During the last week in January, parents gathered in the Yeshiva Primary ballroom for a beautiful Chumash play and to watch their precious children who are in second grade at Yeshiva Primary receive their first chumash.
The students walked onto the stage singing a pasuk from King David that means that Hashem’s Torah is better than 1,000 pieces of silver and gold, and wearing posters with Torah scrolls that had the first pasuk of Parshas Lech L’cha written in big letters. Morah Yocheved Abramovitz accompanied the students with beautiful flowing melodies on the piano.
Rebbetzin Channah Hecht, the first and second grade morah at Yeshiva Primary for over 20 years, welcomed everyone. She shared that when Hashem gave us the Torah, He asked, “Who will be my guarantors that the Torah will continue?” The Jewish people replied, “Our children will be the guarantors.” She taught that the word bein (son) in Hebrew is related to the word boneh (to build). These words are related because children are the building blocks of the future of klal Yisrael. “Your children who are attending Yeshiva Primary now are the guarantors of the future of their families and of the Jewish people.”
She explained that there were two main themes for the Chumash play: V’ahavta l’rei’acha kamocha (Love your neighbor as yourself) and emunah and bitachon in Hashem (belief and trust in Hashem).
She began by sharing the famous story of the man who was considering converting to Judaism, and he asked Shamai to explain the whole Torah on one foot. Shamai waved away his request and sent him away. He then went to Hillel. Hillel stated, “Love your neighbor as yourself; the rest is commentary. Go and learn.” Rebbetzin Hecht taught the students how loving your neighbor as yourself is the basis of the whole Torah.
Next, the students acted out the famous Story of the Two Brothers. King David asked Hashem where we should build the Beis HaMikdash. Hashem relayed this story to King David in a dream. One brother was very rich but had no children and the other was poor and had many children. Each brother worried about how the other would manage when he grew older. The rich brother worried how his brother would manage, since he was poor; and the poor brother worried how his brother would manage without children to care for him. So, each one at a different time, without knowing the other was doing it, brought some extra wheat to his brother’s field. They did this every night for a long time. They both noticed how their supply of wheat never dwindled and they didn’t know why. Then one night they happened to be going to each other’s fields with wheat at the same time and they saw each other and realized what was happening. They hugged and kissed and that was the spot where Hashem decided to build the Beis HaMikdash. Hashem was telling King David that this was the spot, this place of brotherly love, where King Shlomo should build the Beis HaMikdash, because the Beis HaMikdash shows the importance of loving one another.
Parents were so inspired by the performance that some of them cried.
After this, one of the students read the first pasuk in Lech L’cha, which is the parshah the children would begin learning.
Rebbetzin Hecht asked the children, “Do you think it was hard for Avraham to leave his country, his family and relations, and his father’s house?” They all said, “Yes.”
She asked, “So, why did Avraham do this?”
They responded, “He had belief and trust in Hashem.”
Rebbetzin Hecht explained to the children in front of the parents that we have emunah and bitachon inherited from Avraham. It is part of our DNA.
The children then sang the following beautiful song, which we should all learn and sing whenever we need a reminder.
Here are the words to the beautiful song:
“I believe in Hashem, I trust in Hashem.
There never is a moment when
I am alone
and on my own.
I believe and I trust in Hashem,
Because I understand
That He’s holding my hand.
And every step
Is perfectly planned.
He’s holding me tight,
So I’ll be all right.
I believe and I trust in Hashem.”
The students sang several other meaningful songs. At the end of the program, the children thanked Rabbi Zalmen Deutscher, Founder and Director of Yeshiva Primary, and Mrs. Judy Klein, Principal. Then Rabbi Deutscher handed out the new chumashim to the eager second graders.
The program concluded with singing “We want Mashiach Now” and “Ani Maamin.”
The students were so excited to receive their brand new chumashim that when they went back to class that day, they begged, “Morah, can I read from my chumash now?”
Rebbebtzin Hecht has shared the following beautiful idea that resonates at Yeshiva Primary: “There is nothing more precious than our children. The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that a person is like a diamond that is dusty, and when children go to school and learn Torah, they shine.”
May we all see continued nachas from our precious children, and Hashem should bless Yeshiva Primary.
