Shabbat Table Talk for Shabbat Va-eira, December 31, 2010-January 1st, 2011

This is taken from the URJ's Family Shabbat Table Talk series from 5763, or 2002-2003.  A great conversation-starter!  Shabbat Shalom, everyone.

http://urj.org//holidays/shabbat/intro/exodus//?syspage=article&item_id=4273

Va-eira, 5763

Parashat Va’era, Exodus 6:2-9:35
The Torah: A Modern Commentary
W. Gunther Plaut, ed. pp. 420-448
CYCLE FIVE

THE TEXT
“But Moses appealed to Adonai, saying, ‘The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, a man of impeded speech!” (Exodus 6:12)

THE CONTEXTRashi, the Commentator of commentators, was a master of putting Torah in context. We will honor his teaching as we try to do the same.
Moses continued his conversations with God by repeatedly questioning his fitness to speak to Pharaoh on behalf of the Israelites. Moses cited his stammering as a reason that the Israelites would not listen to him, and argued that Pharaoh would act similarly. God responded to Moses by reassuring him that together with Aaron he would free the Israelites from the land of Egypt. God would tell Moses what to do and then Aaron would repeat the words to Pharaoh.

THE THEMEEach week we will select one theme from the parashah that is directly relevant to our lives.
Words have power. Moses understood that, for it was with the spoken word that Moses was to lead the Israelites and influence Pharaoh to let the people go. Words can teach us, inspire us and move us to action. Chosen wisely and kindly, words can bring enormous good, but words hastily chosen or chosen with evil intent can be enormously destructive. A SAGE SPEAKSEach week we will learn from a Talmid Chacham - a disciple of the wise.
In Pirkei Avot (5:7), our sages listed seven traits of a learned person regarding the spoken word:

1. Do not begin speaking before one who is greater in wisdom or in years.
2. Do not interrupt the speech of another person.
3. Do not be hasty in answering.
4. Ask relevant questions.
5. Reply appropriately.
6. Discuss first things first and last things last.
7. Acknowledge the truth (admit when you are wrong).

Rambam, (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon or Maimonides, 1135-1204, was a Spanish physician, theologian, jurist and codifier of Jewish law) taught that these seven virtues are fundamental to the improvement of one’s character and social behavior, and to the ability to study, teach, and practice Torah. Rambam advised that one who aspires to be a truly learned person should cultivate these virtues. (The Pirke Avos Treasury, ArtScroll, p.319)

The tone and content one chooses to use when speaking reflect one’s personality and attitude. Moses, described as slow of speech in the Bible, was hesitant to speak to Pharaoh. God provided Moses with a spokesman, his brother Aaron, to help him overcome his hesitancy. Most of us do not have an Aaron to speak for us. Each of us is responsible for his or her own spoken words.
THE TORAH AND YOU
Questions and/or activities for families:

1. With older children (10+)
   1. Describe an instance when you have seen words do enormous good. Contrast that with an instance when you have words that caused enormous damage. How do those instances illustrate the concept that “words are power”?
   2. Read through the list of seven traits regarding speech found in “A Sage Speaks” section of this issue of Family Shabbat Table Talk, choose one and give your own interpretation of what that trait means.
   3. Are there additional traits or guidelines regarding speech that you would add to this list of seven? If so, what are they and why would you add them? If not explain why you think the sages of Pirkei Avot “got it right.”
   4. From what you know of Moses, which of these seven traits would you apply to him?
   5. If you take Rambam’s advice, how would you cultivate these seven virtues within yourself?
      
2. With younger children (6-9)
   1. Describe a time when words have helped you. It might help to remember conversations with family members, teachers or friends.
   2. When have you used words to help other people?
   3. Has there been a time when you have heard words that hurt someone? What was the situation? What do you think might have been done to change hurtful words into helpful or caring words?
   4. If you were going to write some rules for speaking what would they be?
   5. Ben Sira taught, “Gentle speech multiplies (makes) friends (6,5).” What do you think Ben Sira meant? (Ben Sira, lived in the 2nd century B.C.E. He was a Hebrew sage and scribe who wrote a book of proverbs called the Wisdom of Ben Sira.)
      

---

Barbara Binder Kadden, UAHC Regional Educator in the Pacific Central West Council, wrote this week’s Family Shabbat Table Talk. She is hoping that the words she writes about Torah play a role in keeping people connected to Judaism and Jewish study.

Table Talk for Shabbat Vayechi, December 17-18th, 2010

This is taken from the URJ's Family Shabbat Table Talk from 1998--enjoy!

Va-y'chi, 5759

Parashat Va-y'chi

The Torah: A Modern Commentary
W. Gunther Plaut, ed.
CYCLE ONE

SUMMARY
The name of this week's portion is Va-y'chi. In English it means "and he lived" and refers to Jacob having lived in Egypt for 17 years.
 
Old and ill, Jacob senses that he is about to die and makes Joseph swear to bury him in Canaan, the place of his birth. Before he dies, Jacob wants to bless his children, a common practice among the patriarchs. Jacob embraces two generations in this ritual by "adopting" Joseph's two sons, Menasheh and Ephraim, so they too can receive a blessing.
After finishing with his grandsons, Jacob calls his twelve sons to his bedside. He blesses each of his progeny by describing their character and predicting their futures. Jacob repeats what he has told Joseph and instructs his sons to bury him in the Cave of Machpelah in Canaan, the gravesite of his parents and grandparents. After his death, Jacob's body is prepared for burial. A formal funeral procession accompanies the body from Egypt to Canaan, where Jacob is laid to rest.
 
Joseph and his brothers return to Egypt. The brothers are concerned that now that their father is dead, Joseph will finally seek revenge for what his brothers did to him years before when they threw him in a pit to die. The brothers send Joseph a message informing him that their father's final instructions were for Joseph to forgive his brothers. Joseph assures his siblings that they have nothing to fear. Although they may have intended to harm him years before, it was by God's will that their actions for good.
 
This portion and the book of Genesis end with Joseph's death at the age of 110. Joseph is blessed to live to see his own great-grandchildren.
 
COMMENTARY
The special blessings that parents give their children on Shabbat are based on this Torah portion. The text tells us that Jacob placed his hands upon the heads of Ephraim and Menasheh and said "By you shall Israel invoke blessings, saying 'God make you like Ephraim and Menasheh'" (Genesis 48:20). This tradition is maintained today in Jewish homes when, after kindling Shabbat candles, one or both parents place their hands on the child's head and say:

For a boy: "May God inspire you to live in the tradition of Ephraim and Menasheh, who carried forward the life of our people."
For a girl: "May God inspire you to live in the tradition of Sarah, Rebecca, Leah , and Rachel, who carried forward the life of our people."

