MDS Messenger November 2_2012

Candle Lighting Time - 5:33 PM

Volume 12, Issue 5 November 2, 2012 פרשת וירא

בס"ד

MDS Opens Early! By Yehudit Robinson, Director of Educational Technology, [email protected]

Even though public schools and almost all private

schools in the city were closed on Wednesday, MDS was

open and ready for students at 8 AM. In order for this to

happen, a tremendous amount of coordination was needed.

We want to thank all of the individuals who combined ef-

forts to make our earlier than expected opening possible.

We needed to reach out to teachers to make sure they could

work out transit arrangements, and many carpooled with

each other. We reached out to our security and mainte-

nance teams to make sure our building was functional and

safe for use. We reached out to food services to make sure

that we had sufficient supplies on hand, even without addi-

tional deliveries. Rabbi Besser said, “our goal was to re-

sume routines as quickly as possible, and we are grateful

for the united and dedicated efforts of the MDS family to

make this happen. We want to especially thank those fac-

ulty and staff members who surmounted significant transit

hurdles and made the effort to come to school even though

they did not have power or heat in their homes.” Several

of our teachers endured commutes of 3.5 hours—each

way. And a tremendous yashar koach to Rabbi Eli Cohen

who biked in from Brooklyn. Thank you as well to all the

teachers who submitted articles so we could have a stellar

Messenger this week despite the storm.

Our efforts to reopen on Wednesday were very

much appreciated by the MDS family. We received the

following email from MDS parent Amanda Nussbaum: “I

wanted to personally thank each of you and the entire staff

of MDS for your herculean efforts in opening school to-

day. I know it was not easy, especially since many of you are without power and have suffered major damage to your homes. All of

us greatly appreciate it.” We received the following email from MDS parent Rachel Levine: “I just wanted to be in touch to thank

you for what I imagine was a heroic effort for you and your entire staff to have the school up and running today. I am sure many

parents have expressed their gratitude and I wanted to as well. I hope your families are safe and managing o.k. in the aftermath of

this devastating storm.” Our school president, Daniel Posner, thanked the faculty: “On behalf of the Board of Directors and the par-

ent body of Manhattan Day School, we would like to thank you for helping us open our school today. We know it wasn't easy and

we know that many of the other schools are closed today. Your presence and positive attitude is what makes MDS the wonderful

school that it is. By opening school on a day like today, we showed our community that we are there for them and that every day is

an important school day at MDS.”

We hope that you have all safely weathered the storm. Our thoughts are with those families who are out of power. If you

have lost power or experienced damage to your home, the MDS family is here to help. Please contact Pia Ru-

bin ([email protected]) or Rachel Solomons ([email protected]). We will try to connect you with other MDS fami-

lies who live near school and can offer a place to shower, some food, or whatever you may need. If you would like to open your

home to others, please let us know as well. We would like to thank Rabbi Jeremy Litton for connecting us to the Lincoln Square

clothing drive for those who have been displaced because of the storm. In a matter of hours, we collected a tremendous amount of

clothing that was immediately distributed to those in shelters. Over the coming weeks, we will let you know of other chessed initia-

tives to assist those who were impacted by the storm. It is at times like this when we can appreciate the power of being a united and

caring MDS family.

mailto:[email protected]




An Inspiring Visit to YU By Rabbi Avi Genack, [email protected]

The sixth grade boys went on a tremendously

successful trip last week to Yeshiva University. Rabbi

Genack explained, “we just started learning gemara.

We wanted the boys to see how what we are doing in

our classrooms at MDS is simultaneously happening as

well in batei midrash with hundreds of students with

lively discussions and tremendous enthusiasm. We

wanted our students to see that torah sheb’al peh is a

subject like no other – hundreds of students of all ages

learning together. We also wanted our students to hear

from some of the rashei yeshiva on why torah study is

so captivating and engaging year after year. We also

wanted the rashei yeshiva to address our students on

the proper way to connect with the material.

