Moshe The Humble - וארא & בא

    Last week at the Shabbat Assembly we talked  about knowing your strengths and being proud of them. Moshe Rabeinu is called in sefer Devarim "the most humble of all people".  As defined in a dictionary,  humble means "1. Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful. 2. Showing deferential or submissive respect 3. Low in rank, quality, or station; unpretentious or lowly:"

These do not sound like Moshe’s characteristics. He was the leader of the Jewish People. Moshe  took the Jewish People out of Mizrayim, the strongest country at the time. He spoke to Pharoah and put miraculous plagues on the people of Mizrayim. Above all, he spoke to God and argued  with God on behalf of the Jewish people. These are not actions of  a "meek, submissive" individual.  Moshe needed to be assertive and proud, and to believe that what he was doing was the right thing. How could he be considered "the most humble of all people"?

I related to the students a story from my junior year in high school. I loved playing basketball and I was pretty good for a Jewish high school player. I gave 110% in every practice and game, and I wanted to win. In one game that year I remember something my coach told me during the timeout. It was a close game and we had the ball with 20 seconds left. We were down by 1 point. The coach drew out a play, a double screen for me to take the shot. As we left the huddle the coach pulled me aside and said, “ this is your shot. You are our best shooter. Even if they drop off one of your teammates to double  team, you take the shot.” We ran the play to perfection and the shot went in -  swish! One of my high school highlights for sure. It felt great to win, and win in the last moment.  WOW! After all the hoopla, I asked the coach why he pulled me aside. He said that sometimes I was too nice with passing the ball and sometimes I gave up my shot attempt. He needed me to more assertive and realize that I was the best chance for our team to win in that situation. He said that people who know what their strengths are and use them are not arrogant people. They are people who recognize how to use their strengths. If you walk into school tomorrow and say to everyone, "Hey coach thinks I am the best and always pass me the ball, etc., that is arrogant and haughty.”  I never forgot that conversation.

I think that this helps me understand my question about Moshe. Moshe had many strengths. He needed to use these abilities to help the Jewish People. He needed to be assertive and push Pharoah to the brink. He needed to fight for the survival of the Jewish People against God. He needed to judge the people in the desert for 40 years.  He had all the makings of a person who could have been arrogant, haughty, pretentious, and nasty, but he was not. He was humble. For this reason he is called the most humble of all people. He had the biggest challenge to stay humble and he did. 

It is important to know what our strengths are,  and to use them when we need to,  with pride. If someone needs help with a problem in school or on the ball fields, help him or her,  and do it humbly.  Follow the role model of Moshe, a person who had an abundance of talents,  but who was, at the same time, the most humble of all.

What is in a Name? Yaakov and Yisrael

In the Shabbat Assembly this past week, I spoke to the students about the power of our Hebrew names. In Parshat Vayishlach, Hashem gives Yaakov a new name. Earlier in Sefer Bereshit, Hashem had changed Avraham and Sarah's names, too. 

What’s in a name?  The parsha got me thinking about our Hebrew names and it reminded me of a conversation I had with a 5th grade student last week. We were studying the story of Yael in Sefer Shoftim. A student said to me, "That is my story. My name is Yael." She was very excited about learning about her name sake. She told me that she was going to ace the test and she did. She felt connected to the Yael in Tanach and everything she taught us. I started to think about other friends and their Hebrew names. I had a friend, Michael, whose Hebrew name was Moshe, and he was a leader. He was the person who took charge and guided us. These were, of course, also characteristics of Moshe Rabeinu. Another friend, whose name was Aharon, was always looking to make peace among us. He was like Aharon HaKohen. I asked the students to discuss this at their Shabbat tables and see if they could find connections between their family members’ Hebrew names and the people for whom they were named.

I think you will be surprised by the connections you’ll find!!

Devorah - The right Influence

At this weeks Shabbat Assembly we talked about the influence our parents, teachers, siblings, and friends have on on us. In last week's Parsha we had the meeting of Eliezer and Rivka at the well. Rivka did all the things that Eliezer was looking to find. She gave water to Eliezer and the animals she showed great chesed. Rav Soloveitchik asked a simple but powerful question. Where did Rivka learn these great Middot. She lived in Bethuel's house with Lavan. These people are not the best example of Chesed. The Rav answered that it was her nurse, Devorah, that influenced her the most. Later in Sefer Bereshit we see the description, "Devorah, the nurse of Rivka died".

