In Parshat Bamidbar, the Torah describes the arrangement of B’nei Yisroel’s camp during their travels in the desert. The Torah describes that they were arranged “ish al diglo” — each tribe with its unique flag (1:52). The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabba 2:3) provided background information for the flags. The Midrash tells us that at the time of Matan Torah, “220,000 angels descended with Him... and they were arranged according to flags.” The Midrash continues to explain that “When Israel saw that they [the angels] were arranged by flags, they began desiring flags.” G-d saw how the people wanted to resemble the angels, and thus commanded them to arrange themselves according to distinct flags for each tribe.
Rav Kalonimus of Cracow, (in a book titled Ma’or Va-shemesh) quotes another Midrash (Shemot Rabba 29:2) that explains that the impressive aspect of the angels at Har Sinai was that they descended in such a peaceful manner. He explains that generally when large numbers of people come together in cramped quarters, almost invariably fighting ensues. But the angels that descended upon Sinai were perfectly orderly and peaceful, each respecting the space of the other.
In this context, the Ma’or Va-shemesh notes, we can easily explain why Bnei Yisrael were so awe-struck and envious of these “flags.” They saw the angels arranged in different groups, each with its distinguishing banner, but without competition or conflict. They observed the various groups respecting each other’s space without violating its territory. And because each group felt content with its allotted space and never tried to extend beyond it, this large assemblage of angels was able to maintain peace and serenity despite being crowded into a small space.
We achieve peace and serenity in our lives when we respect each other’s space, when we each recognize our roles and appreciate our G-d-given lots without looking enviously at what others have or do. The Midrash teaches that “flags,” a sense of individuality and distinctiveness, are precisely the way to achieve peaceful relations and goodwill among people. If we fail to recognize that each person is assigned his or her unique role and to his or her unique set of circumstances, then persistent struggles and competition ensue. Like Bnei Yisroel in the wilderness, we all “march” through this world with our individual “flags,” with our individual roles to fill. Recognizing our degalim can go a long way toward reducing conflicts and competition, and bringing us the serenity and peace of mind that we all crave.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Samayach!
Rabbi Sam Weinberg,
Principal
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Bonnie Morris’s cousin, Mrs. Barbara Stock, spoke to the Sixth Grade Girls about her book,
Anything Is Possible
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Pre-K students enjoyed a trip to the zoo!
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Congratulations to our
Boys High School Class of 2019!
Samuel Michael V. Balyasny
Joshua Liam Mahony
Yehoshua Aryeh Ben-Lapid
Yermiyahu Robert Van Sickle
Yitzchak Isaac Brown
Yaakov Yoel Brown
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It was a beautiful evening for the first integrated indoor / outdoor Night of Art and Music to showcase the wonderful work being done as part of the Joshua L. Sindler z”l Creative Classrooms program. Families gathered under the tent in the performance space (formerly known as “The Parking Lot”) to listen to students perform on guitar, piano, and cello, and we were again graced with a duet by Sarah Clendenning and Jodi Weisfeld of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, who played “Romance in F” by Ludwig Van Beethoven. The Hillel Academy Galleries (formerly known as “The Lunchroom” and “Hallway”) made a perfect exhibition space to display the work of young artists, while Tenth Grader Yaakov Mahoney painted live.
Thank you to everyone who made this night such a success, including the Sindler family, Sarah Clendenning and Jodi Weisfeld, the student artists, Morah Julie, and Ms. Bouton, who is recovering from successful surgery, and our emcees, Amital Leibovich and Chana Yolkut. Special thanks also goes to Mrs. Huff for her extraordinary efforts in bringing this event together, and her husband, Mr. Huff, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Thank you to the talented performers for your music!
Sonia Schachter
Devora Kaminsky
Meira Shore
Perel Langer
Meira Loring
Chaya Bracha Senft
Rachelle Eisenberg
Eliyanah VanSickle
Theresa Schachter
Zachary Swedarsky
Eliezer Russell
Rafi Smith
Eli Berelowitz
Ashi Itskowitz
Mikey Karoll
Kayla Swedarsky
Asaf Felder
Hannah Swedarsky
Batya Mandelbaum
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First Grade students performed their Frog and Toad skits for the Kindergarten class.
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The Tomchei Shabbos program is a vital part of giving back to the community which sustains us, and the families who benefit truly appreciate it; over the years Rabbi Wasserman has received letters from families expressing their gratitude. If you would like to help, please contact Mrs. Aronson at
[email protected]
or 412 521-8131, or Dan Kraut at
[email protected]
.
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STEMFEST 2019
STEMFEST is a celebration of all things science, technology, engineering and math that our students have been working on all year. Day in and day out, they are engaged in creative problem solving, scientific inquiry, and skill acquisition. The variety of projects the students showcased was amazing, and so was the enthusiasm and pride with which they explained their work. Thank you for all your hard work!
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STEMFEST 2019
STEMFEST is a celebration of all things science, technology, engineering and math that our students have been working on all year. Day in and day out, they are engaged in creative problem solving, scientific inquiry, and skill acquisition. The variety of projects the students showcased was amazing, and so was the enthusiasm and pride with which they explained their work. Thank you for all your hard work!
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Kids 17 and under have FREE ADMISSION to the Heinz History Center every Sunday in June.
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We are excited to open registration for Hillel Academy Summer Camps. This is our fourth year of offering summer camp, and every year is more fun and exciting than the last. This year we have four separate divisions ranging from ages three years old through Eighth Grade. Our most significant improvement will be the addition of Ms. Rebecca Huff to our team. As you know, Ms. Huff is the STEAM coordinator at Hillel and we will be incorporating various week long explorations into Robotics, Coding, Ecology, Fine Art, for out campers.
Please contact Rabbi Akiva Sutofsky (
[email protected]
) or Ms. Faigy Nadoff (
[email protected]
) with questions regarding the Teen Torah and Travel Camp (Grades 4- 8).
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The Hillel Happenings is published on Thursdays. Please submit stories, photos and ads by Wednesday afternoon to:
Thank you!
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Interested volunteers please contact
Dan Kraut
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When you #StartWithaSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh. Bookmark the link and support us every time you shop.
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/25-1067130
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MISSION STATEMENT
At Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, we educate young men and women with unlimited capacity who compete in a superior manner in all challenges undertaken. Our students are Torah observant models of exemplary character, who love G-d, the Jewish people, and the land of Israel. To say that our students possess a love of learning, confidence and the ability to think critically, merely highlights the value of a Hillel education. What we ultimately achieve each day, and have been achieving for 70 years, is the gift of instilling each student with the foundation for a life spent actively serving and leading the Jewish community and society.
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