Hey – Fifth Year – Wednesday (Pogonitz)

12/18: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Today, the students gathered in the sanctuary, with Rabbi Prass, for tefillah. He pointed out that at this time of year in Chicago, the amount of sunlight is less and less, and asked the students what they do to feel the light and find the light.  They shared some lovely ideas.  He pointed out that one source of light for all of us is how much the students are able to participate more and more confidently in our t’fillah.
  2. Reviewed the difference between a menorah and a chanukiya
  3. Learned that we set up candles right to left, but light them left to right
  4. When someone cannot afford oil or multiple candles, they are able to fulfill the mitzvah with just one candle
  5. Talked about lighting the menorah in a window to publicize the miracle of Chanukah
  6. Read a story that happened in Billings, Montana, where a Jewish family’s home was vandalized because of their Chanukah decorations, and police recommended that the family take down the decorations. The community came together in solidarity, and thousands of non-Jewish neighbors put chanukiyot in their windows, making it safe for their Jewish neighbors to do so.
  7. Compared the mitzvot of mezuzah and lighting a chanukiya. Both are public demonstrations of our faith, and both can be personalized to reflect individual personalities
  8. Played a “white elephant” gift exchange game
  9. Students were with other Kitot and Rabbi Prass for “A surprise pizza dinner”. A good time was had by all.

Homework to be completed by next class:

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12/11: Today in class we worked on:

  1. School began with an all-school Tefiilah led by Rabbi Prass.  He started asking us who and what makes you feel safe? We then looked at our prayer avot v’imahot, and how the last line talks about God being the “Shield of Abraham and the Help of Sarah”, or in other words make us feel safe.  We also talked about how the Maccabees fought to make our ancestors feel safe.
  2. Wrote a condolence card for Morah Fox on the loss of her husband
  3. Based on student questions, learned about Jewish traditions regarding respect for the dead, shiva, and what we say to family members at shiva
  4. Finished our discussion on the history of Gaza
  5. Found the Golan Heights and Syria on a map, and discussed the current situation as it relates to Israel
  6. Added two more words – הנה and גם – to our vocabulary
  7. Played a review game with our words from the units we have completed in our books

Homework to be completed by next class:

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12/4: Today in class we worked on:

  1. School began with an all school Tefillah.  Rabbi Prass asked the students “What is something positive you caused to happen over Thanksgiving?” and “What is something good you did?” The students provided many excellent answers and examples to further our learning.  We then connected this to the gevuorot prayer and specifically the word “mechaye” which means “the one who causes..” and talked about the good things mentioned in the prayer.
  2. Learned the Hebrew prefix letters for “and”, “from”, and “to”
  3. During reading practice, discovered the English names of cities and countries (Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Canada, Mexico) written in Hebrew
  4. Talked about the recent ceasefire with Hezbollah
  5. Just after its 77th anniversary, discussed the historical significance of November 29, 1947 – the day the UN approved the Partition Plan, therefore allowing for the creation of the State of Israel
  6. Began a discussion of Gaza’s history, including Israel’s Six Day War in 1967 and the Oslo Accords in 1993

Homework to be completed by next class:

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11/20: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Today we started with Rabbi Prass for tefilot and learned about hacarat hatov, looking for the good things in the world around us, and how it so important, perhaps easier, and so very more needed in the world.
  2. We sat with the aleph students to help them keep their places during tefillah
  3. Discussed the mitzvah of hanging a mezuzah
  4. Examined a real mezuzah scroll
  5. Learned why they are different sizes, and why mezuzah covers can be so different from each other
  6. Talked about visible signs that we are Jewish, like lighting a menorah on Chanukah or wearing jewelry with Judaica pendants, and what different people do in times of heightened antisemitism
  7. Rabbi Prass told two personal stories about Beth Am students in college – one about his daughter and her Hebrew name necklace, and one about Charlie, who hung a mezuzah on his doorpost after his dorm room was vandalized

Homework to be completed by next class:

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11/13: Today in class we worked on:

  1. School began with an all-school Tefillah. Rabbi Prass led a discussion, asking the students how the word awesome can have both positive and negative attributes. Our students presented many thoughtful ideas and understood the complexities of the question.  He then pointed out that the word Hanorah, or Awesone One is in the Avot V’imahot prayer, and teaches us to praise those awesome things which are positive, holy, and beautiful.  We also talked about the word of the week, “eezoon” which means balance, and we shared the good and challenging things in our lives which balance our days.
  2. Learned that “and” does not have its own word in Hebrew, but appears as a vav in the beginning of a word.
  3. Discussed the story of Noah:
  4. What the conversations between Noah and God, Noah and his family, and Noah and his neighbors might have looked like.
  5. The sin of his generation that led to the flood was that they were corrupt and violent. God wants us to love and be kind to each other.
  6. Noah is called a tzaddik – a righteous person. To be righteous we have to do the right thing with other people and with God.
  7. The Torah emphasizes that Noah was a tzaddik in his generation because he resisted acting like the other people in his time.
  8. Discussed the attribute of ometz leiv – being courageous, including standing up for what is right. Students gave examples of people from the civil rights movement and Malala Yousafzai. We then talked about Jewish women who had ometz leiv: Sarah Schneirer who started the first Jewish school for girls, and Rabbi Sally Priesand, who was the first woman to be ordained as a rabbi.