It is evident that Joseph's brothers made up Jacob's final instructions about forgiving them for having left Joseph in a pit. Rabbi Simeon ben Gamliel taught; "Great is peace, for even our ancestors resorted to fabrication in order to make peace between Joseph and themselves" (Genesis Rabbah 10:8). Rabbi Ila said: "A person may tell a white lie for the sake of peace" (Talmud Yebamot).
 
TABLE TALK

1. Bless the children at the Shabbat table using the blessings suggested in the commentary section. Talk about how the ritual felt and answer the following questions.
   • For parents: By blessing your children, how are you linking yourselves and them to Jewish tradition?
   • For children: Why do you think it is a blessing to be like Ephraim, Menasheh, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah?
2. Read the commentary section. What reasons do the rabbis give for supporting the brothers' fictional account of their father's last words? Do you agree or disagree with their arguments?
3. Have you ever lied for the sake of peace? What was the lie and why did you say it? Did the lie work? Why or why not?
4. Although he had lived comfortably in Egypt for many years, Jacob was adamant about his desire to be buried in Canaan. Why might this request have been so important to him? In what ways was his decision to be buried at the Cave of Machpelah a blessing for his family? In what ways might Jacob's decision have affected his family's future?
5. Both Jacob and Joseph die in this parasha yet the portion is given the title "and he lived." As Jews, we honor and remember Jacob and Joseph, and all those who have died, by chronicling and recalling their deeds and accomplishments. In this way, those who have died continue to live. Share special memories of friends and family members who have died. Recall the special blessings they transmitted to you and describe how their lives influence yours.

DID YOU KNOW...that at the completion of the public reading of each book of Torah, the congregation rises and says aloud "Chazak, chazak, v'nit-chazek!" meaning "Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened (to continue the reading of the Torah)."

Table Talk for Shabbat Vayigash, December 10-11, 2011

A wonderful discussion of the Torah portion, taken from the URJ's "Family Shabbat Table Talk" from 1998.
Shabbat Shalom, everyone!



Parashat Vayigash, Genesis 44:18-47:27
The Torah: A Modern Commentary
W. Gunther Plaut, ed. pp. 281-297

CYCLE ONE

SUMMARY
This week's Torah portion, Vayigash, tells of Joseph's reconciliation with himself, his brothers, and his father. It raises timeless questions about the human potential to change.

"Vayigash aylav Yehudah...." (Genesis 44:18) And Judah drew near to Joseph to plead for his brother Benjamin's freedom. Judah volunteered to be taken as a slave in Benjamin's stead, so that his father Jacob would not 'lose' another son. [What a change from the brothers that threw Joseph into a pit and left him to die!] Hearing Judah's passionate concern for his father's feelings, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers. He told them not to feel guilty for having left him in the pit. It was God's plan that Joseph should end up in Egypt, where he could predict the famine, become Pharaoh's administrator, and save his own family from starvation. Joseph told his brothers to return to Jacob and bring the entire clan to Egypt where he will ensure their well-being for the remaining years of the famine.
 
Jacob was predictably overjoyed to hear that Joseph is alive and, after being assured by God of divine protection, goes to be reunited with his long lost son. The famine continues. When the Egyptians ran out of money with which to purchase bread, Joseph agrees to trade food for livestock. When the livestock was depleted, Joseph traded bread for land. In this way all the money, flocks, and land in Egypt came to be owned by Pharaoh. Joseph provided the Egyptian people with seeds to plant and decreed that one fifth of all that grows would belong to Pharaoh, while four-fifths remained the property of the one who cultivated the land.
 
COMMENTARY
When Judah approached Joseph, his willingness to be held in lieu of Benjamin demonstrated his capacity to change. In Hebrew, this is called 'teshuva'. We know we have changed when we face a situation we have faced before, when we made a mistake, and we make a different, better choice. Judah had actively participated in the abandonment of his brother Joseph. He did not offer to be thrown into the pit himself. This time though a different Judah faced the same situation. This changed Judah was prepared to sacrifice himself for his brother Benjamin and his father Jacob. is willing to give up his own freedom for the sake of his youngest brother and his father. Judah had done 'teshuva'. He had changed his behavior and he had grown in character.
 
TABLE TALK

1. When the Torah first introduces Joseph, he is wearing a rainbow-colored coat and flaunting his personal dreams. In this portion, he is managing the welfare of an entire hungry nation and saving his family from starvation, both physical and spiritual. What has happened to cause Joseph to change? Think about a significant way in which you have changed. What external factors contributed to your change? What internal things inspired you?
2. According to the Torah, it was only after Joseph hugged his brothers and cried, that his brother's were able to say even a word. How did Joseph's actions free them to speak? Why might the brothers have been silent after Joseph told them who he was?
3. Jewish law and lore regards a person who had effected teshuva, who has demonstrated the courage to change behavior, as greater than someone who has not had to make that change. What do you think? Why?
4. Jacob is overwhelmed to hear that Joseph is alive yet he does not go to Egypt without talking with God. After God assures Jacob that God will travel with him and his family, Jacob agrees to the move. Why is the presence of God so important to Jacob? How have you experienced the presence of God?
5. Approaching someone when you have an important request (as Judah did) or a significant piece of information to share (as Joseph had) can be frightening. Think about a time when you have been in a situation like Joseph or Judah. What did you do? What would you do if you had the chance to do it over again?

DID YOU KNOW...that Rabbi Asher ben Yechiel taught: "Each night before going to sleep, forgive whomever wronged you."

Table Talk for Shabbat Chanukah

Happy Chanukah Everyone!  Follow this link to get to some great table talk for the special Shabbat during Chanukah!

http://urj.org//holidays/shabbat/intro/genesis//?syspage=article&item_id=4376

You may also be wondering well.... which should I light first--my Chanukah candles or my Shabbat candles?
Well the answer is, light your Chanukah candles first, then your Shabbat candles.  You probably remember learning that after we light our Shabbat candles, it's traditional not to light any other candles after that.  So we light our Chanukah candles first because traditionally, after lighting our Shabbat candles we can't light any more! 

