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Next Week
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Sunday, May 6
Baseball @ Cathedral (V:3:45)
Softball vs. Notre Dame (4:00)
Boys' Tennis @ Gann (11:30)
Monday, May 7
AP Psychology (afternoon)
JV Baseball vs. Trinity (3:30)
Tuesday, May 8
Student Council Speeches
Softball @ SSCA (4:00)
Baseball vs. SSCA (V:4:00)
Wednesday, May 9
Student Council Elections
AP English Literature (morning)
AP Physics 2 (afternoon)
Softball @ Ursuline (4:00)
Baseball @ Chelsea (V:6:30)
Thursday, May 10
US Retreat - no classes
Friday, May 11
US Retreat - no classes
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In Two Weeks
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AP Exam: Bio (morning)
Tuesday, May 15
Faculty Meeting
3:00 dismissal
Rosh Chodesh Sivan
Special 10th grade davening and breakfast
Girls' Choir Performance: X-Block in shul (female faculty and students)
Boys' Tennis vs. Dedham (3:34)
Softball @ Fontbonne (4:00)
Baseball @ Millis
(V: 3:45)
Wednesday, May 16
AP Exam: Calculus (morning)
Girls' Tennis @ Penguin Hall (3:30)
Baseball @ Boston Trinity (
JV:3:30)
Thursday, May 17
AP Exam: World History (morning)
Softball @ Ursuline (4:00)
Baseball @ Chelsea (v:6:30)
Friday, May 18
Erev Shabbos Shavuos
1:10 Dismissal
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www.maimonides.org
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D'var Torah
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by Rabbi Dov Huff
Rav Aharon Lichtenstein asks a question about this week's parsha regarding the prohibition for a kohen to become impure from a dead body. Rav Lichtenstein asks: What is this mitzvah doing in Parshat Emor? After all, it is really the first half of Sefer Vayikra which is devoted to the laws pertaining to the kohanim and the Beit Hamikdash. The latter half of Sefer Vayikra, in which we find ourselves now, deals with mitzvot beyond the scope of the Beit Hamikdash - including the high standards for a Jew in Parshat Kedoshim, the laws of kashrut in Shemini, and the chagim of Parshat Emor, to list a few. These mitzvot are relevant for all of Am Yisrael. So why is this prohibition, specific to a kohen, placed in this half of Sefer Vayikra?
Rav Lichtenstein answers that until now, we have only considered the identity of the kohen as it expresses itself within the four walls of the Beit Hamikdash. We have thought about his qualifications, what he wears, and his daily schedule. The introduction of this mitzvah of tumat meit forces us to broaden our thinking about the kohen outside the confines of the Beit Hamikdash. What happens when he steps outside? When he hangs up his vestments, ties his laces, and heads home?
Similarly, the Ramban notes the unusual phrase "emor el hakohanim" at the beginning of the parsha. Usually when a mitzvah is commanded to the kohanim it is addressed to "Aharon and his sons." Why the different formulation? The Ramban answers that the latter, more common phrase is used to refer to the priests in their capacity of working in the Beit Hamikdash. But here we must shift our focus to the individuals as they exist outside the confines of the Beit Hamikdash.
We found out this week that our own kohen is completing the term of his avodat hakodesh in our mikdash me'at - his holy work in the service of our community's most precious keilim, our children. Naty Katz is stepping down after 10 years in his role. He fulfilled the kohen's noble charge to drive the education of the Jewish community. He lived in the spirit of the kohen hagadol mea'echav given the monumental task of min hamikdash lo yeitzei - of total, constant, and uninterrupted focus on his holy work for his community.
The Ramban ends his commentary by saying that the kedushah, the unique and special status of the kohen, is not totally dependent on their being within the boundaries of the temple. They have their own inherant kedushah, a status they carry with them as teachers and leaders of a community even after they leave. In the words of the Ramban, "since they are kohanei Hashem, servants of our G-d... they always carry themselves with kavod ugedulah."
We have tremendous hakarat hatov to Naty and the indelible impact he made on our community and our children. We know that he, too, will continue to carry the kavod and kedushah - the marks of someone who devoted so much time to educating Jewish children. And we wish him well as he hangs up his bigdei kehuna at Maimonides and continues mei'gedulah l'gedulah and me'chayil el chayil.
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Thoughts of the Rav
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by Rabbi Dov Huff
We generally think that a key difference between Shabbos and yom tov is that while yom tov is designated by man, through our ability to declare the new moon, Shabbos was designated by Hashem as the recurring day of rest. This difference is highlighted in the phraseology of the brachot we make in kiddush on both days.
Yom tov
- "we bless G-d who is mekadesh Yisrael vehazmanim" - He blessed the Jewish people, who in turn sanctify the yom tov.
Shabbos
- "we bless G-d who is mekadesh haShabbat" - He Himself sanctifies Shabbos.
The Rav references a Yerushalmi in Pesachim, which has a text of kiddush on Shabbos that includes "Yisrael" in the process of sanctifying Shabbos as well. The Rav concludes that there are two aspects of kedusha in Shabbos: One from Hashem and one from us.
The Rav says that we sanctify Shabbos through the recitation of kiddush, and suggests that it is for this reason that the Shulchan Aruch insists that one make kiddush immediately after returning to the house Friday night, so as not to delay doing our part in the sanctification of Shabbos. The Rav says that it is also this contribution of ours which allows us to do tosefet Shabbos - to extend Shabbos beyond the prescribed time.
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| Seniors Perform Community Service Through Project Shalom |
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Since the beginning of January, seniors have been participating in Project Shalom, an Upper School initiative in which students volunteer in the community for a range of non-profit organizations, schools, museums, and governmental agencies. This year Project Shalom sites included Henry Grew Elementary School in Boston, Sharon Public Schools, CAMERA, Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island, Beth Israel Hospital, and Chetwynde Senior Center... to name just a few. Here are a few of their stories from this semester.
