Creating From Within
In our first week of school, two of Chaviva’s student leadership groups, Nishmas and Lev, launched their programs with meaningful activities connected to this year’s theme of Naaseh Adam – Creation of Self.
Our Nishmas heads, Mindy Fishbaum, Shira Vitebskiy, and Aviva Geller, introduced a Midrash explaining that Hashem counted Bnei Yisrael nine times throughout the Torah, a fitting focus for our ninth year. The girls explored the idea that Hashem sees and values each individual. Students then searched for their own names among leaves scattered throughout the classrooms, discovering that every girl has a unique place and that we are not complete without one another.
Rabbi Tenenbaum connected the activity to Parshas Nitzavim and Moshe’s words of chizuk to Bnei Yisrael. He shared that the words “אֶפְשַׁר לְהִתְקַיֵּם וְלַעֲמֹד לְפָנֶיךָ” in Asher Yatzar spell Elul, offering a powerful reminder that we can approach this time of year with confidence as we work toward teshuva and strive to maximize our potential.
On Erev Shabbos, our Lev heads, Hila Cohen, Daniella Kessler, and Sofya Itin, hosted “Painting Your Inner Self,” an activity inspired by their own interpretation of our theme. Artist Ahava Doria shared how art can be a meaningful way to connect with Hashem, after which each student used a portrait of herself as a canvas for reflection, identifying goals she hopes to work toward throughout the year.
Together, these opening activities allowed our students to begin the year looking both within themselves and toward one another, setting the stage for a year of growth, reflection, and self-creation.