The trip was a mega success! We broke into

groups and learned with some of the Kollel men. I

received great reviews on the boys’ knowledge and

keen thinking! Then we met with Rabbi Ahron Kahn,

and he captivated us with stories and a powerful mes-

sage. Afterwards he gave each boy a bracha, and spent a few moments chatting with each one. It was a tremendously uplifting expe-

rience for us all.

Then we met with Rabbi Baruch Pesach Mendelson who shared with us a short devar torah on the parsha. He explained that

you can’t learn torah properly if you try to memorize the content like a tape recorder; rather you need to imbue the messages of the

torah. His inspiring words shined through to the boys’ hearts as was evident from davening Friday morning.

From there we went to the pizza store (a major highlight, of course), and I saw Rabbi Yitzchok Cohen pass by, and we had

the opportunity to meet with him, and hear his dear words. He reminded us that we say והערב נא (may the words of Torah sweeten or

lives), every day in birchot hatorah, and how the Torah’s sweetness will change from bittersweet to just sweet.

The experience of visiting Yeshiva University was phenomenal. On top of all this, the boys behaved beautifully in the

streets. Rabbi Litton and I received numerous compliments about them. Boys, we’re proud of you! Keep up your learning, and let us

taste of the “sweetness of torah” together!



When Torah Study is More Fun Than Playing Ball

By Benjamin Eden, 6B

Our 6th grade trip to Yeshiva University was

incredible! We went into the new beit midrash and saw

many people learning Gemara. I thought that it was

amazing that so many people were choosing to learn Ge-

mara when they weren’t required to. We then split up

into groups and learned Gemara with some of the kollel

students. My group learned a Tosfos. We talked to three

special rebeim, Rabbi Kahn, Rabbi Mendelson, and Rab-

bi Cohen. We were given warm brachos by Rabbi Kahn,

Rabbi Mendelson told us that when you daven you

should really get into it, and Rabbi Cohen told us that

learning is SWEET. We then had a delicious snack and

enjoyed Lake Como pizza. We learned many important

lessons from this trip. I learned that you should make

every tefila special and that Torah is sweet! Rabbi Kahn

told us to call him when we start to feel that Torah is

more fun than playing ball. I know that I will. We thank

Rabbi Genack and Rabbi Litton for an awesome trip!



Torah Is Sweeter Than Pizza and Bubble Gum By Jeremy Ascher, 6B

Our 6th grade boys trip to Yeshiva University

was a big hit!!! First we all took the train to YU and

learned gemara on the way. Other passengers were

staring but I thought it was cool.

Next we went to the new beit midrash and I

saw a lot of friends from my sleep away camp, Camp

Stone. Rabbi litten saw a ton of friends. Then we

went to the snack bar and got snack and drinks (I got

was a root beer). Then we went to the old beit mid-

rash and learned with a few YU students. I learned

with Rabbi Genack’s cousin. After our chavrusa

learning, we heard from Rabbi Kahn and received

brachot from him. He knew some of my family came

from and that shocked me.

Next we heard Rabbi Mendelson who was

my favorite speaker of the day because his speech was

very exciting. Then we went to Lake Como and got

pizza, drinks, and a lot of gum

balls. Next we heard our last

speaker of the day, rabbi

Genack’s eleventh grade rebbe,

who helped us to understand that

torah is SWEET!!! Even more

sweet than pizza and bubble

gum.

The moral of our trip to

Yeshiva University was that to-

rah is the sweetest thing on earth.

All the Rabbis and kollel stu-

dents showed us how to live a

torah life and to enjoy it.



Having a B“all” in First Grade By Dara Abrams, [email protected]

Each week, first graders take part in a word family (chunk)

study. Our word family for this past week was ‘all’ . Throughout the

week first graders spent time producing as many words as possible which

included the ‘all’ chunk. Reading a funny book and poem also helped

give us some ideas for words we had not originally thought of. At the

end of each week, we also complete a ‘chunk project’ to go along with

our word family. This week’s project was even more special than usual,

as we incorporated a new math topic our class has been studying. First

graders made Fact Family Baseb“all” players! They came out wonder-

fully, with each first grader adding his/her own unique embellishments to

his/her work. This Friday craft was fun for everyone and a great way to

tie together all of the topics we have been studying in school.



