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.
PARASHAT KI TAVO – Good brings more good.
On Thursday, September 22, Akiva School participated in World Character Day, joining organizations in over 121 countries in dedicating this day to talk about character and what kind of person each of us wants to be. According to the website -...
Parashat Ki Tetze – Give and Grow
On Wednesday, our school participated in Federation CJA’s Feed the Truck. All week, the children brought in bags of non-perishable kosher food items for the community’s food banks. This concrete, tangible activity opens the door for important conversations on...
Parashat Shoftim – Small words
I saw this posted on the door of the refrigerator in the staff room – the old-fashioned kind of posting that involves paper and scotch-tape: It gave me a moment of pause as I realized how quickly that tiny little word yet can shift the entire nuance of a statement or...
Parashat Re’eh – Seeing is believing
None of my children ever had an imaginary friend, but when one daughter was around 3 years old, for a period of several months, she would tell me in the morning that there had been a llama in her room at night. She wasn’t afraid of the llama or upset that it was...
Parashat Eikev – Little Things
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful, restful summer with opportunities to enjoy special moments with your families and the warm weather. As we settle back into routine, our children will surely be asked at some point to reflect on what they did over the...
Parashat Be-Ha’alotekha – Is the fish ever free?
What are your children doing for the summer? Given the choice, one of mine would find a cozy corner, log onto an electronic device and Netflix or youtube the summer away, the second would ask me every day what activity I’d planned for each hour, and the third is used...
Parashat Naso – The Power or Privilege to Bless
My husband blesses our children on Friday night when we sit down to Shabbat dinner. If he is detained at the hospital and we bring in Shabbat without him, I make Kiddush and I make Ha-Motzi on the challah. But I don’t bless my daughters. I leave that for when he...
Parashat Ba-Midbar – Count your blessings
At a meeting the other evening, wanting to know if all the expected attendees were present, one of us counted, identifying each individual with a pointed index finger. A couple of us had a kind of instinctual prickle at the counting of Jewish people. Among certain...
Parashat Bekhukotai – Our covenant with God
My youngest daughter’s first words were “No waaay!” Adorable. Impossible not to laugh and smile and giggle and eat her every time she said it. Incredibly frustrating when I just want her to lie down or stop throwing her food on the floor. When I just want her to...
Parashat Behar – Humbly proud
“Can I get a glass of water?” “Can I have a spoon for my rice?” “I need a napkin.” “More spaghetti please.” When my children were little, I was firm about how they should sit at the table during meals. I kept them in booster seats longer than most because I wanted...
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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...
The Siddur
The Torah is the most venerated book in Judaism, revered as the Word of God. The Bible is Jewish Holy Scripture, a collection of sacred books filled with the ancient history of our people, the admonitions of our prophets, and the wisdom of our ancestors. ...
Art Fair – Message from the Head of School
The Torah’s prohibition of creating artistic images, promulgated in last week’s parsha, was taken most seriously by Jews throughout our history. “You shall not make for yourself an image…” was considered by prominent rabbinic figures in different eras and...
Art Speaks! Message from the Head of School
« Par ma foi ! il y a plus de quarante ans que je dis de la prose sans que j'en susse rien !»"My faith! For more than forty years I have been speaking prose without knowing it!"Molière, Le Bourgeois gentilhommeLike Monsieur Jourdain in Molière’s play, most...
Hebrew Language Week
When the Israelites left Egypt after 430 years of exile, they brought with them their old and their young, their flocks and their herds, great wealth, and unleavened bread. So we learned in last week’s Torah reading. According to our rabbis, there was...
Message from the Head of School
As we return from winter break, I find that the most popular topic of conversation is the weather. While we know that winter comes every year—and at the same time—somehow we find ourselves unreasonably surprised that the cold and snow have returned...
Grade 6 Day
Tomorrow is Grade 6 Day, an Akiva tradition where the Grade 6 students become the teachers and administrators of the school for one day. Like so many Akiva traditions, Grade 6 Day speaks directly to the mission of the Akiva school, encouraging student...
The show must go on…
With Chanukkah’s departure, we have the opportunity to take a more nuanced look at the intersection between Jewish and Greek culture. While Chanukkah offers a binary view of Hellenism as antithetical to Biblical and Rabbinic values, the reality is more...
