"Kol Nidrei"
This activity proposes a path through the spirit of the Kol Nidrei tefilah with the intention of reflecting on and examining the responsibilities that we have taken on during the year and that we have not been able to fulfill for various reasons.
"Shemini Atzeret"
This is a project about Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly, which is usually considered the eighth day of Sukkot. Shemini Atzeret is a separate festival, regel bifnei atzmoon which the Shehecheyanu prayer is said while the candles are lit and the Kiddush is recited. Shemini Atzeret is a one-day festival that marks the end of the Sukkot celebrations and observances and none of Sukkot’s ceremonies apply to it. It is said in Leviticus 23: 26, “There shall be holy convocation for you… You shall not do any work on this very day…”
"Therefore they called these days Purim..." (Esther, ch. 9, 26) Gallery of characters
Expression activity, applied to the content of the festival of Purim.
"When the month of Av begins, the happiness fades" - Taanit 26
Thematic project on Tisha B’Av, consisting of different activities, of reading and analysis of literary texts and biblical and Talmudic sources.
‘Realistic Messianism’: The road I take from Sinai and try to travel on
The Torah is God’s great objective gift to all of us; but its reception and application to our lives is the subjective personal response-ability of each and every one of us as individual members of the Jewish people; we commemorate and celebrate the gift; it’s up to each of us to make good use of it!Following this rabbi’s cue, I want to share with you in this essay my personal reception, interpretation and application of this great gift lent to us at Mt. Sinai: realistic messianism. This pair of terms “realistic messiansm” may legitimately be perceived, certainly at first glance, as an oxymoron. I hope to demonstrate in the course of this essay, the two terms composing it are dialectically interrelated: The strong drive and resolute determination to strive to humanize the world is encapsulated in the noun messianism; and the means to head in the direction towards this humanization and to ever-approach arriving at it are encapsulated in the qualifying adjective “realistic”. Furthermore, this adjective is meant to serve as a powerful anti-dote to the dangerous pitfalls into which other types of messianism - unrealistic and other-worldly ones - fall.
“[I]t was turned to the contrary" (Esther, Chapter 9) Coincidence or Causality at Work?
Project consisting of an in-depth treatment of the subject of the Purim holiday. Particular emphasis is placed on reading the Megillah.
“Guess who’s coming to dinner?”
Mystics tell us that in each of these special guests there is a specific prominent quality connected to one of the ways in which G_d makes himself manifest on Earth (the Sefirot). By studying in greater depth some of the stories involving these personalities that became Ushpizim we will reach an understanding of whom and what we should make room for in the sukkah. And of course we will cover the subject of with what attributes we should prepare ourselves so that, should they happen to drop in, we can make them feel at home. By Guido Cohen
“Mishenichnas Adar, marbim b'simchah.” , “With the beginning of Adar, rejoicing is increased.” (Ta’anith 29:a)
The aim of this project is to expound on the concept of joy and its different manifestations in the Purim celebration. Here, we recreate its history and customs and reaffirm its validity. The project is composed of a sequence of two activities, the first called “What is Joy?” the second, “Vesamachta Bechagecha” (“And You Shall Rejoice in Your Feast,” from Deuteronomy 16:14), in which a Purim ball is held as a grand finale.
“Vayehi or… and There Was Light”
Chanukah, the festival of light, is also a meeting point with a high concentration of fears and darkness. On the basis of a Talmudic text that places the first man in the darkest time of the year, the author attempts to show how the festivity of Chanukah, invites us to reflect on certain sensitive points—such as G_d’s place in history and the fate of the Chanukah,narrative itself in the times of the Second Temple of Jerusalem—and how it is possible to cast new light on these "eclipses."By Rabbi Joshua Kullock
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself." – Leviticus 19:18
Activity that proposes an analysis of the concept of justice and charity by taking as a starting point Megillat Ruth, which is read during the feast of Shavuot. The fundamental teaching of this book is to put into practice the cardinal rule: "…you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Hear Our Voice "Shema Koleinu"- Hear the Voice of the Shofar "Lishmo‘a Kol Shofar"
In this unit on hearing the shofar, students will be challenged to consider what it means for a Jew to hear and how hearing constitutes mindfulness of their own personal spiritualwelfare as well as that of their fellow human beings. Approaching the mitsvah of hearing the shofar in this way will empower our students to explore the intersection of ritual practice, ethical sensibilities and tikkun ‘olam.
15 of Shvat - Its social and traditional meaning
This is a Tu B’Shvat family celebration project.
1948-2008: Sixty years of existence
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel, the Project offers an introduction to some of the many great figures who contributed their ideas, efforts, and lives towards attaining an objective much longed for throughout the centuries: “To be a free people in our land”, as the Hatikvah. The project consisting of a variety of games as well as artistic and creative activities.
'Do not distance yourself from the community' (Avot, 2 Mishnah 5)
Activity that forms part of the investigative project related to the festival of Shavuot: “The world stands upon three pillars: on Torah, on worship, and on acts of charity” (Pirkei Avot). The theme of the activity is the Torah and its relationship to the Jewish people, based on analysis of Mishnayot taken from Pirkei Avot and from other Talmudic and Biblical sources.