Hachnasat Sefer Torah and Fall Festival
As we usher in another school year at Westchester Day School, I think about this moment in time. The beginning of a school year is a source of excitement, but also one of trepidation, as teachers welcome new students to their classrooms and students transition back into the mindframe for learning and structure.
This year, our first day of school falls on Rosh Chodesh Elul, with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur right around the corner. Each year, these Yamim Noraim are cause for reflection and evoke feelings of awe and introspection. This year, they are immediately followed by the first anniversary of October 7th, with the Hebrew date falling on Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah.
For the last year, our hearts and minds have been so concentrated on the events and aftermath of this devastating day; on the lives that were tragically taken; the humbling heroism of all of the chayalim (soldiers) and civilians who sprang into action in those early hours of October 7th and throughout the ongoing months of combat; and certainly not least of which, the shvuyim (hostages) so recently and heartbreakingly lost and the remaining 101 innocents still so cruelly held in Gaza. And in the shadow of all that darkness, Am Yisrael united in a profound way that resonated more than any moment in recent memory.
At Westchester Day School, we deeply value our role within the global Jewish community. Every moment of Tefila, every moment of learning, every Hebrew word spoken, every opportunity for gathering together as a community is a sacred part of our larger collective story. Every member of the WDS community, past, present and future remains a part of our fabric forever. We collectively feel joy and we collectively feel pain. We are one.
In that spirit of achdut and finding light in times of darkness, I am proud to announce a special mitzvah opportunity that our collective community will mark later this month; we will be dedicating two Sifrei Torah at Westchester Day School!
WDS has had two Sifrei Torah that have not been usable for many years. A Sofer was enlisted to examine them, and thankfully, they were able to be repaired. We felt that now more than ever was the time to reinstate them to their full glory; put to daily use for tefila and learning at a Jewish Day School.
There is a glorious mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah, and even repairing one letter in a Torah fulfills this Mitzvah (Rambam Hilchot Sefer Torah 7:1); this project enables us to participate in this Mitzvah together.
At our annual Fall Festival on September 29th, a few days before Rosh Hashanah 5785, we will host a Hachnasat Sefer Torah. Together, we will officially mark the homecoming and dedication of two Sifrei Torah and prepare to enter the New Year in the spirit of this distinctive mitzvah, as one kehilah (community).
The first Torah will be dedicated in conjunction with World Mizrachi’s Simchat Torah Project; a global project in which Jewish communities worldwide are dedicating Sifrei Torah in memory of the victims who were murdered on October 7th and in the ensuing war. WDS is proud to be among the groups participating in this initiative. We will be dedicating one of our Sifrei Torah in memory of 1200 souls and the many soldiers and hostages who have since died al kiddush Hashem. The me’il (cover) of this Torah will include the name of Yitzhar Hoffman (z’l), who fell in battle heroically in Gaza. Yitzhar (z’l) was the uncle of Rotem Talman, who was one of our Bnot Sherut last year, and also a close friend of our teacher Moreh Adiel Biton.
The second Torah will be dedicated in honor of our Westchester Day School community.
The opportunity to participate in the repair of a Sefer Torah and a Hachnasat Sefer Torah is rare and momentous for anyone, and especially a Jewish day school. How meaningful it will be for our kehilah to unite in this mission and mitzvah, leaving a lasting legacy for all WDS students and families - past, present and future. In the coming days we will share more information about ways for our extended WDS community to get involved in this project and have a hand in impacting current and future generations of Jewish students at WDS. In line with the theme of the Simchat Torah Project:
:עֵת לִבְכֹּות וְעֵת לִשְׂחֹוק עֵת סְפֹוד וְעֵת רְקֹֽוד
A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time of wailing and a time of dancing.
[Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) - Chapter 3]
Our Hachnasat Sefer Torah on Sunday, September 29 will be a true celebration of Am Yisrael and all that we stand for, open to all of our WDS families, faculty, alumni, grandparents and beyond. There will be music, dancing, celebration, food and experiential, educational opportunities for children of all ages. Event details and an invitation to register will follow.
Join me in wishing all of our WDS students and faculty a successful and meaningful school year ahead, with our hearts and minds forever on Israel.
Chodesh Tov and Am Yisrael Chai!
Rabbi Dani Rockoff
Head of School