Look Up! By Linda Kastner, [email protected]

Congratulations to the recent graduating class of Manhattan Day

School on their beautiful ceiling tile designs that are proudly on display in

the main lobby when you enter the school. Just look up when you walk in

and you will be inspired and amazed by just how talented our MDS chil-

dren are. Our 2012 graduates worked diligently for many months creating

unique designs that reflect our holidays and life cycles. Using a format

that simulated kaleidoscope patterns, their drawings became lively inter-

pretations of our rich Jewish traditions. The acoustical tiles were removed

from the ceiling for this project and the students worked on them using an

easel to hold them straight. Michelangelo would have been disappointed

that the artists weren’t on scaffolding, but our modern world has afforded

us the luxury of removable ceilings, so students could work in a much

more comfortable position. After the designs were drawn, the students

mixed their colors using acrylic paints and then when completed, they

were varnished with a gloss acrylic medium for extra depth and richness.

With great care, we then inserted each tile back into the ceiling.

My hope is that our recent graduates continue to bring beauty and tradition to all of the buildings and environments that are

lucky enough to inhabit and may they continue to visit MDS for years to come, look up, and marvel at their splendid youthful artistic

creations. Mazel Tov for a job well done and for building upon the beauty of MDS!



How Does a Bill Become Law? By Zachary Buller, 5B

In Mrs. Korn’s 5th grade Social Studies class we are learning about politics. The unit

that we are studying is “How a Bill Becomes a Law.” We learned that it takes a very long time

and is a difficult process to make a law. First someone in Congress thinks of an idea that they

want to become a law. The idea is written up and is called a bill. In order for the bill to become

a law it goes to a group of people from the House of Representatives for approval. If they ap-

prove the bill, it then goes to the whole House. If it is not approved, the bill dies. If the whole

House approves the bill, it goes to a group of people in the Senate. If those Senators don’t ap-

prove it, then the bill dies. If the group of Senators approves the bill, then it goes to the whole

Senate. If the whole Senate approves the bill, then it goes to the President, for his decision. The

President then has 10 days to sign the bill. If the President does sign the bill it becomes a law. The President can also reject the bill

which is called a veto. If the President vetoes the bill, there is still a slim chance that the bill can become a law. The bill goes back to

the Congress. If 2/3 or more of Congress votes in favor of the bill, then the bill becomes a law. This process has many steps because

the government is meant to protect us.

Sometimes, states, cities, or countries can have very dumb laws. Examples of “dumb laws” are: In NY, it is illegal to have

ice cream cones in your pocket on Sundays. In Hawaii, it is illegal to put coins in people’s ears. In Singapore, if you are convicted of

littering 3 times, you must clean the streets on Sundays wearing a bib that says: “I am a litterer!” In Rhode Island, it is illegal to bite

off from someone’s leg. In Texas, it is illegal to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel. Also, in Texas, it is illegal to sell

one’s eye. In Austin, Texas it is illegal to have wire cutters carried in your pocket. In France, it is illegal to name your pet pig Napo-

leon. In Israel, it is illegal to bring bears to the beach. In the United Kingdom, with the exception of carrots, most goods can’t be sold

on Sunday. In Australia, after midday Sunday it is illegal to wear hot pink pants. In Italy, a man may be arrested for wearing a skirt.

In NJ, it is against the law for a man to knit during the fishing season. In Boise, Idaho, it is illegal to fish from a giraffe’s back. In

Idaho, riding a merry-go-round on Sundays is considered a crime. These laws sound very weird to me. Do they sound weird to you?