Homework to be completed by next class:

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11/6: Today in class we worked on:

  1. School began with an all-school Tefillah and a Rabbi led discussion about who is the stronger person, someone who is kind or someone who is mean. Our students presented many thoughtful ideas and understood the complexities of the question. Rabbi Prass connected this to the prayer in our amidah, the gevurot, which means strength.  It praises the type of strength which helps others, and gives several specifics.
  2. Completed unit on how science supports the Torah’s description of creation with a discussion of the first living creatures in the water.
  3. Analysis of the difference between humans and animals as based on Adam’s creation in Bereishit. We concluded that people’s souls give them ethical responsibility in their decision making, as opposed to animals who act based on instinct.
  4. Discussed the mitzvah given to Adam and Eve to protect the earth, which remains our mitzvah today. We watched a brief video that explained how carbon emissions lead to ocean acidification and global warming.
  5. Played bingo to review all of the lessons and Hebrew language we have learned since the beginning of the year.

Homework to be completed by next class:

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10/30: Today in class we worked on:

  1. School began with an all school Tefillah and a Rabbi led discussion asking the learners how they tell time.  They had an amazing variety of answers.  We then learned how Jewish prayer also helps us tell time including in our Gevurot prayer where the words change during the summer and the winter.
  2. Compared the Torah’s description of the universe’s creation with what scientists have discovered
  3. Looked at verses in parshat Bereishit that reference the Big Bang, primordial black holes, comets, the evolution of the Earth’s atmosphere over time, and astronomic phenomenon like comets
  4. Had the opportunity to see the Torah up close with Rabbi Prass! Kitah gimmel, daled, and hey joined Rabbi Prass in the sanctuary for a discussion on Simchat Torah, and coming close to inspect the Torah scroll and ask questions about it. Our Hey students gave “Torah reading” advice to the gimmel & daled students.  Finally, the students had an opportunity to taste a piece of the Etrog.

Homework to be completed by next class:

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10/9: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Commemoration of the October 7 attack
  2. Special tefilla led by Rabbi Prass, in which we listened to music and had a discussion related to the hostages and Israel’s wars
  3. Looked at a map of the Middle East to familiarize ourselves with the locations of Gaza and the West Bank, as well as the countries surrounding Israel which are launching rockets
  4. Discussed the impact the war in Israel has had on some students in America
  5. Talked about family members currently serving in the IDF
  6. Rabbi Prass led a project in which we made sukkah decorations featuring kalaniyot – flowers that grow in Israel during this season which were at the site of the Nova festival on October 7, 2023. These decorations express hope for peace in the future.

Homework to be completed by next class:

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9/25: Today in class we worked on:

  1. We had an all school Tefillah led by Rabbi Prass.  We discussed What is something precious you were given? And how do you ‘handle it differently’ knowing it is precious? Why is Jewish prayer/t’fillah a gift? We also heard the shofar in celebration of the Jewish month of Elul.
  2. Conversational Hebrew – Learned ken (yes) and lo (no). Reviewed ani (I/me), mi (who), at/ata (you)
  3. Compared the Jewish new year and the secular new year. One important difference that students noted: The Jewish new year is spent more quietly in services, while the secular new year is loud and about the party.
  4. We concluded that the Jewish new year is about looking at ourselves and our actions to try and improve ourselves. This will bring a happier, sweeter new year.
  5. Learned about the 4 Jewish new years described in the Mishna, and talked about how each demonstrates the theme of renewal.
  6. Side conversations included the numerical value of Hebrew letters, and the order of the Jewish months

Homework to be completed by next class:

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9/18: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Participated in an all school Tefillah led by Rabbi Prass.  We shared ‘noises’ that distract us and things that help us quiet and focus our brains.  We talked about how t’fillah is one Jewish language/tool for quieting and focus.
  2. Our conversational Hebrew book. We learned Ani (I/me), Mi (who), and At/Ata (you).
  3. An introduction to the two parts of Torah: the Written and Oral. We explained that Rabbi Prass and Rabbi Bellows are part of the tradition of Oral law, which is the interpretation of the written Torah for each generation.
  4. Side notes included learning that there were actually two destroyed Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, and why the line from Hatikvah states that our hope for a Jewish country in Israel is 2000 years old.

Homework to be completed by next class:

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9/11: Today in class we worked on:

  1. We began with an all school assembly.  The 2 older grades (daled & hey) shared 3 things that are helpful to learn Hebrew and 3 things that used to make them nervous about learning Hebrew.  We also lit a yizkor candle to remember the victims of 9/11.
  2. In class, we discussed 9/11 a little more in depth.  Students were asked if it was talked about in their secular school.  All said yes, and then they were given the opportunity to share what they learned/talked about.  We then talked about some of the lessons from 9/11.
  3. We then talked about Israel and the current conversations.  Students were asked to write down their thoughts/opinions on (a) when the conflict started (b) who is involved in the conflict (c) what the conflict is about.  The variety of their answers created room for an interesting conversation.
  4. They prepared to lead the younger classes in Hebrew thru Movement.
  5. We ended the session with all school assembly to do Hebrew Thru Movement.  Our kitah hey students helped lead it.  Parents were invited for this first session so they could meet the teachers. It was great to see so many parents and to have perfect attendance at Hebrew school!

Homework to be completed by next class:

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