Haman Rises Above. Innovative Program? TEAM Purim 5773 SPIRITS

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1 TAURUS A MESS TEAM Purim 5773 SPIRITS NOOSELETTER JUST IN FUN...JUST IN FUN. PUBLISHED ONLY ONCE A YEAR, BORUCH HASHEM! Innovative Program? Principal of the Shushan Sheker Academy, Mrs. Zeresh D Haman, announced a new program for her school entitled Responsive Clashroom. Mrs. D Haman explained the students had started becoming too kind with one another and she needed a proven approach to make the children feel insignificant, cut off from community and to just plain suffer. Commenting on this development, rival principal Vashti D Achashveirosh of Purple Pimple Prep could only wag her tail and declare: The only part of this great program that they ll be able to implement is Mourning Meeting! (You know, that s where everyone sits on the floor ) Haman Rises Above Disguised as part of a construction project, Haman s 50 cubit high gallows have miraculously appeared in N. Miami Beach. The construction workers would only say that they were told to bring it because of something called Logical Consequences

2 T O R A S E M E S A C A D E M Y O F M I A M I FEBRUARY 22, 2013 בס''ד TEAM Spirit פרשת תצוה פרשת זכור CANDLE LIGHTING 6:00 pm Tamar Brody S.S. Hadassa Grossman T.S. Avital Gutfreund S.S. Noa Gutfreund T.S. Yael Kanoff T.S. Daniella Katz S.S. Esty Newman S.S. Shayna Schwartz S.S. Shoshana Wunsch S.S. Aliza Zeines T.S. STAR STUDENTS David Feldman S.S. Benny Kanoff T.S. Daniel Lasry S.S. Dan Leonoff T.S. & S.S. Shalom Marcus S.S. Natan Mizrahi T.S. David Sharbani T.S. Yaacov Suissa S.S. Shelomo Sutton T.S. Shmuel Vaiselberg T.S. REMINDER: PURIM NO SCHOOL THIS SUNDAY. SHUSHAN PURIM CARNIVAL, COSTUME CONTEST & BBQ ON MONDAY SESSIONS 9:00-2:00. Aliza Bokor Pesha Dreyfuss Batsheva Druin Rochi Gassner Daniella Katz Malky Koot Kayla Lefkowitz Debbie Nash Lea Riesel Batzie Rubin Perri Ruck Esther Shaffren Aliza Turner Tamara Yeshurun TEAM PLAYERS Daniel Akrish Shlomo Alfassy Simcha Bistritz Ariel Chattah Moishe Danziger Dovid Kaplan Aaron Riesel Shea Rosenberg Aryeh Sova Shaya Steinberg

3 PROGRESS REPORTS AND PARENT- TEACHER CONFERENCES P rogress reports should be arriving next week. Parent-teacher conferences are taking place, IY H, next Sunday, March 3 from 9:00-1:00 and Tuesday, March 5 from 5:30 until 9:00 PM. Note: There are no classes on Sunday but regular 8:30-4 classes on Tuesday. APPOINTMENTS MUST BE MADE TITLE 1 & RESOURCE ROOM CONFERENCES M rs. Glatt will be available to meet with parents of students in the Title I Program from 6:00-9:00 PM on Tuesday, March 5. Mrs. Berman will be available to meet parents of students in the A.C.E. program on Sunday from 9:00-1:00 and Tuesday from 6:00-9:00. Please call Mrs. Tamir in the boys office at to schedule your Title 1 and Resource Room appointments. IN ADVANCE. Please call Mrs. Tamir in the boys office at to schedule your appointments or follow the instructions for scheduling your appointment online at RAISING G.R.E.A.T. CHILDREN Rabbi Baumann s Parenting Class takes place on Tuesday mornings, 8:45-9:30, in the Library. Please join us! This week s topic: GUIDING CHILDREN TOWARD RESPONSIBILITY PIZZA O rder forms were sent home today for the new pizza cycle, which begins next Friday, March 1. If you would like your child(ren) to receive pizza, please fill out the order form and send it in with payment on Monday. Remember: If you would like your child to purchase canteen items with their pizza (chips and each), please send a dollar with each child on Fridays.