Here’s to You, New York, New York! By Yael Glatzer, [email protected]

The children are enjoy-

ing learning about New York

City, emphasizing the borough of

Manhattan. They have already

begun to create their own guide

books where they are able to

write and answer questions about

New York City. They are very

excited to write and have their

own book about the five bor-

oughs. During the next few

weeks, in collaboration with art

teacher Leyla Demirtas, the stu-

dents will be making models of a

city. They will use their

knowledge of New York City to

help them sketch what they want

their models to look like. We

discussed Manhattan as an island

as well as the Hudson and East

Rivers. In the near future, the

students will be researching infor-

mation about famous landmarks

as well as famous places within

the five boroughs. All the re-

search will then be compiled into

a third grade New York City booklet. At the end of November, the third graders will be visiting the New York Transit Museum.

They will get to see how public transportation in New York City began. Social Studies in third grade is fun!



Vote for Me! By Messenger Staff

Good luck to the following students who made the bal-

lot! Candidate speeches will take place on Monday, November

5th, and the elections will take place on Tuesday, November 6th.

Candidates for 5th Grade Class Representative: Ezra Cohen, David Feit-Mann, Oren Shadian

Louise Ashear, Liana Goldstein, Charlotte Steinblatt

Candidates for 6th Grade Class Representative Jeremy Ascher, Lior Saada

Rosie Adelman, Loren Elman, Rosalie Sohn

Candidates for 7th Grade Vice President Yehuda Davis, Mark Darwich, Jacob Feit-Mann, Avi Solomons

Danna Rebibo, Sophie Samuels, Lily Snyder

Candidates for 8th Grade President Max Herskowitz, Alexander Knapp, Alexander Wildes

Lebe Adelman, Hannah Hudes, Lauren Kirschenbaum



Vote for Me! By Messenger Staff



Diamond Club BBQ By Jeremy Litton, [email protected]

Is that the smell of BBQ coming from the roof of MDS ? Yes, it is! Rabbi Litton and the Diamond Club Committee have

inducted its first ever members into its new and exclusive Diamond Club. Diamond Club members are for young men and women

grades 5-8 who have demonstrated over their vacation tremendous concern for Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Chasadim. Points were

awarded for attendance to minyan, learning and six hours of required Chessed. Each member of the club earned over 125 points to

earn this BBQ. The next time the Diamond Club will be taking inductees is Winter Vacation.

Stay Tuned for the Following Upcoming Events:

Student Election Day, November 6th

Veteran’s Day Commemoration, November 9th



Mi Chadash b’MDS? Rabbi Yehoshua Polter! By Messenger Staff

The MDS Messenger introduces you to

the new teachers who infuse our building with

extra energy. This week, we connect you with

Rabbi Yehoshua Polter:

I’m originally from Montreal, and I

studied in yeshivot in Montreal and Denver. I

earned a masters in Special Education at Adelphi

University. My first teaching experience was for

Russian refugees. Since then, I’ve taught in

Baltimore, New Jersey, and New York. I heard

about MDS through former MDS teacher Rabbi

Avraham Knobel, and the rest is history. I teach

fourth grade boys limudei kodesh, and fifth and

sixth grade intermediate boys Judaic Studies.

I’ve been married for 19 year, and I have five

kids, ranging in age from 17 to 8. I love to listen

to music, play hockey, and spend time with my

kids. The camaraderie in the school is really

very refreshing and supportive.

Welcome, Rabbi Polter, to the MDS

family!

Hachnasat Orchim at Its Best By Yehudis Feinstein, [email protected] and Bernice Mandel, [email protected]

The children in Nursery 1 and Nursery

3 have been very busy incorporating the lessons

from this week’s Parsha, Parshat Vayeria into

our curriculum.

We learned that Avrahom’s tent had four

doors; one on each side. This allowed guests to

come from all directions to eat, drink, and

sleep. This very important and special mitzvah

is called Hachnasat Orchim.