We see that people learn from everyone they encounter.  You learn from you parents and siblings and they learn from you. In school the younger students teach and influence the younger students. As a school we influence each other.  In the Lunchroom when someone comes to the table and there are no more seats available what we do influences our school community. We should offer to find a seat with this person at another table. The same could be true of situations at recess. What do we do when someone want to play baseletball or football but the teams are full?  We should figure out a way to include everyone.

These decisions set a tone and a culture for the school community. They influence others in how to act in our school and in the world. The influences from child to child might be more powerful than from parent or a teacher.  So it is up to you, the students, the set the tone and have a good influence on each other. 

Post Hurricane Sandy

The week after Hurricane Sandy swept through the tri state area, I shared with the children a Torah insight at the Shabbat Assembly.  I thought of this idea while sitting in shul on the upper east side of Manhattan, enjoying the warmth and power of the Hachnasot Orchim of my friends and of the entire community. 

At the end of Parshat Lech Lecha, God tells Avraham that Sarah will have a baby boy and that they should call him Yitzchak. The Parsha then ends and the next Parsha, Vayeira, starts with the three visitors to Avraham's tent. The visitors were sent by God to deliver a message to Sarah about the child she will give birth to in a year’s time. This is a very important message, one that Avraham and Sarah have been waiting to receive for a very long time. I would think that the new Parsha would open with a Pasuk telling this message to Avraham and Sarah. The Torah instead spends eight pasukim talking about the visitors and the provisions that were given to them. Avraham greets the visitors and welcomes them into his home. He washes their dirty feet. Sarah makes them food to eat and gives them water to drink.  Why do we need to wait so many Pasukim to hear the line " Sarah your wife will have a son"?

Looking at the eight pasukim, I realized that there might be a very important message hidden in them.  This message is a significant one for all generations to learn.  I think that what God is telling us is that sometimes there are presents, gifts, or good messages that are waiting and ready for us. God is holding them for us in his pocket, so to speak. However, we need to do something in order to receive these gifts or messages. The eight pasukim about how Avraham and Sarah engaged in Hachnasot Orchim show us that we need to do the right thing, to perform Mitzvot, and to act properly.  Then God will give us what we deserve. 

Over the last 2 weeks, people both inside and outside of the Jewish community have very generously participated in the Mitzvah of Hachnasot Orchim. I hope that all our prayers are accepted and that God’s gifts are bestowed upon all of us.

Noach with a Twist

This week’s Shabbat assembly for Parshat Noach included a surprise skit performed by several 5^th grade girls.  They called it, Tanach with a Twist. The girls wrote an adaptation of the Flood Story in Parshat Noach.  The main character was Noa, (a girl), and G-d told her to build an ark.  The five girls did a great job in telling the story in a fun and engaging manner for their young audience.  The first, second and  third graders were riveted by the performance.  The girls used many stuffed animals as props, and the person who played G-d was hidden, so that G-d’s commands seemed to come out of thin air.  One of the best lines of the play was when Noa thanked  G-d for saving them and asks for a place to eat.  G-d says,  “we have no restaurants.  I just destroyed the world.”  Noa responded, “I guess I can make one called Noa’s Ark.”

Observing these 5h graders prepare all week for this five minute skit and seeing the reaction they received from almost 250 students, I realized that despite all the technology and the media these children have at their finger tips, they still enjoy and love to watch other children perform.  It was a powerful lesson and reminder to me, as an educator and parent, about the power of children teaching other children.  Our children are our best and most precious resource for making Judaism and Torah alive and exciting.

Thank you to Efrat, Daniella S., Gittel, Miriam and Yael M. for your great performance.

