A GOOD NAME...

There are three crowns.  The crown of Torah

The crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship.

But the crown of a good name excels them all. 

(Ethics of the Fathers 4:17)

In class today, our students were asked to think about the many lessons we learned this year, and the importance of building a relationship with others by following the commandments.  These relationships are nurtured through Jewish values, and our commitment to making the world a better place.  We shared our thoughts and ideas about our reputations, and how others view us.  We also talked about what we want others to say about us, and how we are the gatekeepers to our legacy.  

We twisted and turned the ideas in this phrase, and talked about what the three crowns were.  Were they really crowns, or were they just symbols for royalty or riches?  After some poking and prodding, we thought about how one receives these crowns.  The crown of Torah, priesthood and kingship are all titles bestowed upon someone with little rhyme or reason.  Someone may have a lot of money or a famous family, and subsequently, they are looked to as heroes. However, the crown of a good name exceeds all the other crowns because a good name must be earned.  

Students were asked to think about the many ways we earn our good name.  We talked about what our teachers, neighbors, friends, and family think of us, and how important it is to protect our name.  Students created name posters with their personality traits, and rest assured, many do indeed have a good name.  Our students see themselves as funny, happy, good, nice, kind, and respectful.  They are empathetic, brave, smart, athletic, special, and strong.  Most importantly, they are Super Heroes in their own right, and each has earned their good name.  

Thank you for allowing me to learn with your students this year.  It has been a pleasure getting to know them, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday for our Shavuot Ceebration and final day together.  

A PROMISE IS A PROMISE

Our year is quickly coming to an end, but we have many more lessons to learn.  In our Taste of Torah rotation, we continued to follow the life of Abraham and Sarah.  We examined the text from the Chumash, and learned Abraham was sent from his home with the promise he and all his generations would become a great nation.  We talked about this as a reality, and our students truly believe the Jewish people have endured many hardships through time, but in the end, we stood taogether to continuously fight our enemies.

With the groundwork solidly in place, we talked about how the Judaism has thrived while many other ancient civilizations went by the wayside.  We talked about strong family values and faith in GOD as the cornerstone of our continuity, and the belief that we have our Torah and the commandments to keep us consistently grounded.

Finally,  we talked about the covenant between Abraham and GOD, and the promise of Brit Milah.  While our students were a bit squeamish, we gave the truth and nothing but the truth, and we had lots of thoughtful questions about the commandment of circumcision.  Rabbi Dahlen stopped in for the discussion, and our students loved learning with him.

On Tuesday,  we took a break from the Torah and instead talked about the Ten Commandments, specifically, the commandment to honor our Mother and our Father.  We examined Ashet Chayil, a traditional acrostic husbands and fathers chant each Friday night to the wife and mother of the household, and we learned about the importance our Rabbis placed on the family.   Students created a Mother's Day card with several quotes fround in Proverbs, and wrote their own Woman of Valor quotes as well.  I hope you enjoy the thoughtful cards, and have a lovely Mother's Day with your family.  

Sunday, May 14, 2017 - Happy Mother's Day - NO SCHOOL
Sunday, May 21, 2017 - Family Shavuot Progeram - See you Then

What's In Your Backpack

In our  Taste of Torah class, 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 he would become a great nation.     

We talked about what it means to be a great nation, and the responsibilities that come with this great task.  We also talked about the generations that came before Abraham, and the qualities they had that made GOD put his trust in them.  We talked about being honest and dependable, and having faith in GOD, and we talked about building relationships on trust.  Finally, we explored the text in the Torah, where GOD commands Abraham to leave his home and his family, and find a place where GOD will show him.  

Our students talked about moving and how difficult it would be to leave all that was familiar and start life anew.  We talked about what it would be like to move to a new state, a new neighborhood, and a new school, and trusting our parents to make the right choices for us.  We also talked about having faith in our parents just as Abraham had faith in GOD.    Students were then to asked to think of the things they would need to place in their backpacks if they were packing for a journey to a far away land.  Specifically, students were asked to pack items that would guarantee the future of Judaism.  We had some thoughtful and insightful backpacks, and some funny little items as well.  Ask your children what they would pack for their trip.  

To observe Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Day of Remembrance we observed a moment of silence for the fallen soldiers in our Jewish Homeland, and then we celebrated Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel's 69th birthday.  Students made hummus and Israeli Salad, decorated Hamsas in the Maker Space, and made Dead Sea Salt scrub, Before ending our day with birthday cake.  

