Kneses+Tifereth+Israel

=**Congregation Kneses Tifereth Israel (KTI)**=

Leora Frankel, Family Educator
Congregation KTI will move into its second year of //JTime: Living in Jewish Time//, which engages fifth grade students and their families in learning about and celebrating Sukkot, Tu B’shevat, and Shavuot, using interactive, inter-generational, participatory models. //JTime// will bring families together at the synagogue and beyond the synagogue walls to enrich the participants’ understanding and observance of these three holidays. In addition, as part of each holiday unit there will be a hands-on //tikkun olam// project that will enhance the learners’ holiday celebration and understanding of the value of healing the world. //JTime// is built on the successes of the first year of //Got Shabbat!//, KTI’s program for fourth grade students and their families. //Got Shabbat!// focuses on celebrating Shabbat within the context of family and community. //JTime// expands Jewish living beyond Shabbat and is the next logical step for KTI as it addresses the desire for joyful Jewish living within the framework of family and community.

The following link is an activity that we used in our first year under the GOT SHABBAT! program.



 **J-TIME Tentative Curriculum Outline** By Leora Frankel, KTI Family Educator

o What does it mean to live in/by the rhythm of “Jewish Time”? o How does the Jewish holiday cycle give shape to our year and our lives? o What common values and themes do Sukkot, Tu B’Shevat, and Shavuot all share? What is distinct and unique about each of these three holidays? o How can our learning about and celebration of the holidays connect back to and build on what we experienced in Got Shabbat! last year? o What traditions from each of the holidays might we want to adopt and/or adapt in our own family’s lives?
 * J-Time Driving/Essential Questions:**

- Opening circle/icebreaker: Shana Tova & Welcome back (to our special Hey class community, new educational initiatives, etc.) à Sharing highlights of summer, new years’ resolutions - Intro to J-Time Program & our essential questions for the year (see above) à some sort of pop quiz/self-reflection activity + overview of the 3 holidays we’re focusing on - Craft project to make sukkah decorations that will be hung & enjoyed on Sukkot - Pizza dinner or snack - HW: Some sort of pre-Sukkot family project/prep for them to do before next program
 * Tuesday, September 22nd (5-7 pm)**

- Welcome & Chag Sameach- opening circle/song (one of the parodies- “I have a little sukkah”) - Short service à Hire David to do music (?): o A few opening prayers o A taste of Hallel o Shaking the lulav o Kiddush & Blessing for sitting in the sukkah - Snacks/light bagel brunch + Singing in Sukkah - Text Study on Sukkot Sources: o Why sukkot? And why now (after the High Holidays)? o The origins & modern meaning of building sukkot o The imperative to “rejoice” - A few words of intro to our November //Tikkun Olam// project day - TBD but Sukkot-related: Habitat for Humanity? Planting at KTI? Visiting the Farm?
 * Sunday, October 4th (10 am - 12 pm): 2nd Day Sukkot**
 * Sunday, November 8th (10 am - 2 pm*)**

- Opening circle/ice-breaker à If you had to describe yourself as any fruit or vegetable (or just pick one to be for the day), what would you choose? Why? - Intro to Tu B’Shvat: o Hebrew dates/the Name o 4 “new years” in Judaism o Seven species of Israel à some sort of matching game or family challenge - Pizza Dinner or snack? - HW- everyone bring something for the January… Food item and/or a reading/blessing (Also have them bring their Havdallah candles and/or spice boxes from last year in Jan)
 * Tuesday, December 15th (5 - 7 pm)**

- Tu B’shvat Seder (a special Seudat Shlishit) with: o The 4 cups of wine o Different fruits & nuts o Songs & Readings, etc. à Hire David to do music (?) o Some sort of performative group activity in 4 groups representing the seasons- drama/movement exercise or other collective creation - Havdallah ceremony + More singing
 * Saturday, January 30th (4 - 6 pm): Tu B’Shevat**

- Opening Circle & Ice-breaker: Costume plans for Purim - Learning piece- interactive text study on the symbol of trees in Judaism (connection back to Tu B’Shvat): o //Etz Chayim// & other relevant biblical verses or images of trees – i.e. laws about not cutting down trees when conquering land/in war o //Honi// & the carob tree story- maybe in contrast with “The Giving Tree” o Trees in Israel… celebrating them/planting in wintertime
 * Tuesday, February 23rd (5 - 7 pm)**

- Final Activity: a hands-on planting project- maybe decorating flower pots or planting parsley seeds for Pesach

- //Not sure what to do here: I know that we’re focusing specifically on these 3 holidays but I feel like we also should relate to Passover as well which begins the following week// à //maybe pick up on the connective themes of karpas, the beginning of the season of freedom, the journey from slavery to Sinai (i.e. Pesach to Shavuot)// - //Maybe another group tikkun olam mini-project or planning session here…//
 * Tuesday, March 23rd (5 - 7 pm)**

- Opening circle/ice-breaker: How we’ve changed in the past year since we last counted the Omer together - Brief shacharit service (?) - Intro to Shavuot: o The agricultural origins of the holiday in the Bible itself vs. later rabbinic layer of receiving Torah o Traditions: all night “tikkun”/study session, eating dairy, reading Ruth o Concept of //Bikkurim// & what it means to offer up our “first fruits” - Snack or light bagel brunch - “Writing our own Torah” activity à larger-than-life outline of a scroll, post-it notes, etc.
 * Sunday, April 18th (10 am - 12 pm)**

- Opening circle/ice-breaker: Torah trivia- the sequel! - Our own “tikkun”: o Intro to //Megillah Ruth// à Why we read it on Shavuot, basic plot o Biblio-drama activity (like last year in Got Shabbat!) o Performance + putting together the story - Closing blessings & song (“The Torah Connection”- to the tune of “The Rainbow Connection”) - Dairy Dinner- blintzes (?) pizza (?)
 * Tuesday, May 18th (5 - 7 pm): Shavuot**

- //In addition to just having a celebratory pot-luck (or catered) picnic, we’ll do some sort of review of the year// // à // //maybe mapping a literal timeline of the holidays & our learning on each one, questions out of the hat activity like in Got Shabbat!, etc.// - //Fun outdoor games or group challenges//; //goodbye gift (?)//
 * Sunday, June 6th (12 //-// 2 pm) Final Celebration/Picnic!**

On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 9:06 AM, Alan Block  wrote:

Shalom Families!

We hope that you had a wonderful summer and look forward to hearing what everyone was up to in person when our group reconvenes to launch the new and exciting sequel to //Got Shabbat !// As we shared with you last spring, the success of our pilot program last year enabled us to secure a Legacy Heritage Foundation Grant which is generously funding the expansion of our family education initiative here at KTI. To that end, we’re thrilled to share more about our plans for the upcoming year and give you the calendar for our group’s gatherings. Please read on for an introduction to this exciting next stage of our journey together and see the attached file for specific dates and times.

A natural extension of the //Got Shabbat!// curriculum, //J-Time// (short for //Living in Jewish Time//) will bring our community of //Hei// families together again for monthly learning and celebration, but this time focusing on a few seasonal holidays: Sukkot, Tu B’Shvat, and Shavuot. Each of these three //chagim// is rich with ancient tradition, modern meaning, and programmatic potential; all of them involve rituals that are inherently multi-sensory and open for creative expression- from building a temporary shelter to offering one’s “first fruits.” Moreover, these three holidays are all historically connected to the environment, and more specifically, to the land of Israel. Finally, we are thrilled that this year’s //J-Time//program will incorporate an additional component of //Tikkun Olam// or Social Action projects that we will be participating in as part of our learning and celebration together. These projects will both allow us to give back to the community as well as give new expression to the Jewish values that underlie each holiday.

