A VERY JEWISH HALLOWEEN

As a whole, the Jewish community does not celebrate Halloween, but we do celebrate Purim! So, save those costumes and think about adding a Jewish twist or a tzedakah piece to your Trick or Treat Traditions.  While it is important to support our neighbors in their celebrations, and equally important to not separate ourselves from the community, there are many ways of participating in a custom without observing it the way others do. Some suggest Jewish children share in the celebration by greeting their neighbors and giving out candy. It is certainly possible for our children to get excited about giving to others, and then the underlying theme for them is that Halloween is about giving.  

A noted rabbi and educator, Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht, once noticed the similarity between Purim and Halloween. In both cases, children get dressed up and go door to door receiving gifts of food. The distinction between the two is that on Halloween, the children only receive, whereas on Purim, the emphasis is that the children learn to give. The fact that they might receive in return is of secondary importance.  

To reinforce the value of giving, and to encourage the act of helping others, we will be collecting all extra wrapped candy you have. Please talk to your children about giving to others, and help them turn an everyday moment into a Jewish experience.

TORAH IS THE HEART OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE

We have been quite busy exploring the laws and customs associated with the fall Jewish holidays, and we enjoyed celebrating together. We ate apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah, talked about teshuvah and turning things around for Yom Kippur, invited guests and snacked on graham crackers in the Sukkah, beat the willow branches for Hashanah Rabah, and unrolled the Torah for Simchat Torah. 

With the holidays gone but not forgotten, our Sunday morning class started to explore the lifelong lessons our Torah teaches us. Students compared the original hand written text found in the Torah scroll to the printed words in the Tanach, or the Chumash, better known as the Five Books of Moses, or the big red book found on the book shelf in the sanctuary. Students learned to navigate the Chumash, looking for book, chapter and verse. We had a mini Torah Scavenger Hunt, searching for clues hidden in the words of Torah. We learned many of our customs and traditions start with a basic phrase in the Torah, interpreted through time to keep Judaism alive and well. Our discussion continued with the basic understanding that the Torah teaches us to live a Jewish life. We talked about the phrase Torah is the Heart of the Jewish People and how just as people cannot live without a heart; the Jewish people cease to exist without the Torah. 

Next Sunday we will be participating in the Fall Fix-up Program, and hope to see you there. Please be sure to register online, or let Allison know you will be attending.