Messages from the Head of School
Important messages and announcements, as well as inspiring Divrei Torah from our Head of School.
Yom Kippur Message 2019
Yom Kippur is a day of judgment, but it is also a day of love. In the time of the Mishna (c. 200 C.E.), Yom Kippur was a day of courtship, when the young maidens of Jerusalem would dance in white robes in the vineyards, looking for a young man with whom to fall in...
Rosh HaShanah Message from Rabbi Grossman
Shomeia Kol Truat Amo Yisrael B’rachamim Hearing the Cries of Israel with Compassion One of my first students was a Grade 9 pupil whom I would describe as a fine young man. He was clean cut and kind, socially well-adjusted, and well-liked. Academically he was not an...
The “F” Word
Chidushim B’Chinuch—Insights into Education Third of an Ongoing Series There is a terrible and frightening moment in parenting when your child first uses the “F” word. Worst of all is when the object of the “F” word is you. Here is how it plays out. In response to...
Schools and Rules
Chidushim B’Chinuch—Insights into EducationSecond of an ongoing seriesThere is an elite private school in New England that had a student handbook which, as of the last time I checked, contained only one rule. Pushing back on the endless injunctions that...
A School as Sweet as Honey
Chidushim B’Chinuch—Insights into EducationFirst of an Ongoing SeriesI had the pleasure this summer of spending time with the first president of the Akiva School, Charles Solomon, and his wife Chana, in their apartment in Jerusalem. In addition to enjoying their warm...
New beginnings…
Welcome back! We are so happy to see everyone return to school rested, revived and ready for a joyful and productive year of learning. A special welcome to all of our new Akiva families joining us this year; we are so happy to have you with us. This is a time of new...
A Heart of Many Rooms
As the last day of school approaches, I want to thank the entire community for making my first year at Akiva such a wonderful experience. At Grade 6 Graduation last night I spoke of Rabbi Hartman’s book, A Heart of Many Rooms. Rabbi Hartman took the title of his book...
A Chance to Shine
The biblical era was a time of hierarchies. There was an aristocracy, and there were peasants; there were wealthy landed gentry and poor paupers; there were royals and commoners; there were priests and laymen. Movement between these classes was rare, and in some...
The Number Fifty
The number fifty holds special significance for the Jewish people. This weekend we complete the Counting of the Omer, the fifty-day count from the holiday of Passover to the festival of Shavuot, the latter of which is observed this Sunday and Monday. For the past...
Expo ’19
This Victoria Day, I made a pilgrimage to the site of the glorious Expo ’67 World Fair. Just over 50 years ago, Montreal was the venue for an exposition that displayed the greatest achievements of human innovation and creativity in the mid 20th century. Two years...
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Rabbi Grossman’s Blog Corner
Rabbi Grossman's Corner
Why Do I Have To Go To School?
Chidushim B’chinuch—Insights into Education Eleventh in an Ongoing Series Most people have asked this question at some point in their academic careers, and most parents have had to answer this query for their children. With elementary school students, the question is...
Unparalleled Prayer
Chidushim B’Chinuch—Insights into Education Tenth of an Ongoing Series Watching Akiva students participate in prayer services, one would never know that prayer, or tefillah, in Hebrew, is considered the greatest educational challenge in the Jewish day school world. ...
What’s in a Name?
Chidushim B’Chinuch—Insights into Education Ninth of an Ongoing Series Jewish schools today tend to take their names from magnanimous donors. This system of nomenclature rightly honours those who have provided for the needs and welfare of our community, called in...
Lessons from the Land of Egypt
When we conclude the Book of Genesis this week in synagogue, the Israelites will have taken up residence in a most hospitable and welcoming country: Egypt. Invited there by Pharaoh himself, with the Hebrew Joseph as his viceroy, our people prospered financially and...
There’s No Place Like Home
Before we go off for Winter Vacation, I wanted to wish the entire Akiva community a restful break and a happy Chanukah. We are wrapping up this secular year with energy and inspiration courtesy of the Akiva Players amazing production of the original musical, Cyber...
Chanukah Musings
During the Chanukah season it is traditional to reflect upon the relationship between Jewish and Greek civilization. The story of Chanukah celebrates the literal and figurative victory of Judaism over Greek cultural and military forces in the battle between Jews and...
Cast Me Not Off
Cast me not off when I am old; forsake me not when my usefulness fails. Psalm 71:9 Mr. Stein would not sell you a book unless he thought you worthy of reading it. His books were located on the ancient shelves of his store—behind the counter and out of reach of...
Happily Ever After
Chidushim B’Chinuch—Insights into Education Eighth of an Ongoing Series When I moved to Massachusetts many years ago, one of my first stops was the Granary Burial Ground, located in downtown Boston. Tourists and residents alike make pilgrimages to this cemetery to pay...
A Place where the Air is Sweet
Chidushim B’Chinuch—Insights into Education Seventh in an Ongoing Series As a child, neither my friends nor I were afraid of monsters or vampires, and I know whom to thank. When children of a previous generation imagined monsters or Gothic villains they would think...
A Paean to Poetry
Chidushim B’Chinuch—Insights into Education Sixth of an Ongoing Series My decision to pursue a career in education was solidified in 1989 when I saw Peter Weir’s Oscar-winning film, Dead Poets Society. As far as I can remember, I wanted to become a teacher from the...