Maccabiah 5786 Is Full of Heart and Soul

This year’s green and blue WDS Maccabiah Color War 2026/5786 celebrated lev (heart)/green team and nefesh (soul)/blue team. The themes stem from the pasuk in the Shema, “בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁךָ”--that we should love Hashem with our whole heart and our whole soul. Our eighth graders chose these themes to remind us that a meaningful Jewish life requires both heart and soul.

According to Torah commentator Ibn Ezra, lev represents knowledge and we show Hashem just how much we love Him when we use our knowledge to make a positive impact on the world. Nefesh reflects our deepest values, faith, and spiritual identity which are all shaped by the Torah. Our goal at WDS is to nurture both in our students, giving them knowledge and skills while also laying the foundation values of what it means to be a Jew guided by the Torah.

The two days of Maccabiah 5786 overflowed with ruach, energy, and menschlichkeit as the teams competed in athletic challenges such as knockout and soccer, teamwork challenges such as bucket brigade and yarn tie-up, and parsha challenges. Kol hakavod to our eighth graders for their leadership throughout the games, and to our teams for their camaraderie and sportsmanship.

More so than any classroom lesson, these are the moments that stay with students far into the future.