According to the rabbis of the
Mishna, “the world stands are three things…”
While they agreed that three pillars provide a stable foundation, they
had different opinions about which three things actually sustain the world. Rabbi Shimon said, “Torah, worship, and acts
of loving kindness.” And Rabbi Shimon
ben Gamliel said, “truth, law (justice) and peace.” These different opinions offered our students
the opportunity to develop their own three principles and to express these
principles through i-moive trailer videos.
During our time with Bar Argaman,
students learned about Yitzhak Rabin, a peace seeking Prime Minister of Israel who
was assassinated by a Jewish Israeli 22 years ago. Then they were challenged to develop a
ceremony either remembering Rabin or about peace that included a speaker, a
quotation and a song. Next week, they’ll
share their special ceremonies.
When was the last time that you
experienced a miracle?
Rav Shira Shazeer began her
presentation about birth in the Jewish tradition with this provocative question. In short, birth is a miracle and this awesome
miracle creates status changes for many people in the life of the baby: the older siblings, the parents, the
grandparents and of course, the baby.
When does a fetus become a human
being? According to Jewish law, the
fetus is considered a human being when
the head or the majority of the body emerges from the birth canal. Rav Shira spoke about birthing rituals
beginning with an immersion in the mikva during the 9th month of
pregnancy. Immediately following the
birth it is traditional to recite two blessings, the shekhekhyanu and haTov
u-maytiv blessings acknowledging the special moment and the goodness of
God. Eight days later, the boy child is
welcomed into the covenant and into the Jewish community with the Brit Milah (to be discussed in detail
next week with Dr. Jennifer Novick.) We
welcome girl children with other rituals.
Some go to the synagogue and have an aliyah
to the Torah after which the mother and child receive a blessing and the child
is named. Others celebrate with home
ceremonies such as a Simchat Bat or a
Bat Brit. One new ceremony
welcomes the female child by immersing her in the mikvah. Another ceremony
invites important people in her life to participate in wrapping her in a
tallit. Like the Brit Milah, the mikva
immersion presents a condition of perceived danger. Rav Shira stressed that just
as we celebrate male babies on the eighth day, female babies should also be
celebrated soon after birth since it affords the community the opportunity to
support the exhausted parents and to remind them that their family and friends
are here for them and can be counted on. Rav Shira, Toddah Rabbah!
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