4:12 pm December 18, פרשת מקץ Kislev 5775 Volume 36, Issue 12

Transcription

1 בס ד If we look at the word,חנוכה we see that the root of the word is חינוך. חינוך means inauguration or dedication and in this context is referring to the rededication of the בית המקדש after it was defiled by the.יונים Rav Shimshon Rafael Hirsch זצ"ל explains that this is also referring to the way we educate our children. There is a famous מנהג that during חנוכה community leaders would get together to discuss how to educate children. Rav Hirsch, זצ"ל explains that even in the הלכות of חנוכה we see hints about how to best educate our children. The גמרא in שבת explains that we light one candle on the first night and add a candle each night. The deeper idea behind this,הלכה explains Rav Hirsch, is that we must always be diligent about putting in the effort to get through to each one of our children. We should not let ourselves slip into the mentality of becoming stagnate and חס ושלום losing that child. Rav Hirsch further explains that if we are not working to move forward, we are automatically moving backwards. This is a tremendous lesson to both parents and educators alike as we partner together to reach each child. We must see them for whom they are, and help them actualize their potential, realizing that we may need to modify our practice in order to bring the light out of every child. May we be זוכה to succeed at this daunting yet fundamental task. שבת שלום וחג אורים שמח Morah Chana Greenberg, 5G1 PARASHA QUESTIONS 1. Where was Paro standing in his first dream? 2. What came out of the river? 3. What did the cows do? 4. What happened in the second dream? 5. Whom did פרעה ask first to explain his dreams? 6. What did the Sar Hamashkim tell Paro? 7. What did Yosef answer when Paro asked him if he could explain dreams? 8. What was the explanation of Paro s dreams? 9. Who did Paro put in charge of storing food for the years of hunger? 10. Which of s יוסף brothers did not go to מצרים the first time to get food? 11. Why didn t the brothers recognize Yosef? 12. What did Yosef say to his brothers that they were? 13. What did the brothers find in their wheat sacks? 14. When the brothers went down to מצרים a second time, what did Yosef say that they took from him? 15. In whose sack was the silver cup found? GRADES 3 and 4: 1. Why did Yosef have to remain in מצרים for two extra years??פרעה do before appearing before יוסף 2. What did 3. Why did פרעה suggest יוסף be the one in charge of storing food??פרעה when he appeared before יוסף 4. How old was 5. Who were Yosef s two sons? 6. Why didn t בנימין go to מצרים with his brothers the first time? 7. What did יוסף tell his brothers to do to prove that they were not spies? 8. What did the brothers say to each other when they realized that they were in trouble? 9. Which brother did Yosef lock up? 10. Why didn t the brothers know that Yosef understood them? 11. When the brothers returned to,מצרים what did they think was the reason they were being taken to Yosef s house? 12. In what order did Yosef seat his guests? 13. What did the brothers offer to Yosef if the silver goblet was found amongst them? 14. What did Yosef tell his brothers after the goblet was found? GRADES 5, 6, 7 and 8: 1. How did the שר המשקים try to put down Yosef? 2. Why didn t פרעה feel that יוסף would threaten his kingdom be becoming too powerful? PARASHA ANSWERS 1. By the Nile River. 2. Seven healthy cows, followed by seven sickly cows. 3. The sickly cows ate the healthy cows. 4. Seven windblown stalks of grain ate the seven full stalks of grain. 5. His advisors and magicians. 6. That Yosef was able to interpret dreams. 7. The interpretations come from Hashem. 8. There would be 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of hunger. 9. Yosef 10. Binyomin. 11. He had grown a beard and was dressed as an Egyptian. 12. Spies. 13. The money with which they had paid for the wheat. 14. His silver cup. 15. Binyomin s. GRADES 3 and 4: 1. He trusted the Sar Hamashkim to get him out of prison instead of Hashem. 2. He washed, shaved and changed clothing. 3. He had wisely suggested the storing of food. 4. Thirty years old. 5. Ephraim and Menashe. 6. Yaakov was afraid something would happen to him. 7. Bring Binyomin to him. 4:12 pm December 18, פרשת מקץ Kislev 5775 Volume 36, Issue 12 RYNJ CALENDAR Dec Chanukah vacation NO SCHOOL Dec. 24 Early Dismissal 2:20 PreK-Gr. 2:30 Gr. 3:35 PM Dec. 25 Early Dismissal no bus service Preschool-Gr. 2:30 Gr. 4:15 PM Jan 1 Asara B Tevet-Early dismissal N-Gr. 11:30 AM Gr. 12:30, NO LUNCH Jan 11 RYNJ ANNUAL DINNER Jan Winter Recess-NO SCHOOL 8. Hashem is making this happen to us because of what we did to Yosef. 9. Shimon. 10. There was an interpreter between them. 11. Because of the money they found back in their sacks. 12. By age. 13. They would be his slaves. 14. Binyomin should be his slave. GRADES 5, 6, 7 and 8: נער עברי עבד 1. He described Yosef as 2. He was too modest to take credit for interpreting dreams.

