Religious School Update – January 26, 2023
Hello Everyone!
And welcome back once again after a short break. We will now be able to have a more regular schedule now that the major holidays are done. We will have Religious School for the next three weeks until mid-February for the school break. Just as importantly, a huge thank you to all the parents who assisted in putting in the new sand and wood chips for the playground last Sunday. We could not have done it without you. Our next Religious School will take place on Sunday, January 29, starting at 9:30 a.m. And in two weeks on February 5, we will have our TuB’shvat celebration (more details to come).
And now for the recap. Rabbi Dean and Cantor Marney led our Tefillah service, with Cantor Marney teaching us new TuB’shvat songs to sing in the next few weeks. While the younger grades were starting to learn about TuB’shvat, the B’nai Mitzvah class continued our multi-week project about what it means to live a Jewish life. For the first hour, we continued our studies of the Hebrew language. The kids can now ask basic questions, make simple statements, and engage in brief conversations all in Hebrew. For the second hour, we discussed the value of having to do something you may not want to do but will benefit you in the future. All the kids wrote down activities in their lives that they liked to do or had to do, why it was a good idea to still do things they may not like, and what that means for their future. We ended by looking at two texts from the Midrash about observing Torah and doing the right thing as often as possible, even if it is for the wrong reason, in order to build habits of a good life. We will continue this lesson next week before shifting to TuB’shvat.
And that about covers it for now. Please remember to sign up to bring snacks for the kids on the sign-in sheet in the main hallway of the classroom building. Thanks everyone!
Best,
David
Religious School Update – February 10, 2023
February 10, 2023 by tbhrich • Beit Midrash
Hello Everyone!
Could anything be better than an amazing Tu B’shvat celebration with all our students and parents? Thank you to everyone who brought in fruit for the kids and helped to make our Seder a success. Just as a reminder, we will have our next Religious School this week on Sunday, February 12. When school ends at 12:30 p.m., we will be having a Hamentashan making class for all who are interested. We will then have a week off on February 19 and resume Religious School the following week on February 26.
And now for the recap. Rabbi Dean and Cantor Marney led our Tefillah service and introduced us to more Tu B’shvat songs. All the classes then worked together to plant a nectarine tree and kumquat tree. The kids really enjoyed digging in the dirt and spreading the soil. One day they will walk by those fully grown trees and think to themselves “I planted that!”
The second half of class was all based on preparing and celebrating our Tu B’shvat Seder. Taking turns with washing and cutting up the fruit, all the kids helped put together the 7 species along with 27 different kinds of fruit. When the parents arrived we were all set for our Seder. Everyone started off with tasting the 7 species (wheat, barley, grapes, olives, dates, pomegranates, and figs) and saying the blessings for each one. We then tried fruits with edible seeds, followed by fruits without edible seeds, followed by fruits that can be eaten entirely, and finally smelling the aromas of lemons and limes and oranges. All the kids and adults then announced which fruit they had tried a lot and which one they had never tried before. It was fun hearing which fruits were surprise hits (like dragonfruit) and which would never be tried again (like jackfruit). All in all, a highly successful seder for our families!
And that about covers it for now. I will see everyone next Sunday for classes, Hamentashen lesson, and then Super Bowl!
Best,
David