As you will shortly see on the attached calendar, the timing for our monthly gatherings are different from last year- primarily because our program no longer focuses exclusively on Shabbat. The year is structured so that we will actually be together on the three holidays of Sukkot (October 4th), Tu B’Shevat ( January 30th ), and Shavuot (May 18th), as well as for several programs in between to prepare for and learn about each of the //chagim//, and participate in some related Social Action projects. A few of the dates are on Tuesday evenings following the regular religious school hours; on those evenings, the //Hei// students will obviously not have their regular class, but instead be joined by you for our special program which will include a pizza dinner or other light supper. When one of our programs falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, //Hei// students will participate in the J-Time program in lieu of that weekend's Shabbat morning class.

We recognize that the timing of some of these sessions might make it challenging to bring younger siblings in particular, and we understand if you are unable to attend with your entire family each month. We do expect that //Hei// students will always have one or more parents with them at the least, even if siblings are not able to come, since this program really is intended to be a comprehensive family experience. That said, we encourage as many of you as possible to join us at each gathering, and in particular, ask that you make every effort to have your WHOLE FAMILY join us at the three programs which take place on the holidays themselves. (They are bolded in the calendar and enumerated above.)

Again, we’re very excited to reconvene this special group and on Tuesday night, September 22nd at 6:30PM, we’ll be having an introduction and orientation to the program, which will also include opportunities for your input and feedback. In the meantime, feel free to be in touch with either of us by e-mail or phone with any questions and to confirm that you will be join us on the 22nd. See you then!

// B’Shalom // , Alan and Leora

Alan N. Block Leora Frankel Education Director Rabbinical Student, HUC-JIR Congregation KTI  New York, NY 575 King Street Leora.frankel@gmail.com Port Chester, NY 10573 Tel:(914) 939-1004 Ext 218 Fax:(914)939-1086 hebrewschool@ktionline.org --

Shalom Hei Families, First off, I want to wish you all a wonderful start to the New Year- may it be a happy & healthy one for the whole KTI community! Second, I am aware that there are a number of concerns about the tentative calendar for our new J-Time program (the next leg of our “Got Shabbat ” journey). Please know that Alan and I are completely open to changing the dates and timing; we understand that schedules are extremely complicated and want to find 9 program slots that are most convenient for people in light of other commitments. Nothing is set in stone at this point and our number one priority is to have the full participation of this amazing group that we have built together over the past year! To that end, I would urge you to attend our orientation/introductory gathering on Tuesday night, from 6:30-8:00 pm so that you can find out more about the program and have your say about possible better dates. The first half of that evening will be more programmatic for the Hei students, parents and any other siblings there, to regroup after the summer and experience a taste of the year to come. The second half of the program will be more logistics-oriented; while the children continue with some activities, we’d like to sit down with parents to iron out the details of our programs and look at the calendar together in order to modify it. I recognize that a weekday evening is difficult for some parents to make, and I encourage even one parent to join us if at all possible to represent your family and share with us your thoughts about calendar changes- even if you can only be there for the latter half. As for the Hei students, the program is in lieu of their regular religious school session. Finally, we will be having a light supper for everyone, so don’t worry about the kids eating. Feel free to be in touch with any questions, __please confirm via email, who in your family will be joining uson Tuesday. __ L’shana Tova- Happy New Year , Alan and Leora ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ KTI’s J-TIME Intro Program Leora Frankel, Family Educator Goals: · Bring last year’s Got Shabbat! group back together after a summer apart · Introduce the themes of the 3 major holidays we’ll be exploring this year · Get parent input for changes to the proposed calendar/timing of programs · Make decorations for the KTI sukkah to be hung for our next gathering

Welcome/Regroup (6:30-6:45) - Welcome///shehechiyanu// on being all back together again & for this new year/journey - Go around & share summer highlights - Brief intro by Leora to new J-Time program

Intro to our J-TIME holidays (6:45-7:15) - Break into 3 groups (by randomly passed out cards- each w/name of holiday) - Each group gets slips of paper with 4 questions they need to think about & answer together about their assigned holiday à like at teacher workshop on Rosh Hashanah: o What does this holiday celebrate or mark in the Jewish year? o What customs or traditions do we have for this holiday? o What season does this holiday fall in and how is the season connected to the traditions of the holiday? o What symbols or special items (food, ritual objects, etc.) do we associate with this holiday? - After the group has gone through the questions, they should together create a graphic depiction on a poster of what they want to teach the other two groups about their holiday. (//I will reinforce that this is obviously just our initial, basic recollections about each of the holidays- no pressure to “have all the answers”- and that we will delve deeper into each one over the course of the year through J-Time!//) - Sharing the posters; discussion about similarities & differences among the 3 holidays: o Each connected to a particular season/part of the agricultural cycle: § Sukkot- Fall harvest festival § Tu B’Shvat- First blooms during the winter in Israel § Shavuot- First fruits in spring o Sukkot & Shavuot are 2 of the 3 //Shalosh Regalim//- (w/Passover) during which people used to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem with their agricultural offerings o Sukkot & Shavuot also both connected to particular points in biblical history: § Sukkot- our wandering in the desert- living in temporary booths § Shavuot- //Matan Torah­// – our receiving of Torah o All connected to the Land of Israel- either historically or still today § The foods/vegetation associated with these holidays are all indigenous to Israel (i.e. the 4 species of the Lulav & Etrog, fruits/nuts of Tu B’Shvat) § Special significance of trees/the environment in the land of Israel Dinner & Shmooze Time (7:15-7:30) - Trivia or other casual activity to do while eating (?)

Sukkah Decoration-Making for Children & Calendar Conversation w/Parents (7:30-7:50) - Clarify importance of 3 on-holiday celebrations (and change timing of Oct 4) - Discuss whether Tuesdays are possible à if so, what time’s best - Same questions re: Sundays - Are there other possible times? - Social action component of program… once or twice all together, expectation of a few other experiences that families will take on/be responsible for themselves

Closing Circle & Family Homework (7:50-8:00) - Sharing something we’re looking forward to in the coming year - Family Homework assignment: NEED TO DECIDE THIS!

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Hi all, I just wanted to report back after what I think was a pretty successful J-Time launch last night! We had all but one Hei family in attendance (in various permutations- some were just the child & one parent; others ended up bringing the whole family). A brief synopsis, though I'm happy to share more details: After welcoming everyone back and sharing a bit about our summer adventures, we officially began the next leg of our journey together with Shehechiyanu. Then the first half of the evening was an introductory program to J-Time and the holidays we'll be learning about this year, which included some family group work and adorable presentations by the kids- see attached photos thanks to Alan! The latter part of the evening we split up the kids from adults, and while the children worked on some snazzy Sukkah decorations to be enjoyed out our Oct 4th celebration, the parents, Alan & I talked logistics/calendar. As we had anticipated, there were definitely an array of concerns about our proposed dates, but I'm pleased to say that I think we got some good input and even a degree of consensus about possible better times with which to work. Alan and I are working out some revisions this week, and while we recognize that there still may be one or two programs that certain families will have to miss, I feel very positive about the development of the calendar and all of the parents' voices having been heard. Overall, and with the exception of one outlying negative comment from a parent, I think the enthusiasm about continuing with this program was definitely there. Parents & children alike seemed excited about being back together again in this group which really has bonded now, and despite some frustrating moments as we hashed out the calendar changes, a number of parents articulated that they do see this as an important part of their child's education and their role in it. I think considering this whole initiative is only a year old, we're in pretty good shape in terms of buy-in and just need to keep sending out the positive vibes and quell as best we can any kvetching along the way. I guess we'll talk more at our first <span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none;">Governance Board meeting, but feel free to be in touch with Alan & me for more about last night should you have questions. All in all, a great success! Shana Tova,Leora

.....................................................................................................................................................

