On a rainy Sunday, September 29, Westchester Day School (WDS) gathered for a fall festival and hachnasat sefer Torah dedicating two newly restored sifrei Torah. One is in memory of the victims of October 7, including Yitzhar Hoffman, HY”D, a fallen soldier connected to WDS, and the second Torah honors the WDS community. The event included live music by Mordy Weinstein, dancing, and a Torah parade. In addition, there were arts-and-crafts activities for children and an IDF training-themed obstacle course. Moving indoors didn’t dampen enthusiasm.
WDS Head of School Rabbi Dani Rockoff explained that WDS had two Sifrei Torah that have not been usable for many years. A sofer examined them and found them reparable. “We felt that now more than ever was the time to reinstate them to their full glory; put to daily use for tefillah and learning at a Jewish day school. There is a glorious mitzvah of writing a sefer Torah, and even repairing one letter in a Torah fulfills this mitzvah (Rambam Hilchot Sefer Torah 7:1); this project enables us to participate in this mitzvah together.”
Rockoff added: “The opportunity to participate in the repair of a sefer Torah and a hachnasat sefer Torah is rare and momentous for anyone, and especially a Jewish day school. How meaningful it was for our kehilla to unite in this mission and mitzvah, leaving a lasting legacy for all WDS students and families—past, present and future. Through this project, they have a hand in impacting current and future generations of Jewish students at WDS, and participating in the theme of the Simchat Torah Project: A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time of wailing and a time of dancing [Kohelet 3].”
The first Torah dedication was part of World Mizrachi’s Simchat Torah Project, a global project of Jewish communities dedicating sifrei Torah in memory of October 7 murder victims and in the ensuing war. WDS is proud to be among the groups participating in this initiative in memory of 1,200 souls and the many soldiers and hostages who died al kiddush Hashem. The me’il (cover) of this Torah includes the name of Yitzhar Hoffman, who fell in battle heroically in Gaza. Hoffman was the uncle of Rotem Talman, one of WDS bnot sherut last year, and also a close friend of WDS teacher Moreh Adiel Biton.
Rockoff expressed: “The beginning of a school year is a source of excitement, but also one of trepidation, as teachers welcome new students to their classrooms and students transition back into the mind frame for learning and structure. Our first day of school was Rosh Chodesh Elul, with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur right around the corner. Each year, these Yamim Noraim are cause for reflection and evoke feelings of awe and introspection. This year, they were immediately followed by the first anniversary of October 7, with the Hebrew date falling on Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah.
“For the last year, our hearts and minds have been so concentrated on the events and aftermath of this devastating day: on the lives that were tragically taken, the humbling heroism of all the chayalim and civilians who sprang into action in those early hours of October 7 and throughout the ongoing months of combat, and certainly … the shvuyim so recently and heartbreakingly lost and the remaining 101 innocents still so cruelly held in Gaza. In the shadow of all that darkness, Am Yisrael united in a profound way that resonated more than any moment in recent memory.”
Rockoff continued: “At Westchester Day School, we deeply value our role within the global Jewish community. Every moment of tefillah, every moment of learning, every Hebrew word spoken, every opportunity for gathering as a community is a sacred part of our larger collective story. Every member of the WDS community, past, present and future remains a part of our fabric forever. We collectively feel joy and we collectively feel pain. We are one.”
WDS parent Jill Ellman said, “It was a rare opportunity to teach kids that you can restore kedusha to something that had lost it.” Her fourth grade daughter Nili added, “It was an amazing event.” Kindergarten student Zach remarked, “It was the best Torah party I have even been to.”
WDS summed up: “The day embodied our achdut, resilience and dedication to Torah as we enter 5785. Today was a truly remarkable and moving event that will be etched into the WDS’ history for years to come.” WDS is deeply grateful to Jessica and Jonathan Katz and Staci and Jack Bodner for their generous contributions that help make this day possible.
