Moments of Shehechiyanu

Baruch Shehechiyanu v'kiyimanu, vihigianu l'zman hazeh — Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion.

This blessing is traditionally said when doing something for the first time that year — like the new fruits that we will be enjoying each Rosh Hashanah — and upon reaching milestones. Baruch Hashem, Katz Hillel Day School has had several reasons to proclaim this blessing during the 2015/16 school year. We successfully "burned" our mortgage over the summer, had our most successful journal dinner and raffle campaigns to date, and dedicated the name of the school and lower school building. We had our largest graduating class to date and another year of record enrollment, as well as record Camp Ruach enrollment — all while maintaining our high standards of academic excellence.

Although we have enjoyed these and many other momentous achievements, we are not simply resting on our laurels — in fact, we are constantly striving towards even loftier goals. Just as we had the opportunity to bless the new fruit on Rosh Hashanah we hope that there will be many more opportunities for the KHDS family to proclaim the "Shehechiyanu" blessing during the 2016/17 year and for many more years thereafter.

Rabbi Sholom Ber Sorotzkin is the head of the Ateres Shlomo yeshiva network in Israel, where over 6,000 young men and boys come to learn each day. His schools are just as well known for their standard of excellence in the classrooms and study halls, as they are for the stunning appearance of their physical plant. When recently questioned about his motives in that regard, Rabbi Sorotzkin said that he indeed strives to make his buildings as attractive and as comfortable as possible, with the best air conditioning, and comfortable dormitories. Playing off of Rashi's Talmud commentary in the tractate of Shabbos, where the Jewish nation's hasty departure from Mount Sinai is likened to "children running away from school", Rabbi Sorotzkin said that his approach to education is for his students to want to "run to the yeshiva from their homes, because life is good for them in the yeshiva".

We have made many improvements to the physical plant this past year including an upgraded technology infrastructure through the eRate program, new and remodeled offices, new learning spaces, upgrades in the cafeteria, and the list goes on each and every day — all to support the outstanding educational product that KHDS has to offer, and all to keep KHDS a place that our children will continue to want to run to.