Life as we know it is unpredictable. We have all experienced sudden bursts of good news which evoke cries of Mazal Tov and bring joy to our hearts. Similarly, and unfortunately, we are all too familiar with news that darkens our moods and depresses our spirits. The Rambam community recently suffered a terrible loss as one of the girls at our sister-school, Shalhevet, was recently killed in a horrific car accident. I believe that Parshas Noach is instructive and offers a powerful message to us as we seek to come to terms with this terrible news and navigate through these turbulent times.

Imagine seeing the world as you know it destroyed. Imagine seeing all those around you (with the only exception being your immediate family) being wiped away as Noach experienced. Imagine having to start all over on your own with few if any building blocks available. This has been the experience of Jewish community throughout the ages most notably after the Churban Habayis and most recently after the Holocaust.

Noach, as we learn, lived through these very events. The Torah tells us about this not for the sake of a ‘history’ lesson, but for the sake of providing us with guidance and a valuable 'life' lesson.

It is interesting to note that Noach's first reaction was to reach out to Hashem and offer sacrifices. Despite the fact that he had suffered so much he still felt compelled to offer sacrifices, expressing his subordination to the Almighty, and acceptance of the Divine decree. Having done this, Noach then received Hashem's blessing and mandate to ' be fruitful and multiply,' moving forward to reestablish a new and productive life.

Hashem has implanted within the human personality the ability, strength, and wherewith to overcome the challenges of life. This week the Shalhevet family suffered the overwhelming loss of a wonderful bas Yisrael, Sarah Erdan AH. The pain is great and the loss is devastating to the family and school community. However, from Noach we learn that by reaching out to Hashem we can garner the fortitude and resolve to continue. May Hashem give the entire Erdan family and the mourning community the strength to do so.

Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman

Shhhhh! They don't know I'm telling you guys that they're having the best time on the Shabbaton! We've played basketball, frisbee, football (touch not tackle, so relax), hockey, and dodgeball (with head-safety, so continue to relax). We also had two sessions where we discussed the dangers of peer-pressure based on viewing scenes from the Academy Award winning film, Dead Poets Society. We hope that these sessions have given the boys food for thought about making individual decisions in the face of the herd mentality.

Freshmen are bonding with freshmen, and our senior advisers are making sure that everyone is involved. We are looking forward to a ruach filled Shabbos as we welcome the rest of the school to Camp Seneca. And remember, the kids don't know we spoke, so please keep this just between us.

Mr. Hillel Goldman
Assistant Principal

Simchat Torah is a very joyous occasion. In many synagogues, people dance around the Torah’s and sing songs of praise. This is the face everyone sees. Venture outside the synagogue, however, and things are very different. Why is it that these things happen?

Simchat Torah is unfortunately all too often treated as a social occasion. People naturally are social beings, and when many people are gathered in a room, it is only natural that they communicate and socialize. When we do things as a group, it enhances our beliefs, our goals, our pride. Unfortunately, this is a double-sided coin. Teenagers in particular might do foolish things if they are in a group. As Lenin, the founder of Soviet Russia once said, “Crime is a product of social excess.” Social gatherings can achieve enormous good, or horrific bad.

So what is the message? It is never the action of the individual that can cause widespread evil, but rather of the acceptance of the community. Edmund Burke put it best when he said that “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” We as a community, as a group, must find a solution to this negative use of our social nature. Encouraging the growth of group spiritualism and condemning the abuse of our dark nature to do bad as a group will create a new opportunity and a new appreciation for our holiday. We can truly enjoy our festivals when the whole community gathers together to raise the value of our religion. For as Marianne Williamson said, “In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it.”

Avi Gross