Goodbye 2012!

Review, Really?

Am I the only one having déjà vu?
Didn't we do this, see this, learn this already?

Yet the Talmud compares one who does not review to one who plows his field but fails to plant.

Essentially then, learning and experiencing new information prepares our minds like plowing prepares the field, disrupting and turning over the ground, readying it to be sowed. Without review, however, it's as if it was never implanted with the seeds that could take root and blossom.

The soil has been tilled, but no new points of view have emerged. Without review, we're left with nothing but disturbed ground, flashes of ideas that never congealed, information that has not coalesced, concepts that never synthesized, facts that never connected, images that never formed a comprehensive picture. It is merely knowledge without the exciting prospect of fresh ideas, and innovative points of view.

As is the case at the beginning of every new year, the pundits are busy compiling their top ten lists of the past year. In this season of reviews, we too take the time to review our top unforgettable moments of fall 2012.

Who could forget our fun-filled color war, inspirational kumzitzes and slichot program, dazzling talent show, Chanukah extravaganzas, breakfast at teachers homes, dynamic guest speakers, chagigas, parent/student learning, yom iyun, and our amazing sports games? (Go Storm!)

Only in review, can we assimilate the effect and magnitude that these combined programs and experiences have had on our spiritual, physical, intellectual and emotional development.

As we approach midterms let us view review, and the formidable hours of studying as an opportunity to embed those precious seeds of knowledge learned over the course of the past semester, so that we can yield new perspectives, and unlock the wisdom hidden within each of us.

And… let's make 2013 a year of memories worth reviewing!

Shabbat Shalom!
Mrs. Ora Lee Kanner
Principal