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.