Dear SHA Community,
Today is the last day of classes for School Year 2022-23/5783!
Visit from YU President Rabbi Ari Berman and Dean Rabbi Ari Rockoff!
End-of-Year Presentation in Fourth Grade Navi!
All School Talent Show!
End-of-Year Celebrations of Learning in the Eagles, Kindergarten and Fifth Grade!
This week was the culmination of an incredible year!!
A big thank you to our PTO leadership Jamie Kahana, Myriam Malca, Zipporah Polinsky-Nagel, and their PTO team for all their hard work and for sponsoring the ice-cream truck on our last day of school.
Thank you to Ilana Segal for organizing our last day of school SHA Family picnic at Volunteer Park.
We are looking forward to saying goodbye to our teachers for the summer this coming Tuesday at our In-Service and then to our End-of-Year Admin Day later next week.
Please keep an eye out for more information about the upcoming school year including new and returning staff, afterschool program and follow up about our recent bus survey.
An idea from Perashat Shelach
The Narrative
Moshe sends 12 spies from the Jewish People’s encampment to investigate the Land of Israel.
Ten spies returned with a terrible report that maligned the land.
Two spies, Joshua and Calev, responded with the following report: We will surely go up and we will conquer and inherit the land. We can do it!
The 10 spies retorted: We cannot go up because that nation is too strong.
The Jewish People were distraught and abandoned hope.
The Lesson
In this exchange, the 10 spies conveyed their despair about the land and influenced the Jewish People to despair. The two spies, Joshua and Calev, attempted to convey their trust in G-d and His plan by describing the plan as a fait accompli. The 10 spies undermined the very foundation of this description.
This exchange serves as a lesson to us about hope for the future and for the attitude that negates hope. The possibility of future growth lies at the heart of Judaism. G-d expects us to grow and for us to make the future better than the present.
This episode conveys the importance of language. Language reflects our mindset and shapes our mindset and that of the people around us. The language that we use is a critical tool that we can use to promote growth or, G-d forbid, to prevent it.
The simple statement, “We will surely go up…” was not enough to move the Jewish People out of a negative mindset. However, it was a powerful statement, nonetheless.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Owen
