What can we learn from different generations?

Purim: The Story of the Megillah

Unit on the story of Megillat Esther, the different subjects that appear in that story and the values we can learn from it: characters in the megillah and their development, features of the plot, etc.

What is Chanukah About?

What is the historical story of Chanukah? This unit addresses the different stories of Chanukah and how they have influenced the character of the holiday.

The Book of Ruth

The Book of Ruth is read in the synagogue on the holiday of Shavuot. The story told in this book is linked to the holiday of Shavuot in terms of the time of year at which it takes place — the time of the wheat harvest. This is also the time of year at which we celebrate Shavuot. In addition to the timing, the content of this book is also related to the holiday of Shavuot.

Passover: Story of the Holiday

This unit deals with the multifaceted story and diverse faces of the Passover holiday, and focuses on the idea of telling the exodus story and its significance.

Passover: Slavery and Freedom

This unit examines the theme of freedom on Passover and its implications for our lives even beyond the Passover seder.

Chosen People, Chosen Purpose

This unit explores the concept of chosenness, and what it means when Jewish tradition says the Jewish people are a “Chosen People”.

Ages: 15-18,

Characters in Megillat Esther

In Megillat Esther, the plot of the story and the processes that the different characters undergo over the course of the story are both important. We will study the story of Megillat Esther by examining the experiences and characteristics of its main characters.

Vashti and Esther: Women in Action

The actions of Vashti and Esther in Megillat Eshter teach us about feminine activism. We will study the story of these two women from a feminist perspective.

Power in Megillat Esther

The story of Megillat Esther (the Scroll of Esther) presents the various power relations that exist between the different characters. We will learn about the power that each character holds, and the importance of deciding how that power should be used.

Kindness (Chessed) in the Book of Ruth

In the Book of Ruth (Megillat Rut), kindness (chessed) is expressed in several different ways. This unit discusses the meaning of kindness, how we can be kind, and the importance of kindness in society.

Ve-Nahafokh Hu – Topsy-Turvy

One of the themes of the festival of Purim is the idea of a complete change in a situation. This resource discusses the difficulties we sometimes face in controlling changes in our lives and considers how we can cope with such changes despite the difficulties.

“There Is a Certain People” — To Live as a Minority

Life as a minority is challenging in any society. Jews have faced many challenges in the form of anti-semitic worldviews and in light of their unique customs, which make them stand out. In this resource, we will explore different approaches to coping with this challenge.

Chanukah – The Story of the Holiday

We will become familiar with the Chanukah story and the customs associated with the holiday. We will discuss what we can learn from the story and how it can serve as a source of inspiration in our lives today.

Ages: 6-8, 9-11,

From Generation to Generation

In this resource, we will learn about the lineage of Torah transmission and how we can take part in this chain of transmission and innovate in it.

At Mount Sinai

Receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai is a formative event in Jewish tradition and
culture. This resource discusses this event and considers in what ways its memory
has been meaningful for Jews throughout the generations and down to our own
time.

Heroism

The Maccabees’ heroism brought an end to the religious decrees enacted against Jews in the Land of Israel and to the victory that we celebrate on Chanukah. In this resource, we will discuss the question of what is heroism and who is a hero.

Ages: 9-11,

The Different Faces of Chanukah

In this resource, we will draw a parallel between two descriptions of the Chanukah story: The historical description found in the Book of Maccabees versus the Talmudic account describing the miracle of the oil jug. We will deal with the question of how each narrative contributes to our understanding of the story as a whole, as well as our own personal connection to the holiday.

Avadim Hayinu – We Were Slaves

Avadim Hayinu – we were slaves. Based on this passage in the Haggadah, we will discuss the story of slavery in Egypt and the experience of freedom, noting the relevance of slavery throughout human history.

Who Chose Whom?

Chosenness has sometimes come with a steep price, leading some to question who did the choosing, the fairness of this covenant, and if the two partners in the transaction were equally free to accept the ramifications.

Ages: 15-18,

Vehi She’amda – God’s promise to Abraham

This resource discusses God’s promise to Abraham to redeem the Jewish people and to help Jews throughout the generations to cope with difficulties and to maintain their hope and faith.

Ha Lachma Anya – The Bread of Affliction/Poverty

“This is the bread of affliction/poverty.” It is with these words that the Haggadah begins the main part of Seder night – the telling of the exodus story. What does matzah symbolize and why does the Haggadah begin specifically with a discussion of it?

From Slavery to Freedom – for younger students

The song Avadim hayinu, ata bnei chorin – “We were slaves, now we’re free humans” is based on a passage in the Haggadah that describes the dramatic change the Children of Israel underwent from slavery to freedom. This resource discusses these themes and connects both conditions to experiences in our own lives.

Ages: 6-8,

Telling the Story

One of the main goals of Seder night is to tell the story of the exodus from Egypt. This is done not only by reading the Haggadah, but rather through a variety of methods – which we will learn about here.

Prayer Formulas

When the Sages formalized the Jewish prayers, they used fixed turns of phrase that we may call “prayer formulas” (or prayer coinages). In this resource we will study some of these formulas and understand their importance.