Next week we will talk about the commandment of Brit Micah in class.  Please take a few minutes to introduce this topic with your students if you think it will be a difficult discussion for them to hear.  

THE CHOSEN ONES

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, this time through Abraham and Sarah

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. 

On 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. 

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.  

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AND THE QUESTION IS...

The Passover Seder is about arousing the senses of our children, and engaging them in a discussion about our Jewish identity.  In the Torah, we are commanded to teach our children the story of our Exodus from Egypt, so that every generation will know we were slaves and GOD set us free.  The Seder provides a stage for our families to share the journey from slavery to freedom and demands we meet our children at the developmental stage they are in.  In class today, we traveled through the Haggadah, and looked at the many different ways our story entices our children to ask questions so we may have meaningful conversations.    

As a way to engage our students in our shared history, we created a list of questions to share at your Seder. Please use this list as a guide to engage your children, and encourage them to share they ideas with you. They are quite knowledgeable, and they are more than capable of participating in a meaningful and insightful way.  

PASSOVER

Why do we eat matza?

Why do we eat bitter herbs?

What does the egg symbolize?

What do the 14 steps represent?

What does the word Seder mean?

Why do we wash our hands twice?

Why are there 14 steps to the Seder?

What two things does the charosis represent?

What two ways does the matza represent the Jews life?

How is matza both the food of slavery and the food of freedom?

How do the items on the Seder plate represent both our time as slaves, and our path to freedom?

What does Dayenu teach us? 

What was the tenth plague?

Why do we have a mezuzah on our door?

What would some modern day plagues be?  

What body part did GOD use to free us from slavery?

Why did GOD send ten plagues rather than just one big one?

Why did GOD kill all the Egyptians rather than just Pharaoh?

What number repeats itself over and over again in the Haggadah?

What main character is missing in the story of our passage to freedom?

Why was GOD angry with the Israelites when we crossed the Reed sea?

Why do we use our pinky rather than our pointer finger to represent the ten plagues?

Wishing you a Chag Kosher Sameach!  

Passage to Passover

We have been working like slaves in Kitah Dalet, and many of us have some interesting tidbits to share, and  some great questions to ask at our Passover Seders. We have been talking about our life as slaves in Egypt and what it means to be free. In our classroom discussions we talked about free will and having the ability to make choices that we are in control of. We talked about the Torah giving us multiple stories to turn and twist, encouraging us to find the hidden meanings that speak to us.  Some of our students struggled with the actual events revealed in the Torah text, and we talked about looking at the bigger picture when reading.  To address this scepticism, we turned the tables and talked about the message GOD is trying to teach.  Students were asked to think about the lessons we can learn to build better relationships with others and what we can do to make our relationship with GOD more meaningful.  

Using the Haggadah as our text book, we have been brushing up on our Seder skills. With a little bit of practice, I am sure all of our students will do a great job asking the four questions at your family Seder. In our classroom discussions, we talked about the fifteen steps to the Seder, and asked our students to look for the evolution from slavery to freedom in each of the steps. We talked about Moses being born a slave, being raised as royalty, and then joining his people as an adult. We talked about making this choice to help his community, and the sacrifices he made for the good of others.

TO TEST OR NOT TO TEST...

This week, our Kitah Dalet students were confronted with the ethical dilemma we face when caring for animals. The story of Noah represents a turning point in the relationship between human beings and animals.  GOD decides to destroy the world by flood, and saves Noah and his family, and all the animals to sustain the species.   It is here we begin to see the importance GOD places on caring for the animals, and the commandment of tza'ar balei chayim, not inflicting pain on animals. We talked about an animals inability to care for themselves, and our responsibility to meet their needs whenever possible.

In class, we had a lively debate about animal testing.  We talked about using animals to test experimental drugs in the hopes of finding a cure for life threatening diseases.  Although it didn't sit well with some of our students, we talked about the Jewish law to save a human life over the life of an animal.  We talked about the ethical treatment of animals, and the commandments to care for all living things with kindness and compassion. However, animals do not know right from wrong, and humans are expected to answer to GOD.  Furthermore, we learned humans have souls, which ultimately are returned to GOD, which makes us accountable for our actions.  