<span style="font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">Shalom J-Time Families, <span style="font-family: georgia,serif;"> I just wanted to remind everyone that we have our first official holiday program **<span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: pointer;">this Sunday, October 4th from 5:00-6:30 pm**. We'll be meeting in the social hall, but weather-permitting will spend most of the time in the KTI sukkah itself as we learn, sing, and snack in celebration of Sukkot! As I mentioned in previous e-mails and conversations, these programs that take place on the holidays themselves are especially geared towards the ENTIRE family, so we encourage you to bring young & older siblings in addition to your Hei class child. If you have not yet done so with your family, please print and complete the attached **Family Learning Activity** sheet that I handed out at the end of our introductory meeting the other week. We'll be using this for the opening of our program on Sunday, so it could also be a nice conversation piece for your family over the course of this Shabbat. Also, if you happen to have your own Lulav & Etrog set, feel free to bring it on Sunday. (We will have a few to pass around as well as we assume most people don't...) Finally, if you have a moment today, **please RSVP** with how many family members you think will be joining us on Sunday so we can have an accurate head count and enough refreshments. Looking forward to seeing you then! Shabbat Shalom & Chag Sukkot Sameach,Leora

KTI’s J-TIME Intro Program Leora Frankel, Family Educator Goals: · Bring last year’s Got Shabbat! group back together after a summer apart · Introduce the themes of the 3 major holidays we’ll be exploring this year · Get parent input for changes to the proposed calendar/timing of programs · Make decorations for the KTI sukkah to be hung for our next gathering

Welcome/Regroup (6:30-6:45) - Welcome///shehechiyanu// on being all back together again & for this new year/journey - Go around & share summer highlights - Brief intro by Leora to new J-Time program

Intro to our J-TIME holidays (6:45-7:15) - Break into 3 groups (by randomly passed out cards- each w/name of holiday) - Each group gets slips of paper with 4 questions they need to think about & answer together about their assigned holiday à like at teacher workshop on Rosh Hashanah: o What does this holiday celebrate or mark in the Jewish year? o What customs or traditions do we have for this holiday? o What season does this holiday fall in and how is the season connected to the traditions of the holiday? o What symbols or special items (food, ritual objects, etc.) do we associate with this holiday? - After the group has gone through the questions, they should together create a graphic depiction on a poster of what they want to teach the other two groups about their holiday. (//I will reinforce that this is obviously just our initial, basic recollections about each of the holidays- no pressure to “have all the answers”- and that we will delve deeper into each one over the course of the year through J-Time!//) - Sharing the posters; discussion about similarities & differences among the 3 holidays: o Each connected to a particular season/part of the agricultural cycle: § Sukkot- Fall harvest festival § Tu B’Shvat- First blooms during the winter in Israel § Shavuot- First fruits in spring o Sukkot & Shavuot are 2 of the 3 //Shalosh Regalim//- (w/Passover) during which people used to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem with their agricultural offerings o Sukkot & Shavuot also both connected to particular points in biblical history: § Sukkot- our wandering in the desert- living in temporary booths § Shavuot- //Matan Torah­// – our receiving of Torah o All connected to the Land of Israel- either historically or still today § The foods/vegetation associated with these holidays are all indigenous to Israel (i.e. the 4 species of the Lulav & Etrog, fruits/nuts of Tu B’Shvat) § Special significance of trees/the environment in the land of Israel Dinner & Shmooze Time (7:15-7:30) - Trivia or other casual activity to do while eating (?)

Sukkah Decoration-Making for Children & Calendar Conversation w/Parents (7:30-7:50) - Clarify importance of 3 on-holiday celebrations (and change timing of Oct 4) - Discuss whether Tuesdays are possible à if so, what time’s best - Same questions re: Sundays - Are there other possible times? - Social action component of program… once or twice all together, expectation of a few other experiences that families will take on/be responsible for themselves

Closing Circle & Family Homework (7:50-8:00) - Sharing something we’re looking forward to in the coming year - Family Homework assignment: NEED TO DECIDE THIS!

<span style="font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">//


 * J-Time Sukkot Program Outline - Sunday, October 4th (5:00-6:30 pm)**

5:00-5:15 Welcome & Chag Sameach- opening circle, sharing of //Ushpizin// responses from the family take-home activity (what ancestors/loved ones they would invite into the sukkah)

5:15-5:45 Sukkot Family text study à first break into family units & then back together § Why sukkot? And why now (after the High Holidays)? § The 4 species § The origins & modern meaning of building sukkot § The commandment to “rejoice”- //V’samachta B’chageha// End with demonstration/explanation of how to shake the lulav & etrog

5:45-6:00 Blessings over sitting in the sukkah, kiddush and snack foods Refreshments (with passing around the lulav & etrog sets to practice shaking)

6:00-6:25 Singing in the Sukkah § 3-4 sukkot songs/parodies § Oseh Shalom (teach a new melody- Debbie Friedman’s)

6:25-6:30 Closing circle & announcements about November //Tikkun Olam// morning _ __// J-TIME Pre-Sukkot Family Activity // To read & fill out as a family before our October 4th Sukkot celebration: // One of the traditions associated with Sukkot is inviting guests into our sukkah through //Ushpizin //(the Aramaic word for “guests”). Not only is it a mitzvah to share meals with family & friends in these temporary huts, but it is also a custom to symbolically invite in our biblical forefathers. In the 16th century, special blessings were written to invoke the presence of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and King David; in more modern times, people added the names of our foremothers Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, as well as other women heroes of the Bible like Miriam or Deborah the prophetess. Finally, some families take a few minutes before sitting down in the sukkah to think about which more recent relatives whose memories they would like to honor and invite in for the holiday.
 * To Answer** ** : ** What relatives or loved ones would your family like to symbolically invite into the sukkah this year as part of our //Ushpizin //ceremony? Why did you choose these particular individuals and how are you connected to them or their memory?

- // ** Sukkot Blessings ** The //lulav// is held up in the right hand, and the etrog is held //pitom// (stem) end down in the left hand. Facing east, we recite the blessing. Then we turn the etrog up and shake the entire bundle 3 times in each of six directions: straight ahead, right, back, left, up, and down .__
 * Blessing for shaking the //Lulav// (and //Etrog//) **


 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image004.png width="253" height="42" caption="lulav"]] ||
 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image004.png width="253" height="42" caption="lulav"]] ||

//Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al n'tilat lulav.// Blessed are you, Adonai our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your mitzvot and commanded us to take up the //lulav//.

<span style="height: 24px; left: 0px; margin-left: 83px; margin-top: 5px; position: absolute; width: 375px; z-index: 251656192;">
 * // Shehecheyanu: //** The first time we wave the //lulav// each year, we also recite the blessing marking a special occasion:

//Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, shehechehyanu, v'kiy'manu, v'higianu laz'man hazeh.//

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, King of the Universe, who has sustained us and brought us to this moment.