4 REFUAH SHELAIMA WOW! TALENT ABOUNDS AT TORAS EMES! Yehuda Pinchas ben Asna Leah Devorah bas Rachel Yoel Efraim ben Baila Avraham Shlomo ben Ita Yosef ben Rus Yechezkel ben Tova Rafael Yoel Ozer ben Chaya Malka Aryeh Yitzchak ben Ilana Tirtza Yitzchak Reuven ben Malka MAZEL TOV T o Rabbi and Mrs. Zvi Rosenbaum and family on the birth of a grandson, born to O ur Purim Talent Shows were so much fun! A great start to our Purim celebrations! The students showed us how talented they are in so many varied areas. We heard beautiful musical performances, watched gymnastics and dance, and enjoyed hula hooping while singing and hula hooping while reciting poetry! The keyboard was put to good use as students shared their piano playing expertise. Other instruments we enjoyed were the guitar and flute and even whistling! We laughed at the stand up comedy routine and marveled at broom balancing, bike riding prowess, and a nunchaku kata. What a talented bunch of students!!! their daughter, our alumna, Shira and Aryeh Berkowitz. T o Rabbi and Mrs. Yaakov Homnick and family on the birth of a granddaughter, born to their son, our alumnus, Chaim and Yael Homnick. T o Rabbi and Mrs. Ephraim Palgon and family on the engagement of their daughter, our alumna, Leora to Yossi Estersohn. MISHNAYOS PROGRAM N ow that the learning part of the program is officially over, our hard working Masmidim can look forward to enjoying the fruits of their labor. We re waiting with great anticipation for the Gala Siyum Mishnayos, to take place in a few weeks.

5 1ST GRADE CHUMASH PARTIES T his was a most memorable week for all of our extraordinary first graders! Toras Emes teemed with excitement on Wednesday as our children, dressed up for the occasion, celebrated receiving their first Chumash at parties filled with song, learning, gifts and delicious refreshments. The parents, grandparents and siblings shepped much nachas as they enjoyed this milestone in their lives, while the pride felt by the administration, teachers and staff was palpable. A tremendous Yasher Koach goes to Mrs. Cohen, Mrs. Rosenbaum and Rabbi Goldenberg, our first grade Limudei Kodesh teachers, for their inspiring teaching and preparations for their students special day. Yasher Koach to our very own Miss P nina Flamholtz, Mrs. Aliza Becker, and Mrs. Esta Rosenberg whose help was invaluable in putting together the presentations. We greatly appreciate the assistance of the parents committee heads, Mrs. Karen Feldman (boys and girls) and Mrs. Sandra Getzel (girls) who organized a host of dedicated volunteers whose combined talents and efforts made these magnificent parties possible. The tremendous efforts and talents of the many parent volunteers is greatly appreciated. Yasher Koach to the following parents (in no particular order) for their help with snacks, food, drinks, supplies, gifts, set up, clean up, balloons, and other invaluable support: Mrs. Rachel Lieberman Mrs. Tamar Goldenberg Mrs. Amy Suissa Mrs. Rochi Schwartz Mrs. Vered Zaig Mrs. Shanit Corcos Mrs. Ana Bisker Mrs. Nechama Tzur Mrs. Yael Koskas Mrs. Rachel Breier Mrs. Aliza Goldenberg Mrs. Nechama Danziger Mrs. Rimma Rubinov Mrs. Yael El-Gad Mrs. Paola Leonoff We would like to express our Hakoras HaTov to the following families for being sponsors and patrons of the Chumash parties: The Breier Family The Feldman Family The Gassner Family The Getzel Family The Lasry Family The Licht Family If your name was inadvertently omitted from this list, please forgive the oversight and consider yourself thanked for making this occasion a huge success. BOOT THE LOOT! A ll children and families are encouraged to bring in excess candies from Purim into school to be donated to the Food Bank. Items must be from a store, closed packages only, bearing an OU, OK, Chaf-K, or Star-K. Items will be accepted Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

6 1st GRADE CHUMASH PARTIES!