Gan Eden:Our Homes and Schools

At the Shabbat Assembly this past week,  I spoke about Adam in Gan Eden. We talked about how "man" was created last of all the creations. The sun and the moon were already in place for him. The trees and the grass were growing for him. Rivers and oceans were filled with water for him. Man, Adam, had everything he needed to be successful. Hashem had set up Adam's environment so that mankind could flourish and be successful. Adam was given the job, as the Torah states, "to work it and guard it" (Bereshit 2:15). Adam's job was to keep the great environment that was created for him running smoothly. He needed to take care of things in order for Gan Eden to be useful for mankind.

I connected this idea to our homes and then to our great school. I said that the children’s homes are their own Gan Edens that their parents have created for them and their families. Parents give their children the resources they need in order to grow emotionally and physically   In school, parents and teachers have created a wonderful environment for the students to grow academically, emotionally and physically. We have great classes in which they learn Math, Science, English, History, Chumash, Navi, and Ivrit, as well as Art and Music. We have amazing grounds for recess and PE classes. We can play in kickball leagues, on floor hockey teams, on basketballs teams, and be part of debate and stock market teams and much, much more. 

Our job as students is to "work and guard" our Gan Eden. We need to work at making our school a place that is good for everyone, one in which  all students and staff feel comfortable and thrive. We also need to take care of it physically, by cleaning up after ourselves and picking things up off the floor. It is, in its own way, our Gan Eden, of which we should be proud.

We need to support our school and keep our Gan Eden functioning. One way to show your support is to participate in the 5K run or in the 1 mile walk on November 11, 2012. Just being there to cheer on the runners is a statement that you care about your school.  Last year over 200 Yavneh students participated in the run. This year there is a new way that you can show your support. You can set up a webpage and obtain sponsors or donations for your participation in the event.

As people who benefit from our school we need to work for it and guard it for the future. Be like Adam and support your school, your Gan Eden!

For more information, check out our website at

 http://www.yavnehacademy.org/news/5k-run   

http://www.firstgiving.com/12085/BenjaminSchwartzMemorial-5k-run-1-mile-fun-runwalk

The Sukkot Team - Lulav, Etrog, Hadasim, and Aravot

This past Shabbat assembly I spoke with the students about the importance of a team.  Each player has his or her role, and every player is important to the group.  Teams that understand this are the most successful, both in sports and in other domains.  I shared with the students my own experience from way back in 1986, when  I was selected to play in the Maccabi Youth Games at York University in Canada.  (I did not know it at the time, but it was the last time the Maccabi Youth Games were international).  I was very excited to be chosen to play on our Metropolitan Yeshiva League team.

When the team gathered in Canada, I knew some of the players but not others.  One boy walked in and almost hit his head on the door frame.  He was really tall, around 6’8”.  Another player was built like a tank.  He was as wide as he was tall.  Once we started practicing, it was clear that one player had been selected for his speed.  He was as fast as lightning.  He dribbled right past and around all of us.  I was not the 6’8” kid, or the one built like a tank, or the super fast one, so why was I on the team?  The coach told us all at the first practice that on this team “each player had his role.”  We were chosen because each of us had something unique to contribute to the team!

Our roles became clear at our first game.  The tallest player and the “tank” were responsible for getting all of the rebounds and throwing them to “speedy” so he could score.  This plan worked out great and we won the first game by 70 points.  I got to play the last 10 minutes of this game.  Throughout the next game, the score was close.  “Speedy” was in foul trouble and fouled out.  I took his place.  I was nervous, but Coach told me I was ready for this because I had practiced hard.  I played the last five minutes and we won by five points.   After that, I played a total of five minutes in the remaining  six games.  I was annoyed that I had played so few minutes.  The coach understood that my minutes in the games were important to me, but he told me that the minutes in practice were important to the team.  When I practiced hard, it made the starters better and the team better, as a whole.  The sum of all the parts was greater than the whole.

This is the message of the Arba Minim.  The Etrog, Lulav, Hadasim, and Aravot represent the different types of people who comprise the Jewish People.  Each type of person in the Jewish People has his or her strengths and weaknesses.  We may not accomplish everything as individuals,  but when we are together, held together like the Arba Minim, we can succeed as one, as the Jewish People. This is the lesson from holding the Arba Minim together.  All types of people are important to the success of humankind,  and we need to be open to, and accepting of all people. 

Shabbat Shalom and  Chag Sameach 

Rabbi Steven Penn