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Temple Beth-El Religious School May 7, 2002 Number 25 |
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The Festival of Shavuot - Hag Matan Torah - is cited in the Torah as a festival of nature and of agriculture. On Pesach we celebrate the exodus of our forefathers from Egypt - from bondage to freedom; after months of wandering in the desert the Children of Israel arrived at Mount Sinai, where they received the Torah through the intermediary of Moses.
Since the Israelites received the Torah on Shavuot, the festival is also called Hag Matan Torah (the Festival of the Giving of the Law). Our Sages emphasize that only when they received the Ten Commandments did the Israelites become a free people. Our forefathers received the Torah of their free will and with full agreement (Exodus, 24: 7).
According to tradition the Torah was given to Israel in the year 2448 of the Creation of the world.
On Shavuot the People of Israel concluded the barley harvest and commenced the wheat harvest, since in Eretz Yisrael the month of Sivan signals the end of spring and the beginning of summer
May 12th is a Busy Day
Just take a look at the schedule for this Sunday. Dalet is having a coffee house that they’ve been preparing for all year, Kibbutz is having a mock B’nai Mitzvah, Yisrael is having a Tel Aviv Night Club in their classroom, and all of school is a having an end of the year and “happy retirement” assembly for Rabbi Stahl. Everyday should be this active and full! Make your last day at SAC festive, enjoyable and memorable.
May 19th is Family Day in the Park
Each teacher and ma’aseh will be asked to lead or help run an activity. The activities may range from face painting, to volleyball, to story telling, etc. Please sign-up in the office when you sign in this Sunday
This year has flown by. It is hard to believe that this is our last, in classroom, Sunday. Where did the year go? As I look back at the beginning of the year when we wondered how we would make a college building into our Religious School I see that you all found ways to make the transfer happen. Courtney Silver helped us make mezuzot for our classroom and Rose Coste took that idea and made a larger mezuzah that can be found on her door weekly. Bonim, Chalutzim, and Tzadikim bring in loads of classroom aides to transfer their classrooms to a Jewish setting. As the students walk in they have something Jewish to begin their day with. Avram has given us many ideas to bring movement and activity into our rooms. Gayle Purcell took a question idea for the students and now begins her day with the students responding to a particular prompt.
We were all asked to be flexible and have open minds with this school year and you all stepped up to the challenge. I feel this Religious School year has been a great success and each teacher and Ma’aseh helped to make this year the success it was.
We need a few things from all teachers before the school ends:
1. Report cards will be given out on May 5th, and we are expecting to receive them from you
between May 12 and May 19th. If you would like a hard copy and not a disk, simply call Martha or email her at Martha@beth-elsa.org.
2. If you have not done this already, please have your class vote on your tzedakah recipients: you should choose one Jewish organization and one “general” organization as your tzedakah recipients. Find the cause and we’ll find the organization. Come into class with a few suggestions.
3. Please bring in your Art Supply baskets this Sunday to the office. We will be collecting them and sorting the materials in them. Thank you for turning your trunks in to your mobile storage closets. I know it can be difficult, especially when you need to change your tire.