WOW! It sure was good to be back in class after our long Passover break. After spending a little bit of time talking about our family Seders, and the importance of sharing our family traditions from one generation to another, we settled down to review the many lessons presented in each Torah portion. We talked about how GOD gave the Torah to the Jewish People with the expectation that we turn the words over and over again, learning new and different things every time we read a passage. We talked about finding meaning in the words of Torah at different stages in our lives, and how even as adults, there are new things to learn, and different ways to interpret the words of Torah to meet our needs.
During our discussion, we decided that GOD spent a tremendous amount of time teaching us about creation, and how to live a Jewish life. We have the ability to think and make individual choices, and we are expected to take responsibility for the choices we make. We are partners and rulers, and we are the caretakers for all living things. In the first two chapters of the the Torah, GOD fails to create moral and ethical leaders able to carry on the traditions of Torah, and so we begin to see a new wave of leadership. Unlike the individuals Adam and Noah, GOD now decides to build a community of people with common values to lay the foundation for living a Jewish life, and chooses Abraham and Sarah to fulfill this mission.
In our Taste of Torah, we began to explore the journey of Abraham and Sarah, and we talked about what it means to carry the future of Judaism on our shoulders. Abraham was chosen by GOD to be the leader of the Jewish people. GOD told Abraham to pack his bags and move to a place he did not know, and with this commandment, Abraham was promised that he would become a great nation.
Our Tuesday afternoon we had a brief discussion about Yom Ha Shoah and Holocaust Remembrance Day. We read the book The Yellow Star by Carmen Deedy and we talked about standing up for what you believe in, and supporting the underdog, or a victim. We then explored what brought about the establishment of a Jewish state, and why as Jews in particular, it is so important to defend human rights and values both home and abroad.
Please take a few minutes and ask your children what it means to follow in GOD's footsteps, and the importance of challenging those that make decisions that are not fair or just. Next week we celebrate Israel's 70th birthday.
Enjoy the Weekend, and we will see you Sunday.
No comments:
Post a Comment