SPOTLIGHT

בס''ד

Friday, August 30, 2024 - 26 Av 5784 - Parshas Re'eh

With Tefillos for the release of all of our hostages, the safe return of

all of our chayalim, a refuah shleimah for all the injured, a nechama

for all the families, and a yeshua for all of Klal Yisrael.

Thoughts from our Head of School

We opened our school doors to over 360 students this week. Children flocked together to reconnect after a summer away from the classroom setting. Together, we welcomed fresh faces from our 26 new families.

I asked kids throughout the school about their summer travels and activities. Some explored other countries like Israel, Holland, Switzerland, and Mexico. Some traveled our great nation to states out west, up north, and everywhere in between. All shared something unique and interesting about their summer experiences and how these experiences touched them in one way or another.

I learned a lot about individual student affinities via these conversations. This brought home a salient point directly related to one of our middos themes for the year: achdus. Achdus is often defined as “unity”, which is a potentially confusing word. In today’s world, unity connotes a shared belief system. The unified group is unique from other groups, but the individuals within the group are very similar.

At Torah Day School, we define achdus as “Teamwork - I connect to the whole”. The idea being that each person possesses unique talents, perspectives, personalities, and character. And because of that uniqueness, each person has an opportunity to contribute to the community in a way that strengthens the entirety of the klal. We celebrate differences and find ways to integrate each person into the group; like a team.

The Kli Yakar’s answer to a famous question on this week’s parsha - Re’eh - illustrates the power of an individual’s contribution to the whole. Hashem asks us to ‘see’ the brachos and klalos he gives us. The parsha begins with the statement, “See I have given to you today . . .”. This is a beautiful sentiment. However, the grammatical construct of this passuk is incorrect. The Torah uses the singular form of “see” and the plural form of “you”. Why is the object of the passuk plural while the verb is singular?!?!

The gemara in Kidushin (40B) states that if a person performs a mitzvah it influences him individually and also brings merit to the rest of the world, or the opposite for an aveira, C’V. The Kli Yakar uses this gemara to explain the lesson gleaned from the grammatical “error”. As an individual, I should understand (see) that my actions affect the whole (you, plural). It points out that each and every one of us has an opportunity to contribute and influence the community through how we choose to act individually.

This is true achdus. It is the understanding that I make a difference to the whole and that every person created also makes a difference to the whole. And the whole benefits from each of us uniquely and powerfully.

We hope that through the course of this year, TDSA students will go into next summer celebrating the uniqueness of each individual because they understand how beneficial they are to the whole.

Good Shabbos!

Ready, Set, Teach!

The energy in the air was palpable as TDSA welcomed back its faculty with a week of meetings and workshops strengthening TDSA’s Core Values and Student Centered approach to learning.

Middle School Orientation

Middle school boys and girls had a full day of orientation complete with a gala first breakfast and team-building activities to welcome them to an exciting new school year.

Kindergarten Here We Come!

Smiling faces everywhere! Torah Day School’s newest kindergarteners flocked to school on Monday to meet their new Morahs and explore their new classrooms. You could feel the warmth of the Morahs and the excitement of the children in the air. The children got to color with Morah Dena, Morah Rivkah, and Morah Sara, and even got a yummy popcorn treat from Morah Mindy and Morah Tziporah.

United With Kindness

Energy and excitement were visible as all of TDSA’s beloved students, old and new, streamed into the building Wednesday morning. Students couldn’t wait to greet friends after a long summer apart. Learning immediately began humming along as our wonderful TDSA children got settled into their classrooms. The school's themes this year are Achdus and Chessed. We can’t wait to see what beautiful acts of kindness and unity our students accomplish this year.

