Dear Parents:

ברוכים הבאים!

שלום וברכה!

Welcome back to the new school year!   Bezrat Hashem we look forward to another special year for our children and entire Kehilla. It is a special feeling to see the dedication of a faculty and staff who care so much about the entire well-being of our children.  Over the past few weeks our faculty and staff have been planning and preparing so we can continue to refresh and upgrade our programs as we educate our students to become Portraits of a Hillel Graduate.  Our Strategic Plan is the guiding force to ensure we remain focused on our educational goals.  

Please check your email each week for the Hillel Happenings. This will ensure you are up to date with everything happening in our amazing Kehilla.

We begin the year with blessings to all of us that we and our children be inscribed in the Book of Life and Good Health with happiness and joy.  

Biveracha and with wishes for ketivah vachatimah tovah

Rabbi Y. Boruch Sufrin

Head of School

P.S.  I remind everyone at this time that everyone counts at Hillel.  If you are not sure who to reach out to for any issue or item please always use the default email of [email protected] and your item will be forwarded to the correct desk.

In this week's parasha of כי תצא -- "Ki Teze," we learn about the mitzvah of השבת אבידה -- "returning lost property." This mi tzvah teaches us about our אחריות - responsibility to care about others and about their property, as well. The commandment is such that upon seeing lost property, a person is required to pick it up and return it to its owner. The Torah goes a step further in its directive with the phrase:  לא תוכל להתעלם - "you are not allowed to hide yourself" and pretend you did not see the lost item. What is the reason for this added part of the obligation? And why is it just as important for the fulfillment of this mitzvah to "not stand idly by?"

The commentaries explain that Hashem wants humans to reach the purest spiritual level of responsibility and compassion, the level at which we intrinsically care about others. In the Torah's declaration: לא תוכל להתעלם -- "you will not be able to hide yourself," G-d is conveying His desire that each person reach a point where he or she does not even contemplate hiding from responsibility. This means that a person brings him or herself to a point where this behavior is natural.  It would be something a person is "not able" to ignore someone else's property not being returned to them. In Hebrew the word לא תוכל -- " Lo Tuchal" is interpreted to mean just that. It is of paramount importance to consider others' needs, the Torah warns us that pretending not to notice a lost object is unacceptable"

This Torah's vision for a person to intrinsically fulfill this mitzvah of  -- "returning lost property," falls in line with the Rambam's opinion in Sefer Hayad (Laws of Teshuva Chapter 10). Rambam explains that a person should strive to achieve the level of Avraham Avinu , "our forefather," who was the embodiment of the highest qualities of character. One of Avraham's greatest middot was his exemplary way of committing acts of loving kindness to all. He loved all people, even total strangers, and his love of others extended to their property as well. Avraham Avinu served G-d out of pure love, completely לשמה -- " lishma" with no ulterior motive.

This is an important message for us as we prepare for a New Year.  At this juncture in the year we seek to serve Hashem and fulfill His mitzvot with the same sense of אחריות- "responsibility" and love as Avraham Avinu. May we all be blessed to emulate this intrinsic trait of our forefather Avraham and be blessed in turn by Hashem with a ketivah vachatimah tovah.