After working a month learning about the 613 mitzvot, the students this week will present and demonstrate their understanding of why we have so many Mitzvot. The students will address the issue, is one mitzvah more important than another?
After working a month learning about the 613 mitzvot, the students this week will present and demonstrate their understanding of why we have so many Mitzvot. The students will address the issue, is one mitzvah more important than another?
This past week the students were finalizing their Chanukah presentations. Some focused on the Halachot (of Chanukah), the Parshat Hashavua during Chanukah and the Tfilot during Chanukah. During the coming week, the students are excited to present their work to the primary school grades.
11. In order to fulfill the entire Torah from A-Z we need the entire Jewish people. Each Jew has his or her own unique role to play in the fulfillment of the Torah. To keep all the mitzvot means to have the entire Jewish people observing Hashem’s Torah and mitzvot. In a way, each Jew is like another mitzva. Just like each mitzva represents another part of the body, so too each Jew represents another limb. Together, a full body is formed. The mitzvot were given to the Jewish people as a whole. The more unified we are, the more our individual fulfillment of mitzvot can be viewed as one big body, our whole people, keeping all the mitzvot together.
What do you think is the message that Hashem is sending us about the Torah?
Another Parsha Rap from DJ Toe-Rah
Each student had to write why or why not they thought Mitzvot were important and if any Mitzvah is greater than any other Mitzvah. Their responses were as good as if I was visiting a Rabbinical School in Israel. Almost every student expressed that Mitzvot create a personal relationship and should be relevant to the person performing Mitzvot. Recognizing there are Mitzvot we understand and don’t understand, the students were able to comprehend Miztvot is a mechanism to become closer to God.
The students continue to work on their Talmud (law) assignment. With great enthusiasm, they wrote to local Rabbis to discuss their personal case studies. All the Rabbis of the community welcomed the student’s questions. Grade 8 students are now starting to understand Jewish law continues to evolve.
Starting the second term with enthusiasm, the students are ready to be challenged. With the success of group projects, many students have decided to elevate their learning. Students who are working on the Parshat Hashavua are including Hebrew and Torah Text and some are even connecting the Haftarah.
This term part of our focus is learning the skills of how to learn Torah.
Shabbat Shalom
What can rabbinic arguments teach us about complicated contemporary issues like War or Gender issues? By applying these established arguments to a modern scenario, you will gain a deeper understanding of the issue at hand as well as the applicable rabbinic arguments.
Once you have gathered all the information you must present on Dec. 16 and 18 your findings.
Presentation Options: Slides, Video, Lecture, Paper:
Rubric:
Content: 40 Points (Include minimally the examples we went through one on one)
Organization: 20 Points (Students present information in a logical fashion)
Delivery: 10 Points (Students used clear voice and appropriate pronunciation)
Visuals: 10 Points (Students used visuals as a reinforcement)
Include the following:
Please use the guidelines in your content folder. On the day of the presentation, you will pose your questions, explain where in the Torah it is mentioned, interpret the Taanim (Talmud), Rishonim (Maimonadies) and Achronim (Contemporary Rabbis) responsa.
You must also present the other side of the argument if you agree, share the argument of individuals who disagree.
Examples of Presentations: https://prizmah.org/2018-moot-beit-din-digital-presentations-and-results
After all the presentations we will vote which 1 or 2 we will have the local Rabbis Debate.
Toldot
This week’s parashah is Toldot. In this parashah, Isaac, and Rebbeca express their frustration as they have been trying to have children for twenty years. Finally, G-d answers Isaac and Rebecca’s prayers by enabling Rebecca to be pregnant. As Rebbeca suffers through a difficult pregnancy, G-d tells her that, “There are two nations in your whom, and the younger one will look up to the older one.” The firstborn son was named Esau and the second son was named Jacob.
Esau was a hunter and Jacob had a love for learning and was a shepherd. One day when Esau comes home from hunting Jacob was making a batch of Esau’s favourite lentil soup. Jacob proposes a trade one bowl of soup for Esau’s blessing of the firstborn. Due to Esau’s hunger, he accepted the deal not thinking what would happen next. Isaac was blind therefore; he wouldn’t be able to tell that it wasn’t the right son. Esau had much more hair so Jacob added hair to his body and wore Esau’s clothes prior to receiving the blessing. Immediately after Jacob gets the blessing Rebecca tells Jacob to flee the town and to create a family before Esau realizes what he did.
Presented by Ava G and Maytal M
Another Musical Rap from DJ Toe-Rah – Parshat Vayeitzei
In class, the students are focusing on Taryag (613) Mitzvot. They were given the assignment to choose what they believe are the most important Mitzvot and to discuss why they feel that way. Next week we will be introducing the Talmud’s view of Mitzvot.
Stay Tuned