Passover and the Cultivation of Empathy
“Don’t you know, each day and age, one and all must see himself, as though having escaped Egypt?” Alma Zohar, “From Egypt” Passover takes us back to when we were…
4HQ for your Seder Night!
We are delighted to present our suggestion for talking Israel at the Seder table. This leaflet was produced by our friends at the UJIA in the UK, at their initiative.…
One of the ultimate Pesach songs – Alma Zohar, Out of Egypt
One of her most powerful songs, Out of Egypt, has Alma Zohar at her best: Working with liturgical language to cry out for humane treatment for refugees. A must for the Seder Night that wishes to address Israeli culture and social justice issues...
Pesach – 5th cup
Spark: On Passover, we recall the 4 words of redemption in the Torah that correspond to the 4 cups of wine we drink. However, there are actually five words of redemption, which should correspond to the fifth cup. The fifth word of redemption is והבאתי – I will bring you [to the land of Israel]. Most Jews in the world today are safe from oppression, discrimination, slavery, etc. But our redemption is not complete until we are brought to Israel. Does redemption only come when we are literally brought to Israel to live there or can we bring ourselves to Israel in different ways? What still needs to be brought to Israel to make our redemption complete?
Rabbis’ Sermon Sparks for Pesach – Doubt…
Spark: Taking the Jewish people from Egypt purposefully put the Jewish people into situations that would be incredibly challenging. This is to teach us that any worthwhile, meaningful endeavor, like taking the Jews from Egypt or creating a State of Israel, will naturally come with significant challenge.
The Jewish Calendar – 24
How we measure time reflects how we see the world and our place it. Each individual has markers in time that are important to him – birthdays, anniversaries, yahrzeits, etc. So too different nations and cultures mark time uniquely. Their respective systems reflect their perception of time and space. The Christians count from the death of Christ, the Moslems from the flight of Mohammed. The Gregorian calendar follows the solar year. The Islamic calendar follows the lunar year. In this lesson we will study how Jews mark time and try to understand the significance and results of the system, and its role in linking the land and people of Israel. It turns out that in addition to sanctifying time, the Jewish calendar is deeply connected to the sanctification of place: in living according to it, Jews all over the world affirm, consciously or not, their rootedness in the landscape of Eretz Yisrael.
Counting down to Shavuot – 32
Full activity and discussion on Shavuot in the context of Israel. Part of our 43 session curriculum for Adults on Israel - Ksharim.
