Graphic by Aaron Newman ('24)

Similar to many of the parshiot in the second half of Sefer Shemot, Parshat Vayakhel primarily focuses on describing the construction of the Mishkan. This parsha emphasizes the importance of communal involvement in the building of the Mishkan and states: “ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל”  “And Moshe gathered ALL of the congregation” (Shmot 35:1) so as to make sure that all members of the community are involved in the building of the Mishkan – men, women, and children.  The people are so receptive to the idea of donating “gifts to Hashem” that they willingly give their gold, silver, copper, gems, yarn, and oil to the project, and they lovingly donate their time and their skills to create the materials that are needed. The vast majority of the parsha details the creative work that the people must do in order to complete the Mishkan.  

Yet, within the midst of these intricate instructions about a communal project, the Torah seems to interrupt itself with a brief description of the individual responsibility towards upholding the sanctity of Shabbos.  The Torah says:

 ״ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי יהיה לכם קדש שבת שבתון לה׳ כל העושה בו מלאכה יומת״ 

On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a sabbath of complete rest, holy to Hashem; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death (Shmot 35:2).

After a two-pasuk interlude that mentions that people must refrain from creative work on Shabbos, the Torah returns to its discussion of the Mishkan.  A number of commentators explain that the purpose of interjecting the idea of Shabbos into the middle of the description of the Mishkan is to convey to the people that even doing the work of building the Mishkan doesn’t supersede Shabbos. However, there are a few mefarshim who explain that this interruption is actually meant to emphasize the significance of Shabbos as a day of spiritual elevation and sanctification. Rav Hirsch emphasizes that by ceasing our work for Shabbos, even the work involved in building the Mishkan, man acknowledges his dependence on a Higher Power and affirms his commitment to spiritual growth and reflection. The Kli Yakar suggests that even though man is creating the Mishkan, he needs to recognize that Hashem is the ultimate creator and that man is subservient to God.  Rav Kook maintains that the individual has to actively cease all creative work in order to transcend the physical and delve into the depths of spirituality; it is only once man refrains from this creative work that he can introspect and experience personal growth. 

Parshat Vayakhel thus underscores the profound significance of Shabbos as a sanctuary in time.   If we cease creative work and recognize that Hashem is in control, Shabbos becomes a day set apart for spiritual connection and reflection that provides the means for a deeper understanding of ourselves and a more profound connection with Hashem.  

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs. Perl

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

KYHS Girls Were All in for a Memorable and Meaningful Weekend

Graphic by Esti Distenfeld ('26)

The KYHS All Girls Shabbaton took place this past weekend in Orlando! The theme of the Shabbaton was “All In”, which inspired the girls to go “all in”, literally, with everything they did over the weekend, ranging from singing at the kumzits and during the tisch over Shabbat and going on insane roller coasters at Universal Theme Park on Sunday. The bus took the girls up to Orlando on Friday morning and the girls spent the afternoon in the hotel getting ready for Shabbat and hanging out. Then, everyone gathered in the lobby to have pictures taken by a professional photographer!

On Friday night, the girls had a meaningful davening and then enjoyed a delicious dinner. In line with the Shabbaton theme, seating for dinner was assigned to encourage inclusiveness. Eden Pardau (‘26) shared: “The Shabbaton was a really great opportunity for me to go ALL IN and bond with people I typically wouldn’t. Whether that be through the randomly assigned tables on Friday night or the creative sticker game we all enjoyed playing!” After dinner, Mrs. Mirzoeff ran a musical chairs scavenger hunt, where the girls participating would run and find whichever item Mrs. Mirzoeff yelled out and try to be back in time to secure their spot in the game. Following bentsching, the girls participated in a learning session. Each senior was paired with a sophomore and each junior was paired with a freshman for chavrusa learning followed by a beautiful speech by Mrs. Zisquit. Izzy Gately (‘26) commented: “Something that really inspired me was the fact that a lot of the activities were about branching out and breaking the cliques in our grade. It gave a sense of unity that I haven’t felt before, which was refreshing.” The night ended with an awesome tisch with junk food, fruit, and tons of singing! Then the girls had free time, after which everyone headed upstairs to sleep. 

