Tu B'Shevat Seder

Today was an incredible day filled with fun and learning.  All the students were so excited that we met our goal of $36 for JNF so we went online together and planted 2 trees in honour of Tu B'Shevat.

Naomi's class continued their learning along the timeline for Israel's history.  Today they discussed the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.  They also discussed the Torah story of Jacob and Esau.  They spent some time discussing some commentaries and asking their own questions about parts of the story.  It was an interesting discussion with lots of critical thinking.  One commentary suggests that Jacob held the heel of Esau since he too could be cruel and try to hold his brother back from his birthright.  One of our critical thinkers asked, "How could an infant have known the relevance of being born first?" We also discussed the metaphors and symbolism that are embedded within the Torah so that we do ask questions, reflect and interpret the stories.  They are not meant to all be interpreted literally.  This explains the different commentaries from many Rabbis throughout history.  One of the many beautiful things about Judaism that we should embrace, is the power of critical thought and respect for differing opinions.  Our religion encourages independent thought and questioning.  That is the reason for different commentaries of Torah portions from Rabbis and Scholars.  It is alright to disagree or to ask questions.  We are encouraged to push our thinking with analysis and dialogue.  That is exactly what our students did today.

We also had the pleasure of acting out a little story for Tu B'Shevat that the Shinshinim prepared.  Everyone enjoyed participating in this and some songs with Ronny and Noam.

Our Tu B'Shevat Seder was a success.  Of course, we could have used a little more time since our mornings seem to fly by however, it was still interesting to learn a little about the different species of fruit that we recognize during a Tu B'Shevat seder.  I hope that everyone takes the time to read through the "Haggadah" or perhaps have your own seder at home.

One young 6 year old student also brought in another $18 today. His father shared that he had spent all week asking how he could raise more money for trees in Israel.  He spent his week doing different chores and helping at home so that he could bring Tzedakeh today.  This story certainly warmed my heart and I saw the pride in his father's eyes as he shared his story.  So together as a class, we decided to plant a third tree, however, we are going to plant this one in commemoration of International Day of Remembrance for Victims of the Holocaust.  The United Nations established this day of Remembrance in Resolution 60/7, in 2005.

Tu b' Shvat

The 15th of the month of "Shevat" is celebrated in Israel as the "New Year of the Trees."  This special holiday reminds us of our connection to the earth and to our role as caretakers of the environment.  

Today in class we learned about this holiday and the mitzvah of "tzedakah".  The students brought toonies as donations to JNF.  We will be planting a tree in Israel in honour of this holiday of the trees.  All our students also had an opportunity to plant seeds.  They will be growing parsley that they will be able to use on their Seder plates for Pesach.

We also enjoyed learning about the natural environment in Israel from our "Shinshinim."  Ronnie and Noam engaged our classes in a fun activity in which they learned about the "Israel National Trail." This hiking trail crosses Israel between the southern and northern borders, traversing a wide range of landscapes, a rich variety of flora and fauna, and a diversity of cultures.  You can learn more about the Israel National Trail at this link.

Next week we will commemorate Tu b'Shevat by participating in a Tu b'Shevat Seder.  Students will learn about the seasons in Israel and the fruit that each one brings.  

Happy New Year!

The new year will bring a lot more exciting changes to our Aleph Beit Chadash Hebrew School.  We have some exciting upcoming learning experiences and dynamic programming.

We finished 2017 with some awesome Chanukah fun.  Our students made delicious latkas and enjoyed them with apple sauce.  They made their own dreidels to play with and they did an excellent job building spectacular and gorgeous chanukiahs.  We all had a great morning together.

I know 2018 will bring a lot more fun to our school.  We will be seeing a lot more of Noam and Ronny, our Israeli Shinshinim.  They will be joining us more frequently and facilitating our programming of Israel education.  Students will learn about food, culture, politics, innovation and life in Israel.

Our older students will also be involved in more independent research and learning experiences that they will share with their peers.  We will be integrating some technology into our program to allow for a "flipped classroom" experience.

We will begin the year by examining the impact of Trump's decision to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem and officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.  Jerusalem has always been our capital.  It was where our Temple was erected and the direction that we face each time we pray.  It is the holiest city according to our text, that dates back 4000 years.  Why is it only now that United States has recognized it as Israel's capital.  Our students will be challenged with thought provoking questions to explore that will help to make sense of the challenges that Israel has overcome and continues to face in today's political climate.  Our students will learn to justify their opinions with factual information and navigate through the bias found in today's media.

We are looking forward to learning together with our students.