Good Erev Shabbat to all!
This year at HAWQ we are privileged to have a new director of our Reading and Writing Skills Title One learning center, Mrs. Raven. Using innovative methods, Mrs. Raven has transformed students who hated reading into avid readers and those who thought they couldn’t write into expressive writers. One method that has worked wonders, Mrs. Raven calls “accessing prior knowledge”. By asking the right questions, she elicits from the student a wealth of knowledge and feelings they don’t themselves realize they already possess, thus building their self-confidence. She teaches her students just to write and get their ideas on paper without worrying about spelling and grammar. Once the ideas begin to flow it’s truly amazing to see what they are able to express. Afterwards they go back and work on spelling and grammar. The wall of the learning center is decorated with beautiful compositions of children who until now have never written a paragraph! Mrs. Raven’s successful approach is reflected by the excitement her students feel on the days she is with us. Thank you, Mrs. Raven!
We are looking forward to seeing everyone this Sunday January 13th @ 7:30 PM, for An Evening of Inspiration, featuring the reknown Torah lecturer and author Rabbi Yissochar Frand, Sh'lita. The event, B'Ezrat Hashem, will be hosted by the Young Israel of Great Neck, who have graciously opened the doors of their beautiful synagogue for this event, benefitting the children of HAWQ. A special thanks goes out to Mr. & Mrs. Charles Goldberg, Dr. & Mrs. Irving Golombeck, and Mr. & Mrs. David Kalish, for all their tremendous effort in planning, orchestrating, and sponsoring this special evening. We would also like to express our Hakarat HaTov to Rabbi Yaacov Lerner, Shlita, Morah D'atrah, for all his guidance and input into this event. We invite everyone to join us for what will surely be an opportunity for spiritual enrichment, as well as becoming our partners in opening the gates of Torah to the children of our community.
In honor of the HAWQ-Rabbi Frand event this weekend in Great Neck, I want to quote another Dvar Torah from Rabbi Frand on the Parsha Volume 2. Rabbi Frand points to the two Pesukim in this week’s Parsha that represent the questions of two of the Four Sons in the Hagadah, the Tam (simple son) and the Rasha (wicked son). Essentially their questioning of the Pesach ritual is the same. Why then is one labeled wicked and the other good? Rabbi Frand quotes the Shemen HaTov as pointing out that by the simple son the Torah uses the word Machar, tomorrow- “And it shall be when your son will ask tomorrow”. He is asking question about the rituals after performing them. Rabbi Frand explains that in the spirit of Naaseh V’nishma (we will do, and we will listen) at Har Sinai, he does the Mitzvah first and then tries to understand its meaning. The obligation to perform the Mitzvah or its truth is never in doubt. It is only a desire to gain new meaning and incite behind the Mitzvah that prompts his question. On the other hand, the Rasha prefaces his doing of the Mitzva with his “understanding”. He is merely looking for a way out of doing the Mitzvah. In truth, his “questions” are only “excuses”!
Shabbat Shalom!
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