The mitzvah of showing respect for animals has its roots in the Biblical command of showing sympathy for a mother bird nestled with her young. Furthermore, the Midrash says that both Moses and David were chosen to lead Israel because of their kindness to animals. As we discussed in our Kashrut unit, the ideal Jewish diet is vegetarianism, as reflected in life in the Garden of Eden. According to the Torah, however, when God recognized how imperfect his human creation was, he allowed the consumption of meat, with some restrictions. The killing of animals is restricted out of concern for animal life, and is expressed in the mitzvah of 'tza'ar balei chayim' -  not inflicting pain

on animals.

Please ask your child to share their thoughts about animal testing, and kindness to animals.  They are an extremely compassionate group, and some of them were quite concerned about having to make a choice over saving a stranger or saving a pet.

WHO IS YOUR SUPER HERO?

Our students have heard the story of Esther and Mordechai, and King Achashverous and Haman for many years, and they did a pretty good job retelling the basic story in class this week.  Taking the plot a bit further, we talked about the characters in the story of Purim, and our students had the opportunity to look at the qualities of the heroes and villains in the ancient text. 

Students spent some time defining what a hero is, and then they were asked to think about what makes a hero.  Were Mordechai and Esther heroes?  Were they good, but not good enough?  Should Esther have hidden her true identity, and should Mordechai told her to lie?  Was Vashti a victim?  What about the qualities of Achashverous?  Was he a hero, or an accomplice to Haman and his evil ways?  Our discussion was quite lively, and students were asked to make a list of the qualities of a hero.  

By consensus, students thought a hero was selfless, brave, smart, kind, accepting, willing to take risks, and honest. Others said a hero puts others before themselves, and thinks before acting.  After debating the qualities of a true hero, students were asked to think of their personal super hero.  We wrote descriptive paragraph as about our super heroes, and we hope to tweak our papers before presenting our papers in class.  

Please ask your child to share their ideas of what a super hero is, and who their hero is.  

MIRUP YPPAH

We have been bombarding our Kitah Dalet students with all of the wonderful themes associated with the observance of Purim. We have beenlearning about Haman and Esther, Mordechai and the King, and telling the story of Purim over and over and over again. Some of the things we have been talking about…

• Standing up for yourself and what you believe in, (Esther)
• Speaking out if you believe someone is not treating others fairly (
• Justice and taking care of those who have less than we do (Gifts for the Poor)
• Showing family and friends we care about them (Shalach Manot) 
• Being proud of who we are (Esther and Mordechai)
• Consequences for your behavior. (Vashti and Haman)

We have also been talking about the four commandments of Purim, and helping your children understand  that as they get older, they need to take responsibility for observing the four Purim commandments. The commandments are all community bound activities, and can be fulfilled at our Purim Extravaganza.

• Hear the Megillah read aloud 
• Give Mishlach Manot, gifts of food to family and friends
• Give Matanot LeEvyonim, gifts of food and money to the poor
• Celebrate at a Purim Seudah, a festive meal

On Sunday morning, students will have the opportunity fulfil the mitzvot of hearing the megillah and giving Mishlach Manot.  

Students are encourage to wear a costume to school on Sunday morning.

Please remember to send in a COSTCO size package of snacks for our baskets.  

KINDNESS...

Beginning with the first chapters of the Torah, Judaism establishes a fundamental connection between human beings and animals. Animals, created on the fifth day of the biblical story of creation, can be understood as prototypes of the first human beings--Adam and Eve, created on the sixth day. One of Adam's first responsibilities as a human being is to name the animals. As evidenced by the episode in which a serpent tempts Eve to eat a forbidden fruit, humans and animals originally speak one another's language (Genesis 1-3).  

The story of Noah's ark represents a turning point in the relationship between human beings and animals. Furious about human misbehavior, God decides to destroy the world by flood, saving only the righteous Noah and his family and enough animals to sustain all of the species. When the waters recede, God gives Noah seven laws--now known as the Noahide laws--aimed at establishing a just society. On Tuesday afternoon, we talked about these laws, and the importance of maintaining civility and kindness for the good of society.  

Perhaps as a concession to the violent tendencies that God now recognizes within human nature, God also permits humans to eat animals. At the same time, God protects animals against unduly cruel slaughter by banning the practice of cutting a limb off a living animal (Genesis 9:3-4). This balance between simultaneously permitting the use of animals for human need and prohibiting unnecessary cruelty to animals becomes the overarching principle of later Jewish law regarding the treatment of animals.  

In class this week, we began to look at why GOD commanded Noah to save the animals and seeds, over the lives of all living beings. We talked about kindness and accepting people's faults, and just how badly the population must have been behaving to warrant the destruction of all mankind. We talked about the laws of kashrut and how these laws emerged. Students were introduced to the concept of T'zar Ba'lei Chaim, the commandment to care for animals in a humane way.  

