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Rabbi Nehunia Ben Haqqana Visits Cardin
Mishnah Berachot 4:2 tells us that the students of Rabbi Nehunia ben Haqqana would watch his every move as he entered and left the house of study. They would listen to his mumbled prayers at the door. They would watch how he turned to face them; the look on his face and the kindness in his eyes.
Eventually, his students mustered enough courage to ask Rabbi Nehunia ben Haqqana what he was saying in his mumbled prayers.
As he entered the house of study, Rabbi Nehunia ben Haqqanah asked God to forgive him for any offences he might commit as his students’ teacher, “God, please forgive me for a poor a lesson, poor classroom management, impatience, a mistake of interpretation, and any other mistakes teachers can make.”
The students must have been surprised at Rabbi Nehunia’s humility, and how teaching became a matter to be discussed with God.
When he left the house of study, the rabbi thanked God for his lot in life as a teacher.
As I begin my second week as Dean of Judaic studies at the Shoshana S. Cardin School, I find myself echoing the words of Rabbi Nehunia ben Haqqanah:
“Dear God, thank you for my portion in life.”
I am thrilled to be part of the Cardin community. I am blessed to work with an exceptional staff, and privileged to work with an outstanding group of students and their parents. I have been made to feel very much at home, and I would like to thank the entire Cardin community for their warm welcome and support.
“I am grateful to You, enduring King, for restoring my soul to me in compassion. You are faithful beyond measure.”
These are the first words we recite on waking in the morning, the modeh ani, a prayer thanking God for the day to come, before it has been experienced.
Jews thank God in advance. We are waking up to a new school year, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank in advance all those in our community for a year filled with joy, learning and growth.
L’shana tova!
Rabbi Stuart Seltzer
SCHOOL NEWS
Classes in Action
After reviewing the lyrics of the popular song “If I Had a Million Dollars,” students in the Applied Math class were given advertisements and charged with buying the items listed in the song while staying within a million dollar budget. Todd bought us a reasonable house; Byron decided on a flashy, but used, car; Sophie shopped for furniture and household goods; Alex spent $7,500 on a monkey, but only $350 on a llama; Jeremy picked a 52” TV; Sam selected a stylish wardrobe including a $6,000 purse; and I insisted on acquiring a first-edition, signed copy of Tom Sawyer. Conversation focused on how families make buying decisions. After calculating that there was still money left to spend, the class period ended with Todd lobbying for a bigger house, Byron proposing that we buy another llama for breeding purposes, and Sam eyeing another pair of designer shoes. Jan Schein
Beyond the Classroom
CAPTS Back-to-School BBQ was a fiery success! Most of the Cardin community partied at the JCC Owings Mills, where they heard from Randy Gartner, CAPTS President and Howard Janet, Chairman, Board of Trustees. The evening was splendid, as students played football and families became reacquainted or newly acquainted with one another, faculty, staff and board members. Thank you to Adva Goldberg and her committee of volunteer parents and students for a fantastic event.
 
COLLEGE SCENE
College visits to Cardin will be starting soon. The first college representative to visit Cardin will be Alec Miller from the University of Richmond on Monday, September 10. Students should see Ms. Schein to get the required permission slip in order to attend this visit. Other upcoming college visits in the next two weeks include: Smith College, Towson University, Earlham College, Guilford College and Franklin & Marshall College. Students should check the college bulletin board for details about the visits, as well as sign-up on Family Connections.
Here are a few tips for juniors and seniors when meeting with a college representative:
- Actively listen to the presentation so that you can form an educated opinion about the school
- Come prepared with a relevant question to ask the representative
- Write down your reactions immediately after the presentation so you can remember them later on
- If you are serious about the college, write a personal note to the representative
Remember: September 10 is the deadline to sign up for the October 6 SAT and September 21 is the registration deadline for the October 27 ACT. Hallie Schein
ALUMNI UPDATES
Johanna and Chelsea Schein ’07, freshman at Franklin& Marshall College, were interview by the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal for an article about F & M’s new kosher dining facility. Read the full article at http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/20900
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