My Jewish Journey
Deborah Abecassis Warshawsky, Director of Jewish Life and Learning, shares insights on lessons from the Torah, Jewish customs and traditions and inspirational thoughts for personal growth.
Purim 2015 – Arrogance vs. Ambition
When we think about the Purim story, we immediately think of the central element of the plot, how the Persian Jews were saved through the action plan of Esther. But like all of Tanach, there’s more than one lesson, and when we look again at the characters and the plot...
Parshat Terumah– A Portable Home
Please enjoy this abridged version of a dvar Torah by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks about the origins and important role of the synagogue in our Jewish lives. Wishing everyone a Shabbat Shalom and great week off. Lisa...
Parshat Mishpatim – The Truth about Lies
This week we witnessed the downfall of one of television’s celebrated news anchors- Brian Williams. Mr. Williams admitted that he might have “misrepresented” an incident which he reported during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Mr. Williams said that during the war, his...
Teddy Bear Clinic in Kindergarten
Kindergarten students learned more about the medical field and what it means to be a doctor in an amazing program called the “Teddy Bear Clinic”. Students brought their “sick” stuffed toy to each of the doctor workstations to find out more about dentistry, health and...
Parshat Yitro – Learning to disengage
The highlight of our parsha is the Jews receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. The fourth commandment is: “Remember the Sabbath day….Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do...
Remember the past to build the future
This week, to commemorate, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I would like to share a blog post from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks written in the blog of Times of Israel. Remember the past to build the future.
Parshat Bo – Choosing a Jewish High School
Parshat Bo details one of the most critical events in Jewish history – the Exodus from Egypt/Yeziat mitzrayim. It is the beginning of the formation of the Jewish nation. Immediately after this monumental event, Moses begins with the task of educating and teaching...
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A “HARD HEART”?
In the course of the Torash reading, we are told about Pharaoh’s repeated rejections of the Jew’s request to go free. Three different verbs are used in this week’s Torah portion centering on the plagues to indicate the hardening of the Pharoah’s heart: Kasha (k-sh-h),...
Parshat Vayeshev – Speech Therapy
This week I would like to share an article by Rabbi Sacks on this week's Parshat Vayeshev: Vayeshev (5771) – Speech Therapy
Parshat Vayishlach – Having it All
Each week the leadership of our school takes the time to study Torah. Our focus this year is on tefilla, the daily prayers, and we are currently studying the morning blessings. The purpose of the morning blessings is to wake us up spiritually and to enable us to be...
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Rabbi Grossman’s Blog Corner
Rabbi Grossman's Corner
Faces of Akiva – Alumna Anastasia Davis Bondarenko
“Akiva is a very special place and I am proud to be part of the Akiva family.” Akiva Alumna – Anastasia Davis Bondarenko Class of 1998 As we prepared last week at Akiva School to celebrate Rosh HaShanah, the new year and the future, we had a wonderful surprise with a...
Message for Rosh HaShanah
It has been a difficult month of Elul. Natural disasters engulfed the U.S. in the form of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma; man-made difficulty haunts us as we see a resurgence of anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance. It seems that the time is right for moments of...
Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilekh – Choose Life
One of the concepts of Rosh Hashanah is the Book of Life. The image is that God is sitting up in heaven with a huge book in front of Him, in which He accounts for all our positive and negative deeds over the past year and decides whether we are worthy of reward...
Parashat Ki Tavo – D’var Torah by guest blogger Akiva Alumna Nora-Jin Sokoloff
For this week’s Parashah blog, it was my pleasure to share with you the Dvar Torah of Nora-Jin Sokoloff, a recent Akiva graduate who celebrated her Bat Mitzvah this past Shabbat. We wish her and her family Mazal Tov. I am very excited but maybe a little...
Parashat Ki Teitzei – Family Discussion Questions for the Shabbat table
Parashat Ki Teitzei sets out a series of miscellaneous laws, mostly governing civil and domestic life. For your Shabbat table and family dinner discussions, here a few questions to consider the larger lessons we learn from these laws and how they continue to apply to...
Parashat Korach – Equal but not the same
In this week’s parashah, we read about Korach’s rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Together with 250 well-known men among the Israelites, he argued: For the entire Assembly – all of them – are holy and the Lord is among them, so why do you exalt...
Parashat Shlach – leadership
Guest Blogger Bonnie Levine Akiva Parent and Board Member Not sure if you have been feeling it but there is a current, a common theme dominating our news cycles and conversations these days. It’s all about leadership. Be it Trump, Trudeau, Coderre, Applebaum, or...
Parashat Be’Ha’alotekha – Parenting moments.
Parashat Be’Ha’alotekha – Parenting moments. The relationship between and God and the people of Israel often reflects the relationship between parent and child. In this week’s parasha, Be’Ha’alotekha, we see different glimpses of God’s parenting moments. After some...
Faces of Akiva – Alumna Hadas Levine
“A big part of who I am today is because of my time spent at Akiva” This week we had a very special treat at Akiva School when we were visited by one of our former students, Hadas Levine. Hadas had been a student at Akiva School up until grade 4 at which point she...
Parashat Naso – Blessings
Fun fact: This week’s parashah, Naso, is the longest parashah in the Torah with 176 verses. In it, we find the priestly blessing:. Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying so shall you bless the Children of Israel, say to them: May the Lord bless you and keep you; May...
