26 April 2012 - Yeshiva College

YESHIVA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
DEAN VECHESHBON
How holy in the Israeli flag There is nothing about it in the Torah or Gemara! Yet we do know it is
special. We learnt an insight from Rav Soloveichik that the flag actual has intrinsic holiness – not from the
same source that makes a Torah or Tefillin holy – but from a very different yet as real source: Jewish
blood! At the end of the Shulchan Aruch we will find the laws of mourning. Normally, there is a Mitzvah to
cleanse the deceased and bury him or her in clean shrouds. However Jews who are murdered because of
who they were are to buried in their bloodied garments in order to rouse passionate emotion over their
tragic murder. How much holy Jewish blood has been spilt because of this flag! Just like the blood
sanctifies those sullied garments, the blood of every Jewish soldier and citizen who has died because of
Israel sanctifies the flag!
This idea as well as many other ideas and programmes have constituted a very busy build-up to Yom
HaAtzma’ut, that has included our seniors – our Matrics and Grade 11’s (welcome back from exams!!!).
This required us to digest a number of serious but uplifting days in the build-up to the festive Yom
HaAtzma’ut. While the Grade 10s, 11s and 12s went to Westpark Cemetery for the communal Yom
Hashoah event, the Middle School had a shiur kelali on Yom Hazikaron Lashoah Veligvurah. I was so
impressed by the spirit of our students in all that pertained to Yom Hashoah. Students initiated a “supercharged”
Shalhevet evening learning programme in memory of the 6000000 which was so well attended.
Thank you to Rav Alexander for his input as well. Although the ceremony at Westpark was cut short as
the Heavens shed tears with us over what seemed like just the cemetery, so may voices commented that
we should have continued through the rain in memory of the “Kedoshim” of the Shoah. Shkoyach for this
comprehensive spirit which we can learn from and be proud of!
On Tuesday we had a school assembly where we screened Sharit Krengel’s “Machal 804” documentary
on the amazing achievements of the South African volunteers who fought in Israel’s War of Independence.
Four of our school’s grandparents were counted among those heroes. How proud we were to recognise
the grandfathers of the Friedlands, Egdeses, Hodeses and Levins (Shochats)! We were also privileged to
hear from a number of parents of the school about their fathers who fought.
26 April 2012 - 4 lyar 8