Nursery 1 invited their friends from Nurse-

ry 3 over for snack. When the N3 students came

over, they saw there was a lot of sand on the

floor in front of “Avraham’s” tent. The children

each had a chance to take off their socks and

shoes and feel what the ground felt like during

the times of Avraham and Sarah. The children

in N1 behaved just like Avraham and Sarah and

helped their friends clean their feet from sand

before we all began to eat.

The N3 class brought over a snack of

crackers and cream cheese, which we all en-

joyed together. The children had a great time

experiencing firsthand what Hachnasat Orchim

actually is. The classes enjoyed getting together. N3 is looking forward to reciprocating the Mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim with their

friends in N1.



Chodesh Cheshvan: A Beautiful Drop of Rain Submitted by Mrs. Bethany Strulowitz, [email protected]; Devar Torah Prepared by Lebe Adelman, 8G

[I would like to thank my Mom for helping me with my dvar torah, and I consulted

with The Book of Our Heritage as well.]

Jacob lived on a small farm with his Mother and Father. They owned very little- only

three chickens, very few crops, and their precious cow Milly, who was growing old and frail.

Every day, Jacob would feed the chickens, collect the eggs, water the crops, and milk the cow.

One day in the month of Cheshvan, Jacob noticed that the crops were very dry, and

there wasn’t any water to water them with. Not knowing what to do, Jacob went to his shul to

ask his Rabbi what to do. Jacob’s Rabbi said that the only thing he could do was pray. Since it

was the month of Cheshvan, it was the perfect time to do it, because Cheshvan is when we pray

for rain. Mar-Cheshvan is another name for Cheshvan. “Mar” means “bitter”. The reason that

Cheshvan is referred to as bitter is because there are no holidays in this month. Another reason

is that in the month of Cheshvan a terrible tragedy happened at the time of the Babylonian ex-

ile. The Babylonians forced Tzidkiyahu, the king of Yehudah, to watch as they murdered his

sons right before his eyes. After that, they took out his eyeballs, put him in chains, and brought

him into captivity. A third reason that Cheshvan is referred to as bitter is because it is the

month when the “Flood” in the time of Noach took place.

“Mar” also means “a drop of water”. Chodesh Cheshvan is the time to pray for rain

because that is what this month is blessed with. On the seventh of Cheshvan we add the prayer

“ותן טל ומטר לברכה” , “Give dew and rain”. Outside of Israel we say the prayer later, sixty days

after the month of Tishrei. We say it on December 5th in a regular year and on December 6th

in a leap year.

If someone forgets to say the tefillah for rain but remembers before he finishes the bracha, he should say it immediately. But

if he remembers after he finishes the bracha, he must say it in the bracha of Shome’a tefillah. If he remembers after Shome’a tefillah

but before the next bracha, he should say it right away. If he remembers before Yih'yu L'ratzon, he has to go back to Barech Aleinu.

But if he remembers after Yih'yu L'ratzon, he has to repeat the Shemoneh Esreh from the beginning.

There once was a man who was very poor. Every morning he would go to the train station and beg for money. Every day

the same thing would happen. People would pass by and give him nothing but a glance. Once in a while someone would put in a

penny, a dime, or a nickel. If he was lucky they would give a dollar bill. When the poor man would receive anything, he would

shower the kind person with thanks. One day a very rich man walked up to the poor man and handed him five hundred dollars. The

poor man asked, “Why are you giving this to me?” The rich man answered, “Because I have seen your suffering every single day and

couldn't bare to see you suffer while I live a luxurious life”. The poor man praised the rich man and thanked him numerous times for

the money he had given him. Every week the rich man would come to give the poor man five hundred dollars. Since the rich man

gave the poor man money regularly, the poor man stopped thanking the rich man and took the money for granted. In this story we

learn that Hashem doesn’t want us to take things for granted.

Similarly, here in New York where it rains regularly, we tend to take it for granted. In Israel it doesn’t rain as regularly, and

they do not take it for granted, just as when the poor man barely got any money and was always thankful when he did.

The Talmud teaches us in Masechet Ta’anit that rain is a very special gift that we should not take for granted. the following

are some statements about rain from the Gemara.

