Happy Hanukah to all the parents, students, teachers and staff!

R. Isaac Judah Trunk of Kutno (1879-1939), in his work Hasdei Avot #17, proffers a fascinating theory in relation to the genesis of the lighting of Chanukah candles. He begins by noting that in the famous Talmudic discussion about the origin of Chanukah the section concludes with the statement that the next year they established it as a holiday “with Hallel and Thanksgiving” without any mention of the institution of the lighting of candles in each and every home.

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Classical Music at Teacher/Parent Conference

I would love to express my gratitude to the unknown music lover at school today, who played Vivaldi's CD in the hall during the teacher/parent conference. The ethereal sounds of this magnificent composer added tranquility to a hectic rushing from teacher to teacher, enveloping parental worries and concerns in the cocoon of timeless beauty and serenity. THANK YOU!

Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction

...Researchers say the lure of these technologies, while it affects adults too, is particularly powerful for young people. The risk, they say, is that developing brains can become more easily habituated than adult brains to constantly switching tasks — and less able to sustain attention. “Their brains are rewarded not for staying on task but for jumping to the next thing,” said Michael Rich, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and executive director of the Center on Media and Child Health in Boston. And the effects could linger: “The worry is we’re raising a generation of kids in front of screens whose brains are going to be wired differently.” read the full article

The Animators of Life

Building on decades of research and mountains of data, scientists and animators are now recreating in vivid and sometimes jaw-dropping detail the complex inner machinery of living cells.

Rabbi Steinsaltz has completed his 45-volume Talmud translation and commentary in Hebrew

This weekend, the decades-long Talmud project that has come to define Rabbi Steinsaltz’s life has culminated with the publication of the final tractate in the series, Ta’anit. The day, Sunday, Nov. 7, was marked by a “Global Day of Learning” Dozens of communities across the world has taken take part in what is both a celebration of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s work and, in keeping with his vision, an opportunity for Jews everywhere to grapple with life’s “Big Questions,” as he puts it, ones the rabbis who compiled the Talmud wrestled with themselves.

The Longest Translation

Across the country, online education is exploding

Is it possible to learn as much when your professor is a mass of pixels whom you never meet? How much of a student’s education and growth — academic and personal — depends on face-to-face contact with instructors and fellow students?