Sparks of Light 5780: First Night
Pure Olive Oil: A Lesson in Love Shalom Feuer Grade 10 student, Yeshivat Or Chaim We are well aware of the story of the “miracle of lights” in which the Jews find one jug of pure olive oil that lasts for eight days. There is a common misconception, however, that pure oil is required to […]
Sparks of Light 5780: Introduction
Dear Friends, If you look closely at the picture above you might be wondering what it is and why is it being included as an opening message within our annual Sparks of Light Chanukah series? The picture comes from a note that three BAS students left for the staff of the Fern Resort following […]
Sparks of Light: Chanukah Ner #1
by Rav Yair Halevi On Chanukah we are encouraged to ideally light the candles at the entrance of our homes. Why is this detail so important? The first mention in the Torah of the entrance to a home is with Avraham. The Sefat Emet explains that the inside of one’s home is a place of […]
Sparks of Light 2017: Introduction
Dear Friends, Last week, following what was undoubtedly one of the most successful and uplifting Shabbatons I have ever been part of at Or Chaim, the school administrative team decided to cancel yeshiva on Sunday. Our students were exhausted and there were many tests in the week ahead. Therefore we felt it was truly in […]
Rabbi Grauer’s Graduation Speech 2017
כבוד הרבנים, מנהלים, צוות המורים, חברי הועד, הורים, וכמובן כל הבוגרים – ברוכים הבאים ותודה. Honored Rabbis, fellow administrators, members of the faculty, members of the board of directors, parents and of course our graduates – welcome and thank you. Seniors – I know there is much excitement and you are anxiously awaiting receiving your […]
On Purim, Kreplach and Hidden Messages
by Mrs. Sara Munk Assistant Principal, Ulpanat Orot Judaism has many customs, many of which people don’t even know the reason behind them. One of these customs is kreplach, pieces of dough wrapped around ground meat or chicken, similar to a dumpling. They are often put in chicken soup or fried and served as a […]
Birkat Ha’banim: A Never-Ending Blessing
by Akiva Friedman Shliach, Yeshivat Or Chaim הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגֹּאֵל אֹתִי מִכָּל רָע יְבָרֵךְ אֶת הַנְּעָרִים וְיִקָּרֵא בָהֶם שְׁמִי וְשֵׁם אֲבֹתַי אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק וְיִדְגּוּ לָרֹב בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ: (בראשית פרק מח פסוק טז) This very famous beracha, Birkat Habanim, is the way Yaakov chooses to bless his grandchildren, Menashe and Ephraim, before he dies. The pasuk focuses […]
Pesach Message: The Four Fathers
Dear Friends, Perhaps the most famous and well recognized section of our Haggadah is the section dealing with the four sons. Many beautiful Haggadot have been illustrated with wonderful drawings of these four sons, and pages and pages of commentaries have been written explaining the questions they ask, the answers given to them, and what […]
Parshat Vayakhel
by Mrs. Sharon Fixler This past week, Hollywood celebrated the best in film by assembling for the 88th Annual Academy Awards. But this was no ordinary Oscar celebration. There was much controversy this year (known as #OscarsSoWhite on Twitter) as black actors were glaringly omitted from the list of nominees. In fact, in his opening […]
Sukkot – How to Make Yom Kippur Last
by Rabbi Elan Mazer Sukkot is definitely the hardest Jewish holiday to explain. First, the customs of the holiday are stranger than those of the other holidays; sitting in huts, and waving produce seem like actions that are difficult to be made into a meaningful religious experience. Furthermore, a look at the reasons that the […]