If you'd like, though, to make your Shabbat candles feel extra special this time, you can use the Shamash (helper candle) to light your Shabbat candles once you've already light your menorah (technically a chanukiah, a special menorah for Chanukah).

One more note on the choreography of Chanukah:  One fanstastic youth grouper who shall remain nameless (but whose initials are Drew Davis) inquired as to which side the candles go on the first night of chanukah--right, or left?  Now, he may have thought that this would be a simple question with a simple answer.  Ha!  If you want a simple answer, you probably shouldn't ask a rabbi.  Or maybe you probably just shouldn't ask THIS rabbi.

The answer is, it depends.  Look at your menorah from the front.  If the Shamash (helper candle) is in the middle, place your first candle in all the way to the right.  Then each night you add a candle going from right to left (just like you're reading Hebrew).  So starting from the right, keep adding candles from oldest to newest.  BUT you light the candles from newest, to oldest.  so you light that candle sitting in the newest place first, all the way back down to the candle sitting in that "day 1" slot.

BUT --looking at your menorah from the front, if you can discern a front, if your Shamash is on one end or the other, you add the candle for the first night in the slot closest to the Shamash, and add from there each night.  We don't want the Shamash to get lonely!  So if your Shamash sits on the right, add the candles for each night from right to left.  If your Shamash sits on the left, add the candles from left to right.  But still, we always light the "newest" candle first, working down to the "oldest."
Need a refresher on your Chanukah candle blessings?  You can find them in Hebrew, transliteration and English here, and even audio recordings!

http://urj.org//holidays/chanukah//?syspage=article&item_id=3374

Finally, check out the URJ's wonderful, full, fantastic Chanukah page, including great social action ideas, charity present ideas, family activities, helpful videos, and much more! 
http://urj.org/holidays/chanukah/

May Chanukah bring warmth and light into your home on this Shabbat and beyond.

-Rabbi Segal

Torah Table Talk for Shabbat Vayishlach, November 19th-20th, 2010

Shabbat Shalom, everyone!  For this week's Table Talk, I'd like to direct you to the URJ's Table talk from 5759 (1999) for this week's Torah portion--a clear commentary with some fantastic questions.


http://urj.org//holidays/shabbat/intro/genesis//?syspage=article&item_id=4404

Table Talk for Shabbat Toldot, November 5-6 2010

Have you ever been mad at your brother or sister?
Has your brother or sister ever taken something that belonged to you?
Have you ever taken something that belonged to your brother or sister?
Have you ever made your brother or sister mad?
Have you ever made your brother or sister so mad that they said they were going to kill you and you had to flee?
Did you ever get so mad at your brother or sister that you vowed to kill him/her and he/she had to flee for fear of his/her life?

Well this week's Torah portion is all about siblings.  It's all about family.  The main part of our Torah portion focuses on two brothers (twins in fact), Jacob and Esau.  Esau was the twin who was born first, right before Jacob.  Esau was big, strong, hairy, bulky, muscley, and masculine.  He had dark skin.  He was a hunter and not an intellectual, thinking kind of guy.  His twin Jacob, born just moments after him, was a very different kind of person.  Gentle, soft-spoken, intellectual, a thinker.  He liked to cook and stay at home.  So they were very different people and that sometimes made it hard to get along.

Something that made it even harder to get along is that their parents played favorites.  Their mom, Rebekah, loved Isaac the most.  And their dad, Isaac, loved Esau the most.

One time, Esau had been out hunting.  And back in those days, when you went out to hunt you often stayed out for days and weeks surviving on very little food--just what you could to get by.  So Esau returns from a long hunt exhausted and starving.  More hungry than you have ever felt in your life.  Famished.  He felt like if he didn't eat something immediately he would faint, or even worse, die.  So Esau comes home and finds his brother cooking, as usual.  And the smell of the stew was just delicious.  So Esau looks at it and says--"Give me some of that red stuff."  But Jacob realized that he was in a position of power and decided that he wasn't going to give away something for nothing.  Jacob says "Okay, but you have to give me your birthright."

The birthright was what said that the older brother gets to inherit all of his parents belongings and be in charge of the household when their parents die.

So Esau says "Fine! I need to eat!" and digs into the delicious stew.

And just like that, Jacob had the birthright.

Fast forward a bit, and unfortunately their father Isaac is not well.  He is old, and sick, and is going to die soon.  He is blind.  He calls Esau into his room and asks him to go on a hunt and to get him the best most delicious animal he can find.  Then he asks him to bring that animal home and prepare a delicious meal.  Once Esau has done this, Isaac will bless him as all fathers (in that time) bless their sons on their deathbeds.  Esau runs to do his father's task.

But Jacob and Rebekah overhear and decide to trick Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing.  Jacob puts on furs so he is hairy like his brother Esau.  He prepares a delicious meal just like Esau would have.  He came into his father's room and, discuising his voice, said "Here's your food, dad."  Isaac is surprised--"How did you do that so quickly??!"  Jacob responds--pretending to be Esau, "God helped me complete the task quickly."  Isaac is suspicious but ends up believing him, eating the delicious food and giving Jacob a wonderful blessing.

Finally Esau returns from the hunt and hears what his brother, Jacob, has done.  He has never been so mad in his life.  Or so sad.  He cries hot tears and screams in anger and sadness.  "Didn't you save any blessing for me, Daddy?" he asks Isaac.  Isaac sadly says that he gave the blessing to his older brother.  Esau is devastated and enraged.  Was it not enough to take the birthright from him, now he took the blessing too?  He is so mad that he vows to kill his brother.

Hearing this, Jacob flees away to his Uncle's house.  And this is where our Torah portion leaves us.

We all know that sometimes it can be hard to get along with our siblings and our parents and to keep the peace at home.  The Jewish value, Shalom Bayit, means "Peace in the home."  This is an important Jewish value that we need to keep in mind each day.

Here are this week's questions for the dinner table:

(1) Who is right in this story, Jacob or Esau?
(2) How must Jacob have felt that led him to trick his brother Esau?
(3) How must Esau have felt to first lose the birthright and then the blessing?
(4) Was it fair for their parents to play favorites?
(5) Think about one time when someone has taken something that belonged to you.  How did you feel?  What did you do?
(6) Think about a time when you took something that belonged to someone else.  How do you think they felt?  What happened?  How did you feel?
(7) What can you do this week to create peace in the home, Shalom Bayit?  Try to think of 5 ways to create Shalom Bayit as a family this week.