Third Grade Girls Fit Together Like "Pieces of a Puzzle"

On Wednesday, class 3G engaged in an activity called "Piece of the Puzzle," where each student designed a unique puzzle piece that represented their identity. The activity began with a discussion about how individual puzzle pieces, though different in shape and color, come together to create a complete picture. This metaphor was used to highlight the importance of each student in our class community. After reflecting on their identities, the students decorated their puzzle pieces with symbols, colors, and words that held personal significance, such as hobbies, family connections, and cultural symbols. As each student placed their piece on a large bulletin board, they shared how their design reflected who they are and how they contribute to the class. The completed puzzle now serves as a visual reminder of our diverse and interconnected community, emphasizing that every student's unique qualities are essential to making our community whole.

Marriages and Engagements:

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Laelle Hertzberg on her marriage to Eliyahu Ben-Zev.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Devora Berkowitz on her marriage to Aaron Saxon.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Avigayil Landman on her marriage to Zach Marcus.

Mazal Tov our very own Mrs. Malka Landman and her husband, Mr. Ely Landman.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Rivky Stein on her marriage to Tani Males.

Mazal Tov to our amazing security guard, Levi Hirsch on his engagement to Sarah Knafo.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Tzivia Horowitz on her engagement to Yehudah

Schuldenfrai.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Eli Warga on his engagement to Priva Milikowsky.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Joshua Siegel on his engagement to Michal Abramowitz.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Elan Miller on his engagement to Ilana Radinsky.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alumni Laya Senior and Amos Diener on their engagement.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Matthew Sawyer on his engagement to Shira Lubinsky.

Bar Mitzvahs:

Mazal Tov to Moshe Foxbrunner (8B) on his Bar Mitzvah!

Mazal Tov to Noach Alterman (8B) on his Bar Mitzvah!

Mazal Tov to Rafi Karsh (7B) on his Bar Mitzvah!

Mazal Tov to Isaac Tritt (8B) on his Bar Mitzvah!

Births:

Mazal Tov to TDSA parents Rabbi Doron and Mrs. Rebekah Silverman on the birth

of a daughter.

Mazal tov to TDSA alum Moshe Caplan and his wife Sharon on the birth of their

son.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Elana (Pollock) Meth and her husband Rabbi Moshe Meth

on the birth of their son.

Mazal tov to TDSA parents Rabbi Josh and Chaya Menucha (Feldman) Wohlfarth

on the birth of their daughter.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alumni Moshe and Michal (Pransky) Alterman on the birth of a

son. Mazal Tov to Grandparents Rabbi Michoel and Chashy Alterman and Rabbi

Doniel and Esther Pransky.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Tehila (Esral) Milch and her husband Yaakov Milch on the

birth of their daughter.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Adina (Fink) Ambers and her husband Menachem Ambers

on the birth of their daughter.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Rafi and his wife, Aviva Shenk on the birth of a daughter.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Kaila (Grossblatt) Sefer and her husband Dovi Safer on the

birth of their daughter.

Mazal Tov to TDSA alum Shira (Kalnitz) Wachtel and her husband, Sam Wachtel on

the birth of a son.

We apologize for any simchos we inadvertently omitted.

Please let us know when you have a simcha in your family

by emailing ekantor@torahday.org

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 23 Av 5784

In honor of

Fayga Miriam Drori

In celebration of her 11th birthday

And wishes for a wonderful school year

From Grandma and Grandpa

Steven and Nell Brownstein

Wednesday August 28, 2024 24 Av 5784

In memory of

Brenda Jakobovits z”l

Beloved mother of Rabbi Menachem Deutch

By Chuck and Leslie Lowenstein

Thursday, August 29, 2024 25 Av 5784

In memory of

Brenda Jakobovits z”l

Beloved mother of Rabbi Menachem Deutch

By Jay and Judy Kessler

Friday, August 30, 2024 26 Av 5784

In merit of a refuah shelaima for

Abbey Lewis

Avigail Bas Leah

By Chuck and Leslie Lowenstein

To sponsor a day of learning

At Torah Day School of Atlanta,

Please go to our website www.torahday.org

Or contact Marcy Kalnitz at mkalnitz@torahday.org

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