While the Torah instructs us to literally live in the sukkah for seven days, most people only have meals or just sit in the sukkah. When eating or reciting //kiddush// in the sukkah, we recite this special blessing:
 * Blessing for Sitting in the Sukkah **


 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image008.png width="223" height="39"]] ||
 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image008.png width="223" height="39"]] ||

//Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu leisheiv basukkah.// <span style="height: 163px; left: 0px; margin-left: 195px; margin-top: 35px; position: absolute; width: 46px; z-index: 251660288;"> <span style="height: 73px; left: 0px; margin-left: 412px; margin-top: 91px; position: absolute; width: 114px; z-index: 251659264;"> Blessed are you, Adonai our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your mitzvot and commended us to sit in the sukkah.

<span style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Chag Sameach everyone, It was wonderful to see almost all of you again this past Sunday- to learn, share, and sing together in celebration of <span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: pointer;">Sukkot ! I was touched by everyone's thoughtful responses to the Ushpizin //prompt about inviting our ancestors into the sukkah as well as to the themes raised by the text study. It never ceases to amaze me how insightful your children (and you) are. I also particularly enjoyed introducing my brother to you, especially after having gotten to know all of your family members over this past year. I'm still doing "the lulav shake" nearly a week later...<span style="font-family: georgia,serif;"> I wanted to update you with a revised calendar for the year that Alan & I modified in response to the feedback from our initial meeting. As per your request, we changed all of the Tuesday evening programs except __the one that actually takes place on the holiday of Shavuot, changed Sunday start times to earlier, and added in a Friday night to the schedule. You'll also notice that rather than trying to squeeze in January, February, and March sessions amidst the various school breaks, we instead decided to have two sessions across those three months. We know that there still may be a session or two that is difficult for some families to make and again urge you to join us with as many family members as possible at each program. In addition to the seven more sessions laid out on the calendar, we'll keep the momentum going between programs through more at-home activities and conversations like the past session's__// Ushpizin //prompt as well as with some of the hands-on// Tikkun Olam //(social action) projects which we'll begin exploring at our November gathering. Please note that this next program will be on Sunday, November 1st from 9:30-11:30 am. I'll be in touch again soon with additional details and preparation for that program and a taste of the social action opportunities we'll have for that morning. <span style="font-family: georgia,serif;"> As you probably know, tomorrow night and Sunday we'll be celebrating // Simchat Torah //, the time when we both finish and begin again with reading the Torah. I don't think I mentioned it last week, but one of the many names for the holiday of Sukkot, is// Zman Simchateinu//- The Time of Our Joy- and// Simchat Torah //is the grand crescendo at the end of this celebratory week. I hope that as we renew the cycle of Torah this weekend and celebrate the place of this sacred text in our lives, that you'll feel just a little more connected to some of the stories and teachings in it as a result of our learning together this past year. I know I do!<span style="font-family: georgia,serif;"> As always, feel free to be in touch with any questions, and thanks again for helping us work out a schedule to accommodate the maximum number of families! <span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; cursor: pointer;">Shabbat Shalom & Chag Sameach,Leora //

**// J-TIME //**** Family Text Study: Sukkot ** hadar // trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. // ||
 * Leviticus Chapter 23 **
 * ** לט ** אַךְ בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי, בְּאָסְפְּכֶם אֶת-תְּבוּאַת הָאָרֶץ, תָּחֹגּוּ אֶת-חַג-יְהוָה, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים; בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן שַׁבָּתוֹן, וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי שַׁבָּתוֹן. || <span style="height: 94px; margin-left: 247px; margin-top: 35px; position: absolute; width: 71px; z-index: 251656704;">[[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image003.png width="71" height="94" caption="C:\Users\Leora\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Low\Content.IE5\00FCBE6P\j0411133[1].wmf"]]// //** 39 ** Mark, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the yield of your land, you shall observe the festival of the Lord for seven days: a complete rest on the first day, and a complete rest on the eighth day. // ||
 * ** מ ** וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן, פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים, וַעֲנַף עֵץ-עָבֹת, וְעַרְבֵי-נָחַל; וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם--שִׁבְעַת יָמִים. || ** 40 ** On the first day you shall take the product of
 * ** מא ** וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לַיהוָה, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה: חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם, בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי תָּחֹגּוּ אֹתוֹ. || ** 41 ** You shall observe it as a festival of the Lord for seven days in the year; you shall observe it in the seventh month as a law for all time, throughout the ages. ||
 * ** מב ** בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים; כָּל-הָאֶזְרָח, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, יֵשְׁבוּ, בַּסֻּכֹּת. || ** 42 ** You shall dwell in booths for seven days, all the citizens in Israel shall live in booths, ||
 * ** מג ** לְמַעַן, יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם, כִּי בַסֻּכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם: אֲנִי, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם. || ** 43 ** in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I the Lord your God. ||
 * ||  ||

**Questions think and talk about with your family:** Y When does the Bible tell us that Sukkot should be observed? (In what season, which Hebrew month, and for how long?) Y What Sukkot symbols & traditions do you recognize in the above verses? Y Why, according to this passage, should the Jewish people celebrate Sukkot? Why else do you think we continue to celebrate the holiday even today? <span style="height: 120px; left: 0px; margin-left: -9px; margin-top: 8px; position: absolute; width: 116px; z-index: 251657728;">// //** A quote from the RAMBAM (Maimonides): **// // How is the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah to be observed? One should eat, drink, and dwell in the sukkah throughout the seven days of Sukkot, both day and night, exactly as one dwells in one’s house during the entire year. Throughout the seven days, one should regard one’s house as temporary and one’s sukkah as permanent, as it is written: //You shall dwell in booths for seven days. //(Lev. 23:42)// //Shalom J-Time Parents, I hope you're staying dry these last few days and are looking forward to reconvening for our 3rd J-TIME program **<span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: text;">this Sunday morning, November 1st from 9:30-11:30 am__.__** (Not only did we manage to adjust the timing to finish before soccer games begin that afternoon, but we'll also get an extra hour of sleep from <span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: text;">Daylight Savings the night before- a double scheduling win!!) As I mentioned back in October, this will be the beginning of the Tikkun Olam// element of our J-TIME program that will add another meaningful dimension to our learning and celebrations this year. On Sunday, we'll both explore this Jewish concept and how it relates to our three holidays, as well as have a chance to partake in some small hands-on projects in family groups. To that end, please take a few minutes between now and Sunday to **print & look at the attached "Tikkun Olam prompt" file**__together with your //Hei// student (as well as any other siblings who might join you on Sunday). These 2 questions will be our jumping off point for conversation on Sunday, and could be a nice Shabbat table conversation piece this weekend...__ **A few final notes/details for Sunday's program** : 1. We will be serving a light bagel breakfast as part of the program on Sunday morning. Thanks to Jacqueline Proner for helping to organize the meal with the KTI office! 2. As always, your Hei student is excused from Saturday morning religious school this week for attending the J-TIME family program. 3. If you have any basic gardening tools- shovels/spades/scoops/etc. to dig holes for bulbs- that you would be willing to share, please bring them along. (These will be used for one of the three //Tikkun Olam// project options from which families can choose from as part of the program. Even if you don't wind up choosing to do the planting project with your family, we would appreciate borrowing your shovels.) 4. **Please RSVP** to Alan or me with how many of your family members will be joining us on Sunday so we can plan for the right amount of food, equipment, etc. Thanks so much & see you on Sunday!LeoraPS- I have re-attached the updated/FINAL J-Time calendar again for your reference... Please note that our next program after Sunday will be<span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: text;">on Friday night, December 4th. --