Shabbat Shalom!

Table Talk for Shabbat Chayei Sarah

This is taken from the URJ's Shabbat Table talk from 5759 and it includes one of my very favorite midrashim.  click the link to enjoy!

http://urj.org//holidays/shabbat/intro/genesis//?syspage=article&item_id=4394

Table Talk for Shabbat Vayeira

The following is excerpted from the URJ's Table Talk from 5759 (1998).

Vayeira, 5759

Parashat Vayeira : Genesis 18:1–22:24The Torah: A Modern Commentary
W. Gunther Plaut, ed. pp. 122-148
CYCLE ONE

SUMMARY 
Adonai appears, in Hebrew "vayera," to Abraham. Abraham is sitting at the entrance to his tent when three men approach . He greets them and offers them a place to rest and food to eat. They accept his hospitality. Abraham asks Sarah to prepare cakes and then he chooses a calf for a servant to prepare.


One of the men then informs Abraham that Sarah will give birth to a son. Sarah overhears this and laughs to herself because she is well past child-bearing age and Abraham is quite old as well. Adonai asks Abraham why Sarah laughed at the idea that she would soon be a mother. Sarah tells Abraham that she did not laugh. She denies her original response because she is frightened that God will view it as a lack of faith. But God assures Abraham that Sarah did indeed laugh.


The three men then set off for Sodom. We hear God questioning whether or not Abraham should be informed about the impending destruction of Sodom and Gommorah. Because God has chosen Abraham to be a great nation, to be a source of blessing to the other nations of the world, and to be a role model of justice and righteousness, God decides to tell him. Abraham then begins bargaining with God in hopes of saving the inhabitants of those cities. When it is clear that no one in the city is innocent, God's decree remains in effect.
Two angels arrive in Sodom and are greeted at the city gate by Lot who urges them to accept his hospitality. They do so, but the townspeople of Sodom do not approve of the presence of strangers and demand that Lot turn them out of his home. The Sodomites resent Lot and try to harm him, but his guests protect him. The guests then inform Lot that he and any of his family in the city must leave because they have been sent to destroy it. Lot tells his sons-in-law about the impending destruction but they choose not to believe him.


With the destruction imminent the angels insist that Lot and his family hurry but they delay. Finally, the angels grab Lot, two of his daughters and his wife, and bring them out of the city. They are warned not to look behind them as they leave. Unfortunately Lot's wife does not obey. She looks back and is immediately turned into a pillar of salt.


As was promised, Sarah becomes pregnant. Abraham and Sarah have a son whom they name Isaac and on the eighth day of his life he is circumcised.


Isaac grows up and is weaned and Abraham holds a great feast in his honor. Sarah wants Hagar and Ishmael thrown out of their home so that Ishmael will not have any part of Isaac's inheritance. Abraham is very unhappy about this, but God tells him to listen to Sarah. Hagar and Ishmael are cast out into the wilderness. Ishmael nearly dies but his cry is heard and an angel of Adonai reassures Hagar that Ishmael will live to become a great nation


God decides to test Abraham and commands him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham prepares to do this and as his hand is raised to carry out the sacrifice an angel of Adonai calls out for him to stop. Because of Abraham's willingness to obey God's command, the promise of a great nation described as numerous as the stars in heaven and the sands of the seashore is repeated.


COMMENTARY 
The parashah opens with the verse, "And God appeared to Abraham (Genesis 18:1)." Nothing else is said in the Torah text about this appearance. The Talmud explains that it was on the third day after Abraham's circumcision and the Holy One of Blessing (God) appeared to ask about Abraham's health. The Talmud continues by teaching that this interpretation gave us the basis for the mitzvah of bikur cholim, visiting the sick. The Rabbis also taught that a visit to the sick takes away 1/60th of the illness. Yet simply visiting the sick person is not enough. The individual who is ill must be helped in some way and have his/her material needs satisfied by the visit.


A second mitzvah, haknasat orchim, welcoming the stranger, also has its basis in this parashah. Tradition teaches that Abraham kept an open doorway on each side of his tent so that any passing stranger would know that he or she was welcome to enter. Welcoming the stranger was not just a sign of good manners, but an absolute necessity because of the harsh desert climate and the nomadic life (Encyclopedia Judaica).
Rashi, a 10th century Biblical commentator, identifies the servant who helps Abraham prepare the food for the three visitors as Ishmael. Rashi explains that Abraham involved his son in the doing of this mitzvah in order to teach it to him.


God tells Abraham that Sarah laughed at the thought that she would bear a child at her advanced age. Abraham questions Sarah about this, but she denies that she had laughed. Notice that God changed Sarah's words. God tells Abraham that she laughed due to her age and not because Abraham is old (which is what she said in her original statement). This was to prevent Abraham from getting angry with Sarah. The women's Yiddish commentary to the Torah, Tzenah Ur'enah, teaches that it is from this story that the Sages learned that for the sake of sh'lom Bayit, a peaceful home/family harmony, a harmless lie is allowed.


TABLE TALK

1. Why was offering hospitality so important during Abraham's time? Consider where Abraham lived (the desert), and how that might have influenced how he behaved. With your family, list different ways in which you can welcome a newcomer.
2. Based on the COMMENTARY, how did Abraham teach the mitzvah of haknasat orchim to Ishmael? What mitzvah did Lot perform that enraged the people of Sodom? Who might he have learned the mitzvah from? In what ways was Abraham fulfilling the special roles which God had assigned to him and his descendants? Describe a mitzvah that you have learned from another family member. Identify this person and explain how they taught you this mitzvah.
3. While we are taught that lying is wrong, in the COMMENTARY section it seems that a "white lie" is allowed if it will preserve sh'lom bayit, family harmony. What do you think about this? Are there circumstances when a lie is acceptable? To your knowledge has this ever occurred in your family? What happened? In what ways are you responsible for sh'lom bayit in your family?
4. Abraham faced two situations in relation to his sons in this parasha. Describe them. In what ways did they test Abraham? Parents often face tests when it comes to their children, though usually not as severely as Abraham. What kinds of tests have you faced as a parent, as a child? How did these tests effect your relationships with your spouses, with your children and/or with your parents?

DID YOU KNOW...Rabbi Huna, who lived during the Rabbinic period announced that mealtimes at his home were to be considered an open invitation to strangers. Rabbi Huna had a saying, "Kol dichfin yaytay v'yachul", "Let all who are hungry, come and eat." This expression has become part of our Passover Haggadah.


