KITAH DALET (4th)

Let’s play Jewish Geography: Where we’ve wandered and where we’ve settled.

TOPICS:

Torah stories (Exodus), holidays, Hebrew reading, Tefillah, Jewish History, Israel

SCHEDULE:

Wednesdays: 4-6 PM

Mondays: 4-6 PM OR Saturdays: 9-10:30 AM OR Private Tutoring

BIG IDEAS:

• Our experiences of slavery in Egypt and wandering in the desert transformed us from individuals to a People with shared identity, experiences, and history.

• While Jews have lived all over the world for many years, we still share a common history—Torah —as well as many historical trends.

• Medinat Yisrael (the State of Israel) gives Jews from all over the world a chance to re-join a common history—the history of the State of Israel.

• Reading Hebrew allows us to participate in synagogues and be part of the Jewish community all over the world.

• Praying in community is an important way Jews connect to God.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

• What did the Jews learn and experience through slavery, Exodus, and wandering in the desert? How did that change their identity?

• What history do all Jews have in common? What historical trends got us to where we are today?

• How does the existence of the modern country of Israel change Jewish history? How could it change my own family’s history?

• How do I best communicate with God?

OBJECTIVES:

Students will learn how to…

• Ask thoughtful questions about Torah stories and characters.

• Make connections between Torah, holidays, history and Israel.

• Make personal connections between their lives and Torah, holidays, history and Israel.

• Read Hebrew to follow along in the siddur (prayer book).

Students will understand…

• The major stories of Sefer Shemot (Exodus) and part of Sefer Vayikra (Leviticus) — including the characters, basic plots, lessons, and mitzvot that we can apply to our own lives.

• That kashrut was a mitzvah given to us in the Torah, and that it has not changed all that much over the years.

• The sources (Torah or historical), stories, customs, and traditions associated with 5 Jewish holidays.

• The Biblical and religious connections to Eretz Yisrael.

• That Israel has welcomed millions of Jews who fled inhospitable situations since its founding. Israel provides Jews from all over the world a safe haven and a homeland to return to.

• That praying together, in Hebrew, is one way we communicate with God.

Students will believe that…

• We read the Torah every year because we can always learn new ideas or be reminded of old ones.

• The characters in the Torah show us how we should (and shouldn’t) live our lives.

• Jewish holidays are personally meaningful to us because…

• We have ancient, Biblical connections to Eretz Yisrael, and we are part of the chain connecting Israel and Torah.

• Our shared and diverse pasts add to the beautiful tapestry of Jewish peoplehood and we are all connected through Torah and holidays, even if specific parts of our histories differ.

• They can have a connection with God.