Graphic by Ariella Mayer ('23)
After suffering through the first seven makkot, Pharaoh finally admits that he and his nation sinned. Having just lived through some of the most amazing and miraculous events in history — the Nile turning to blood, frogs swarming over every surface of Egypt, and more — Pharaoh seemed to recognize that something was amiss. This most recent plague of hail was so awesome, that even Pharaoh had to admit that Hashem was really running the show.

The Torah uses very powerful language to describe the hail: mixed with fire, accompanied by terrifying sounds, and strongly striking the ground. “Never had such hail fallen in Egypt and it would never fall like that again.”
So when Pharaoh admits that he was wrong and asks Moshe to pray that the hail stop, Moshe rises to the occasion. He davens to Hashem and everything suddenly stops. If that weren’t enough, Rashi adds an additional detail: even the hail and rain that was in the middle of falling stopped in the middle of the air and did not strike the ground. 

Many of the mefarshim wonder why this detail was necessary. Wasn’t it miraculous enough that as soon as Moshe prayed that the hail suddenly stopped? If no more hail fell to the ground, that would have been impressive enough. Nobody would have thought twice about the fact that the handful of hail that was already in the air fell to the ground even after Moshe prayed. This additional miracle, which only affected a handful of hail that would have anyway fallen in the next few seconds seems wholly unnecessary.

Rav Moshe Feinstein explains that Hashem was trying to teach us a lesson about miracles. After all, miracles strike us as wondrous and different because they force us to consider and experience something we didn’t expect. We expect nature to function as it normally does and the rules of nature to be just that — rules that are followed. It’s when those rules are broken and we experience or witness something unexpected, we describe that aberration as a miracle — clearly the Hand of God.
 
But it’s only because we expect certain outcomes and find others unexpected that we recognize them as miracles. But all of that is simply because it’s the way that Hashem set up His world. Had He set it up differently, we would consider different outcomes to be normal. The hail that was suspended midair and disappearing was simply following that which Hashem decided; it just wasn't what we would have expected. The point was to demonstrate that everything happens only because Hashem wants it to. Those things that He does that we’ve come to expect or that follow a pattern, we call nature. Those things that He does that don’t fit any known pattern, we describe as a miracle. But whether natural or miraculous, they are all the Hand of Hashem.

Indeed, it’s appropriate for this to be demonstrated in a very subtle manner because in the course of “normal” life, we don’t always think about how everything that happens naturally is really because Hashem wants it to be so. When something grand or magnificent takes place, we are amazed, declare it a miracle, and quickly recognize Hashem’s role. The lesson here is that even the subtle things, even those small things that we sometimes take for granted, are all indeed Yad Hashem.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Shabtai
Totally Terrific Triviango  
KYHS Partners With Avi Frier for an Amazing Rosh Chodesh Shevat Bingo Game

Graphic by Olivia Kahane ('23) and Chantal Newman ('22)

This past Wednesday, the KOSL invited Avi Frier to host a school-wide game of Triviango in honor of Rosh Chodesh Shevat. The game was fun and educational, teaching students random facts about trees, their teachers, new songs, and more as they filled out answer sheets in the form of bingo cards.

Winners also received amazing prizes, including free storm swag and lunches at local restaurants. One of the winners, Ben Cohen (‘23), remarked that the experience was “a lot of fun and [his] whole class was very excited for it,” and Shuey Silkin (‘23) described it as “the highlight of his week.”

The KOSL has done an incredible job integrating fun, innovative, and safe activities into school this year, and the KYHS student body is looking forward to more exciting programs!
     
Article by Judah Frohlich ('23)
We Love WiTech
Girls Who Code Hosts Speaker and Entrepreneur Audrey Pe to Talk About
Her Non-Profit WiTech
Graphic by Abby Rosenthal ('23) Mikaila Shandler ('22)
From the Chess Club to the Book Club to the Bee Club, diverse club offerings at KYHS allow every student to find their niche. Ariel Melnitsky (‘21), president of Girls Who Code, shared insights into her club’s weekly meetings and described her passion for the club. “Our meetings either include an inspirational speaker or a coding session, where we learn and explore coding concepts by figuring out code as a group,” she said. “Our speakers seek to inspire girls with stories of other women who have pursued coding.”