** KTI’s J-TIME: ** //**Living in Jewish Time**// <span style="height: 97px; left: 0px; margin-left: 463px; margin-top: 26px; position: absolute; width: 82px; z-index: 251655168;"> ** Tentative 2009-2010 Calendar **
 * For ** //**Hey**// **Class Families**

Tuesday, September 22nd 6:30 - 8:30 pm <span style="height: 95px; left: 0px; margin-left: 427px; margin-top: 37px; position: absolute; width: 109px; z-index: 251657216;"> ** Sunday, October 4th 5:00 - 6:30 pm (Sukkot) ** Sunday, November 1st 9:30 - 11:30 am //<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 200%;">Friday Night, Dec. 4th or 11th 6 - 8 pm // <span style="height: 76px; left: 0px; margin-left: 426px; margin-top: 37px; position: absolute; width: 72px; z-index: 251658240;"> ** Saturday, January 30th 4 - 6 pm (Tu B’Shevat) ** <span style="height: 64px; left: 0px; margin-left: 479px; margin-top: 2px; position: absolute; width: 69px; z-index: 251659264;"> //<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 200%;">Sunday February 21st or 28th 9:30 - 11:30 Friday Night, March 19th or 26th 6 - 8 pm <span style="height: 68px; left: 0px; margin-left: 445px; margin-top: 6px; position: absolute; width: 91px; z-index: 251660288;"> or Saturday Havdallah March 20th or 27th 4 - 6 pm // Sunday, April 18th 9:30 - 11:30 am <span style="height: 87px; left: 0px; margin-left: 477px; margin-top: 31px; position: absolute; width: 65px; z-index: 251656192;"> ** Tuesday, May 18th 6:30 - 8:00 pm (Shavuot) ** Sunday, June 6th 12 //-// 2 pm Final Picnic!

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal;">**J-Time November Program Outline - Sunday, Nov. 1st (9:30-11:30 am)**

9:30-9:45 Welcome & Chag Sameach- opening circle, sharing of answers to family discussion prompt: How can we be God’s partners in the world?

9:45-10:15 Family Learning- Intro to //Tikkun Olam// - Jewish quotes/texts around the room that relate to Tikkun Olam à Each family walk around, read the quotes and choose one or two that they especially connect with- talk about together & be prepared to share why they chose it and what it means to them - Sharing of quotes and reasons - Excerpt from Ron Wolfson’s //God’s To Do List: 103 Ways to be an Angel and Do God’s Work on Earth// - Intro to //Tikkun Olam// component of J-TIME program this year à being partners with God, giving back to the community, actualizing the values we talk about for each holiday - Break into teams for this morning’s //Tikkun Olam// opportunities (baking, grounds, etc.)

10:15-10:30 //HaMotzi// + bagel brunch

10:30-11:20 //Tikkun Olam// Projects (in small groups/different locations around KTI)

11:20-11:30 Closing circle & upcoming announcements

“God took the man (Adam) and placed him in the garden of Eden, to keep it and to watch over it.” (Genesis 2:15)

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest… but you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger; I am your God.” (Leviticus 19:9-20)

Once, while the sage, Honi, was walking along a road, he saw an old man planting a carob tree. Honi asked him: “How many years will it take for this tree to give forth its fruit?” The man answered that it would require 70 years. Honi asked: “Are you so healthy a man that you expect to live that length of time and eat its fruit?” The man answered: “I found a fruitful world because my ancestors planted it for me. So, too, will I plant for my children.” (Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 23a)

Hillel used to say: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” (Pirke Avot- The Ethics of Our Fathers 1:14)

He (Rabbi Tarfon) used to say, “It is not your obligation to complete the task, but neither are you free to abandon it…” (//Pirke Avot//- The Ethics of Our Fathers 2:16)

** J-TIME Family Learning Prompt: **
 * Intro to ****Tikkun Olam**
 * Family Instructions** : One of the themes we will be exploring in the upcoming J-TIME programs is the Hebrew phrase //Tikkun Olam//, meaning “healing the world.” This is Judaism’s unique version of social action or doing good deeds, though the idea is bigger than just one specific cause or generous act. Rather, Jewish tradition sees the whole world as broken in many ways, and view us—human beings—as God’s partners in helping to heal it. In preparation for Sunday morning’s program, please discuss the following 2 questions with your family, jot down some of your thoughts below, and be prepared to share your answers with the rest of the group.


 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image004.png width="65" height="65"]] ||
 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image004.png width="65" height="65"]] ||


 * 1. In what ways can we be partners with God in our lives? **


 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image006.png width="36" height="58"]] ||
 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image006.png width="36" height="58"]] ||


 * 2. What or who in the world do you __think needs healing?__**

“God took the man (Adam) and placed him in the garden of Eden, to protect it and to watch over it.” - Genesis 2:15

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest… but you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger; I am your God.” - Leviticus 19:9-10

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” - Leviticus 19:18

“Justice, justice, you shall pursue!” - Deuteronomy 16:20

Hillel used to say: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” - Pirke Avot //(The Ethics of Our Fathers) 1:14

Rabbi Tarfon used to say, “It is not your obligation to complete the task, nor are you free to abandon it…” -// Pirke Avot //(The Ethics of Our Fathers) 2:16

“Save one life, and it is if you have saved the entire world; destroy one life and it is as if you have destroyed the entire world.” - Mishna Sanhedrin 4:5

Once, while the sage, Honi, was walking along a road, he saw an old man planting a carob tree. Honi asked him: “How many years will it take for this tree to give forth its fruit?” The man answered that it would require 70 years. Honi asked: “Are you so healthy a man that you expect to live that length of time and eat its fruit?” The man answered: “I found a fruitful world because my ancestors planted it for me. So, too, will I plant for my children.” - Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 23a

_ **J-TIME Program Outline: Friday Night, December 4th**
 * 6:30 – 6:45 Welcome, opening circle (****Bim Bam**//**, highlights of past week/month and special occasions)**

- //Shalom Aleichem// - //Blessing Children// - //Kiddush// - //Hand washing// - //HaMotzi//
 * 6:45 – 7:00 Friday night blessings/rituals around table using packet:**


 * 7:00 – 7:30 Dinner + abridged** //**Birkat HaMazon**// **and singing**

- //Opening song or psalm (Yismechu?)// - //L’cha Dodi// - //Barchu// - //Shema & V’ahavta// - //V’Shamru// - //Moment of Silence for Amidah + Oseh Shalom// - //Mourner’s Kaddish//
 * 7:30 – 7:45 Mini- Kabbalat Shabbat service**

(See attached pages for details and order of stations)
 * 7:45 – 8:20 Intro to Tu B’Shvat: 7 Species Scavenger Hunt Activity**


 * 8:20 – 8:30 Closing circle/reminder about Tu B’Shevat Seder next time**
 * Dessert & Schmoozing**

9/09 ARTICLE in KTItems....Synagogue Newsletter ** Launching J-Time! **
 * By Leora Frankel, KTI Family Educator**