On Shabbat morning, with a late start, the girls went downstairs for an inspirational all-girls davening. Instead of Torah reading, each 11th and 12th grade Chumash class had representatives present divrei Torah and parsha summaries to the rest of the girls. This was followed by Musaf, davened beautifully by Shimmie Kaminetzky. Everyone then headed to their group sessions led by specific teachers to inspire and explore the various applications of “All In”. After the sessions, the girls ate lunch and then had a few hours of free time to hang out and bond before going back downstairs for Mincha, which was followed by a teacher panel in which teachers answered questions the students had previously submitted. There were also organized games for each grade, like Apples to Apples KYHS style and a Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament for the upperclassmen. The high spirited kumzits and emotional speech by Mrs. Warman was held right before havdalah. After Shabbat, the girls loaded the buses and had an enjoyable night at Disney Springs! The next morning everyone headed straight to the Universal Parks for a day of fun and excitement with friends.

The all-girls KYHS Shabbaton of 2024 was a tremendous success; everyone returned home with great memories and new friends. Remember to say thank you to Mrs. Hochner and Rabbi Wolk for planning such a memorable Shabbaton!! We are all looking forward to next year!

Article by Amira Kahn ('25)

Buckle Up!

Students Hear the Real Life Consequences of Irresponsible Driving

Graphic by Joshua Reich ('25)

One moment will always be frozen in time for Cara Filler. Last Wednesday we had the privilege of hearing from an incredibly inspiring speaker; who shared the story of her twin sister who was hit and killed due to reckless driving. That tragic day is one that Cara uses to try and prevent others from further tragedy. According to the Department of Transportation, “An average of 3 children were killed and an estimated 445 children were injured every day in traffic crashes in 2021.” Cara's sister was so much more than a statistic, but one bad decision destroyed her whole life.

As we sat there captivated, we must ask ourselves how that moment can always remain in our hearts and heads. Simply walking away with sympathy would be an injustice to Cara. She strives to instill meaningful life lessons for each and every one of us at the cost of reliving her trauma. 

Sometimes we think to ourselves how much we want a speaker to impact our lives but we just can't practically connect it to our lives. We need to think about who we get into cars with, and what state we are in when we are driving, along with Cara’s advice to get out of any situations that can be dangerous or uncomfortable. By incorporating these thoughts into our daily lives we will not only be protecting ourselves and others, but we will also remember Cara and her sister. Hopefully, all of us in the KYHS community will make the world a safer place by acting responsibly and doing our part to make sure there are no more atrocities like that that happened to Cara Fellers's sister.

Article by Meirav Berger ('25)

Beware of Malware

Students Learn About the Importance of Internet Safety

Graphic By Joshua Reich ('25)

“Even though you think you live in a bubble, you don’t,” claimed Gary Schiller on Wednesday morning. The student body was skeptical about this statement. What is this guy even saying? Who is he to tell me what my life is like? Nothing has ever happened to me before. 

“I received a call the other day about a predator on Lyons and Glades”, Mr. Schiller continued. Gasps filled the room; Katz Yeshiva High School is a block away from Lyons and Glades roads. 

Gary Schiller works for the government of the state of Florida and is a prosecutor for cases involving sex offenders, online trolls, and pedophiles. For the majority of trials that you have seen on television, he is the attorney present. During his presentation he spoke about uncomfortable yet essential issues, especially for a generation that is always on devices. 

In his presentation he shared a surprising statistic: 60% of victims of sexual violence online are male. For the last thirty years, society has been drilling into girls to say no, however the boys have been overlooked. Males have been continuously neglected and not advised because society thought they were manly enough to fight back, but they should have been sending the exact same message they have been giving to the girls. Boys do not overthink or consider the consequences of their actions as quickly as girls do, so they interact with potential predators immediately. Mr. Schiller told the crowd that the people on the internet, the messed up ones, aren’t contemplating if you are a boy or girl and will pounce on anyone willing to communicate. 

Mr. Schiller continuously reminded the students that being a victim of an online predator is never their fault. He asks many of his clients why they did not stop things from the start. Most will respond by saying that they did not want to burden anyone with their problems. We have to acknowledge that our parents never want us to go through a horrific circumstance such as this one and turn to them for help if needed.

Internet safety applies to everyone in our school community. If you are going to college, colleges track your social media accounts to see what type of person you are. Before an interview, the company looks you up online. Finally, anyone on a social media platform can be a victim of inappropriate comments and harmful images. Mr. Schiller told the students a story about a boy ready to go to UCLA on full scholarship for swimming. One night he was at a graduation party, casually holding a red Dixie cup and someone snapped a picture of him and posted it online. His school found out and, even though he claimed he wasn’t drinking, he was kicked off the swim team and his scholarship was taken away. That small click of a button on an easily accessible website can change someone’s life forever. 

When Mr. Schiller and his team received the tip about the attacker on Lyons and Glades from a teenager who was contacted by the offender himself, they swiftly set a plan into action to detain the predator. Upon arrival to the predator’s house, they found the assaulter about to rape his granddaughter. She was three years old and if the rescue squad had not arrived when they did, who knows what could have happened. 