7 PURIM TALENT SHOWS-BOYS 5773

8 OUR TALENTED REBBEIM!

9 PURIM TALENT SHOWS-GIRLS 5773

10 1G-R MARBLE JAR PROJECT 1G-R MAKES PURIM MEGILLAS

11 Erev Shabbos Parashas Tetzaveh Parashas Zachor 5773 Dear Parents, Purim is a time to focus on community, unity and Ahavas Yisroel. Three of the four Mitzvos of the day are tied directly to strengthening bonds of love and closeness between people. In an eye-opening talk for educators, given by Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz, Shlita, of Yerusholayim, and facilitated by the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation in its anti-bullying campaign, he examines one of the foundations of Bein Adam L Chaveiro, interpersonal relationships. Rabbi Berkowitz suggests that being Dan L Chaf Zechus, judging others favorably is a key to loving relationships between people. Being critical and finding fault with others is a wedge that separates people. Learning to see others in a positive light draws people together. The difficulty in judging favorably is the apparent need to be extremely creative in conjuring up far-fetched scenarios to explain away seemingly bad behavior. This is a misconception, says Rabbi Berkowitz, and he proves it through another question. The Torah source for judging favorably is B Tzedek Tishpot Amisecha (Vayikra 19:15) with righteousness shall you judge. This Pasuk, however, is also the source of several Halachic requirements that assure that judges will judge in accordance with the truth. Judges judging is all about the truth, no matter how harsh that may be, but judging favorably seems to bend the truth in order to be kind to one s fellow. How could the same Pasuk teach both? Rabbi Berkowitz explains: Judging favorably is not a departure from the truth. In actuality, judging favorably as the Halacha requires it is coming closest to the truth under the circumstances. For example: A person known to be a Shomer Shabbos person is spotted driving a car on a Shabbos afternoon. What are the facts? 1) He is known as a Shomer Shabbos person. 2) He was driving a car on Shabbos. Is it more plausible to say he suddenly stopped being careful about a severe, universally known violation of Shabbos, or is it not more likely that this is a Halachically sanctioned circumstance in which it is permitted to drive on Shabbos? Judging favorably means that what makes the most sense is that this person has not reversed a decades-old manner of behavior and acted out of character. Although what appears in front of us now points to something different, it is more plausible to apply an unusual circumstance to this case than to say a lifetime of behavior has just reversed itself. continued

12 2. This explains how the same Pasuk can teach both judging honestly in a courtroom and judging others in a favorable light in the courts of our mind. It also makes the task of judging favorably infinitely easier. We are not dealing in a surreal world where reality is suspended to make others look good. We re not supposed to be fools, we re not to allow ourselves to be taken advantage of. We judge favorably as the Torah requires, because a careful analysis of all the factors involved yields the most likely and therefore truthful conclusion; that a person who is known to be careful in a certain matter, did not suddenly reverse his own pattern of behavior. That is why the Halacha is different for a Tzadik, a middle-of-the-road type person (Beinoni) and a Rasha. (*see below) This is a somewhat complicated concept to teach young children. What is very simple, however, is that were we to live by the Torah s precept of judging favorably, our children will learn from what we do even more than what we say, and will come to a higher level of Ahavas Yisrael, through witnessing and experiencing their parents behavior. This will help them have a more successful and happy life, every parent s goal for their beloved children. Have a wonderful Shabbos and a Simcha and Achdus-filled Purim, Rabbi Kalman Baumann Principal *Rabbeinu Yonah explains these are not global descriptions, but every person can be a Tzadik in one area, a Beinoni in another etc. For example, someone careful about Kashrus but not as careful about Loshon Hara is considered a Tzaddik about Kashrus issues and a Beinoni about Lashon Hara issues. When judging such a person, their prior performance in each particular area determines how he or she is to be judged in this case.

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