Cycles and Time

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Jewish Holidays

Yamim Noraim

Sukkot

Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah

Chanukah

Tu B’shvat

Purim

Pesach

Yom Ha’atzmaut

Shavuot

Fast Days

Jewish Life Cycles

Brit Milah

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Wedding

Mourning

Jewish Rituals

Shabbat

Tefillah

Kashrut

Brachot

Jewish Philosophy & Thinking

Theology

Morality

Diversity, Disagreement and Reconciliation

Jewish Peoplehood

Jewish Ritual and Practice

Values in Jewish Texts

Communication and Respect

Ages

6-8

9-11

12-14

15-18

Essential Questions

Individual and Society

How am I an important part of my community?

How can a person’s decisions and actions impact his/her life?

How can my actions make time sacred?

How do beliefs, ethics, or values influence different people’s behavior?

How do I connect to my community?

How do I grow as a result of the Jewish life cycle?

How do we make good decisions?

How does family play a role in shaping our values and beliefs?

How do we form identities that remain authentic and true to ourselves?

How does the idea that Jews everywhere celebrate the same holidays and pray the same prayers connect me to the Jewish community?

What are the factors that move individuals / communities / nations to great sacrifice and what are the consequences?

What is the individual’s responsibility to the community? What is the community’s responsibility to the individual?

What factors shape our values and beliefs? How are my values and beliefs impacted by those around me?

What happens when belief systems of societies and individuals come into conflict?

What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility?

What makes a strong Jewish community?

What resources support/enable/inspire my growth?

When is it appropriate to challenge the beliefs or values of society?

Continuity through Traditions, Symbols, Prayers, & Behaviors

How is my Judaism expressed in my life?

In what ways am I connected to the Jewish People?

How are symbols used in celebrations and holidays?

How can I experience moments of connection to God?

How do family traditions play an important role in our lives?

How do Jewish practices reflect Jewish values?

How do Jewish rituals and practices enrich the way I experience my life and the world?

How do values and tradition impact my Jewish practice?

How does being Jewish affect what I do in my daily/weekly life?

How is Judaism’s value of life expressed in its practices and traditions?

How does prayer present us with questions about God and the Divine?

How is prayer a vehicle to help us access connections to God?

What can we learn from different generations?

Why are holidays, rituals, customs, important to me, my family, and my community?

Why/how might Jewish practices be meaningful for me even if I don’t define myself as “religious”?

Cycles and Time

How can I be the best “me” this year? In class, at home, on the playground, etc?

How do I grow as a result of the Jewish calendrical cycle?

How do Jewish cycles shape our lives?

How do the holidays bring beauty and order to our Jewish year?

What makes time holy?

What turning points determine our individual pathways to adulthood?

Why is it important to mark the beginnings and ends of stages in our lives?

Jewish Values

How are prejudice and bias created? How do we overcome them?

How can literature serve as a vehicle for social change?

How can we think more carefully about the consequences of our actions?

How do beliefs, ethics, or values influence different people’s behavior?

How do we make good decisions?

How does Judaism shape or define our understanding of happiness?

To what extent does power or the lack of power affect individuals?

What propels some individuals to take a stand against prejudice/oppression while others choose to participate in it?

What are the factors that move individuals / communities / nations to great sacrifice and what are the consequences?

What are the Jewish values (e.g., freedom, responsibility, justice, community, respect of diversity etc.) that should be honored in an ideal society?

What are the responsibilities of the individual in regard to issues of social justice?

What does it mean to be “free” in Judaism?

What is morality and what are the factors that have an impact on the development of our morality?

What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility?

When is it necessary to question the status quo? Who decides?

The Jewish Story

How can exploring the past impact our present?

How do challenges and struggles lead to growth?

How do I become a voice in the chain of Jewish interpretation of Torah?

How do Jewish texts help me grapple with questions of life, the universe and everything?

How does a nation change over time?

What would Jewish life look like if we truly followed the idea of machloket l’shem shamayim?

How has the concept of utopia changed over time and/or across cultures or societies?

How is Jewish text a vehicle to help us access connections to God?

How is the Torah story my story?

How would we define a utopian society?

In the face of adversity, what causes some individuals/nations to prevail while others fail?

What are the different ways to be a hero and how do I become one?

When does a positive personality trait become a tragic flaw?

Why is it important for people and cultures to construct narratives about their experience?

2 Unit(s), 30 Resource(s),

Unit

Purim: Customs and Values

Unit on values related to Purim and how they relate to the customs of this holiday

Ages: 12-14,

Unit

The How of Shabbat

In this house the “how of shabbat observance” will be explored in all its complexity and diversity among the Jewish people today.

Ages: 15-18,

Resource

Shabbat as a Taster of the World to Come (the afterlife)

In this block we will look at three sources that compare the experience of observing shabbat to the World to Come (the afterlife).

Ages: 15-18,

Resource

Shabbat and Creation

In this block we will consider the connections between Shabbat and the Creation of the world.

Ages: 15-18,

Resource

Shabbat is the heart of Jewish life

In this block we will look at the historical, cultural, and sociological impact of shabbat observance on the Jewish people.

Ages: 15-18,

Resource

Shabbat and the Exodus

In this block we will consider the connections between Shabbat and the Exodus.

Ages: 15-18,

Resource

Shabbat is being in the present

In this block we will look at several sources who all approach shabbat as a means to pause and take stock, be present in the moment, and focus on ourselves.