Mr. Schiller concluded his speech by advising the student body to prevent these occurrences using three tools: 

1. Just say no. If someone sends you anything remotely inappropriate or something that you do not want to associate with, block them and delete the chat. 
2. Delete everyone in your contact list on social media that you have never met in person. The notion of having communication with strangers is dangerous and unnecessary. 
3. If anything inappropriate happens, contact cybertipline.org and they will come to your aid immediately. 

Article By Gabriella Asher ('25)

Seeing Miracles in the Darkest of Times

Avihai Brodutch Shares His Family's Personal Story from October 7th

Graphic by Technical Staff

Avihai Brodutch lived on Kibbutz Kfar with his wonderful wife and his three beautiful children. Sirens go off regularly on this kibbutz, so on October 7th when the sirens went off, it wasn’t such a surprise because it was sadly their norm. Normally when sirens went off he would go out and take pictures to keep the kibbutz notified. On October 7th when he went outside it seemed like a regular day of sirens until he went to the street and saw something strange from a distance. He noticed two terrorists on a parachute had infiltrated their kibbutz. From that day forward he would search for miracles and since October 7th he has had three miracles directly from God. 

Upon seeing the terrorists coming into the kibbutz Mr. Brodutch notified everyone, previously they had made a decision to keep everyone’s weapons in an armory in the center of the community. Three people were killed by terrorists on their way to the armory, but everyone else made it there safely. At one point Avihai found himself next to a grenade, and his leg was hit. Due to the smoke he was able to crawl to safety without the barbaric terrorists noticing him. Escaping from what would be a tragic death and securing his safety was the first miracle that happened.

Mr. Brodutch kept his wife updated the entire time and while he was taking shelter, his biggest nightmare occurred. He got a text from his wife saying that the terrorists were coming into their home. Hehad no clue what the situation was and if these terrorists were taking people hostage, so he assumed that his family had been devastatingly murdered. After taking cover he was sent to the hospital and was offered to call someone. Avihai refused, explaining that there was nobody to call because he had nobody left. He felt that there was no purpose to life anymore.

Avihai suddenly received the news that would change his life. He was told that his family had been taken hostage, which was the second big miracle that happened. He explained that this was the best news he could’ve received. During this time period he would sit in front of the Israeli defense ministry with a poster that says: My family is in Gaza. In an interview with CNN he tragically said “Daytime I talk to people about my story. Nighttime comes and I just fall asleep. I don't even fall apart, just fall asleep”.

The third miracle was that after 51 days in Gaza, his family was finally released in the ceasefire agreement. He said that this was the best day of his life. 

It’s very important that even through all of this hardship in Israel and in Jewish communities, we still have to stay strong and positive. The students received valuable lessons and were very moved by this outstanding speaker.

Article by Miriam Marcus ('25)

Knock Knock...Who's there?

Rabbi Leibtag!

KYHS Hears From a Tanach Expert

Graphic by Technical Staff

Last week brought us a very exciting speaker! As no one was told who was coming, imagine the immense surprise to find out it was a Talmid Chacham as accomplished and inspirational as Rabbi Leibtag! He hopped around different classes throughout the day, teaching all sorts of topics! 

The students in Rabbi Hochman’s Honors Girls Gemara class learned about an exciting upcoming holiday: Pesach! Rabbi Leibtag discussed the importance of Pesach as a special day dedicated to remembering what we are supposed to remember every day: Yetziat Mitzrayim. He asked thought-provoking questions, such as: “When would you say the story of Pesach starts?” Everyone was able to share their different opinions and learn where and why we actually start our retelling of our Exodus from Egypt in the Haggadah. It was a fun and lively presentation filled with opinions, defenses, rebuttals, and concessions. No one was bored or zoning out; everyone was engaged and excited to hear the answers.

All of Rabbi Hochman’s female Gemara students came away with something new to say at the upcoming Pesach Sedarim. One example was: if the whole point of the Seder is to ask the Ma Nishtana and answer the children about what is different on this night vs. all other nights, then do adults need to do the retelling? We learn from the rabbis of Bnei Brak that adults do need to do a retelling, because the reminder of our past experiences is not just for the children but for the adults as well. We need to keep telling this story so that we can redeem ourselves, as this story is our motivation to be better. We have a whole holiday dedicated to this experience to give us the strength to be committed to Hashem the rest of the year. We were so lucky to hear from such a gadol b’Torah!

Article by Leila Samuels ('25)

Highlites Staff