As I hope you’ve noticed, KTI was buzzing with positive energy this past year over the pilot Got Shabbat! program that was initiated by our involvement with Project RE-IMAGINE. You may also have heard that our congregation was recently awarded a prestigious grant by the Legacy Heritage Foundation to help us expand and build on the success of //Got Shabbat!// with the next stage of our new family education program. While the incoming //Dalet// students and their families will have a chance to experience //Got Shabbat!// this upcoming year, the original cohort and I will embark on a new journey together through a program called //Living in Jewish Time,// or //J-Time// for short. A natural extension of the //Got Shabbat!// curriculum, //J-Time// will bring this community of families together again for monthly learning and celebration, but this time focusing on a few seasonal holidays: Sukkot, Tu B’Shvat, and Shavuot. Each of these three //chagim// is rich with ancient tradition, modern meaning, and programmatic potential; all of them involve rituals that are inherently multi-sensory and open for creative expression- from building a temporary shelter to offering one’s “first fruits.” Moreover, these three holidays are all historically connected to the environment, and more specifically, to the land of Israel. In addition to learning about and celebrating the holidays as a community, my hope is that by the end of the year, families will feel empowered to adopt and adapt traditions at home which will continue to enrich their holiday celebrations in the future. Finally, I’m thrilled that this year’s //J-Time// program will incorporate an additional component of //Tikkun Olam// or Social Action projects that families will be participating in as part of their learning and celebration together. These projects will both allow us to give back to the community as well as give new expression to the Jewish values that underlie each holiday. While I don’t want to give away too many of the surprises we have in store for this year’s //Hey// class families, I do want to share my excitement and enthusiasm for this latest educational innovation here at KTI. As I contemplate and prepare for the new Jewish year, //J-Time// is very much on my mind as something I’m anticipating will leave a meaningful mark on the coming twelve months. I look forward to sharing more reflections and updates as we officially launch the program and wish the whole KTI community a //Shana Tova U’Metuka//- A Sweet New Year!

11/09 ARTICLE in KTItems....Synagogue Newsletter

J-Time Update by Leora Frankel, KTI Family Educator Our new J-Time (//Living in Jewish Time//) program for //Hei// class families is off to a great start this fall! At the kick-off September program, parent-child teams creatively presented introductions to each of the three holidays we’ll be focusing on this year—//Sukkot Tu B’Shevat,// and //Shavuot//—as we begin our journey through the Jewish calendar. In addition, the //Hei// students and their siblings had a chance to make colorful decorations for the KTI //sukkah//, which were proudly displayed throughout the holiday. Speaking of which, our second gathering took place mostly in the //sukkah// itself, as we learned about some of the origins of //Sukkot// and its rituals through a family text study and discussion. After sharing a snack in the //sukkah//, everyone had a chance to practice shaking the //lulav// and //etrog//, and we ended the afternoon with a joyful song session, including the very popular “Lulav Shake” which got us all dancing! On November 1st, we met again to begin exploring another special component of the J-Time program- that of //Tikkun Olam//, or “healing the world.” There’s a notion in Jewish tradition, and in particular the mysticism of //Kabbalah//, that the world is in a state of brokenness and that we are God’s partners in repairing it. It was touching to hear both parents’ and children’s thoughtful reflections about who and what they feel need healing in the world, as well as their responses to some Jewish quotations and texts that speak to these questions. Perhaps the most popular of these citations was the following story from the Talmud (Ta’anit 23a): //Once, while the sage, Honi, was walking along a road, he saw an old man planting a carob tree. Honi asked him: “How many years will it take for this tree to give forth its fruit?” The man answered that it would require 70 years. Honi asked: “Are you so healthy a man that you expect to live that length of time and eat its fruit?” The man answered: “I found a fruitful world because my ancestors planted it for me. So, too, will I plant for my children.”// The message of this passage—that we must plant for future generations—was one that especially resonated for many parents. As one of the //Hei// students commented, //Tikkun Olam// is about “paying it forward” and laying the groundwork for a better tomorrow in any way we can. In this spirit, we spent the second half of our program not just talking about //Tikkun Olam// but actually DOING it. Families divided into three groups to take part in different projects: One group got busy literally planting on the grounds of KTI, filling the Holocaust Memorial Garden (that Jewish star on the front lawn) with bulbs to bloom this spring. A second group designed and decorated Thanksgiving cards for senior citizens in the King Street Nursing Home to help brighten their month and bring cheer for the holiday. The third contingent took over the KTI kitchen to bake cookies for a fundraiser that raised money for “Support Our Troops,” a cause which the congregation has supported in the past on Mitzvah Mornings and in other capacities. These activities were just a taste of the //Tikkun Olam// projects that families will have the opportunity to participate in this year as part of J-Time, and made for a meaningful morning together. We look forward to reconvening again in December to start preparing for //Tu B’Shevat//!

//

//<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">

What does this holiday celebrate or mark in the Jewish year? What customs or traditions do we have for this holiday? What season does this holiday fall in and how is the season connected to the traditions of the holiday? What symbols or special items (foods, ritual objects, etc.) do we associate with this holiday?
 * Questions to Think About & Answer together: **
 * TO DO together ** ** : ** Create a visual representation (using pictures and/or words) to explain what you learned about your holiday to the rest of the group.

<span style="height: 143px; margin-left: 474px; margin-top: 3px; position: absolute; width: 60px; z-index: 251657728;"> ** Questions to Think About & Answer together: ** What does this holiday celebrate or mark in the Jewish year? What customs or traditions do we have for this holiday? What season does this holiday fall in and how is the season connected to the traditions of the holiday? What symbols or special items (foods, ritual objects, etc.) do we associate with this holiday?
 * TO DO together ** ** : ** Create a visual representation (using pictures and/or words) to explain what you learned about your holiday to the rest of the group.

<span style="height: 143px; margin-left: 474px; margin-top: 3px; position: absolute; width: 60px; z-index: 251658752;"> ** Questions to Think About & Answer together: ** What does this holiday celebrate or mark in the Jewish year? What customs or traditions do we have for this holiday? What season does this holiday fall in and how is the season connected to the traditions of the holiday? What symbols or special items (foods, ritual objects, etc.) do we associate with this holiday?
 * TO DO together ** ** : ** Create a visual representation (using pictures and/or words) to explain what you learned about your holiday to the rest of the group. //

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal;">**Tuesday, December 15th (5 - 7 pm)** - Opening circle/ice-breaker à If you had to describe yourself as any fruit or vegetable (or just pick one to be for the day), what would you choose? Why? - Intro to Tu B’Shvat: o Hebrew dates/the Name o 4 “new years” in Judaism o Seven species of Israel à some sort of matching game or family challenge - Pizza Dinner or snack? - HW- everyone bring something for the January… Food item and/or a reading/blessing (Also have them bring their Havdallah candles and/or spice boxes from last year in Jan)

_

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 27px; line-height: 39px;">**J-TIME Tu B’Shvat Scavenger Hunt/Activity**


 * ** Station/Fruit Picture ** || ** Activity ** || ** Where to next? ** ||
 * Wheat || 4 Jewish New Years

|| Barley || || Figs ||
 * Barley || Making a tree with bodies
 * Figs || Hebrew Gematria

|| Dates || || Olives || || Grapes || || Pomegranate || || Wheat ||
 * Dates || Etz Chayim Hi – Tree of Life
 * Olives || Story of Chanukkah- oil in the menorah
 * Grapes || Matching the blessings for foods
 * Pomegranate || Symbolic #s in Judaism

_

__ **WHEAT STATION:** Did you know that according to the rabbis, we actually have 4 New Years in the Jewish calendar? Can you name them? ( __Try to guess & then check the answers underneath this sheet.) //

The 4 Jewish New Years are:
 * 1. **** The 1st of **//**Nisan**// (the month of Passover/spring), which is the new year for kings & according to the Bible’s counting of the months.


 * 2. **** The 1st of **//**Elul**// (the month before the high holidays begin), which is the new year for animals.