“A day when rain falls is as great as the day when the Torah was given.”

“A day when rain falls is as great as the day on which heaven and earth were created.”

“A day when rain falls is as great as the day of the ingathering of the exiles.”

The falling of rain is connected to the way we treat one another. We learn in the Talmud that certain behaviors will prevent

rain from coming. According to Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi, “The rains are withheld because of those who speak slander.” Rabbi Sela

said in the name of Rabbi Hamnuna “The rains are withheld because of the arrogant.” Rabbi Amy said, “The rains are withheld be-

cause of the sin of theft.” Rabbi Yochanan said. “The rains are withheld because of those who pledge to give charity but do not meet

their pledges.” The coming of rain can be brought and withheld in many ways. It is our job to make sure that we daven especially

hard in the month of cheshvan and focus our tefillot to the coming of rain.

One person who is very connected to tefila is Rachel Imeynu, who died on the eleventh of Cheshvan. Unlike the other

Imahot, Rachel Imeynu was not buried in Ma’arat Hamachpela. Instead, she was buried in Beit Lechem on the way to Efrat, after

dying in childbirth. We learn from Rashi in Sefer Breishit, that before Yaakov died, he explained to Yosef that his mother was meant

to be buried there because that is what Hashem wanted. The reason that Hashem wanted Rachel to be buried there was so that she

could daven for B’nei Yisrael when they were sent into Galut Bavel. People still daven at her kever today in times of hardship.

In the month of Cheshvan, when rain is especially scarce, we must daven even harder than usual to make sure that we get

enough rain. We can learn from Rachel Imeynu how important it is to daven to Hashem for ourselves and others.



8G Devar Torah Project: VaYera Submitted by Bethany Strulowitz, [email protected]; Devar Torah written by Rachelle Benedict, 8G

The lights are bright and hot, and the scenery is a desert-like landscape with an ancient

looking tent blending into the dirt. The audience is filling up, and the lights go out. Places eve-

ryone! Ready! Set! Action!

Parshat Vayera’s red velvet curtains open onto a stage where Avraham sits at the mouth

of his tent and observes how tiny dots on the horizon transform into three men or angels. Elated

to have visitors, Avraham’s cordial and hospitable manner typical to his company becomes pre-

sent, and he arranges for them a feast filled with an array of delicacies. On their departure, the

angels announce that Sarah will give birth to a son in a year’s time.

Sarah listens to their conversation and hears them telling Avraham that she was to give

birth. Sarah laughed at the absurd thought and said, “Avraham is so old.” But Hashem instead

told Avraham that Sarah laughed, and said “I am so old.” Why did Hashem misrepresent Sarah’s

words instead of sharing what she actually said? Rabbi Menachem Raab explains that the Torah

here is teaching us the importance of not speaking lashon harah and being careful with our words. Hashem purposely tells a “white

lie” just to ensure that there is no turmoil in Avraham’s household. It is crucial to fully internalize this lesson so that we can make

sure that our words are more constructive than destructive.

After their pleasant stop off at Avraham’s tent, the angels sally forth on their journey from Hashem to destroy the evil city of

Sodom. When Avraham hears of their mission to destroy, he pleads with Hashem to have mercy on Sodom, and he will find right-

eous men to be a redemption to the evil. He goes through a numerical countdown starting with 50 then 45 then 30, to see how many

righteous there are and discovers that there were not even ten righteous individuals in Sodom.

The angels come to Sodom and arrive at the house of Lot. Contrary to the customary behavior in Sodom, Lot urged the

guests to stay overnight at his home before continuing on their way. When his neighbors found out that he was playing innkeeper to

guests, they were outraged. They surrounded Lot’s house and insisted that Lot hand over his guests. Lot offered them his two daugh-

ters as wives to them instead of the guests. The Sodomites declined and persisted to threaten Lot to hand over the guests. Hashem

then afflicted the tormentors with blindness so they were unable to locate the door to Lot’s house. An angel came as a savior to Lot

and informed him that Hashem was planning to destroy Sodom and he must vacate immediately with his family. As they were leav-

ing, the angel commanded them not to look back. Lot’s wife did, however, and she was transformed into a pillar of salt.

