ASHAR

Girls in grades first through third visit a rain forest in Brazil!

4G starts music class today!

3B had a visit from a special guest as part of their unit on the Brazilian rainforest.

Sixth graders sort through and prepare donated coats as part of ASHAR's coat drive for Yad Leah: Clothing Israel's Needy.

6B showcases their volcanoes for science class.

Sixth graders proudly display their food trucks in art class!

Menahel’s Message: Substance over Style Each time Moshe Rabbeinu approaches Pharoah, he is accompanied by his brother Aharon, who serves as his spokesman. As we know, Moshe was k’vad peh- he had difficulty speaking- and his older brother was selected by Hashem to serve as his mouthpiece. Why couldn’t Hashem have made Moshe physically perfect? If G-d can split the Red Sea, would it have been so difficult to make sure that the greatest of prophets was also articulate? Rabbe...inu Nissim, in his classic Derashos HaRan, suggests that G-d purposely selected a leader and navi who was not an eloquent orator in order to ensure that the Children of Israel gravitate to Moshe solely based on their belief in Hashem and their recognition of Moshe’s innate righteousness rather than being attracted to a charismatic showman. The leader destined to lead us out of slavery and bring down the Torah would per force have to be appreciated for what he was and not for how he presented himself. Moshe, as the Chumash later reports, was anav mi’kol ha’adam, as anivus encompasses not simply humility in the limited sense but more broadly, substance over style. When initially approached by Hashem to lead B’nei Yisrael out of Mitzrayim, Moshe demurs: mi anochi ki eilech el Pharoah. Hashem responds v’zeh l’cha ha’os ki anochi shlachticha. Your ever-present reluctance born out of humility will serve as a constant indication that I have sent you. One who is truly humble and understated, explains the Meshech Chochma, best represents Godliness and is most likely to enjoy an especially close relationship with the Ribbono Shel Olam. Contemporary society embraces charisma and typically overlooks those who do not promote themselves- and by contemporary society, I refer to the Jewish world as well. Teach your children to pay attention to all, and to learn especially from those who get more points for substance than style. Those are the people cut from the mold of Moshe Rabbeinu. Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Ari Jacobson

Battle of the Books kicked off today! Girls in grades 4-6 created posters featuring their team names and watched book trailers, attempting to pair book titles with trailers. Happy reading!

More pics from today's seventh and eighth grade Rosh Chodesh bowling trip.

In commemoration of the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht, the ASHAR Class of '19-'20 presents a virtual screening of "Names, Not Numbers," an oral history documentary based on the lives of six Holocaust survivors. The film premiers Motzaei Shabbos, November 7th at 7:30 PM.

Since the time of Sarah Imeinu, women have baked challahs. ASHAR’s annual Challah Bake brought together hundreds of women from throughout Rockland County. Hundreds of women baking Challah at once is a mind-expanding experience. Imagine the nachas of Sarah Imeinu at the singing, dancing, bonding, and joy that took place not only in New City but at other locales all over the world. This year is different. This year as we get ready to bake challah, we stand apart. Each of us in ...our own home; we will infuse our challah with the hopes and prayers for a better tomorrow. Sara Imeinu’s tent was a home for the shechinah, God's presence. Her home was a true microcosm of the Beis HaMikdash, the Holy Temple. May we learn from Sarah Immeinu and be merit to build homes where the shechinah can dwell, and merit seeing the blessings of Sarah Immeinu in our lives as well. May Hashem bless our community and our world with tranquility, healing and health. Mrs. Jaqueline Borgen and Mrs. Debby Jacobson To ensure the future of Sarah Immeinu’s daughters, please consider sponsoring a day of learning in ASHAR’s Girls Division: https://www.ashar.org/challahbake#