2 3. Why was the dream repeated? 4. What name did Paro give Yosef? What did it mean? 5. What happened to food that people tried to store on their own? 6. What did the brothers answer to יוסף when he accused them of being spies? 7. For how long did Yosef jail his brothers? 8. Which brother did Yosef lock up? Why him? 9. What did Reuven offer his father as a guarantee for Binyomin s safety? 10. What did Yehuda offer as his guarantee? 11.What did Binyomin tell Yosef about the naming of his sons? 3. To show that they were about to come true immediately. hidden. revealer of the -צפנת פענח It rotted. 6. We are 12 brothers, one of us is with our father and the other is not here. 7. Three days. 8. Shimon-he was capable of stirring up trouble. 9. His two sons..עולם הבא in חלק.10 His 11. He had named them all as reminders of his lost brother. I n a n d A r o u n d t h e Ye s h i v a Last week, Rabbi Russ and 7B2 celebrated finishing Parshas Chukas with a special siyum on Cedar Lane. The boys learned together in class for 45 minutes. Then they went to Cedar Lane for a special activity, a scavenger hunt, and pizza lunch. The boys were very well behaved and created a Kiddush Hashem in many places. May Hashem grant them the ability to experience together many more siyumim. Many thanks to the parents who drove to and from Cedar Lane. 2B1 finished learning how to count pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and half-dollars. To celebrate, the boys participated in an Israeli Makolet where the children used sh kalim to purchase nosh and used the play money to get exact change from Ms. Lehmann. Then, they received the sh kalim to keep as Chanukah Gelt. Simultaneously, the boys and girls in Ms. Amiti s class in the Rambam School (Nahariya, Israel) have been involved in the same project, only they used dollars and cents! Morah Nechama's K-1 class is learning about the 5 Senses. Lots of fun is being had by all experimenting with taste, touch, smell, hearing and sight. This week and next is extra special because Chanukah is an amazing experience for our senses! The fashionistas of 7G have published their Hebrew clothing catalogs. Shop now for Chanukaeverything is on mivtzah!! What a spectacular way for our RYNJ boys choir to start off the year. Rabbi Block and the choir were invited by the Chabad of Paramus to sing at the Bergen Outlet Mall. This ceremony of their menorah lighting and our singing was a beautiful way to begin the Chag of Chanukah. The audience really enjoyed their young, talented voices. It was also a special opportunity to make a kiddush Hashem and that we did. Thank you to Rabbi Block, all the parents, grandparents, and guests who joined us on the first night of Chanukah to make the night so joyful and memorable. The choir is looking forward to bringing nachas to the Jewish Home at Rockleigh next week!

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4 Lori Okoskin Memorial P a r n a s H a y o m December 15 In honor of the birthday of Orly Fessel Dedicated by Steve and Jacquline Fessel ע ה In memory of Betty Roseman - Batya bat Eliezer Halevi great grandmother of Yehuda, Shai, Ezra, Amiel Hochbaum Dedicated by Simon and Chani Lichtiger December 16 ז ל In memory of Mark Kornwasser great grandfather of Tehila and Noam Kornwasser Dedicated by Hana and Joe Kornwasser December 17 ע ה In memory of Rachel bat Rav Shalom Yehonatan Halevi Dedicated by Eric and Joan Carlsen December 18 ע ה In memory of Eva Gurell -Yocheved bat Rav Tzvi Hirsch Dedicated by Dr. and Mrs. Gabriel Gurell ז ל In memory of Yeruchum Yitzchak ben Menachem Mendel grandfather of Gabriella Davidovitch Dedicated by Dafna and Yossie Davidovitch ז ל In memory of Ralph Summers - Avraham ben Yisrael great grandfather of Shayna, Avi, and Rebecca Summers Dedicated by Shelley & Ronnie Summers To sponsor a day of learning at RYNJ, please Shira Greenberg shiragreenberg18@gmail.com or call To Rabbi and Mrs. Efrayim Clair on the birth of a son. Mazal Tov to the grandparents Mrs. and Mrs. Alex Kaye. To Mr. and Mrs. Yoni Danzger (our colleague Morah Naomi) on the birth of a son. Mazal Tov to the grandparents Rabbi and Mrs. Danny Senter (our colleague Jodi) and to the great grandparents Rabbi and Mrs. Zechariah Senter. To Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe Yankelewitz on the engagement of their daughter Yael to Avi Rosenfeld. To Shmuel Coates and family on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah. To Pinchas Meyer Hirschprung and family on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah. To Yoel Jacobson and family on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah. To Yonatan Kaye and family on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah. To Ezra Nissel and family on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah. The 7G mitzvah clown visit to the Hebrew Home at Riverdale was a huge success! The girls did an amazing job of interacting and making the residents in the Hebrew Home feel appreciated. The girls enjoyed getting to know the residents they interacted with and could not believe how quickly their time together passed. Mrs. H. Hagler Join the RYNJ Parents google group, send a blank to: rynj+subscribe@googlegroups.com

