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Shabbat Parshat Vayeitzei
Candle Lighting: 4:373 Shabbat Ends: 5:31
MHA Illustrated Torah Scroll Benefactors
Mr. and Mrs. Josh Kahane and Mr. and Mrs. Marlin Graber
Sefer Bereishis Sponsors
Dr. and Mrs. Bradley Karasik and Family
Parshat Vayeitzei Sponsor
Dr. and Mrs. Ira Weinstein
November 20, 2015
A Message from the Dean
At the opening of this week’s
parasha, Ya’akov is leaving
Eretz Yisrael to find refuge in
Charan from his brother,
Esav. He arrives at
HaMakom – The Place – to sleep for the night – the
place of Ya’akov’s famous ladder dream. Morning
comes. Yaakov takes the stone that he slept on,
makes a monument to Hashem with it and anoints
it with oil. He renames the place Beit E-l – House of
Hashem.
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Interestingly, our Chachamim do not criticize
Ya’akov for making this vow. What made his vow
appropriate? The Midrash addresses this
question. The Midrash explains that Yaakov's
vow was appropriate because he vowed to do a
Mitzvah in his time of crisis. Yaakov was leaving
Israel and going into exile. He was in a time of
crisis. In such moments, man is vulnerable to
rash thinking and decision-making. Furthermore,
his vow related to the performance of a mitzvah
– it was a renewal of his commitment to do
The Torah then records that Ya’akov made a neder Hashem’s Will. Only when a vow concerns the
– a vow. “If the Lord will be with me and will guard performance of G-d's Will and its context is an
existential crisis is a vow considered appropriate.
me on this path that I am going and will give me
bread to eat and clothes to wear and will return me Although, in general, the Torah insists that we
use our discretion and not abandon of free-will
in peace to the house of my father … then I will
to the dictates of a predetermined decision, in
give one-tenth of all that I have to Hashem.”
crises, the Torah does give us authority to
At first glance, the fact that Ya’akov made a vow
abandon discretion for the sake of renewing
seems inappropriate. In general, the Torah looks
one's commitment to Hashem.
down on vows. Our Chachamim say noder nikra
The Torah’s attitude on vows teaches us an
cho’te – one who makes a vow is treated like a
important lesson about the importance of
sinner. What is wrong with making a vow? Rav
decision-making. Hashem endowed man with
Shimshon Raphael Hirsch explains that at worst a
bechira chofsheit – free will. Hashem endowed
vow elevates trivial matters to the realm of the
Divine and at best robs all discretion from the one man with the ability to perceive wisdom. In all
but the most extreme situations, the Torah
making the vow. The Torah wants a person to
wants us to engage ourselves in whatever
measure his surroundings and make a decision
situation we find ourselves in and use our free
about how to act. If something is right and good,
will and our power of understanding to
he should do it. If something is wrong to do, he
determine the best decision – not to bind
should avoid it. He should not act based on a
predetermined decision that could not have been ourselves to a predetermined outcome.
based on all factors. A vow compromises a
Shabbat Shalom.
person’s opportunity to exercise his free will.
Rabbi Benjy Owen
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November 20, 2015
Administrator Corner
Spotlight on
Basketball Program
CYHSB Steak Dinner
James Nokes– Athletic Director
Rabbi Yonason Gersten– Mashgiach
Ruchani
The 22nd Annual Cooper Yeshiva High School Steak Din
Front row seats are widely available.
Basketball season has finally arrived as every team
at the Academy has either played games or has
started to practice. With basketball games played
at the Memphis Jewish Community Center and at
the Academy all it takes is a short walk or quick
car ride
Players have been busy readying themselves on
and off the court. Our weight room continues to
evolve, a newly donated weight-plate loaded machine will continue to provide student athletes
with the fitness and strength opportunities to enhance their on-court performance. Coaches have
led practices and broken down game film to provide players with the most efficient strategies possible.
But, the basketball program needs the continuation of a critical element: fan support.