Menahel’s Message: Do I Have To? In his classic Ruach Chaim commentary to Pirkei Avos (5,2), Rav Chaim of Volohzin observes that when enumerating the ten generations from Noach to Avraham, the Mishna describes the latter as simply ‘Avraham’, while the very next Mishna refers to the ten nisyonos of 'Avraham Aveinu'. Rav Chaim suggests that the Mishna’s emphasis on Avraham as a father specifically in the context of meeting challenges demonstrates that in matters of nisayon- ...confronting the most difficult of life’s challenges- Avraham is truly the father of each and every Jew. By meeting their personal challenges, the avos and imahos impacted their descendants for posterity. But what specific traits were instilled? The most obvious answer, of course, is self-sacrifice. Over the millennia, countless Jews of hitherto modest stature have somehow managed to muster the inner strength necessary to make the ultimate sacrifice and offer their lives al kiddush Hashem when summoned. A novel interpretation of the Ran (Derashos Haran, No. 6), however, suggests that Avraham Aveinu’s greatest legacy may have been establishing the basis upon which we more truly live al Kiddush Hashem: Rabbeinu Nissim claims that Hashem could not have demanded Avraham's only son, as doing would have been a blatant violation of G-d's earlier promise of offspring. Rather, offers the Ran, Hashem requested that Avraham place Yitzchak on the altar. This is why He uses the word ‘'-'please'- when summoning Avraham: " " - "Please take the son that you love" (see Sanhedrin 89b.) Hashem would not have punished Avraham had he refused to comply. By acquiescing, however, Avraham successfully met his ultimate challenge: to fulfill that clearly desired by Hashem despite not being specifically required. And it was this ability to fulfill r'tzon Hashem, the will of Hashem, in addition to that mandated, that would be incorporated into the very essence of Avraham's biological and spiritual progeny. Effective parenting and chinuch entails modeling desired behaviors and outcomes, without necessarily always overtly demanding or requiring compliance. By allowing children to make positive, age-appropriate choices on their own volition, we afford them the opportunity to summon their inner Avraham Aveinu that instinctively draws a Jew to r’tzon Hashem. Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Ari Jacobson

Our Early Childhood Program had a busy and exciting week. All of our specialties began, including Chalav U’Dvash (Hebrew immersion) with Morah Nofar and Music and Movement with Morah Malky. We also were very busy this week learning all about Parsha, math, art, and so much more!

In honor of the yahrtzeit of Rachel Immeinu the middle school girls brainstormed random acts of kindnessthat can be done daily in the school building. @ ASHAR

Menahel’s Message: Ashreinu! In describing Avraham Aveinu’s positive reaction to Hashem’s promise of offspring, the Torah reports that ', . While the intent of first half of the pasuk is straightforward- Avraham believed and trusted Hashem- the second half is somewhat less so, and subject to a fair degree of debate among the classical commentators. Some explain that Hashem considered Avraham’s trust in G-d’s promise of offspring to be a zechus and a...ct of righteousness, while others explain that Avraham considered Hashem’s promise to be an act of tzedaka. The holy Rebbe of Kotzk, however, offers a third explanation: " '"- Avraham trusted Hashem, ," " and he, Avraham, considered his very ability to believe to be the ultimate tzedaka, the greatest gift. In a similar vein, the Or HaChaim HaKadosh suggests that the altar erected by Avraham-" ' "- was not primarily a reaction to assurances of offspring and the land of Israel, but rather simply an expression of gratitude for the ability to experience G-d’s revelation- "' ". Every Jewish neshama, as a chelek eloka mi’ma’al, incorporates Divinity, and is thus ‘hardwired’ for deep-rooted emunah , not dissimilar to that first experienced by our patriarch Avraham. And while the challenges and complexities of hectic daily routines sometimes appear to sap the ruchniyus and spirituality of even the best of us, knowing that we are wired to ultimately connect to the Ribbono shel Olam is indeed reassuring. Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Ari Jacobson

Second and third grade boys created their own Keith Harding style line art of dancing figures, dogs and hearts. @ ASHAR

Have a great Shabbos!

Menahel’s Message: The Right Message It has become almost fashionable in some quarters to minimize the greatness of Noach. Though described by the Torah as a tzadik, and singularly worthy of salvation, Noach was a ‘tzadik in peltz’-an insular tzadik, figuratively wrapped in a heavy coat. Rather than reaching out to his generation and attempting to encourage teshuva, Noach focused on his own spiritual well-being and ignored those around him. This approach is founded on sever...al midrashim and a comment by the Zohar attributing the floodwaters to Noach’s passivity, but, according to Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zl, fundamentally misunderstood. Noach did in fact attempt to encourage his generation to mend their ways. At issue was not whether he chastised them, but rather the content of his mussar. ", , ." ( ", ') According to the Midrash, Noach rebuked his generation for the sin of idolatry: Fools, why do you abandon the Omnipotent One whose voice shreds cedar trees and worship idols of dry wood? This, explains Rav Kamenetsky, was a mistake. While avodah zara is a cardinal sin and was certainly present at the time of the Flood, the Torah states that Hashem destroyed the world not because of idolatry, but rather due to the proliferation of theft and other forms of monetary injustice between man and his fellow: " ". By focusing on avoda zara rather than theft, gezel, Noach’s rebuke failed to address the generation’s primary misdeeds. When addressing behaviors, it is important for parents and educators to identify root causes and employ correctives that target the specific issues at hand. Interventions, including, on occasion, old-fashioned rebuke, are only effective to the extent they address the primary problem. Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Ari Jacobson

The Girls Division theme for this year is "Going Places." Please enjoy this video of the girls getting ready to travel!

Wishing you a great Shabbos!