Ideas for Participating in the Mitzvah of Haknasat Orchim
If new members are listed in your temple bulletin, make it a point to seek them out and welcome them to your community. You just may be making a new friend for yourself, your family and your community. Share a holiday meal or celebration with a new member or family. You don't have to limit it to someone who has just joined your community, include people you would like to get to know.

---

This week's Family Shabbat Table Talk was written by Barbara Binder Kadden, who loves to fulfill the mitzvah of haknasat orchim - welcoming the stranger, but unlike Rabbi Huna is not quite ready to offer an open invitation at every mealtime!

Table Talk for Shabbat Lech L'cha

In looking for inspiration from this week's blog post, I ran across one of the "Family Shabbat Table Talk" entries written 8 years ago, in 5763, that I really enjoyed.  Rather than quoting a great deal from this article, I have simply included it below.

My thanks to the URJ for continuing to provide this resource and kol hakavod to Marlene Myerson for writing such a nice entry.

I also encourage you to listen to a beautiful song written by Debbie Friedman, inspired by this week's parashah and the command to go forth, lech l'cha, and be a blessing.

http://ilike.myspacecdn.com/play#Debbie+Friedman:L%27chi+Lach:1013987:s44824132.11592694.18428036.0.2.138%2Cstd_6eca9a11deec476b9793d41aac1f83fa


Shabbat Shalom!

Lech L'cha, 5763

Parashat Lech L'cha
The Torah: A Modern Commentary
W. Gunther Plaut, ed.
CYCLE FIVE

THE TEXT"God said to Abram, "Go forth from your native land and from your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. And I will bless you; I will make your name great. And you shall be a blessing" (Genesis 12:1-2)

THE CONTEXTRashi, the Commentator of commentators, was a master of putting Torah in context. We will honor his teaching as we try to do the same.

The story of Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, begins with this week's parashah. Our tradition teaches that Abram lived in a society that worshipped many gods and that Abram's belief in one God alone made him unique. God speaks directly to Abram, later known as Abraham, and instructs him to leave his native land of Haran, and leave his father's house to go to an unknown place, a land that God will show him. If Abram obeys God's commandment, God promises to make him the father of a great nation, to bless him, and to make his name well known.

THE THEMEAbram had to leave his homeland and his family behind In order to develop his relationship with God. He and his wife Sarai, later known as Sarah, embarked on a journey that would take them from all that was known and comfortable to a new and unfamiliar place. Abram showed great courage in his willingness to listen to God's voice and venture into the unknown.


We are fortunate to live in a country in which we are free to practice our Judaism and develop our relationship with God without fear. Nevertheless, we take many journeys in our lives. There are times when our journeys are physical. Like Abram, we actually travel from one place to another. At other times, our journeys are emotional or spiritual. As we encounter life's challenges and experiences, we change, we grow, and we find ourselves in different places at different times. Sometimes these journeys are exciting, and sometimes they are frightening. In order to achieve we must be willing to hear God's voice and explore new and unfamiliar things. Knowing that we are not alone in our journey helps to alleviate our anxiety.



Our High Holy Day Prayer Book reminds us that life itself is a journey:
"Birth is a beginning
And death a destination.
And life is a journey:From childhood to maturityAnd youth to age;From innocence to awarenessAnd ignorance to knowing…Until, looking backward or ahead,We see that victory liesNot at some high place along the way,But in having made the journey, stage by stage,A sacred pilgrimage. "       (Sha'arei T'shuvah, p.283)

A SAGE SPEAKSThe Chasidic rabbis tell the story of a man who was on a journey that took him through a forest. There he lost his way. After several days of wandering, he encountered another. To this one he appealed, "Can you show me the way out of this forest? The other replied: "I too have lost my way. Each path I have taken has been wrong. But at least I know what paths not to take. Let us search for the way out together. (Chaim Stern, Day by Day, p. 17)





THE TORAH AND YOU
Questions and/or activities for families:

1. With older children (10+)
   1. Why do you think God insisted that Abram leave his homeland, and his family and travel to a new land? What are some of the qualities that Abram had that enabled him to make his journey? In what ways do you think this journey was both physical and spiritual?
   2. Many of our grandparents or great grandparents had to leave the place of their birth and travel a great distance in order to start a new life in America. Do some research into your family history and find out why your ancestors left their homeland.
   3. Think of something new that you would like to introduce to your family's Shabbat observance. This might be something as simple as singing Shabbat songs after dinner or it could be a decision not to do any work or shopping on Shabbat. What can you learn from this week's Torah portion that might help you start on this new journey?
2. With younger children (6-9)
   1. Imagine how hard it was for Abram to obey God and leave everything behind and go to a new place! What kind of person do you think Abram was? Make a list of all the words that you can think of that describe someone like Abram. How many of those words describe you?
   2. Think about the last time you had to leave home to go somewhere or do something that was unfamiliar - perhaps it was the first day of school or summer camp. Can you remember how you felt that day? What helped you have the courage to face this new experience?
   3. Read the story told by the Chasidic rabbis (A Sage Speaks – above). According to the rabbis, what makes a journey easier? What does this story teach you about trying new things?

---

Marlene Myerson, the UAHC Regional Educator in Canada, wrote this week's Family Shabbat Table Talk. Marlene's grandparents left Russia and Poland many years ago because they were not safe places for Jews to live. She is grateful for the many blessings she has as a result of their courage.

Table Talk for Shabbat Noach

This week's Torah portion, which tells the story of how Noah builds a huge ark to make it through the flood that God brings upon the earth, is one of my very favorites.  I think it is both interesting and a bit scary--the idea of a storm so huge that it could flood the entire earth, the idea that God is so disappointed with humans that God wants to just wipe everything clean and start over, and the idea that Noah had to stay in one place, with all those animals, for so long!  So many animals would have needed so much food and would have made such a big mess... How did Noah get through it?  Who cleaned up the big mess that the animals would have made? 

So let's remind ourselves of what happens in the story of Noah and the ark.

