11
The conversation starts with Genesis.
"I think the Bible teaches us to be
kind," says Adam, as he relays the
story of how Yakov disguised himself
as Esav so he could steal his blind
father's blessing for the first born. "It
isn't nice to trick people," adds Josh.
The children nod in agreement.
Charley offers the example of
Leah. While she was not considered
beautiful, Leah was unique and
mothered sons who would become
part of the twelve tribes of Israel.
"She wasn't loved though," says
Charley. "We must love. And we
remember that when we are blessed
in her name each Shabbat."
At RHA, we know that Judaism has
to be relevant to be valued. So we
have redesigned our Bible Studies
program to make it personally
meaningful to our children.
Stories of the Torah
Within moments of
posing the question,
the opinions started
to fly. "Which
characters and
stories from the
Torah help you in
your own life?" Our
fifth graders – Nina,
Adam, Charley, Josh
and Jack – make up
the roundtable.
"The Bible teaches us that we must
be courageous," says Jack. He tells
the group that Moses acted with
courage at the burning bush and was
chosen to be a leader of the people.
"He didn't want to lead, but he did
it anyway."
Nina finishes the round table with
the story of the midwives – Shiphrah
and Puah – and of Moses' mother,
Yocheved. The midwives ignored the
decree of Pharaoh who commanded
them to kill all the baby boys. They
showed bravery and kindness
because they helped to save
the Jewish children.
"That took a lot of courage," says
Nina. "I think we must be brave too.
We must be good role models."