The energy and passion from fans at the Cooper
Tournament was spectacular and players raved
how it made the event feel truly special. Players
were further thrilled when Jewish Hoops America
ranked Cooper No. 11 in its first National Top 25
Poll.
Look for upcoming games from teams of all grade
levels on the school calendar, the display screens
throughout the school or in the pages of this
newsletter.
Scores and stats will be updated weekly as well.
The 22nd Annual Cooper Yeshiva High School Dinner is coming up soon on January 17, 2016. The
Steak Dinner is a full four course meal that focuses
on the food, and features hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, salad and wings, an entrée and dessert. The entire evening is planned and executed by the boys in
our high school. It is truly a unique event that showcases the character and talents of our young men in
a manner that brings great pride to them, the
school, and the Memphis Jewish community.
Robust community support is critical to the success
of the dinner, and we very much appreciate the participation of those who have attended and sponsored the dinner in the past. We are looking forward to many new faces joining us at this year's dinner, and would like to share with you what makes it
so special and why it is such a worthy event.
The CYHSB Steak Dinner promotes and fosters the
critical skills of collaboration, communication, coordination and creativity, as well as developing essential qualities of character. The following is a list of
some of the many ways the students benefit from
the dinner experience, and the important lessons
that they learn.
A. Assuming Responsibility and Building Leadership
– The dinner provides an opportunity for each
student to make a significant contribution and
make a name for himself as a hard worker, and
build a reputation as someone who can be
counted on to do whatever it takes to make student events a great success. Students discover
that meeting responsibilities and contributing as
leaders is a great source of satisfaction and happiness.
B. Teamwork – To serve a four-course dinner to
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more than 300 patrons requires an incredibly
high level of cooperation, planning and teamwork. It simply cannot be done without each
student contributing and supporting one another.
C. Hakarat Hatov – Expressing appreciation and
gratitude – The dinner affords an opportunity to
the boys to meaningfully thank an individual
who they recognize has given so much to them.
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November 20, 2015
musical selection for the entertainment of the
audience, many for the very first time.
J. Kiddush Hashem - Sanctification of G-d’s Name There is no question that the dinner is a Kiddush
Hashem, that forges a good name for the students and the school. People leave feeling inspired.
An undertaking of this magnitude requires a large
turnout for it to be truly successful. We ask for your
D. Lepum Tzara Agra – According to the Toil and support in this huge undertaking, and urge you to
Effort is the Reward. The students take great make a reservation for this year's dinner; you won't
pride knowing that the success of the dinner is regret it.
due to their dedication, determination and hard
work. The fact that nearly everyone attending
leaves satisfied and looking forward to the next S p o t l i g h t o n
dinner is a truly great feeling. The Winter Shabbaton is that much sweeter because it is largely
funded from the profits of the students’ labors.
4th grade Learning
E. Teaching, sharing, and integrity – Each year, the
veterans of the dinner educate the newcomers
with all of the acquired lessons and knowledge
accrued from dinners past. The students all pool
their tips, reinforcing the atmosphere of sharing, and demanding of each of the boys honesty
and integrity.
F. Planning – Simply put, the students are very involved in every stage of the extensive planning
that is required, from procuring sponsors and
getting reservations, to filming commercials,
organizing the kitchen and serving the meal.
G. Creativity - The Steak Dinner has become famous for its excellent video presentations,
which now feature student made commercials
on behalf of the corporate sponsors. The commercials are a collaborative effort and seem to
be getting better year after year. Each year the
question is asked, how can we make this year’s
dinner better than the year before?
H. Dvar Torah/Public Speaking – Each year, one of
our fine young men presents a dvar Torah at the
dinner, a critical element in any event sponsored by our yeshiva.
I. Public Performance – The dinner provides a forum for students in the school to prepare a mu-
Deborah Parks– 4th Grade GS Teacher
I quietly opened the classroom door and made way
to my desk, as the 4th grade students and Mrs. Gersten were discussing the “dead” end effects of
smoking as part of a life skills lesson. All fifteen
faces betrayed the gruesome image of blackened
lungs in their minds, and paid no attention to my
movements. The students were engrossed and
definitely receiving the message. Then, while laying
out my plan for the day’s instruction, the discussion
moved from the health related issues of smoking to
the dangers. How could someone’s unhealthy habit
of smoking be a danger to others? Well, by burning
down the house, of course! Now, the gruesome
image of blackened lungs was making way for the
frightening image of a burning house.