Meirit Cohen volunteered at the Jewish Women's Archive, where she was
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Meirit Cohen '18 (left) and Dina Adelsky '02 |
supervised by alumna Dina (Pittel) Adelsky '02. "My goals for Project Shalom were to be inspired, educated, and gain an idea of how a nonprofit works," Meirit noted. Mrs. Adelsky added that "Meirit has brought a positivity to every aspect of her work here! In preparing to make greeting cards featuring four women profiled on our site, Meirit read through their published writings and interviews in search of perfect quotes to print on the front of the cards. She meticulously searched for photos to use on the website for profiles of women included in the Jewish Women's Archive and took care to document her work so that the next person working on this project will be able to continue where she left off."
Shira Almekies spent her Project Shalom time at Helping Hands Monkey Helpers, a
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Shira Almekies '18 |
nonprofit organization which trains monkeys to assist disabled individuals and provide them with more independence. "I learned a lot working with monkeys, from their gestures to the different sounds they make, and it was all very cool to learn," says Shira, who helped care for the monkeys. "Shira had such a wonderful attitude, and it was great to see her confidence around the monkeys grow over the course of the semester," said
Natalie Shelton-May, volunteer coordinator for Helping Hands Monkey Helpers.
While most Project Shalom initiatives benefited the broader community, some students chose to focus on projects right here at Maimonides. Elad Jeselsohn '18 (below, second from left) organized a weekly Torah learning session for Middle School students as part of his Project Shalom commitment.
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| Last Day of Classes for Seniors |
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The Class of 2018 celebrated their last day of classes yesterday. This much-anticipated day included a festive breakfast, a welcome to the ranks of Maimonides alumni by Director of Alumni Relations Mike Rosenberg, expressions of hakarat hatov via letters to teachers and special recognition of the facilities staff, water sports in the courtyard, a barbecue lunch and bonding with classmates, and a last run through the Upper School hallways. The students will be focusing on their senior projects for the remainder of the year.
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Run Around the Res
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by Mike Rosenberg
One second separated the first- and second-place boys' finishers in this week's spring Run Around the (Route 9) Reservoir, a semi-annual event sponsored by the Physical Education Department. Sophomore J.J. Berlove finished the course in the winning time of five minutes, 19 seconds. His classmate Itay Nevo ran a time of 5:20. Ninth
graders Sam Herzlinger and Shimon Thumim tied for third, followed by Natanel Bell and Yoni Saltzman, both in grade 8.
On the girls' side, the leader was victorious by a wider margin - 15 seconds. The girls' winner was Natalie Neusner, Grade 7, with a time of six minutes, 49 seconds. The next four finishers were Tova Gelb, Grade 9; Noi Eitan, Grade 7; Shira Sokolinski, Grade 10; and Nehara Biala-Mirsky, Grade 7.
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Upper School Retreat Next Weekend
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Students and faculty are looking forward to next weekend's Upper School Retreat, which will take place from Thursday, May 10 through Friday, May 13 at Camp Yavneh in Northwood, NH. Details have been sent to parents from the Student Life Office, including contact information and a packing list.
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| 2016 Upper School Retreat |
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| The Glass Menagerie Onstage Monday! |
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Our Upper School students have been working hard to bring you this year's amazing Upper School play! The play being presented is
"The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams.
The performance will be Monday, May 7 at 7:00 p.m. The play will be in the Fox gym on Saval campus, and admission is $5 (free for faculty).
Bring your friends, family, and Maimo spirit!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
The cast includes:
Shula Weisman
(Director), 11th grade
Eliana Diamond, 9th grade
Aviel Taube, 10th grade
Josh Schoenberg, 11th grade
Michael Schwartz, 11th grade
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10th Grade Parent Davening and Breakfast on May 15
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| Final Exam/Assessment Period Schedule for Grades 9, 10 and 11 |
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Please note the following schedule for the 2018 Final Exam/Assessment Period for grades 9-11:
Friday, June 1
Last day of US classes; 2:30 dismissal
Monday, June 4
9:00-10:30am (11:15am for extended time) - History
12:00-1:30pm (2:15pm for extended time) - Navi
Wednesday, June 6
9:00-10:30am (11:15am for extended time) - English
12:00-1:30pm (2:15pm for extended time) - Talmud
Friday, June 8
9:00-10:30am (11:15am for extended time) - Math
12:00-1:30pm (2:15pm for extended time) - Chumash
Monday, June 11
9:00-10:30am (11:15am for extended time) - Science
12:00-1:30pm (2:15pm for extended time) - Jewish History
Wednesday, June 13
Projects due by 10:30am - World Languages
Friday, June 15
9:30-11:30am - US Final Exam Hand-Backs
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| Alumni Newsletter Online |
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The monthly alumni newsletter for April is now online, and can be found
here.
In honor of Israel's 70th anniversary,
this issue features seven profiles of Maimonides School graduates in Israel - one for each decade.
If you would like to receive the alumni newsletter each month, contact Mike Rosenberg at (617) 232-4452 x 405 or [email protected].
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Celebrate Israel on Sunday
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| See What's Happening in other Divisions |
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Lots of wonderful things are happening at Maimonides School!
If you'd like to take a peek at what's happening in the other divisions, click to visit the Early Childhood Center, Elementary School, or Middle School newsletter pages.
If you would like to contact a specific school office, please use these emails:
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| Let's Get Social! |
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There's so much going on here at Maimo! Be sure to check out our social media to get the inside scoop (with lots of great photos) on happenings at school.
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