God, looking down on the people on earth and seeing their behavior, becomes upset and decides that humans are just evil to their core and he should just wipe the slate clean and start over.  But God sees that Noah is far more righteous, a way better and nicer person, than the rest of the people on earth and so God decides to let Noah live and become the father of the rest of human history that will start when the flood is over.  God tells Noah that a huge storm is coming and he must build an ark (which is basically a huge boat) and tells Noah exactly how to do it.  Noah is then supposed to get two of each animal (and different numbers of a few specific animals), making sure to bring a male and a female of each animal so that each kind of animal will also be able to have babies and survive the flood.  Noah is also supposed to bring his wife, his sons, and their wives with him on the ark to survive the flood.

Then the rain comes.  And keeps coming. And coming.  For 40 days and 40 nights, which is the Torah's way of saying A REALLY LONG TIME.  Finally the rain stops, and Noah and his family and the animals wait for the land to slowly dry.  Eventually Noah sends out a raven (a black bird) to see if it can find a place to sit, which would mean that the land was becoming dry.  But the raven comes back.  Noah waits and then later sends out a dove (a white bird), which returns to him with an olive branch in its mouth.  The ark comes to a rest on the top of Mt. Ararat, and Noah and his family and the animals finally leave the ark and start building their lives again.

This week's questions that I encourage you to discuss as a family are:

(1) If you had to spend 40 days and 40 nights on an ark with any person or group of people, who would you want with you?

(2) Who do you think cleaned up all that mess on the ark?  Noah?  Mrs. Noah?  His sons and daughters-in-law?

(3) Have you ever been so frustrated with something you made, or a project you were working on, that you just wanted to throw it out and start all over?

(4) Have you ever had to start something all over, whether it was your choice or not?  What happened?  How did you feel?

(5)  How do you think Noah and his family felt when they started to build the ark?  How do you think they felt during the storm?  How do you think that they felt when they were waiting for the waters to dry?  How do you think they felt when they left the ark and had to build their lives all over again?

Shabbat Table Talk for Chol Ha-Moeid Sukkot

We are so blessed in this season because it is just so full of holidays!  Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have passed and we are now in the midst of one of my favorite holidays: Sukkot! 


Sukkot, much like the American holiday of Thanksgiving, is a harvest holiday when we thank God for providing food for our tables and a roof over our heads. 


Now, probably very few of us have our own sukkot ("sukkot" is the plural of "sukkah") at our homes.  But we have one here at Temple that everyone can make use of, and in Israel, if you walked around Jerusalem now you would see SO many sukkot!  Even restaurants have their own sukkot so people can eat out at a restaurant, but still observe the mitzvah of eating inside the sukkah.


There are a number of wonderful mitzvahs that we do on Sukkot:


(1) Shaking the lulav and the etrog
(2) Spending time in the sukkah (sleeping in the sukkah even!)
(3) Eating in the Sukkah
(4) Inviting guests into the sukkah.


I would like to fovus on that last mitzvah:  Inviting guests into the sukkah.  This is one of my very favorite traditions of Sukkot.  This is called "Ushpizin," or "Hachnasat Orchim," welcoming guests.  It is traditional to invite people into the sukkah to share a meal and a great conversation. 


So my question to all of you this week, that I hope you can take some time with your family to talk about (around your Shabbat dinner table, or in your Sukkah, or just sitting on the couch on Shabbat afternoon):


If you could invite anyone, from any time period (past, present, or future), into your Sukkah to share a meal and have a conversation, who would you invite?  What would you want to talk about?  Why?


Or, if you have lots of ideas, there are 7 days of Sukkot.  Who are your top 7 people you'd like to invite into your Sukkah?






Shabbat Shalom & Chag Sameach!

Table Talk for Haazinu, Shabbat Shuvah, September 10-11, 2010

Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova!  I hope that everyone had an uplifting, inspiring Rosh Hashanah and I wish everyone a happy, healthy year. 

As our fall holidays progress, we are nearing the end of the book of Deuteronomy, and this week we have our second-to-last Torah portion in the entire Torah:  Haazinu.  Haazinu contains Moses's very last speech to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land and Moses dies, and this speech is in the form of a poem or a song.  (The words for poem and song are the same in Hebrew:  Shira.)  This poem talks about the same central theme that we find over and over again throughout the entire book of Deuteronomy:  Good deeds and mitzvot will lead to blessing and life, evil deeds and disobeying God will lead to curse and death.   This poem also says that in the future, when the Israleites doubt God or veer off of the path of leading a good life, they could look back at this poem and be reminded of God's power, majesty, goodness, and truth. 

There is one verse in this week's Torah portion that seems particularly important to me this week. Chapter 32 verse 7 reads:

Remember the days of old, consider the years of ages past.
Ask your parent, who will inform you, Your elders, who will tell you.


This verse teaches us the importance of listening to our parents and grandparents and all those who are older than us, because they have more wisdom than we do and there is a lot we can learn from them.  They have been alive much longer than we have so we should ask them to teach us.

In the spirit of this verse, this week's Table Talk questions are for children to ask their parents.  Kids, please ask your parents these and any other questions that come to mind.  After asking them these questions and having your discussion, let your parents (and/or grandparents) know how much you love them and appreciate them, and say "thank you" to them for teaching you.


Discussion Questions:
(1)  What does being Jewish mean to you?  What did it mean to you when you were a kid?  When you were a teenager? 
(2)  Do you have memories of Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur from when you were growing up?  What were they like?  What were services like?  Did your family have any special traditions?
(3) What is your favorite part of the High Holy Days?  What is your favorite prayer (or line from a prayer)?
(4) What kind of blessings do you hope for in the year to come?   What are you thankful for?
(5)  Was there anything that happened in the last year that you want to let go of in the year to come?
(6)  What is your New Year's resolution?  Why?

Table Talk for Shabbat Nitzavim-Vayeilech, September 3rd-4th, 2010

This week we are blessed with a double Torah portion, Nitzavim-Vayeilech.  These portions often appear as a pair on the Shabbat that falls right before Rosh Hashana, as it does this year.  Why do we have double portions sometimes?  In the Jewish calendar, different years have different numbers of weeks, and different numbers of Shabbatot, so there is a kind of flexibility built into the schedule of Torah readings to make sure that we always get through the entire Torah ever year.  In a year with fewer weeks, we have double portions like this one, but in a year with more weeks, Nitzavim and Vayeilech could each have their own week.


Yet another fun fact that has to do with this week's Torah portion is that when it stands alone, Vayeilech is the very shortest Torah portion that there is!


As we have mentioned in the past few weeks here on our Shabbat Sha-blog, we are in the book of Deuteronomy which is the last book in the Torah.  And the book of Deuteronomy is mainly made up of a string of very long speeches given by Moses to the people of Israel right before Moses dies and the Israelites enter the land of Israel, the Promised land.  This week's Torah portion is no different.