 * 3. **** The 1st of **//**Tishrei**//, which is Rosh HaShanah, and the new year for the Jewish calendar and holiday cycle.

// So, how many did you guess…? // Make a tree out of your bodies, using everyone in your group (& call over Leora or Talia to show them before dismantling).
 * 4. **** The 15th of **//**Shevat**//, or //Tu B’Shevat, //which is the new year for trees.
 * BARLEY STATION **
 * Challenge: **


 * FIGS STATION **

Did you know that every Hebrew letter has a number value according to a system called //Gematria//? The “ //Tu” // in the name of the holiday// Tu B’Shevat //actually stands for the number 15 because the holiday is celebrated on the 15th of the month of// Shevat. // Using the chart below, calculate the numerical value of your Hebrew name. (Try this for a few group members & see whose is highest!)


 * What does your Hebrew name add up to in ** //**Gematria?**


 * ** [|60] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Samech] || ** ס ** ||  || ** [|1] ** || [|//Aleph//] || ** א ** ||
 * ** [|70] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Ayin] || ** ע ** ||  || ** [|2] ** || [|//Bet//] || ** ב ** ||
 * ** [|80] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Pe] || ** פ ** ||  || ** [|3] ** || [|//Gimel//] || ** ג ** ||
 * ** [|90] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Tsadi] || ** צ ** ||  || ** [|4] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Dalet] || ** ד ** ||
 * ** [|100] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Kuf] || ** ק ** ||  || ** [|5] ** || [|//He//] || ** ה ** ||
 * ** [|200] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Resh] || ** ר ** ||  || ** [|6] ** || [|//vav//] || ** ו ** ||
 * ** [|300] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Shin] || ** ש ** ||  || ** [|7] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Zayin] || ** ז ** ||
 * ** [|400] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Tav] || ** ת ** ||  || ** [|8] ** || [|//Het//] || ** ח ** ||
 * ** Final Letters: ** ||  || ** [|9] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Tet] || ** ט ** ||
 * ** [|500] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Kaph Sofit] || ** ך ** ||  || ** [|10] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Yod] || ** י ** ||
 * ** [|600] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Mem Sofit] || ** ם ** ||  || ** [|20] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Kaph] || ** כ ** ||
 * ** [|700] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Nun Sofit] || ** ן ** ||  || ** [|30] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Lamed] || ** ל ** ||
 * ** [|800] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Fe Sofit] || ** ף ** ||  || ** [|40] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Mem] || ** מ ** ||
 * ** [|900] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Tsadi Sofit] || ** ץ ** ||  || ** [|50] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Nun] || ** נ ** ||

** DATES STATION **

Can you sing the line below from our siddur//? //** “Etz Chayim Hi Lamachazikim Ba…” ** // (Translation: “It is a tree of life to those who grasp it…” –Proverbs 3:18)

What does this prayer relate a tree to? How is this holy object like a tree? (Share your thoughts with the group.) Olives were especially important in ancient Israel because they produced oil for both cooking and fuel.
 * OLIVES STATION **

What upcoming Jewish holiday celebrates oil? What made the oil in this story so special? (Tell the story as a group.)
 * GRAPES STATION **

Grape products like wine or grape juice require a special blessing. Can you name it? (Hint: we said it tonight.)

Can you also name the blessings we’d say over the following:

Wheat & Barley products like bread (think: //challah//). Fruits that come from trees like pomegranates. (Check your answers underneath.) Answer- the blessing endings:

Over grape products like wine or grape juice: “ //…Borei Pri HaGafen.//”

Over wheat or barley products like bread (especially //challah//): “//…HaMotzi Lechem Min Ha’Aretz.//”

Over fruit that grows on trees like pomegranates: “ //…Borei Pri HaEtz.//”
 * POMEGRANATE **
 * STATION **

Jewish tradition teaches that the pomegranate has 613 seeds. Though this may not literally be true, what do you think that number (613) represents?

Can you name other important or symbolic numbers in Judaism and what they stand for?

(See underneath for some possible answers or ideas after you’ve brainstormed as a group.)

Answer: The 613 pomegranate seeds represent the 613 //Mitzvot //or commandments in the Torah. Some other important Jewish #’s: __ 4 = cups of wine, questions & sons (at the Passover  __//seder//) 7 = days of creation & of the week

10 = 10 Commandments, plagues

18 = //Chai //or “Life” in// Gematria

Did you come up with any other ideas?

//<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">** J -TIME **Tu B’Shevat Seder Compiled by Leora Frankel, KTI Family Educator ט " טבשב ו 5770/2010


 * Welcome to our Tu B’Shevat Family Seder!**

Tu B’Shevat is the New Year for the trees. It takes place on the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Shevat. When the Temple in Jerusalem was standing, Tu B’Shevat marked the birthday of every tree, so that people knew how old their trees were. They were not allowed to eat from the trees until they were three years old. After the Temple was destroyed, there was not much celebration of Tu B’Shevat until the 16 th Century in Tzfat (Israel), when the Kabbalists—a group of Jewish mystics—adopted the holiday in order to show the importance of nature in Judaism. A Tu B’Shevat Seder is structured a lot like a Passover Seder with four questions and four cups of wine (or grape juice) and lots and lots of eating of many different kinds of fruits. The order (seder) in the way we are having our meal together allows us to think and discuss the special meanings of what we are eating and drinking. Some parts we’ll be doing all together and others in small groups or families so we can have more intimate conversations. Ask lots of questions Help us answer these questions Try at least one fruit you haven’t eaten before or at least in a long time Sing and dance Share stories Have a great time!
 * What is Tu B’Shevat?**
 * What is a Tu B’Shevat Seder?**
 * What do I do during a Tu B'Shevat Seder?**

The first cup of wine/juice that we drink is all white, which reminds us of winter, when nature is asleep. The earth is empty, sometimes covered in snow, as it awaits the beginning of spring. After pouring we’ll say together: םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ב , ןֶ פּ ָ גַ ה י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב . //
 * The First Cup: Winter**

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei p’ri ha’gafen.

//Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine.

And we add, in celebration of being together on this special occasion://

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha’olom, She-heh-che-yah-nu Ve-ki-yi-ma-nu Ve-he-gi-a-nu La’zman Hazeh. //Blessed are You, Adonai our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this moment.


 * We sing together…**

. דַ חַ י םַ ג םיִ חאָ תֶ בֶ ש םיִ עָ נ הַ מוּ בֹ וט הַ מ ה נִ ה// Hinei Ma Tov U’ma Na’im Shevet Achim Gam Yachad

//Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brothers (and sisters) to sit together.