Finally, we applied these concepts to our everyday lives, and students were asked to look at how they treat others as well as their pets. We talked about respect, kindness, and acceptance and shared our thoughts about living in a just and fair world.

A PROMISE IS A PROMISE

Our Kitah Dalet students continue to study the text of Noah, and we were quite surprised to find so many basic mitzvot hidden in the Torah. We talked about the commandment to care for all of GOD's creations, and we see first hand Noah caring for all of the animals, seeds, and plants, as well as for his family. We also learn GOD holds us accountable for all that happens to his creations, and even today we are responsible for the natural resources GOD created that cannot be replaced. As we read through the text, we found the promise GOD made with man, and we talked about the importance of keeping our word. We talked about GOD being remorseful when destroying the world, and questioning his decision to destroy all of his creations. Finally, we talked about GOD'S promise to never destroy the world again through a flood. We talked about the Hebrew word for promise, Brit, and how we will see this word again when we talk about the first Jewish men, Abraham and Isaac. 

When talking about GOD's promise, students were asked to think about agreeing to do something, and then changing their minds. We also talked about trust, and honoring their commitments. We had a very interesting discussion about promises they had made and failed to follow through with, and more importantly, how disappointed they were when people promised to do something for them, and failed to hold up their own end of the bargain. Students shared their ideas about building trust through honoring commitments, and the importance of keeping their word. We shared our own personal stories about building relationships and earning trust, and how hard it is to maintain these commitments and do the right thing even when everyone is doing the wrong thing.   Students then created their own personal rainbow promises, and many of our students really thought about the work they needed to do to honor their commitments. Stop in and read their Brit, and remind them of their commitments. 

NO SCHOOL 
Sunday, February 19, 2017 and Tuesday, February 21, 2017.  Enjoy the winter break.   

TORAH IS A TREE OF LIFE

This week we began talking about our responsibility to care for everything GOD created. We talked about GOD commanding us to rule over everything and to also be a partner with GOD. Students were asked to identify ways they ruled over all living things, and how they were also servants. We talked about planting trees and flowers for our enjoyment, and our commitment to care for these living things once they are planted. 

Our discussion about nature and creation brought us to the holiday of Tu B'Shevat and the importance of trees.  We compared trees to the Torah, and students were asked to find ways to support the idea that the Torah was a Tree of Life. Students compared trees to people, as trees and people need the same things to live. They also suggested that people can't live without trees, and Jews can't live without the Torah. 

Our Values and Ethics rotation took this discussion in another direction, and we began to explore

the differences between nature and nurture. We talked about the moral and ethical dilemmas we face in our everyday life. A student presented a question in class about the right of the government to interfere with our private property rights. We had a lively discussion about laws to protect personal property and the laws created for the good of the community. Then we took out our T'nach and students reviewed their navigation skills. They were instructed to find Leviticus 19:23-25, and came upon the following passage....

When you come to the Land and you plant any food tree, you shall surely block its fruit [from use]; it shall be blocked from you for three years, not to be eaten. And in the fourth year, all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the L-rd. And in the fifth year, you may eat its fruit.  

We twisted and turned the text, and after sharing our thoughts and ideas, we learned GOD intended for us to care for trees much like a parent cares for a child. We talked about what is expected of us as babies, and our responsibilities as children and young adults. Specifically, we learned that not everything we want is ours to do with as we please, and we often do things for the good of the greater community.

To end the week, we celebrated Tu B'Shevat as a community, and participated in a Tu B'Shevat seder. Please ask your students to compare the different types of fruits to the different types of people in the world, and the importance of the seasons of a trees life.  

PARTNERS THROUGH TRUST

The Torah provides us many opportunities to explore our relationship with GOD. Our Kitah Dalet 

students have been looking at the story of Noah, and we have been talking about what it means to 

be a partner with GOD. We shared our ideas of what a partner is, and what responsibilities we 

have to make a partnership work. We talked about trust, and how the best partnerships are based 

on mutual trust and communication. We examined the relationship between Noah and GOD, and 

decided Noah walked with GOD, but was not GOD'S partner. 

In our classroom discussions, we talked about building relationships through trust, and what we 

have to do to earn the trust of our parents, friends, family, and teachers. We talked about standing 

up and doing the right thing when we feel someone is being wronged, and how this helps make

us a trusted member of our community. We talked about Noah working for GOD, but never having 

the strength to challenge GOD when GOD wanted to destroy the world.