Lot and his daughters eventually make their way to a cave. After witnessing the destruction of Sodom, Lot’s two daughters

hidden in the cave were fearful that the destruction was comprehensive, and that there would be no one left to sustain the humanity, so

they slept with their father, Lot, and they give birth to two boys, the fathers of the nations of Moav and Ammon.

Meanwhile, Avraham was traveling with Sarah, and Avimelech king of Gerar took her as his wife. Hashem threatened to kill

him if he didn’t return Sarah to her rightful spouse so Avimelech gave her back to Avraham and sent him on his way with sheep, cat-

tle, and slaves.

Sarah gives birth to a son whom she names Yitzchak. As Yitzchak grows older in both wisdom and stature, Sarah fears that

Hagar’s son Yishmael will serve as a bad influence on her on Yitzchak. Sarah instructs Avraham to banish Hagar and her son from

his household. Avraham is doubtful about her decision but after Hashem said “ שמע בקולה” , “Listen to her voice,” he conceded and

sent Hagar and Yishmael into the vast desert.

Rabbi Menachem Raab asks what caused Avraham to disagree with Sarah? Possibly their different thinking patterns were

due to their diverse comprehension of human nature. Sarah followed the thinking that the task of staying spiritually strong would be

too heavy for Yitzchak to maintain. Slowly, he would drift into Yishmael’s shoes and leave the footprints on the beach that his moth-

er had left for him. The pressure would be too intense and he would accede. However, Avraham’s yellow brick road stated that pos-

sibly with the influence of Yitzchak, Yishmael would leave his path of wild ways and inhabit a benevolent and scholarly lifestyle.

Hashem sided with Sarah saying to Avraham, “Regarding all that Sarah tells you, listen to her for only through Yitzchak will

seed be considered yours.” This leaves us with an understanding that it is more likely to expect the evil external influence to succeed

over the positive influences. This is attributed to the fact that the evil aspect of our personality tends to be stronger than the good as-

pect of our personality and one needs a great amount of self-control to override the evil.

Rabbi Menachem Raab explains knowing that the evil inclination is stronger, we must fortify ourselves and be careful to

steer clear of evil influences, as they tend to be stronger and drown us. We must surround ourselves with good influences, such as

good people and friends. In order to succeed, we must envelope ourselves with positive versus negative influences.

The parsha continues with Hagar and Yishmael traveling through the desert. Hagar becomes desperate, and thinks they are

going to die. An angel reassures Hagar not to fear because her son, Yishmael, will be the father of a great nation.

Avraham then signs a peace treaty with Avimelech and Pichol over water rights. Hashem tells Avraham to sacrifice his one

and only son, Yitzchak, as an offering to Hashem. Avraham, truly devoted to Hashem, does as he says without question and begins

the long trip with Yitzchak to the designated spot, Har Hamoriah, where we have the Kotel in the present day. Avraham extends his

hand to slaughter his only son when an angel stops him. Instead, Avraham uses a ram for a burnt offering. Hashem blesses Avraham

saying that his children will be many like the stars in the sky and the sand on the beach. Avraham travels to Beer Sheva and settles

there. After the parsha ends, then the red velvet curtains drop, and the applause is deafening.



PT Conference Sign Up Opens 11/7, 10 AM

Conference Sign Up will open on Wednesday, November 7th, at 10 am.

Conference Sign Up will close on Wednesday, November 14th, at 11:59 pm.

Conferences will take place on Sunday, November 18th

Start / End Times: ECD Conferences will take place from 9 am— 3:30 pm

SE Conferences will take place from 9 am— 3:30 pm

Grades 1-4 Conferences will take place from 9 am— 6 pm

Grades 5-8 Conferences will take place from 9 am—5 pm

Conference Length: ECD Conferences will be 15 minutes each.

