School’s routine is upon us

The Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) High School has been on a series of holiday breaks for the past two weeks. First was Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. We dip apples in honey and hear multiple blows of the shofar, a traditional ceremonial horn, to “wake us up” to the fact that Yom Kippur is around the corner.
Yom Kippur tortured our stomachs as we all fasted for 25 hours straight. During the holiday, we pray to be forgiven for all of our sins in the past year, promising to never do them again. Sukkot was next. We build a temporary hut called a sukkah in which we eat and sleep in, rain or shine. Elementary school and nursery students often create decorations for the sukkah in school to help teach them about the holiday. Hoshanah Rabah occurs during the last day of Sukkot. The reason that day has its own name is because of the ritual performed on the final day of Sukkot. The day afterwards is Shmini Atzeret, which is an extra day of holiday to lengthen the celebration. Lastly, Simchat Torah arrives in which we celebrate the completion of the weekly readings of the Torah and start again with the beginning.
HAFTR started school on Sept. 9. This means that out of the 15 possible school days in September, HAFTR High students attended eight. The school has given us a taste of what our new teachers and classes are going to be like. All of the “good stuff” happens after the holidays. Fortunately, clubs and sport seasons are going to start. Unfortunately, tests and assignments are coming up as well.
This schedule is to our advantage because it gives my peers and me a smooth transition from summer break into school. The relaxed state of mind of summer slowly changes to the intense focus that school requires. We are also able to get used to waking up in the morning.
The holidays themselves are all about spending time with your family and friends. It is an opportune time to reunite with people who do not live in the vicinity. Many summer programs and other groups hold something called a simchaton. The group has a reunion for two days during Simchat Torah and Shmini Atzeret. As fall arrived, HAFTR students were ready to immerse themselves in the routine of school.