Messages from the Head of School
Important messages and announcements, as well as inspiring Divrei Torah from our Head of School.
Generation to Generation
When the Israelites arrived in the Promised Land, they brought with them four objects they had acquired at various occasions during their journey. Each item bore witness to a story from their past, and carried with it lessons that would be transmitted to...
“You shall be Holy, for I, the Lord your God, am Holy.”
“You shall be Holy, for I, the Lord your God, am Holy.” In these, the opening words of this week’s parasha, we have the essential credo of the Jewish religion. We are commanded by God to emulate Him and His ways, what is called in Jewish and general...
The value of math
Math is a priority at Akiva because it is important for our students to develop mathematical skill and reasoning that will benefit them throughout their lives. Over the past years, we have introduced new methodologies and techniques in the teaching of...
Passover
The festival of Passover is all about relationships. On Passover the Israelites ended their oppressive relationship with the Egyptians and entered into a new relationship with God. In a few days, Jews around the world will sit down to sedarim with family and friends,...
Following the Moon
Since the dawn of humanity, most nations have lived their lives by the sun. Ancient peoples turned the sun into a god; they looked to the most powerful body in the sky—the source of light, warmth, and life itself—and worshipped it as a deity. Apollo, Athena, and...
The sounds of Jewish music
The topic of this week’s Torah portion is the Tabernacle, the tent-shrine that served as the religious center of the Israelites throughout their wanderings in the desert and during their early years of settlement in the land of Canaan. In fact, the...
Chag Purim Sameach – Message from the Head of School
There are four mitzvot, four commandments that we are required to perform on Purim: Listening to the reading of the Megillah, partaking of a festive meal, sending gifts of food to friends, and giving alms to the poor. Though these requirements seem...
The Dignity of Difference – Message from the Head of School
The story of how our world came to have numerous nations populating different lands is told in Genesis 11, the story of the Tower of Babel:Now the whole world had one language and a common speech [and lived in the same land]. People said to each other…...
Chidon HaTanach
I have been waiting for this week since the first time I was introduced to the Akiva community. During the meet-and-greet when I first spoke at Akiva, I shared the following story:Growing up in Toronto, I did not have the privilege of going to a school...
The Jewish History of Snow
Is there any greater gift a headmaster can give to his students than a Snow Day? Like all beloved presents, it combines anticipation, surprise, and fun. Moreover, unlike other gifts, it carries no expectation of reciprocity, so it can be enjoyed without...
Akiva Calendar
Experience Akiva
Donate
Rabbi Grossman’s Blog Corner
Rabbi Grossman's Corner
The Legend and Legacy of Language
Chidushim B’Chinuch—Insights into Education Fifth of an Ongoing Series The great mysteries of the human condition are the topics of the first eleven chapters of the Torah. In Genesis 1-6, which we read in last week’s Torah portion, Scripture addresses the origins of...
Turn! Turn! Turn!
Chidushim B’Chinuch—Insights into Education Fourth of an Ongoing Series The reading of Kohelet, the book of Ecclesiastes, on the holiday of Sukkot remains one of the great mysteries of the Jewish liturgical year. The just-completed Festival of Booths is the most...
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...