What a beautiful celebration at the Chabad Hebrew School at ChabadSudbury we had just a few days ago.
You can see lots more pictures over here.
Dozens of students shared so many messages about things they had learned this year, through songs, skits and presentations. They spoke about the values and traditions they love learning about, being proud of their identity even when it is challenging, knowing what they represent, and of course Hebrew reading, songs and more.
Thank you to all of our amazing parents, students, teachers, volunteers and security team for another amazing year of learning & fun and of course so many new friendships and fun times!
BELOW IS SOME OF WHAT WE SHARED WITH THE FAMILIES AND STUDENTS.
It is the end of another amazing year of learning and fun at Chabad Hebrew School!
For some of you this is the end of the first year and for some of you this may be the 4th of 5th year!
Well done to all of you, on learning so much, and being such good students who were caring, friendly and inclusive to each other, who learned more Hebrew reading and Jewish concepts, and who now feeling better than ever about your heritage and identity.
A little over 2,300 years ago, the Jewish people were going through some great challenges in the Land of Israel, as persecution increased, wars drew closer, prophecy ended, and it became a shaky time for the Jewish people.
A great Jewish leader arose, who would become the leader of the Jewish people that would help them transition and navigate those difficult days. His name was Shimon HaTzadik, Shimon the Just, who would teach the people many things, including the ideas Torah & Jewish Values & Teachings almost non stop, he helped repair the Second Temple, and also rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem which had been damaged to help make it a more secure place.
In the ethics of our Fathers, Pirkei Avot, we have a very famous quote that Shimon Hatzadik would always say and teach throughout his life.
Shimon HaTzaddik was from the remnants of the Great Assembly.
He used to say:
On three things the world stands.
On Torah,
On service [of God],
And on acts of human kindness.
You need three pillars on which you can build a structure, and in his words, they are Torah Study, Prayer & Acts of Kindness.
2300 years later, these are the same things that we focus on here at the Chabad Hebrew School, Torah, the study of our heritage and ideas, Avodah, the importance of prayer, introspection, and thinking about your purpose in the world, and Gemilut Chassadim, acts of kindness and Tzedaka which are central to how we seek to live our lives.
For this academic year, Hebrew School year started just before the High Holidays and we got off to a great start, and then came the holiday of Shemini Atzeret and things turned upside down in so many ways…..
It was hard and difficult…. How were we to move forward and continue, what should we do?
But then every week, we would watch dozens of students gather and celebrate their Judaism, study the Torah, learn to read Hebrew, celebrate Jewish Holidays, celebrate Israel, sing prayers of reflection and hope, and of course make sure to be involved in doing acts of kindness and Tzedaka, here at Hebrew School, or for others elsewhere locally, or even for those all the way in Israel.
It became an amazing thing to see, as we listened to the children’s prayers, watched them play, smile and laugh, and literally be beacons of light and joy that express Am Yisrael Chai in the truest fashion, uplifting themselves, their parents, and of course all of us.
Without our dedicated staff, teachers and helpers this wouldn’t have all happened and without all the parents who are our amazing partners in working together in conveying the joys of Judaism this wouldn’t have happened, but the biggest thank you goes to all of our amazing students for coming week after week on Sunday mornings, with beautiful smiles and so happy to learn and have fun.
We are also so grateful to the dedication of our security team volunteers, who volunteered so many hours on Sunday mornings to help things run smoothly and who helped make sure that safety was a number one priority at Chabad of Sudbury, especially over the last few months.
Yesterday there was some very good and long awaited news for our people, and last night at 1am I wrote to an officer from that we met last week, whose men were part of making the good news happen. I thanked him and wrote to him that we love them.
He replied “LeMaan Am Yisrael” it is for the sake of the Jewish people that they did what they did…..
Dear children and parents, seeing Jewish life, joy and pride carried on each and every week, wasn’t just about us having another week of learning, it was something that was lifting up our people and community, and one that was bringing the blessings of growth, hope, faith and community, not to all of us, but in a certain way for all of our people and communities!
LeMaan Am Yisrael!!
Like Rabbi Shimon the Just, 2300 years ago, you and your children, through your Torah study, prayer and hope, and acts of kindness are making sure that Am Yisrael is alive and well!
Thank you to each and every one of you for being who you are and to all of the parents for entrusting us with your amazing and beautiful children and for helping us have such a great year together!
Am Yisrael Chai
To read more about the Hebrew School or to sign up your child please visit www.chabadsudbury.com/chs
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Yisroel