SE Conferences for grades 1 - 6 will be 20 minutes each.

SE Conferences for grades 7 - 8 will be 10 minutes each.

Conferences for grades 1 - 8 will be 10 minutes each.

If you have children in multiple divisions, the system will prevent you from creating scheduling conflicts.

How to sign up: Log into ParentLocker. Remember to type your entire email address (including @____.com) in the username section.

If you have never activated your account, please contact Atara, [email protected], to request an activation code.

On the left side of your screen, select PT Conferences. Then choose your conferences! You will be able to print out and email this

list. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Atara, [email protected] or Yehudit, [email protected].

Childcare: To save you the hassle of having to arrange a babysitter for your conferences, childcare for kids of all ages will be available in the

school library all day for a cost of $8 per child. This service is only available for the duration of your conference times.

Please email Dori Shwirtz, [email protected], to sign up in advance.

mailto:[email protected],



Family Fun Days: Knicks Game, 11/4

Sold Out!

See you Sunday!



School Uniform Program, 11/2-11/9

School Uniform Program

Friday, Nov. 2nd - Friday, Nov. 9th

Gently-used uniforms (pants, skirts and sweaters, plus white and blue shirts) are available free of charge in the lower lobby. Please stop by to browse our exten-sive collection and select uniforms for your children.

Help yourself!

Contact [email protected], [email protected],

or [email protected] with any questions.






Parents Council Used Book Fair, 11/6-11/7

1st Annual MDS Parents Council

Used Book Fair

Purchase Gently Used Books Tuesday Nov 6th and Wednesday Nov 7th

MDS Lobby 8:00 – 9:30AM 12:00 – 1:30PM 2:30 - 4:30PM

Cash or Check Only

To volunteer: Email Shari Friedman, [email protected]




Grade 8 Yachad Shabbaton, 11/10

Please make a tax-deductible donation:

___ $ 100 (Bronze Sponsor) ___ $ 180 (Sliver Sponsor) ___ $ 250 (Gold Sponsor) ___ $ 500 (Platinum Sponsor) ___ Other ____________

Please make checks to MDS and write Yachad in the memo. Please bring the checks to Rachel in the Business Office. It is

also possible to donate on our website. If you have any questions, please contact Jamie Bunin at [email protected].

Thank you for helping to make this Shabbaton a success!

Yachad is an organization dedicated to individuals with special needs. The main goal of Yachad is to integrate Yachad members with individu-als in communities. One division of Yachad deals with children. On No-vember 10th, the eighth graders at MDS will be joining the junior divi-sion of Yachad for a Shabbaton at MDS. We invite all members of the MDS family to please help the eighth graders participate in this amazing

MDS

8th Grade

Yachad Shabbaton




Chanukah Boutique 12/1

Help your class win an ice cream party!

Submit your box tops to Sharon Newman In a bag with your name and class on it!

The contest is on…

Which class will win?



Share the News About MDS!

Recruitment for 2013-14 is underway!!

If you are aware of a family interested in a Torah-based,

developmentally appropriate Early Childhood Program for their

2-5 year old, please encourage them to contact

Cindy Sherman, Director of Admissions,

[email protected], to arrange a tour.



Manhattan Day School

310 West 75th Street

New York, New York

Tel: 212-376-6800

Fax: 212-376-6389

www.mdsweb.org

Tel: 212-673-3066

Fax: 212-376-6389

Email all articles and graphics

to Yehudit Robinson,

Director of

Educational Technology,

[email protected]

…

Thank you for keeping our school

a nut-aware environment.

Please join our daily parent

tehillim group which meets in the

library at 8:15 AM.

Shabbat Shalom! By Yehudis Feinstein, [email protected]

Are you receiving nightly homework

and class news emails

from ParentLocker?

Stay connected

to all of the learning at MDS!

Please contact Yehudit,

[email protected],

with any questions about the site!

MDS Messenger November 2_2012

Documents

Transcript of MDS Messenger November 2_2012