“Alright class, that’s all for today. Mrs. Parks is here
and ready for your afternoon.”
I looked at my outlined lesson plan, and saw the
word, “grammar” as the first subject for the day.
How in the world was I going to get their attention
to teach them how to write compound sentences?
“Please take out your grammar book, and turn to
page 21,” was followed by some student mumbling
and the sound of books plopping on the desks.
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“Shoshanah, please read aloud the author’s description of how to write a compound sentence using a
comma and a conjunction.” As Shoshanah began
reading, I scanned the room. Many of the young
faces still had that faraway look. I just knew they
were imagining how they would plot their escape
from a burning house. How was dry grammar instruction possibly going to grab their attention away
from the glow of a burning cigarette?
“Thank you, Shoshanah. Alright, now let’s read the
sentences the author has provided us with and see
how we can combine them using a comma and a
conjunction. I’ll do number one as an example. ‘The
village was located along the coast. The village was
home to many whalers.’ Using the conjunction
‘and’ with a comma, we can combine these two
sentences like this, ‘The village was located along
the coast, and was home to many whalers.’ Any
questions?” Silence….
I called on students to read the remaining sentences and combine them using a comma and conjunction. As each sentence pair was read, a story
unfolded about the whaling village. Then came the
question, “What’s a whaling boat?” All eyes were
on me, and the “burning cigarette” image had been
extinguished. Their minds were now filled with images of the gentle giants of the sea being harpooned, and then drowned to their deaths. Students were begging to be called upon to combine
the next sentence pair so that the whaling village
story would continue. Finally, the last sentence pair
was correctly combined, and I knew the answer to
my question. Grammar doesn’t have to be dry and
boring. Every story includes grammar. I just need
to find a “burning cigarette” story to use for grammar analysis and practice.
Then came the raised hand and question, “How can
we help the whales?” And a student driven action
was born.
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November 20, 2015
Save the date for this year’s
Super Bowl themed MHA
Auction on January 31st, 2016.
More details to follow...
Important Dates to Remember
Wednesday, November 25th– All
Divisions dismiss at 11:30am.
Thursday, November 26th-Friday,
November 27th– Thanksgiving
Break, No School for All Divisions
Musical equipment needed!
Our High School is in need of some
musical equipment. Please let Rabbi
Nachbar at
[email protected] know if
you have the following pieces1. A basic five piece drum set (bass
drum w/ pedal, floor tom, rack toms,
snare drum) with cymbals (hi-hat,
crash, ride)
2. A stage amplifier
3. A stage microphone
stand
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Corky’s BBQ Ribs for Sale!
Only $10 for 1.5 pounds of ribs. If you
are interested in purchasing ribs,
please call Aileen Cooper at 901-5961908.
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November 20, 2015
Thank you!
Bernard Lipsey has generously donated 6 desks to
the MHA that will provide an upgrade in several
classrooms. Rebecca and Tommy Gerber donated
some excellent quality exercise equipment for our
new weight room.
Thank you to Mike Stein for leading the first 4th6th grade Mishmar and to Rabbi Kupinsky for
supervising the sports portion.
MHA is so grateful for the generous donations and
hard work of so many members of the Jewish
Community!
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November 20, 2015
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November 20, 2015
Rescheduled due to Power Outage
6th-8th Grade
Students and Parents
Monday, November 30th
REPORTER
390 S. White Station Rd.
Memphis, TN 38117
Picture of the Week
To advertise in the MHA/FYOS Reporter contact Ms.
Erica Stoltz at [email protected] or 901-682-2400
Ezra Baer and Markos McCargo make soup with
Kitah Gimmel.
Check us out on the webwww.mhafyos.org and Facebook!