The happiness of Sukkot, about which I wrote last week, culminates in the holiday of Simchat Torah that we will celebrate next Tuesday. The name of the holiday is usually rendered into English as “The Holiday of Rejoicing with the Torah,” but its literal...
The holiday of Sukkot, which we celebrate next week, is unique in that it is the only holiday specifically associated with joy. While nearly all Jewish holidays have an element of joy associated with them (even Yom Kippur!), it is only Sukkot that is singled out by...
The Road to Repentance Starts at School Rabbi Eric Grossman Head of School, Akiva School Excerpt from the Congregation Beth Israel Beth Aaron High Holiday Magazine, September 2018 Maimonides divided his Laws of Repentance into precisely ten chapters,...
Rabbi Grossman Rosh Hashanah appears to be a holiday about the past and the future. In our thoughts and our prayers, we recall our past sins and misdeeds, and promise to do better next year. And while there is much significance to this looking back and...
Our Journey Begins Rabbi Grossman The halls of Akiva are once again filled with movement. Students are moving from class to class, up and down stairs, in and out for arrival, recess, and dismissal. All the while, we are moving forward on our journeys as...
I have come to the end of a remarkable, albeit brief, journey that I started with you sixteen months ago. It has been, of course, a continuation of a profound association with Akiva that started many, many years before that. And while my day-to-day involvement is...
Alan Iny, Class of 1989 An integral part of an education at Akiva School is teaching our students how to think creatively, problem-solve and be innovators. With his book and current consultant role, Akiva alumnus Alan Iny represents what we hope to inspire in every...
This week's Dvar Torah is by Akiva grade 4 teacher, Yelena Plis, which she gave as part of her speech at a reception held in her honour this week in recognition of receiving the Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Jewish Education... By Yelena Plis This week's Parasha...
In this week’s parashah, God tells Moses to instruct the Israelites that when they enter the land of Israel and they bake bread, they must set aside a portion for God. And you eat of the bread of the land, you shall set aside as a gift to the Lord: as the first yield...
This week, I'd like to refer to an article written on the "My Jewish Learning" Blog: Parents as Models