5 Courage To Talk The Parshiyot of Vayeshev and Miketz may be the favorites for psychologists. Yosef hatzadik literally invents the field of dream interpretation before our very eyes! How did he do it? Surely, Yosef was a careful listener, patient, insightful, smart, and logical. But perhaps there was another quality that helped him merit this expertise. When Pharoh introduces himself to Yosef (41, 15) he tells Yosef that he has had a dream that no one has been able to interpret, and I have heard that you can comprehend a dream to interpret it. The next pasuk states that Yosef answered Pharoh ( Vayaan Yosef ) That is beyond me, it is Hashem who will interpret Pharohs dream. But what question was Yosef answering? Pharoh did not ask him anything! Pharoh was stating the cause for bringing Yosef out from jail to the palace, and was about to tell him the dream. He did not ask Yosef any question! Why did Yosef interject with a reference to Hashem? Also, shouldn t Yosef have been scared to talk out of turn to the king? Parsha and Parenting Dr. Jonathan Frohlich It seems like this is not the first time Yosef put himself at risk by interjecting the name of Hashem. In last week s parsha, the Torah comments that Hashem was with Yosef (39, 2). Rashi interprets that phrase as an allusion that Hashem s name was always on Yosef s lips. The Ramban expands on this quoting the Midrash that Yosef would whisper Hashem s name on the way in and on the way out as he would walk through Potifar s house. Specifically, he would whisper shiviti Hashem linegdi tamid. Upon noticing this, the Egyptians thought that Yosef was trying to perform magic, and were insulted You are bringing magic to Egypt? Yosef had put himself in serious danger - he was going to be punished. Hashem then performed a miracle and allowed Potifar to see the shechina standing next to Yosef. Then he was safe. But why did Yosef put himself in this compromising position that required a miracle to save himself? The Nesivos Shalom explains that Yosef lofty stature was a result of the fact that he had no hesech hadaas from Hashem his mind was constantly on Hashem wherever he went. That is why he was successful in all his other endeavors. His whispering was not a ploy, but a reflex from this constant state of focus on Hashem. Perhaps that is why Yosef immediately, reflexively, interrupted Pharoh with a comment about Hashem (and had the courage to do so), and how he was able to merit the hashgacha and clarity to interpret Pharohs dreams. It is also worthwhile to note that Yosef chose to go out of his way to articulate his connection to Hashem with spoken words, and not just though thinking. This reminds us of the transformative power of words, and how the words we say are powerful tools for shaping and maintaining our healthy beliefs and mindsets. Interestingly, the Nesivos Shalom also comments that while it is too difficult for us to have this level of concentration on Hashem these days, there is a parallel track. He writes that a person should try to have his friends on his mind throughout the day so he or she can help them. This is supported by the Gemorah in Chullin (78a) that states that if a person is in distress, he should make his trouble known to his fellows so they can pray for him. This reminds of the importance of working on our interpersonal relationships. People should feel comfortable confiding in us, and we should be wise to utilize that information productively. Perhaps both of these ideas work best together. By focusing our children on having Hashem on their minds (not just when there is a problem, but throughout the day, like Yosef did even when discussing getting through the math homework) they can better channel their interpersonal feelings and behaviors. The more I feel like Hashem is next to me, the more likely I am to resist the temptation to speak badly about someone, and the more likely I am to talk nicely about them. It also empowers us to have the courage to stand up to the crowd and say or do the right thing. As we think about our relationship with Hashem during Chanukah, perhaps we can encourage our children to have this mindset moving forward. I looking forward to hearing about the wonderful ways your children spoke nicely about others (the Middah of the Month of December) during their Chanukah break. Chag Sameach! Rosh Chodesh is a special time for Jewish women and at RYNJ our banot celebrate with a middle school breakfast each month. Our talmidot enjoy a delicious meal, participate in group activities and chessed projects, listen to guests speakers and students' divrei Torah, and enjoy round-robin learning sessions with their morot. We invite you to sponsor a Rosh Chodesh breakfast for $54 in honor or in memory of a loved one. Mothers and grandmothers of sponsoring families are invited to join us for the breakfast. Please fill out the form below and return to Morah Zucker. Contact Morah Zucker at czucker@rynj.org for more information. Thank you. Name: would like to sponsor the Rosh Chodesh breakfast for the month of in honor of: in memory of: Enclosed is a check for $54. Signature:

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