This past week, the Girls Who Code club hosted Audrey Pe, the founder of WiTech. With only a computer and WiFi, she cultivated her interest in technology and computer science and, at age 15, she founded this global non-profit organization to educate and empower young girls in STEM. Audrey also organizes conferences for women in technology and helps provide underprivileged children with digital access. “Our club participants were motivated by the accomplishments and impact that a teenager like them made with as little as a computer and WiFi,” Ariel explained. “Introducing our club participants to female role models in STEM is integral to our mission.” Girls Who Code is an amazing club that teaches girls how to code and inspires them to pursue their passion, showing them the sky's the limit for women in STEM!

Article by Sophia Hoffman ('21)
Speak Out for What
You Believe in
 Yael Lerman Addresses the School About Combating Anti Semitism
Graphic by Ariella Mayer ('23)

Today, Yael Lerman and Aaron Levin of StandWithUs spoke to KYHS students about the prevalence of antisemitism in society and how they work to combat it.

At the start of the program, students were shown images of antisemitic phrases that were spray-painted on benches and written on sidewalks. StandWithUs explained that while both of these were instances of hate speech, only the former could be considered a hate crime because the antisemitic words were coupled with vandalism. Writing hateful words in chalk—which can easily be erased—is not illegal but could still be reported to StandWithUs as an instance of antisemitism.

Additionally, Lerman and Levin discussed #jewishprivilege on Twitter, and how Jews have worked to reclaim the movement. Previously, antagonistic antisemites on Twitter used the hashtag to express their disgust of the Jews’ alleged “advantages” in the world. However, Jewish figures on Twitter condemned these hateful remarks and posted the true meaning of “Jewish Privilege,” which includes facing discrimination simply due to religion. Soon, the hashtag was taken over with firsthand examples of prejudice and cruelty against Jews, bringing the true definition of Jewish privilege to light.

After this example, the StandWithUS representatives broadened the discussion and opened the floor for questions. Students flooded the chat box with various inquiries about antisemitism at the recent raid of the Capitol, the harm of perpetuating Jewish stereotypes, and the history of derogatory Jewish terms. Lerman and Levin encouraged students to discuss these topics with their parents and to further their education on antisemitism.

They left students aware of the constant threats in the world, but also with the information on how to combat them. StandWithUs accepts all reports of antisemitic behavior and works with individuals and groups to achieve justice. Students also learned that they can fight antisemitism with smaller actions such as flagging problematic posts on social media and bringing them to the platform's attention. The platform will take down the post if it violates its community guidelines, which helps decrease the spread of antisemitic rhetoric. 

As Elie Wiesel once famously said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.”

Article by Alex Lurie ('21)
Night Seder’s Sweet Treats 
Night Seder gets sweet with treats,
Mrs. Warman, and Rabbi Kimche
Graphic by Orly Dimont ('23) and Rebecca Adler ('23)
The Diary of Anne Frank
 Hear What The Drama Cast and Crew Have to Say Before Their Fabulous Production
Graphic by Elie Loberfeld ('22), Rivka Reich ('24), and Dan Himelstein ('24)
Saphira's Solutions
Saphira Helps You Stay Connected 
in More Ways Than You Can Count

Dear Saphira’s Solutions,

I am home for winter break and have nothing to do because of the pandemic! Any ideas?

Bored Breaker


Dear Bored Breaker,
Have you ever heard a Floridian say, “I live where you vacation?” Living in Florida, we have access to such amazing, COVID-friendly break activities. You can catch sunset or sunrise on the beach, bring your bike to a nature trail, go tubing with friends, rent scooters in South Beach, or go strawberry picking! There are endless possibilities of outdoor activities. If you and friends just want to chill and not go out, grab a pizza and hang out in your backyard; thankfully, the weather is bound to be amazing. Take advantage of living in Florida (while being mindful of the pandemic)!

Enjoy your break!
Saphira


Article by Saphira Samuels ('21)
Highlites Staff