Ages: 15-18,

Resource

The Spirit of Shabbat

In this block we will explore the overall theme of “rest” on shabbat as a way to maintain the spirit of shabbat.

Ages: 15-18,

Resource

Contemporary Approaches to Shabbat

In this block we will explore contemporary approaches to shabbat observance from various streams of Judaism that differ in some way from Orthodox observance.

Ages: 15-18,

Resource

Megillat Esther: Story of the Holiday

In this resource, we will learn about Megillat Esther and the holiday of Purim. We will address the main themes that are found in Megillat Esther and reflected in the customs of the holiday, such as happiness, “Ve-Nahafokh Hu” (all upside down or topsy turvy), concealment and mutual responsibility.

Ages: 6-8, 9-11,

Resource

Zachor – the “dos” of Shabbat

In this resource we will consider the positive aspects of Shabbat observance, including the positive mitzvot involved in an active Shabbat observance.

Ages: 15-18,

Resource

Shamor – the “do nots” of shabbat

In this block we will consider the classic Biblical and Talmudic sources for the prohibitions involved in shabbat observance.

Ages: 15-18,

Resource

The Four “Memim”: Purim Customs and Traditions

This resource deals with the four main customs on Purim – mishteh (a feast), mikra megillah (reading Megillat Esther), matanot l’evyonim (gifts to the poor) and mishloach manot (gifts to friends) – and the values of mutual responsibility reflected in them.

Ages: 9-11, 12-14,

Resource

The Sukkah – Permanence and Temporariness

On the holiday of Sukkot, we turn the sukkah, a temporary structure, into our permanent home for the duration of a week. This resource discusses the experience of permanence and ephemerality on the holiday of Sukkot and in our daily lives.

Ages: 12-14,

Resource

Light in Art: Monet – The Painter of Light

Light influences and determines the way we see the world, particularly in terms of colors. This is evident in the art of the Impressionist school, including the works of the painter Claude Monet. We will examine how this perspective is connected to various ideas in Jewish tradition.

Ages: 9-11, 12-14,

Resource

Light – A Symbol of Good

This unit discusses light as a symbol of good in the context of the Chanukah story.

Ages: 9-11, 12-14,

Resource

The Holiday of Passover

A basic first lesson about the holiday. We will familiarize ourselves with the various aspects of the holiday by becoming acquainted with its story and diverse names: Passover, Springtime Festival, Feast of Matzah and Holiday of Freedom.

Ages: 6-8, 9-11,

Resource

The Shabbat Queen

We will read the poem “The Shabbat Queen” by Chaim Nachman Bialik to learn about the main aspects of Shabbat and the ceremonies and customs of the day, in the order of their occurrence from Friday evening through sunset on Saturday.

Ages: 6-8, 9-11,

Resource

Lecha Dodi

It is traditional to welcome Shabbat with psalms and poems (piyutim), including the song Lecha Dodi. This resource discusses the song and the feeling of anticipation and excitement as Shabbat approaches.

Ages: 9-11, 12-14,

Resource

Oneg Shabbat — Delighting in Shabbat

We will learn about what it means to delight in Shabbat, in light of the traditional commentary on the verse “and you call Shabbat a delight.”

Ages: 12-14,

Resource

Shabbat – Time To Contemplate Anew

Shabbat offers an opportunity to rest from the hectic pace of the week and to take a fresh look at our lives. We will study a text by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan regarding this aspect of Shabbat.

Ages: 12-14,

Resource

Shabbat – A Palace in Time

Abraham Joshua Heschel compares Shabbat to a “palace in time” – a superior and special place we come to once a week.

Ages: 12-14,

Resource

Feeling Shabbat – People Creating Holiness

We will use a Hassidic story to discuss the power of symbols and human actions to create an atmosphere of Shabbat.

Ages: 12-14,

Resource

Kiddush and Kedusha

We’ll become familiar with the Kiddush blessing that is said on Friday evening. We’ll look at the concept of kedusha (holiness), in general, and the kedusha of Shabbat, in particular.

Ages: 12-14,

Resource

The First Shabbat

On the seventh day, God rested from the work of Creation.
The seventh day of Creation was designated as a day of rest — Shabbat. From the description of Shabbat in the Creation story, we will learn about how God rested and we will explore how we rest from our weekday routines.

Ages: 6-8, 9-11,

Resource

Reconciliation

Maimonides’ words deal with the command to forgive a person who has asked for forgiveness.

Ages: 9-11, 12-14,

Resource

Confession, Viduy

We will learn the Viduy prayer, in which we confess to our sins using the plural – together with Am Yisrael.

Ages: 9-11, 12-14,

Resource

Asking for Forgiveness

A selection from the Mishnah which teaches the importance of asking forgiveness before Yom Kippur

Ages: 9-11, 12-14,

Resource

The Thinker/ Rodin

Rodin’s famous sculpture depicts a person deep in thought. We connect between the sculpture and the process of cheshbon nefesh.

Ages: 9-11, 12-14,

Resource

I Walk Down the Street

Portia Nelson’s poem encourages us to think about the things we do automatically, and which we should change and improve, in order to prevent repeating mistakes.

Ages: 9-11, 12-14,

Resource

Tashlich – An External Act Symbolizing an Internal Process

On the custom of Tashlich carried out on Rosh Hashana, in which we symbolically cast off our negative behaviors and actions.

Ages: 9-11,

Resource

Blowing the Shofar

On the origins and meanings of the mitzva of hearing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.

Ages: 9-11, 12-14,