To bring our point home, we found partners and traveled around the synagogue on a Trust 

Walk. On our first attempt, most of us opened our eyes, failing to totally trust our partners or build 

a relationship. As we continued our travels, we began to communicate with our partners and 

became more secure in our relationships. We shared our feelings about trusting others, and 

challenged our partners when we felt they were not cooperating or treating us fairly. Please ask 

your students to share their ideas about trust and partnerships, and what they have to do to earn their trust.  

JEWISH AND AMERICAN

Our Torah is a timeless resource for Jews around the world  and GOD had infinite wisdom when passing down this sacred text.  In no uncertain terms, we are commanded to unconditionally care for mankind, by doing all we can to make the world just and fair.  

On Sunday morning, we talked about Holocaust Rememberance Day, and reviewed the importance of telling stories, teaching history, and most importantly remembering our past so as not to repeat previous mistakes.  In very basic terms, we talked  about the rise of Hitler, anti-Semitism, and World War II.  We learned about policies in America, and talked about the 900 Jews on the SS St.Louis who tried to enter America and were turned away at our border, sent back to Germany, and ultimately to their death.  

This message hit home for some our students as we talked about the people trying to enter America from Muslim countries, and what we must do as Jews and Americans.  While we didn't hit upon an all or nothing answer, we did share some thoughts and ideas about saving a life, rescuing a captive, and treating everyone with basic dignity and respect, regardless of their race or religion. You would have been very proud of the dialogue between our students, and it was truly heartwarming  to hear their questions and thoughts.  

GOOD OR JUST GOOD ENOUGH

The Torah is a never ending scroll of life lessons that keeps on giving. Thousands of years ago on the edge of Mt. Sinai, Moses received the Torah and shared it with us, the Jews of past, present and future. The object of this gift is to use it over and over again, and allow it to permeate our minds, bodies, and souls. The students in our 4th grade core class are slowly learning the many lessons shared by generations before us. Each week we deconstruct another phrase from the Torah and turn it and twist it to better understand the world around us and bring us closer to GOD, our community, and ourselves.  The lessons we study each week help us understand we have infinite control over the decisions we make and the Torah teaches us to always work towards doing the right thing no matter how difficult it may be.

This week we began studying the complex nature of  Noah, and what it truly means to be righteous. Was Noah truly righteous, or was he just better than anyone else. In class our students have been turning this phrase over and over again…is it OK to just be better than someone else, or does GOD ask more of us? We are beginning to learn that we must set the bar higher than just someone else, and reach to be the best we can be. Take some time to share your ideas with your children, and ask them which of their behaviors are good, and which are good enough.

On Tuesday afternoon our students re-examined Noah, and tried to understand why Noah followed GOD's demands without questioning GOD's actions.  We talked about building relationships and trust, and the importance of communication in a partnership.  We talked about the difference between faith and obedience, and continue to struggle with the idea that Noah did not try to save the people of the world.  

WHAT'S JEWISH ABOUT MLK?

This month we completed our discussion of  Bereshit, and students shared a list of the many themes culled from the pages of our sacred text.  The recurring thread which continues to reveal itself throughout our lives is the idea of Betzelim Elokim, we are all created in the image of GOD, and we all have certain responsibilities with this gift.  Other themes which continue to appear in our weekly discussions include the importance of taking responsibility for our actions, having free will, and doing the right thing.

On Tuesday afternoon,  we had a lively discussion about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  We learned about Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a Jewish peace activist who joined together with Dr. King marching for freedom for all.  We compared the ideas of racism and antisemitism, and talked about the Jewish values of Tikkun Olam, our responsibility to care for the world.   We talked about community and how Jewish law demands we seek justice for all, quite similar to the words in the Pledge of Allegiance many students recite each morning before beginning their day at school.  

In our short thirty minutes we shared stories about standing up and doing the right thing, and the basic Jewish value that we are all created Betzelem Elokim, in GOD's image.  We talked about Jewish law demanding that we care for others through acts of kindness and the importance of helping those in need.  We talked about our responsibility to make the world better by building a relationship to GOD through doing kind things for one's self and for others.   What perfect lessons for all of us to remember when thinking about making the world a better place.  

This week many of our students made beautiful Shabbat candlesticks on Sunday morning.  If you were unable to participate, please call Allison and make arrangements for another oppprtunity.