The very first words of this week's Torah portion are, "Atem Nitzavim Hayom Kulchem..." "You stand this day, all of you."  The wording of the Hebrew, which we can see in translation in the phrase "all of you," lets us know that Moses is not just addressing a few leaders of the people of Israel, but rather he is speaking to the entire people of Israel as one big group.


But interestingly, the verse continues to say, "and those who are not with us here this day."   It seems like the words of God, being spoken by Moses, are intended not only for all the people to whom Moses is talking at that very moment, but also to the descendants of those people.  Meaning, not just them, but their children, and their children's children.  The laws that God gives the people through Moses, the teachings and rules--all of these are not just meant for the ancient Israelites, but they also apply to the generations to follow--including us!


In fact, Midrash Tanchuma takes this a step further to say that not only were the ancient Israelites physically present, not only were they actually there, both at Sinai and then hearing this series of speeches by Moses at the entryway to the Promised Land.  But that we, too, were there.  The children of those people at Sinai and hearing Moses, then their children, and their children... all the way down to us.  You were.  Your brothers and sisters were.  Your parents, your grandparents.  Even people who are not born Jewish but convert to Judaism later in life, they were there because they have Jewish souls just like people who were born Jewish.  And everyone with a Jewish soul was there.


This can remind us that we still have a responsibility to learn the Torah, to live righteous and ethical lives, and to do mitzvot.  Not just because our parents tell us to, and not just because our religious school teachers and cantor and rabbis tell us to.  Because we were there, our souls were there, listening to Moses.  Shaking because of the powerful moment.  With butterflies in our stomachs because we are so eager and nervous and excited to enter the promised land.  Because this is a big responsibility we are being given by God through Moses--to take care of the earth.  To live peacefully and help bring justice and righteousness into the world.  We were there.




Discussion questions:
(1) How do you think the Israelites felt as they were listening to Moses?  How did they feel at Sinai when they were given the Torah?  How did they feel right before going into the Promised Land?


(2)  We just learned that each of us were there at Sinai and there listening to Moses's final speeches.  Close your eyes and imagine yourself there.  What is it like?  Use all of your senses.  What do you hear?  What do you see?  what do you smell?  What do you taste?  Think about reaching out--what do you touch and what do you feel with your hands?


(3)  Do you believe that you were there, or your soul was there?  Why or why not?


(4)  If Moses was speaking to all of us, to all the generations of Israelites and Jews, what does it change?  How would it be different if Moses was only speaking to the ancient Israelites at that moment?


(5)  Is it fair that the speech Moses gave told not just the Israelites what their responsibilities were, but also tells us what ours are, too?  Tradition teaches that when the Israelites accepted the covenant, they accepted it for future generations too, meaning us.  Is that fair?  Did anyone ever agree that you would do something without checking with you?  Is that okay?  How did it feel?  How would it feel?


(6)  Is there anyone who decides things for your or tells you what to do?  Who?  Why?  What do they decide for you?  Is it fair?  How does it make you feel?

Table Talk for Shabbat Ki Tavo, August 27-28, 2010

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, like the rest of Deuteronomy, continues Moses’s series of speeches to the Israelites before the Israelites enter the Promised Land without Moses.  And just like the Torah portions for the last several weeks, this week’s Torah portion contains many, many laws that Moses gives the Israelites to help them create and continue living in a caring, peaceful community once they are settled in the Promised Land.

In the very beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Moses teaches the Israelites the laws about what to do with the very first fruits or products in their harvests.  When the Israelites settle the land, a great number of them will become farmers, growing fruits, vegetables, and grain in their fields and raising farm animals both to eat and to work the land.   

Every third year, Moses teaches the Israelites, they should set aside a tenth of their entire crop to be given to the priests, widows, orphans, and strangers living with them, so they can have food to eat.  And when you do that, Moses tells the Israelites, you should say, “I have cleared out the special portion from the house, and I have given it to the Priest, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, just as you commanded me to do.  I have not sinned or forgotten to do any of your commandments.” 

This Torah portion reminds us not only to remember to say “thank you” – to our parents, siblings, friends, and neighbors, when they have done something nice for us or cared for us, but it also reminds us that we need to be kind to those whose lives are not as easy as our own.  No matter how much we have or how little we have, no matter how rich or poor we are, there will always be someone who is in need, there will always be someone who has less than us and needs our help. 

In Pirke Avot (“The Wisdom of our Fathers”), Rabbi Tarfon teaches:  “It is not our job to finish the task, neither are we free to desist from it.”  This means, that we should not have to feel like we need to personally do all the work to make the world a better place, because that would be impossible.  But at the same time, we cannot allow ourselves to feel upset and defeated, thinking that with so much to fix in the world, so many poor people in need of help and food, that our small amount of help we can give will never make a difference.  Any amount of help we can give, any money we can give to tzedakah, any clothing we can give to the poor, any food we can give to the hungry—it makes a difference.

This week’s Torah portion, viewed through the eyes of Rabbi Tarfon and Pirke Avot, teaches us that not only must we be thankful for what we have, but we also must do our very best to help those in need, and we must have faith that our work in this world makes a difference.

There is a story of an old man who was strolling on the beach one day when he walked by a little boy who was reaching down to the sand and one by one, picking up starfish and throwing them abck into the ocean.  The old man was curious and asked the boy, “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”  The boy said, “The sun is up and the tide is going out, and if I don’t throw them then they’ll die!”  The old man replied, “But don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it?  You can’t possibly make a difference!”   The young man listened politely, then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, and said, “Well, I made a difference for that one.”

Discussion Questions:

(1)    When was the last time you said thank you?  Who did you say it to?  Why?  How did you say it?

(2)    If you get an allowance, could you give a tenth of it (10 cents from every dollar) to charity?  How would that make you feel?  Would it change your life?  Would it change someone else’s life?  Ask your parents to help you figure out how much money you could give in a year if you gave 10% (or a tenth) of your allowance to charity.

(3)    What is one thing you can do this week to help someone?  What is one thing you did last week to help someone?

(4)    Have you ever made a difference in someone’s life?  When and how?

(5)    Does change happen slowly or quickly?  What kind of change happens slowly?  What kind of change happens quickly?  Give examples of each.  

