Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School Paula Tannen Preschool November 20, 2015 Parsha Vayetze 8 Kislev 5776 Light Candles 4:26 pm Have a Thankful Thanksgiving Our Successful Me character and leadership program shapes the learning environment of every child who attends Hebrew Day School. It is rooted in Appreciation: Seeing Hashem’s Blessings. With Thanksgiving next week, we want to encourage every family to enjoy one another. The noted Israeli psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar writes the following: "There are treasures of happiness all around us and within us. The problem is that we only appreciate them when something terrible happens. When we become sick, we appreciate our health. When we lose someone dear to us, we appreciate life. We don't need to wait. If we cultivate the habit of gratitude we can significantly increase our levels of happiness. Research shows that people who keep a gratitude journal, who each night before going to sleep write at least five things for which they are grateful, big things or little things, are happier, more optimistic, more successful, more likely to achieve their goals, physically healthier; it actually strengthens our immune system. We become more generous and benevolent toward others. This is an intervention that takes three minutes a day with significant positive ramifications." Happy Thanksgiving Rabbi Simcha Weiser, Headmaster In This Issue: Enthusiasm for Community Building Calendar 2 As our Penny War came to an exciting finish this week, the biggest takeaway is the enjoyment felt by our students knowing they were working to help someone in need, and experiencing the strength of community connection. Unfortunately, it Parshat Vayetze 3 is often only when tragedy strikes that people today feel connected to one another. Through ongoing programs such as Penny War and the daily activities of our Reuben Klamer “Game of Life” Student Leadership Council, every student at The Soille Scene 4-8 Hebrew Day knows what it means to belong, to feel for others, to put into practice Jewish values and learning, and the taste of happiness from knowing that Preschool News 9 you have the ability to light up a dark place in the world. Please read more on page 4. Soille Community 10 3630 Afton Road · San Diego, CA 92123 · 858-279-3300 News www.hebrewday.org Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School Kolenu November 20, 2015 - 8 Kislev 5776 Calendar of Events November December S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 29 30 27 28 29 30 31 November 23, 2015 December 2, 2015 School Picture Orders due 12 pm Dismissal No Hot Lunch November 24, 2015 Parent Teacher Conferences 1 pm - 7 pm Kindergarten Thanksgiving Presentation December 3, 2015 November 25, 2015 NO SCHOOL Noon Dismissal Parent Teacher Conferences 8 am - 4 pm November 26-27, 2015 December 4, 2015 Thanksgiving Break - No School Picture Make-Up Day (Preschool:8-10am/Day School 10-12pm) November 30- December 7 December 9, 2015 Scholastic Book Fair in School Lobby Chanukah Extravaganza @ Congregation Beth El December 1, 2015 December 21-31/Jan. 1, 2016 Giving Tuedsay Winter Break January 4, 2016 School Resumes Our Administrative Team: Board of Directors: Headmaster: Rabbi Simcha Weiser Dean of Students: President: [email protected] Giovanna Reinking Geoffrey Berg [email protected] Principal: Rabbi Meir Cohen Members at Large: [email protected] Preschool Director: Rachel Eden Eilene Cummins Paul Datnow [email protected] Moises Eilemberg Iliana Glovinsky Director of School Administration: Estelle Workman Business Manager: Klara Lapp Allen Gruber Gavin Horn [email protected] [email protected] Yonina Kaplan Michael Leeman Philip Silverman Marilyn Williams Director of Admissions: Director of Development: Marcia Wollner Missy Wrotslavsky Beth Licha Joyce Arovas Brian Zimmerman [email protected] [email protected] 2 Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School Kolenu November 20, 2015 - 8 Kislev 5776 Parshat Vayetze OVERVIEW: Parshat VaYetze (Gen. 28:10 – 32:3) Fleeing from Esav, Jacob leaves Be'er Sheva and sets out for Charan, the home of his mother's family. After a 14 year stint in the Torah Academy of Shem and Ever, he resumes his journey and comes to Mount Moriah, the place where his father Yitzchak was brought as an offering, and the future site of the Beit Hamikdash. He sleeps there and dreams of angels going up and down a ladder between Heaven and earth. G-d promises him the Land of Israel, that he will found a great nation and that he will enjoy Divine protection. Jacob