             traditional wired headphones to the new iPhone, which doesn't have a             headphone jack.
A shape with 99 sides would be called an enneacontakaienneagon.
Eighty percent of the human brain is water.
One human hair can support 3.5 ounces.
Croissants aren't from France; they are from Vienna, Austria.
There are over 100,000 ways to tie a tie.
Karaoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese.
There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.
The sound of E.T. walking was made by someone squishing her hands in jelly.
There are twice as many kangaroos in Australia as there are people. The             kangaroo population is estimated at about 40 million.
You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV.
The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.
Lighters were invented before matches.
You can fold paper more than seven times
If you folded a paper 103 times, it would span the known universe .


ANNOUNCEMENTS


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Did you know the Bnot Sheirut have their own Facebook page? It's filled with lots of pictures and videos! Check it out at:  www.facebook.com/PittsburghBanot

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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, 
412-422-5627 or alowenberger@jfcspgh.org


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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 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.


Micki Myers, Editor | Hillel Happenings | 412 521-8131 | hillelhappenings@hillelpgh.org |www. hillelpgh.org