Shalom Atid Families,As we all prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend, we will be spending time with family and friends. The media will surely inundate us with the sales we need to shop at and early/late hours stores will be open for us to shop at said sales. I want to encourage you to take some time to appreciate the gifts you have and share your gratitude with others. Perhaps if your child attends the ECC here at Tikvat Israel, you donated food to Manna. Maybe you will help your child pick out a few things at the supermarket to donate to the hungry. If your time permits, visit a soup kitchen with your child/ren and help serve a meal or as a family, go through old toys and clothing to donate to other children who may be able to use them. I hope that Rebecca, our foremother, can offer us some inspiration. In this weeks parsha, we read of her kindness. Rebekah shows her kindness by offering to draw water for the servant’s camels at the well. (24:15-20)
Rebekah lives the Jewish value of chesed, often translated as, “loving kindness” but as a former colleague of mine says, “this only gets us half way there. Certainly chesed means to reach out to others, but it goes much further. Chesed requires that we extend ourselves even when we might not want to do so. An act of chesed is one in which we give of ourselves without an expectation of anything in return – even an expression of acknowledgement or thanks.” (Rabbi Ted Riter) This is not an easy concept to teach children but it is important to help them understand and experience. Rebecca did not need to stop and help these strangers but she did. She not only offers water to Abraham’s servant, but offers water to his camels and then provides lodging for the entourage overnight. It appears Rebecca does this selflessly, she is not seeking anything in return. We do read that she is later chosen to be Isaac’s wife for her deeds but she does not appear to have known this in advance.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving filled with big and small acts of chesed.
Kitah Alef (K-2)
Teacher: Limor Dahan
Kitah Bet (3-4)
Teacher: Meirav Shahar
Sunday, Nov. 20 we:
-continued the unit about Creation leading to Shabbat.
-we sang our welcome songs.
-introduced two Hebrew vowels – ‘Patach’ and ‘Kamatz’. Both vowels make the A (like in ‘park’) sound.
-practiced in our Hebrew books these two vowels and the word ‘Kallah’ which means ‘Bride’ (pages 16-23). We refer to Shabbat as a bride, because we prepare for it in such joy and excitement.
-worked on the Hebrew part individually, in pairs and together as a class. Everyone did an amazing job!
-read the story “In the Beginning” and made beautiful drawings of the six days of creation and Shabbat.
-had an indoor recess (too cold and windy outside) and a snack of Challah and juice.
Our tzedakah total as of today: $82.67!….Lets keep that going!
Kitah Gimel (5-6)
Teacher: Yosef Landy
Sunday, Nov. 20 we:
-acted out scenes from Noah and the Flood
-discussed what they thought of Noah (what made him righteous)
-learned the term Ometz Lev and gave a few examples
-took a personality quiz to determine what kind of person they are (using Ometz Lev as the backbone)
-learned about faiths other than Judaism that call Israel home
-using facts written by the students from the above Israel lesson, we played a game. I would read a fact and the students would have to guess what religion/holy site it was referring to
-viewed a slideshow about different historical places in Israel.
Questions for home:
Go over the term Ometz Lev with your kid. Ask them if they can name 2 people – one from Jewish history and one from American history – that stood for what they believed in. How have they impacted our lives today? (hint – think of civil rights activists like Rosa Parks)
Look for different sites in Israel that represent Judaism, Christianity and Islam. What do they have in common? What is different in each site?
Speaking of Israel, have the students do a fun exercise. Have each student write a letter to a pretend friend in Israel. Ask the student to write about what they want to see in Israel and why, how they expect it to be like in Israel and something they would want to bring with them to Israel. Bring the letter in the next class.
Mark Your Calendar:
