reflections on the year's learning -9th grade
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9th grade reflections on Halakha and Aggada learning.TRANSCRIPT
Milken Community High School9th grade Halakha and Aggada (honors)
selected
Re!ections on the
Year’s Learning
June 2012for
Rabbi Shawn Fields-Meyer
Julia C
Re*lection of the Year’s Learning
Over the past year in Jewish studies, we have dived into many texts and searched beyond our learning. I learned that there is so much more a piece of text than its basic interpretation. One can learn new life lessons and relate it to their lives by reading a basic portion of a pasuk from the Torah, Mishna, or Talmud. This class has taught me about basic Jewish law and the history of the religion. It has also taught me the laws between parents and children, choosing life over death, kashrut, Shabbat, lashon hara, and tochecha. This class challenged me in various ways because it forced me to constantly think of right from wrong. I was put into dif*icult situations, like the canteen story, to see what I should do. Because of these laws and stories, I am now able to live my life in a more Jewish manner. It has taught me values and helped me want to aspire to be a better person that is accepted under Jewish law. The ancient texts are very relatable and I am able to apply them to my everyday life. In class, we were able to put these lessons into more modern situations. I hope to have the courage to ful*ill what the texts teach me to do in life, even though it may be tough at times. In the future, I will always have these lessons in mind and use them when I encounter any type of problem.
The mishna says, “Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.” I think that this quote means that every single person in the world is important. Life is the most valued thing in the world and it is important that we always protect it no matter what. Also, you never know what each person is capable of and how he or she can change the world for the better. I was really able to connect to this quote because it helps give me an idea on how important life is. I know to always truly be thankful for my life and to value it. Additionally, I should respect and help others, so that they can also lead a great life.
I chose to put a picture of a soldier because I think that they truly understand the meaning of this quote. They understand how important life is and are willing to risk their own lives to save a person or “a world”.
In the torah, Leviticus 19:16, is roughly translated as, “don’t be a talebearer; don’t stand on the blood of you're neighbor.” I think that this quote is telling us to not gossip or talk about other people. Also, you should not put down people who you love, know, or are close to. It is important that we abide by this quote because words can be very painful. People can get very hurt from what others say and it is impossible to take back what has been said. One somebody says something, it is out there and it can travel to in*inite places and lengths. This quote is very applicable in today’s society because there is always a lot of gossip and rumors going around. Whether it is simple drama in a friend group at school or famous tabloids talking about what starts are doing, it is still wrong and considered to be lashon hara. This has taught me to be more careful of what I say. I am not more hesitant about what I talk about with my friends and try not to talk about others. I now realize that I have said many things in the past that could have been very hurtful and am trying my best to break that horrible habit. I should only be concerned about myself and the well being of
the people around me. I chose to include a picture of several, different magazines because these are clear examples of tale bearing and lashon hara. Even though one may think that it is okay because it is made for the general public, it is still wrong. Magazines and gossip have become a main media source that people feed off of. This is a horrible idea and should be frowned upon. It is not right to *ind pleasure in talking about others.
Cole SReflection of the Year’s Learning
Bava Metzia 62a:שנים שהיו מהלכין בדרך, וביד אחד מהן קיתון של מים, אם שותין שניהם - מתים, ואם שותה אחד מהן -
מגיע לישוב. דרש בן פטורא: מוטב שישתו שניהם וימותו, ואל יראה אחד מהם במיתתו של חבירו. עד שבא רבי עקיבא ולימד: וחי אחיך עמך - חייך קודמים לחיי חבירך
Two people were traveling, and [only] one of them had a canteen of water.[There was only enough water so that] if both of them drank they would both die, but if one of them drank [only] that person would make it back to an inhabited area [and live]. Ben Petura publicly taught: 'Better both should drink and die than that one see their friend's death,' until Rabbi Akiva came and taught: 'Your fellow should live with you' (Leviticus 25:36) -
your life takes precedence over the life of your friend's.
Explanation:This text from Bava Metzia gives us two different answers to an impossible question:
Does my life take precedence over my fellow human’s? We are first placed in an extreme situation where the Rabbis know we will have to make a choice between our
lives, and our friends’. The Tanah Kama starts us off saying that your life that your life is more important than your friends life. However, Ben Petura disagreed with this and said, “better both
should drink and both should die than one should
see his friend’s death” which brought in a new
dimension to the situation. Rabbi Akiva on the other
hand backed up the Tanah Kama and taught a text
from Leviticus saying that your brother should live
with you, which he interpreted as your life takes precedence over
your friends’. Deuteronomy 14:21:Here is the kosher hechsher symbol for Magen Tzedek.
The thing I really liked aboutthis corporation is that theyincorporated many of theJewish laws and values
about the treatment of animalsinto the treatment of the
factories’ human workers.
Kiddushin 31b:Here is the most recent photograph
of our family.
Interpretation:I remember the day we had a debate about this text and whether which side speaks to you, but the main thing I remember was that even after an hour of debating, we had not settled on a concrete answer, further showing us the ambiguity of the Torah. I entered and exited that debate believing that your life is more important because if you were to actually be put in this extreme situation, I believe that you would be so worn down you would stop thinking rationally and instead you would revert back to your primary, selfish instincts. However, after a about half a year of thinking about the text, my acceptance towards Ben Petura’s answer has grown. I remember Rabbi Shawn gave us an article on the test about a man who jumped off a subway platform to save a man who had just
fallen in before. Now in this situation, I could actually see myself doing this, but for reasons I still haven’t figured out. So far through out my life, I have not had to make a decision like this, but if I am faced with a similar unfortunate situation, I hope I will be
able to make that split-second decision as to which one is right.
Kiddushin 31b:
Our Rabbis taught: What is "revere" and what is "honor?" "Revere" means that the son must neither stand in his father's place nor sit in his place, nor contradict his words nor
[even] support his words [when he is arguing with another sage]. "Honor" means that he must give him food and drink, clothe and cover him, lead him in and out.
Explanation:This text from Kiddushin is answering the question: What is the difference between
revere and honor, as they are both mentioned as ways to pay respect to your parents. The Mishnah concludes that “revere” is used to resemble the things you should not do
to your parents, and “honor” represents the things you should do for your parents through out their lives.
Interpretation:At first, I was sort of unhappy with the answer the Mishnah gave about what was the
difference between honor and revere, mainly because of the examples that they gave to support the two words. When the Rabbis were describing revere, it seemed to me that there was a gap between the father and son. Maybe that was just how parents were
back when they compiled the Mishnah, but the way that they are describing the relationship between father and son sounds more like the relationship between common
man and King or President. Anyway, I took that part with a grain of salt and continued on to the last example where it says do not contradict your father’s words. This part
really stood out to me as I have gotten to the age where I have started to formulate my own opinions about the world and want to express my views, but sometimes I could go
a little far. I remember when we were writing our Jewish Journals, many of times a
situation would come up where I would write about how I resisted the urge to go against my parents, and I still try to control that urge today. Now the part that really confused me was the transition from revere to honor. In the examples that the Rabbis give for honor, the positions between father and son from revere seemed to have switched. Now, the
son is the one with the power, and the father is the frail, small, weak man. The reason I found this weird is because actions like feeding and cleaning your parents happens latter on in life, and I believe that there are many other ways of honoring my parents
now when I am still young.
Deuteronomy 14:21: לא תאכלו כל-נבלה לגר אשר-בשערי תתננה ואכלה, או מכר לנכרי--כי עם קדוש אתה,
ליהוה אלהי; לא-תבשל גדי, בחלב אמו.
Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to the foreigner residing in any of your towns, and they may eat it, or you may sell it to any other foreigner. But you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Explanation: Literally, the text is saying that you should not eat anything that has died naturally, but you can sell it or give it to a foreigner. It also repeats for the third time that you should
not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
Interpretation: At first I was confused as to why we could not eat anything that has died from natural causes. To me, eating an animal that died of natural causes seemed to be even more respectful towards the animal because you would not be taking its meat before its time is up. However, when we went deeper into the meaning of the text, we discovered that
this part of the text is mentioned for our own benefit. If an animal has died of natural causes, you have no idea what was wrong with the animal before hand, and this could
lead to the human getting sick because of the tainted meat. When we slaughter the animal in a humane way, we can be sure that the animal is healthy and that no human
will contract disease. This is where the second two parts of the text caught me off guard. The text then says that you can either give away or sell the meat to a foreigner, but why would the Torah tell you to do this when just before it told you that the meat is not good
enough for you because it could be tainted? I just find it weird that the Torah recommends doing something that could put another person in jeopardy. We did not go that in depth into this question, but I believe that the Rabbis would answer it by saying
that this law about not eating an animal if it has died from natural causes belongs solely to those who practice kashrut, and if this foreigner was not kosher, it would be okay for him to eat the meat. One other part of the text that we discussed was the fact that “You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk” was repeated three times. I personally believe
that the Torah repeated it three times for emphasis on the importance of this commandment. On the other hand, the school of Rabbi Yishmael had a different view of
this repetition. They said that “you shall not boil a kid in it’s mother’s milk” is written three times because the first is prohibiting us from eating it, the second is prohibiting us
from deriving benefit from it, and the third prohibits us from cooking it. Even thought I am not kosher, our family has tried to become more kosher ethically, and we have tried
cooking all kosher meals. Whether it will stick or not, only time will tell.
Bava Metzia 62a: I took this image of the Hoover Dam when I went to Las Vegas last year. I was amazed at the sheer volume of water in that barren landscape.
Caroline LRe*lection:
“Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”Exodus 20:12
This text is telling us to honor our parents
because if we do then we will have many
years on this land that God has given us. This
answers the question of why we should
honor our parents. We should honor our
parents because if we do we can live on the
land that God has given us for a long
time. This teaches us to honor our father and mother, one of the base laws that we learned in the
parents and children unit. This unit related to me in a very big way. I think this text related to me
the most out of all the texts we studied this year because for me, having a good relationship with
my parents is key to living my life in a healthy way. When I learned this text it made me think
about the relationship I have with my parents, and how I interact with them on a daily basis. This
text also made me think about how I could improve my relationship with my parents. After
studying this text I can say confidently that my relationship with my parents has defiantly
changed for the better.
“Death and Life are in the hand of the tongue; and who shall love it shall eat its fruit” (Proverbs, 18:21). A Great Rabbi said: What is the meaning of “ death and life are in the hand of the tongue”? Does the tongue have a hand? It tells you that just as the hand can kill, so can the tongue. But while a hand can kill only what is nearby, a tongue can kill everywhere its message goes.
This text is explaining to us the power of our speech. This text tells us that our tongue can
be as powerful as our and, or lashon hara can be as powerful as death. We can hurt
someone with our hand, only if they are nearby us, but we can hurt someone with our
words no matter how far away they are. To me this relates exactly to texting and Facebook
posting. You can hurt someone with your hand if you are texting or Facebooking because
you are using your hands to type the words. This answers the question of What is more
powerful, our hand or our speech? They are equally powerful, but when you “kill” someone
with your tongue you might not even realize it at the time. This text relates to me and also
most of my generation because we text all the time and sometimes we forget the impact it
can have on the person on the other side of the phone. This text really helped me
understand the power of my voice and how I could turn it into something that “kills”
people. Speech, in my opinion, is one of the most powerful things a person can have and
when it is not used correctly it can turn into something lethal.
IVY
Sanhedrin 37a: Why Choose Life? Man was created singularly [or: alone], to teach you that anyone who destroys a single life in Israel; the Torah treats him as though he destroyed the entire world. And anyone who saves a single life in Israel, the Torah treats him as though he saved the entire world.
I think this text from Pikuach Nefesh teaches us that even when something horrible or something remarkable happens to one human being, it affects everyone around them because the whole world is a growing community that works together. However, at the same time it relates to the Jewish Law of saving a life; instead of having two people die, it is better for one to live because maybe they will be able to make an impact on this generation.
This text relates to my life because it helps me realize that I need to appreciate my surroundings more by caring for others. Doing a good deed for one person can influence 1,000, or even 1,000,000. Sometimes, I have to admit, I am hesitant to volunteer myself to help a stranger; I wait for someone else around me to do it. This text makes me want to be the first person to lend a hand because you never what can coming by doing so, you might have just saved a future president or doctor who creates a cure for cancer.
Kiddushin 30b: Obligations Towards Parents – Why?
Three partners are in a person: God, and mother and father. When one respects his mother or father – God says: credit them in a way where it is as though I live within them.
While reading this text, I think it is saying that when you honor your parents, you have to do so in such a meaningful and truthful way that it is like God is within them; you praise them to a high extreme. It conveys the Jewish Law of revering and respecting your mother and father.
Thinking about my own life, and how this text ties into it, I realize that I might not be giving my parents the honor and respect they deserve to have. At the end of the day, even if they don’t let me go to my friend’s house or if they make me stay in to get my work done, I need to appreciate them more and all the things they do for me, because I would not be where I am without them. After reading this, I understand now they honor my mom and dad should receive and I am going to do that by listening to what they say, obeying their rules, and cause fewer arguments.
Re#lection
Tochecha:
“You must not hate your brother in your heart; You must certainly rebuke your
fellow; and do not bear sin because of him” (Lev. 19:17).
These are the words of the Torah and of God. God is telling us, that in the case where
someone you know did
something wrong, you
must rebuke him. But
don’t carry a grudge because of his sinning, forgive him and rebuke him and move on. It
teaches not hate people for the sins they have done, rather rebuke them and forgive them.
This text answers the question many people might ask: What do I do when someone sins?
If someone has sinned, you tell him or her that what he or she did was wrong and
probably would make sure they wouldn’t do it again. Personally, I am the type to take what
they did seriously and it is dif*icult for me to forgive people. I have to know that they
understand what they did is wrong. If I don’t believe that they are informed why what they
did was wrong, then I hold a grudge. After learning this text in Jewish Studies class, I
realized my error and that if they are trying to reach out to ask for forgiveness, then they
care about you. With this we also learned that if you refuse someone’s pledge for
forgiveness three times, then you become the sinner. I thought about that for a while, and I
truly believed that I needed to change my ways to make sure I don’t hurt people with my
words.
Pikuach Nefesh:
“Your life takes precedence over your friend’s life. Two people were traveling, and
[only] one of them had a canteen of water. [There was only enough water so that] if both of
them drank they would both die, but if one of them drank, [only] he would make it back to
an inhabited area [and survive]. Ben Petura taught: “better both should drink and both
should die than one should see his friend’s death”. But Rabbi Akiva came and taught: “[The
Torah teaches the words:] ‘Your brother should live with you’ (Leviticus 25:36), meaning,
your life takes precedence over the life of your friend’” (Bava Metzia 62a).
This story is telling the extreme decision needed to make when placed in a
situation that there was only enough water for one person to drink and live, but the
other friend die or for both friends to drink and both die. This is a life or death
situation. You may live but your friend die, or you die. Its tough and a very harsh
decision.
When I
learned this and read
this story, I *irst thought to myself, well,
when would I be stranded in the
middle of a desert with just enough water
for one person to live? But once the
story sunk in and I though about it for a
while, I understood that there are many
different ways to interpret this situation.
And this decision became tougher for me to think about. It can be translated to a situation
where two friends cheated off of each others tests or copied each others work. It could be
broken down that either one person confesses that they did it and get expelled and the
friend does not confess, or they both confess to doing it and both get expelled. Not only that
the decision is dif*icult, it’s also the thought of hurting your friend deeply that they die
inside. This challenged me greatly, and I just hope that there won’t be a situation where this
happens to a friend or me.
karenne m
The Canteen Story:
We studied a text called the canteen story. It is from the topic of Pikuakh Nefesh. If you were stranded in the desert with one other person, and with one canteen left that could either save one life or take away two. It asks you what would you do, and why would you do this. I believe that one person should be saved rather than two people dying. As we learned in the text Sanhedrin 37a, if you destroy a life, you destroy the entire world, and if you save a life, you save the entire world. This connects to the canteen story because at least you are saving a life if one person drinks the water. If you save a life, you never know what this person will do in the future. This may not relate to my life very much, but I believe that if I were stranded in a desert with my sister I would tell her to drink the water. I think to save a life is better to destroy two.
Rebuking:
I believe that rebuking is a very dif*icult subject. People feel uncomfortable rebuking either their peers or strangers. I think that everyone should rebuke everyone. People should know how to rebuke and other should learn from their mistakes. In Bava Metziah 31a, it states that you should rebuke your fellow even a hundred times, and that you must rebuke everyone, even an adult *igure. In my life I am somewhat afraid to rebuke my teachers, but I wish I was able to rebuke someone more superior than me. I look up to people who can rebuke someone without feeling any guild or like they have done any harm. I always feel bad when I argue with someone or yell at someone; therefore it is hard for me to rebuke people. Although it is hard for me to reprimand others, I believe that people should do that.
Roy ZRe*lection on Texts
Kiddusin 31b: “Our Rabbis taught: What is "revere" and what is "honor?" "Revere" means that the son must neither stand in his father's place nor sit in his place, nor contradict his words nor [even] support his words [when he is arguing with another sage]. "Honor" means that he must give him food and drink, clothe and cover him, lead him in and out.”
The text is basically saying what a son should and should not do to honor and revere his parents. Out of fear or awe, a son should not take his father’s place or if he says something, as a son we should agree with him and not go against him. Also out of respect and honor we should feed him, bathe him, and other things. When I think about this text it shows that there should be a balance between fear and honor. If a child only fears his parents, he will only do what he is asked because he is scared of what will happen if he doesn’t do it. If a kid only honors his parents, when asked to do something he might not do it because although he honors them, he has no other motivation to do what his parents ask. There needs to be a balance in the relationship, too much of one could lead to an unhealthy bond between the parent and child. The examples that a son should do in order to honor his parents are the same things that parents do to their children. Parents feed their kids, buy them clothes, and teach them the right paths to take in life. Kids can honor their parents by returning the favor and doing the same that they’ve done for us. This text has showed me that when my parents ask something of me, I should do it as a way to show them that I am thankful for all that they have done. The picture that I have chosen is a mother feeding her baby and I wanted to put in a picture of a son holding his sick mother, but I could not *ind it. I wanted to show how when we are younger our parents take on the full responsibility of nurturing us and as we grow older and our parents begin to get sick, we are there for them to do the same. We are so grateful for everything that they have done for us, and we are willing to do the same for them.
Midrash Tehilim: “The one who does Lashon HaRa kills three – the speaker, the listenerand the subject.”
The text is saying that there are always three people involved in the act of lashon hara. The first person is the one that is gossiping about other people to someone. The second person is the one who listens to the lashon hara. It is like he is like the holchei r’chil that goes about listening for
new gossip. The third person is the one that is being spoken about. He is being killed because his reputation is being tarnished and he is murdered socially. This text speaks to me because I am in high school, and most of what people talk about in high school is just gossip. Nowadays this text would be directed towards teenagers because we are constantly talking about what “he or she did at the party last night” or “did you hear about what __ did to get suspended” or something like that. It is something that completely wrong but we can’t help but do it. There have been many times when I’ve been involved in gossip and it is not something that I want. Rumors can spread around very easily and many people end up finding out about whatever someone did. I personally try to involve myself in the least amount of gossip as possible but there are times when I do get included and I don’t like the feeling of talking about people. It causes me to change the way I feel about them because I know about the bad things that they’ve done. All teenage drama is caused because of gossip that has spread and angered people. The picture that I chose is the one of the three monkeys that symbolize, see no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil. It is on the cover of our packets, and I chose it because we can eliminate lashon hara by following these three steps. Although they sound pretty simple, it is much more difficult to carry out. We all have that urge to tell our friend a funny story about how a kid did something stupid that mad everyone laugh, but we have to stop. We also have that urge to listen to the funny story about how someone did something stupid but it is basically killing us as well as the person we are talking about.
Sam R
How We Live in This World
One par7cular text in the Torah, Levi7cus 19:3, helped me in Halacha and Aggada to
comprehend the importance to not only honor your parents, but to revere and fear them. “You
must revere your mother and father, and you should observe Shabbat, for I am God.” (Levi7cus
19:3). This means to me that you should respect your parents because they are the ones who
gave birth to you, who raised you, and who control your des7ny and path your way through life.
You should acknowledge your parents for what they do for you everyday. For me, I should
respect and revere my parents, whether it’s paying my tui7on, driving me to a friend’s house, or
simply saying they love me. I should be thankful and grateful for their support, but I should also
make sure that I don’t argue or offend them too much because that can lead to disrespec7ng
them, which can lead my parents to lose their respect for me. This has helped me learn that as I
grow and evolve into an adult, I should be more and more aware and respecRul to my parents
because they have taken care of me throughout my life and if I have made the right choices in
life, they will acknowledge me as well.
Another text I found compelling in my study of Halacha and Aggada is Levi7cus 19:17:
“You must not hate your brother in your heart; you must certainly rebuke your fellow; and do
not bear sin because of him.” To me, since this is in the Tochecha unit, it means that you should
not have pointless hatred against your brother or a close friend because that is what they us out
of Egypt, represen7ng aliena7on; you should reprimand and construc7vely cri7cize your friend
so that you know if there is any suspicious going on with them; and you shouldn’t embarrass in
public because his face will go white. My understanding is that each step in Levi7cus 19:17 is a
cause and a effect: You shouldn’t pointless hate someone who you find obnoxious or irrita7ng
or is ac7ng suspicious; instead, you should help them and approach them with advice, and in
that process, you can see why that person acts that way; and don’t approach them in public,
talk to them privately, to show that you are more trustworthy and they won’t feel as
embarrassed. This has taught me to do the same whenever one of my friends is ac7ng strange
or peculiar. Usually, if it’s a close friend that I console, they will be able to understand and take
in the advice, whether it’s for literally accidentally or on purpose, or chea7ng on a test. But if it’s
someone I don’t know that well, or a stranger, they may not understand and ignore your advice.
I should choose my ba[les carefully. Hopefully, it will help me as an adult when I console with a
friend, worker, or family member.
Leayam M.
Reflection Assignment
Throughout the course of the year in Honors Halakha and Aggada, I have learnt
the true meaning of Torah and its rituals. I have learnt how to become a better
person both mentally and physically. These texts have not only inspired me, but
also moved me in a way that I look at things differently now. For example, in the
text Leviticus 19:16 from the Ethical speech unit it says,” Do not go gossiping
among your people for I am your Lord.” I believe that this texts sets boundaries in
our community. This text can be interpreted differently for various people. I think
that this text is saying that gossiping is a crime, and that one should listen to the
person who is superior to him/ her. This is a special text that made me question
the way that I act around people. Sometimes people aren’t aware of their actions
and this is one of the reasons that I admire this text. This text teaches us to be
aware of our surroundings and focus on the right path of life. This text affected
me because I am more aware that there are people struggling with their
identities, and people who are more confident gossip and think it is right of them
to do so. I have realized that Lashon Hara should be ended because it creates a
worse ending. The other text that inspired me the most was Exodus 20:12, in the
Parents and children unit of this year. This text is literally translated to “Honor
your father and mother on the grounds that you live on for God has given you
life.” This text affected me because it showed me that not only my opinion on this
text is an important aspect in life, but also the Bible agrees with me as well. In my
opinion, this text shows us value and that is one of the significant aspects in
Jewish Law. Even in my family, the number one rule towards my parents is value.
They teach us to become respectful human beings and to listen to what they
have to say. During this unit of Parents and Children, I could always connect and
reflect back to my relationship with my family, which helped me interpret this
text as a whole. Not only this text connected to my life, but also every text that
we learnt about this whole year in Jewish Law seemed to reflect right back at my
experiences in my life. I am so grateful for having this course because it truly
reminds me that my identity is sacred and I should cherish what I have more.
Thank you for such an inspiring and thoughtful year filled with integrity of Jewish
Law!
Serena W
Halakha has always found a way into my life as a teenager in high school. Whether we were discussing the speech of Lashon Hara, or learning how to rebuke constructively through Tochecha, Jewish law has always seemed to impact my life. Throughout the year, we have critically interpreted and deeply connected with Jewish law on a path that our Jewish leaders have laid out for us. As we studied the different halakhot and aggadot, we have learned to embrace and discover our Jewish identities.
Magentzedek.org is the inspirational website that journeys into the depths of Kashrut and helped me understand what it truly means to keep Kosher. It increased my awareness of the reasoning behind the Kashrut Halakhot, which compelled me to want keep kosher. For example, Shechita, the form of kosher slaughtering seems humane to me, because of the swift and efficient way of killing the animal, and the fact that Jews only kill animals when we need food, not for a sport. Keeping Kosher also cleanses and strengthens one’s soul, which is encouraged by Magentzedek.org. Magentzedek.org encourages keeping a Kosher home and soul which portrays the message of being kind to your community and always making an impact. I agree with the message this website has portrayed, and I believe we should all work to have “kosher” souls, and to always work to cleans and strengthen them as well!
In codes, Rambam states,” What is Sabbath's delight? The statement of the Sages explains this that one should prepare for the Sabbath the richest victuals and the choicest beverages that one can afford. The more one spends for the Sabbath and for the preparation of numerous and tasty dishes, the more praiseworthy he is.” I disagree with this statement, because Shabbat is a time where we should be satis*ied and have gratitude for what we have, rather than boasting about our riches. Even though it says “the more money we spend, the more praiseworthy we are,” Shabbat shouldn’t be about this concept. We should be able to be proud of what we have through our community and friends, and not our money. Shabbat should be the time when we feel great about ourselves and relaxed, and not to be worried about the things we wish we had. It is the time we take to settle in our own skin, look back on our week and be thankful for our work we are able to have, and set goals for ourselves to make our “riches” more ful*illing with happiness and satisfaction.
Jake SMy Re*lection
This year there were a few texts that really intrigued me, and made me think deeply about
my own life. One text that really spoke to me was in the gemara, Sanhedrin 37a from the
Pikuach Nefesh unit, which states:
“Man was created singularly [or: alone], to teach you that anyone who destroys a single life
in Israel, the Torah treats him as though he destroyed the entire world. And anyone who
saves a single life in Israel, the Torah treats him as though he saved the entire world.” We
learned in class that an explanation for this text could be that if you literally kill someone, it
has a ripple affect and many more people are left hurt than just that one person. I relate this
to my life because I believe, similarly, that every sin has a ripple affect. This applies to my
life because if I do something mean to someone, or make their day worse, they will end up
taking it out on someone else who will do just the same. This text taught me to think before
I act, and that the tiniest comment can ruin many peoples days. On another hand, I can
relate the part where saving a life is saving the world, to my life also. If I do something good
for someone, and maybe impact their mood, they could go on to do something nice for
someone else, and the affect will keep going.