Table talk for Shabbat Ki Teitzei, August 20-21, 2010

In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Teitzei, we find a long list of commandments.  Much of the book of Deuteronomy is devoted to several speeches Moses gives to the Israelites, as we mentioned last week, in the hopes that the commandments and rules he presents help the Israelites to establish a peaceful, harmonious, happy society once they enter the Promised Land and become established. 

Many of the rules in this week’s Torah portion have to do with being kind and nice to our families and friends and members of our community.  But not all of the members of the community that this week’s Torah portion reminds us to protect and be kind to are human—they are animals! 

A few commandments in particular teach us about how to be kind to animals.

"If an animal has fallen on the road, you must help its owner lift it up."  (This means that even if you are not friends with the animal’s owner, even if the animal’s owner is mean to you, you have to think of the pain of the animal and help for the animal’s sake.)

"If you see a mother bird on her nest, you must let her go before you can take her eggs or baby birds."  (This means that you must show kindness to the feelings of animals—even birds.  Many scholars have studied and thought about this commandment, and many think that letting a mother bird go free before taking her eggs or baby birds, you make sure the mother is not sad or pained to see her eggs or baby birds go.)

"You shouldn’t plow using two different kinds of animals."  (This commandment is talking about farm animals.  If two are tied together doing farm work, and one is stronger than the other, it can be really hard or even painful for the weaker, smaller animal to keep up, and it causes discomfort to the bigger, stronger animal that has to work harder.)

"Do not muzzle an ox when it is threshing."  (This is also talking about a farm animal that is helping to collect the crops at harvest time.   Essentially an animal is tied to a post or a pivot and walks in circles treading, or walking, on the corn to break it up.  If the animal has to wear a muzzle, that covers its mouth, this means that it can’t eat, even though oxen love corn.  Picture being in room, full of your very favorite food but you aren’t allowed to eat any of it!  This would be very unkind to an animal, working hard to help with the harvest, but not allowed to eat any of its favorite food.  Therefore we should, in a way, be kind to an animal, especially an animal that helps us.)

This week's Torah portion, among many other important lessons, reminds us that our actions toward other people remain very important, but our actions toward animals under our care and other animals we encounter, are also very important and can teach us about how we treat all beings, including humans.

Discussion Questions:

• How do these commandments show us how to be kind to animals?  How do you show kindness to animals?  To your friends?  To your family (parents, siblings, grandparents)?  Talk about a time you went out of your way to be kind to someone you know, or even someone you didn’t know.
  
  
• How do you behave toward animals—your pets, your friends’ pets, or animals you see in other places?

Some scholars have called these commandments—the commandments that show us how to be kind to animals—“easy” commandments, because they don’t take any preparation.  You do not have to prepare in advance in order to help your neighbor lift her fallen animal.  Rather, you would happen to see your neighbor in the road and rush to her aid without having do prepare in any special way.

• Do you agree that commandments that show us how to be nice to animals are "easy"?  Why or why not?
  
  
• If a commandment is “easy,” does this mean that it is not as good or as valuable as commandments that are hard to do?  Why or Why not?
  
  
• What are other easy commandments?  Are they important or less important than commandments that are hard or challenging to do?
  
  
• Can commandments about animals teach us about how we should treat people?  What can they teach us about how we should treat our families, friends, neighbors, and even strangers?  

Table Talk for Shabbat Shoftim, August 13th-14th, 2010

This week’s parashah (Torah portion) is called Shoftim, which means “Judges” (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9). In this part of the story of the Israelites, Moses is talking to them about what will happen when they enter the Promised Land, Israel. He is giving them many laws and rules that tell them what they should or should not do when they finally get to enter the Promised Land.

Moses warns the people not to break any rules or laws, including the rule to not practice idolatry (worshipping or believing in other gods than our God, Adonai, the God of the Israelites). Then Moses tells them about how justice should be carried out. Moses says judges have to be fair and not biased; they can’t make their friend win just because they are friends or make a rich person win because they hope to get a present or bribe from them.

This Torah portion also discusses appropriate punishments and contains the phrase “a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye” when talking about how a punishment should fit the crime. While many believe that this describes a very harsh way of punishing people for what they did wrong (as in, if you knock someone’s tooth out, someone should knock your tooth out), it really means that the punishment should make sense based on what a person did wrong. It doesn’t mean that if your brother hits you, you should hit him back because he deserves it. It means, he should have to do something to make up for it. It doesn’t mean that if you lie, people should just lie to you because you deserve it. Instead, it means that you should have to do something to earn their trust again.

By giving the Israelites all of these rules and laws to follow, Moses hopes to help them create a peaceful wise, and moral community that runs smoothly.



Table Talk Questions:


(1) Have you ever had to figure out who to believe or whose side to be on when two of your friends had a fight? What happened? Was it hard to be fair or was it easy? Why?

(2) Has there ever been a case when your mom or dad had to decide who to believe or who was right when you had a fight with your sister/brother? Do you think it was hard for him/her to be fair? Why?

(3) Can you think of a time when a teacher was fair or not fair? What happened?

(4) How are punishments or consequences chosen in your family? How does the punishment fit the misbehavior? How do you think punishments should be chosen or given?

(5) What do you think a judge—or any person who has to listen and decide between two people—should do to make sure to be fair? How can you tell if someone is being fair?

(6) If you were Moses, what rules would you tell the Israelites to follow when they entered the Promised Land?


Shabbat Shalom!

Welcome to Shabbat Sha-blog!

Hello Temple Jeremiah family!  I am excited to welcome you to our new Shabbat Sha-blog, where each week I will be posting a brief description of the Torah portion, or excerpt from the Torah portion, with a few thoughts and guiding questions.  I hope you and your family will use this blog to bring a bit of learning to your Shabbat dinner table each week.   I would love to hear about how you celebrate Shabbat, anything special that happened on your Shabbat, and what shape your dinnertable discussion took.  So each week, please feel free to post a comment telling me about your Shabbat and your discussion!

In this way, I hope we can deepen our connection to Torah, to Shabbat, to our families, and to each other. 

If you would like to review the blessings traditionally recited at the Shabbat dinner table (over candles, wine, and challah), I encourage you to click here where you will find the blessings written in Hebrew, transliteration, and English, and on audio recording. 

If you would like to learn a bit about the traditions of Shabbat and see a list of wonderful resources on Shabbat for your family, click here.

I am looking forward to sharing this Shabbat journey with you!