wakes and vows to build an altar there and tithe all that he will receive. Then he travels to Charan and meets his cousin Rachel at the well. He arranges with her father, Lavan, to work seven years for her hand in marriage, but Lavan fools Jacob, substituting Rachel's older sister, Leah. Jacob commits himself to work another seven years in order to also marry Rachel. Leah bears four sons: Reuven, Shimon, Levi and Yehuda, the first Tribes of Israel. Rachel is barren, and in an attempt to give Jacob children, she gives her handmaiden Bilhah to Jacob as a wife. Bilhah bears Dan and Naftali. Leah also gives Jacob her handmaiden Zilpah, who bears Gad and Asher. Leah then bears Yissachar, Zevulun, and a daughter, Dina. Hashem finally blesses Rachel with a son, Yosef. Jacob decides to leave Lavan, but Lavan, aware of the wealth Jacob has made for him, is reluctant to let him go, and concludes a contract of employment with him. Lavan tries to swindle Jacob, but Jacob becomes extremely wealthy. Six years later, Jacob, aware that Lavan has become dangerously resentful of his wealth, flees with his family. Lavan pursues them but is warned by Hashem not to harm them. Jacob and Lavan agree to a covenant and Lavan returns home. Jacob continues on is way to face his brother Esav. (C) 2015 Ohr Somayach International DRASHA: Rashi comments regarding the opening word of this Lavan’s home over the next decades will cause him to become week’s Torah reading that when a righteous person departs from rich and powerful. In a rare moment of candor, Lavan admits to a community, the loss is noticeable and is damaging to that Yaakov “that the L-rd has blessed me because of you.” community. In most instances, the community or even the righteous person’s own family and friends, pay little attention to All of history indicates the blessings that have occurred to his or her presence while the person is amongst them. It is only countries, empires and civilizations simply because the Jewish when that person is no longer with them, does their true value people resided in their midst. Nevertheless, this realization does and mettle become apparent. And then it is usually a case of too not prevent anti-Semitism and violence against Jews from being little, too late. justified and encouraged. Lavan is the perfect paradigm for this warped behavior. He knows that his success is a result of Yaakov’s Yaakov is a low profile person in his community. It is Eisav who presence in his home and yet he pursues Yaakov and hopes to makes the headlines, gives the interviews and media somehow destroy him. appearances. He is the outside man while Yaakov is quiet, studious, private and not obtrusive. But communities, especially This paradoxical type of mindset is abundantly and clearly visible in the Jewish world, are built upon the righteousness…..the quiet in our current world. We are cursed by others not for our actions Yaakovs and not on the bombast of noisy Eisavs. but simply because we have the temerity to exist. Good people were not allowed to live in Sodom. Jews are not to be allowed in I have often commented that the evil cities of Sodom and the Land of Israel. Gomorrah were destroyed totally not because of the millions of evildoers who were their inhabitants but rather because there The influence of good is an intolerable idea in a world committed were not ten righteous and good people who lived in their to evil and falsehood. Yet, Spain, Portugal and Poland want the community. Jews to come back. Europe wants to be free of Jews but somehow to retain the presence and benefits of Jews living in its midst. It is Judaism values and prizes the worth of a single individual. It never a warped and complicated world that we live in. Like Yaakov, deals with numbers and majorities alone. It strives to create there is little that we can do about it except to continue to soldier righteous individuals by whose mere presence alone societies are on. enhanced and the influence of good prevails. It is therefore sad that the value of such good people is noticed most significantly Shabat shalom. Rabbi Berel Wein © 2015 only by their departure and absence. When Yaakov arrives at the house of Lavan, Lavan is financially impoverished. He is forced to use his daughters as his shepherds – a shameful matter in his place and time. Yaakov’s presence in 3 Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School Kolenu November 20, 2015 - 8 Kislev 5776 The Soille Scene Penny War Has Ended… But its effect will be enduring! (Reuben Klamer “Game of Life” Student Leadership Council) Penny War is over.