Another text that was interesting came from the Shabbat unit, Deuteronomy 5:15 which states
This text translates to say “ and you remember because you were a slave in the land of Egypt,
and I freed you with open arms, therefor I command you to celebrate the Sabath.” The text is
literally saying that we celebrate Shabbat in order to remember and respect hardships that the
Israelites faced in Egypt. This relates to my life because it is saying that you must not take things
for granted. It is so easy to forget how good we have it nowadays and how bad our lives could
have been if something went wrong. This text reminds me to always thank G-d for everything I
have and to never forget what my people had to go through.
End of the Year Re#lection
One of the texts that we have studied this year that I found particularly compelling is
Leviticus 22:27, which we studied in the Kashrut unit.
This unit was *irstly, extremely interesting because going into it, I wasn’t very educated
about all of the rules we have regarding Kashrut. Once we studied this text I understood the
literal meaning of the text (pshat), which is “ When an ox or sheep or a goat is born, it shall
stay seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as an
offering by *ire to Adonai”. The way I interpreted this text is that Judaism values the life of
animals and their being with their mothers. This law teaches that it is morally correct to let
a child stay with their parents for a while until they are given to God as a sacri*ice. It would
be extremely inhuman to tear apart a child from its mother at such a young and vulnerable
stage in their life (just after they are born). This teaching is very important because it not
only shows the value for life and consideration towards animals, but in a sense can help us
understand the world better with a more open and compassionate state of mind. With this
mindfulness that Jewish Law teaches us we connect this text to others in the year that we
have learned such as in the “Parents and Children Relationship” unit. Jewish law
interweaves itself in ways that we are not always aware of, but as we see in Leviticus 22:27,
the importance of a mother and its child’s relationship is of high regard in Judaism. Parents
and children must have strong respect for each other and this shows how important they
become to one another. This idea challenges me because I am able to make connections
and associations to other texts we have studied this year, and also the skill of making
interconnections in my daily life. This text has affected me and my way of thinking because
it has broaden my spectrum of thoughts and creativity. I am able to create new “drashim”
and new ways of analyzing information. Coming out of this unit, I have become more
educated, creative, and conscious.
The second text that we have studied this year that I found very provoking was Leviticus
25:17, which we learned in the “Ethical Speech” unit.
This unit was my favorite unit this year because all of the texts that we studied were easily
applicable to our everyday lives as teenagers in high school. I learned so much about the
importance of guarding your tongue and the power that speech can truly have on someone.
This quote is literally translated into, “ You shall not wrong one another, and you shall fear
your God, for I am the Lord, your God”. I interpreted the meaning of this quote through
several ideas. The *irst is when it says, “ You shall not wrong”, and this can mean don’t hurt
others individually, don’t lie, and don’t intentionally harm others. The word “wrong” is very
symbolic to me because it can represent that hurt can be physical, emotional, regretful ,
mental, and can also be understood as wronging one’s self. This text can also relate to
Leviticus 19:16, because “ Don’t wrong” can demonstrate how tale bearing is committed
along with gossip. This quote speaks to me because when people hurt each other through
words and gossip they do not initially realize how much they are harming the soul and life
of another person. The tongue is a very powerful weapon that is not often regarded as one. I
respect Jewish Law for educated people about this because it can show how much the
importance of “Lashon Hara” is emphasized in our culture. This quote has affected me
personally because it has made me more conscious of the things I say to people and HOW I
say them. I have learned that it is important not to participate in “ character assassination”
because “killing” someone doesn’t have to be physical and there is an entire other level of
hurting. People will forget your actions, but they will never forget the words you said to
them that killed their soul and well-‐being.