 * A Winter Poem: Falling Snow** **(Anonymous)**

See the pretty snowflakes Falling from the sky; Look into the garden, On the walls and rooftops Where the grass was green; Soft and thick they lie. Covered by the snowflakes, Not a blade is seen. On the window ledges, On the branches bare; Now the bare black bushes Now how fast they gather, All look soft and white, Filling all the air. Every tree is covered, What a pretty sight! In winter the ground is hard, but underneath it is soft and things are getting ready to grow. Likewise, these fruits need their shells or peels to protect their insides as they ripen. Find a fruit on the table whose outside we don’t eat but whose inside we do. ּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ב םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּני , י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב ץעה// Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’etz //Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the tree. Why is today different from all other days?
 * The First Fruits: Fruits with Hard Shells/Peels**
 * The Four Questions of Tu B’Shevat**//

//1. Other New Years honor historical events and people. Why does this New Year honor trees? 2. On other days, we eat many kinds of foods. Why today do we eat fruit, especially fruits of Israel? 3. On other days, we may take trees and nature for granted. Why today do we think about conserving and sharing? 4. Today, it is wintery and cold. Why today do we talk about planting and spring?
 * We’ll divide into groups for a few minutes and each have a chance to discuss**
 * one of these questions. Then we’ll come back together to share our ideas.**
 * We sing together…**

תחרוז זפ שמשו תחרופ הידקשה // Ha’shkadiah porachat v’shemesh paz zorachat. //תא תורשבמ גג לכ שארמ םירפצ גחה אב // Tziporim m’rosh kol gag, me’vasrot et bo he’chag. // תונלאה גח עיגה טבשב וט **Tu B’Shevat higiah, hag ha’yilanot! (x2)**

תעוושמ ץראה תעטל תע העיגה // Ha'aretz meshava'at higi'ah et lata'at //ץצוח אצנ םיתאב . ץע ול חקי דחא לכ // Kol echad yikach lo etz be'atim nitze chotzetz. // תונלאה גח עיגה טבשב וט **Tu B’Shevat higiah, hag ha’yilanot! (x2)** The almond tree is growing, the golden sun is glowing. From every rooftop birds sing out, little children sing and shout. Tu B’Shevat is here, the holiday of the trees! The second cup of wine/juice is mostly white with a dash of red in it. It represents spring, when the world slowly changes from the white of winter to the colors of spring. After refilling our cups, we say together:
 * The Second Cup: Spring**

ב םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ֻ , ןֶ פּ ָ גַ ה י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב . //

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei p’ri ha’gafen.

//Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine. After creating the whole world and the first man, God led Adam around the Garden of Eden and said, “Look at my works. See how beautiful they are, how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil or destroy my world - for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you…” ~ Ecclesiastes Rabbah What does this midrash teach us about our responsibility to the earth? Do you agree with this teaching? Why or why not? What do—or could—you do as a family to better preserve our world?
 * The First Trees: A Family Text Study**
 * Discuss as a family:**

(Then we’ll come back together as a whole group to share our thoughts.)
 * We Sing…**

ץ ע - איִ ה םיִ יַ ח , רָ שֺ אְ מ ָ היֶ כְ מֹ תְ ו הָּ ב םיִ קיִ זֲ חַ מַ ל . םולש ! // Etz Chaim Hi LaMachazikim Ba V’Tomcheha M’Ushar. (x2) Shalom, Shalom! (x3)

//It is a tree of life for those who hold fast to it And all of its supporters are happy. (x2) Shalom, Shalom! (x3) In spring, we see the blossoming and fruits of our planted seeds. Find a fruit on the table whose outside we eat but whose inside (i.e. a pit) we don’t.
 * The Second Fruits: Fruits with Pits**

םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ב , י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב ץעה//

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’etz //Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the tree.

Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav (an 18 th century Chassidic teacher & the great grandson of the Ba’al Shem Tov) is said to have once prayed:// Master of the Universe, grant me the ability to be alone; May it be my custom to go outdoors each day Among the trees and grasses, among all growing things And there I may be alone, and enter into prayer; to talk with the one that I belong to. //One way of celebrating Tu B’Shevat is thinking about our own connections to nature. Many of us have had moments in our lives where we felt especially close to or awed by the natural world, and perhaps found God there.
 * Connections to Nature**
 * When is a time that you were inspired by nature?**

The third cup, which is mostly red with a little white, symbolizes the heat of summer and the full blooming of nature. We say together over it: ב םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ֻ , ןֶ פּ ָ גַ ה י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב . //
 * The Third Cup: Summer**

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei p’ri ha’gafen.

//Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine. Israel is called in the Bible “//Eretz Zavat Chalav U’Dvash- //a Land of Milk & Honey,” but it is also a land with many fruits, vegetables, and grains. How quickly can you unscramble the names of the 7 species of Israel that we celebrate on Tu B’Shevat? (Hint: think about our last program’s stations.) EHWAT ILEOV LAREBY PERGAS IGF ETDA EPGORNATSEMA The third category of Tu B’Shevat fruits are those that we can eat completely—inside and out! Find a fruit like that, hold it up, and we’ll say together one last time:
 * Seven Species World Scramble!**
 * The Third Fruits: Totally Edible**

םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ב , י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב ץעה//

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’etz //Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the tree.


 * A Tu B’Shevat Story**

Once Honi was walking along the road when he saw a man planting a carob tree. He asked, “How long before it will bear fruit?” The man answered, “Seventy years.” Honi asked, “And will you be alive in 70 years to eat from its fruit?” The man answered, “And what if I am not? Just as I found the world full of carob trees planted by my parents and grandparents, so will I plant for my children.”

(Adapted from Talmud// Ta’anit //23a)

The fourth cup, which is all red, symbolizes the bright colors of the Fall leaves. The cycle of seasons is complete and it’s time to plant again... ב םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ֻ , ןֶ פּ ָ גַ ה י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב . //
 * The Fourth Cup: Fall**

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei p’ri ha’gafen.

//Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine.


 * “The Garden Song”** **by David Mallett**

Inch by inch, row by row Gonna make this garden grow All it takes is a rake and a hoe And a piece of fertile ground Inch by inch, row by row Someone bless these seeds I sow Someone warm them from below 'Til the rain comes tumbling down Pulling weeds and pickin' stones Man is made from dreams and bones Feel the need to grow my own 'Cause the time is close at hand Grain for grain, sun and rain Find my way in nature's chain To my body and my brain To the music from the land Inch by inch, row by row Gonna make this garden grow All it takes is a rake and a hoe And a piece of fertile ground Inch by inch, row by row Someone bless these seeds I sow Someone warm them from below 'Til the rain comes tumbling down Plant your rows straight and long Thicker than with prayer and song Mother Earth will make you strong If you give her love and care Old crow watchin' hungrily From his perch in yonder tree In my garden I'm as free As that feathered thief up there Inch by inch, row by row Gonna make this garden grow All it takes is a rake and a hoe And a piece of fertile ground Inch by inch, row by row Someone bless the seeds I sow Someone warm them from below 'Til the rain comes tumbling down

ט גח " חמש טבשב ו ! //

=
===== =**Congregation Kneses Tifereth Israel (KTI)**=

Leora Frankel, Family Educator
Congregation KTI will move into its second year of //JTime: Living in Jewish Time//, which engages fifth grade students and their families in learning about and celebrating Sukkot, Tu B’shevat, and Shavuot, using interactive, inter-generational, participatory models. //JTime// will bring families together at the synagogue and beyond the synagogue walls to enrich the participants’ understanding and observance of these three holidays. In addition, as part of each holiday unit there will be a hands-on //tikkun olam// project that will enhance the learners’ holiday celebration and understanding of the value of healing the world. //JTime// is built on the successes of the first year of //Got Shabbat!//, KTI’s program for fourth grade students and their families. //Got Shabbat!// focuses on celebrating Shabbat within the context of family and community. //JTime// expands Jewish living beyond Shabbat and is the next logical step for KTI as it addresses the desire for joyful Jewish living within the framework of family and community.

The following link is an activity that we used in our first year under the GOT SHABBAT! program.



<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','new york',times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal;">**J-TIME Tentative Curriculum Outline** By Leora Frankel, KTI Family Educator

o What does it mean to live in/by the rhythm of “Jewish Time”? o How does the Jewish holiday cycle give shape to our year and our lives? o What common values and themes do Sukkot, Tu B’Shevat, and Shavuot all share? What is distinct and unique about each of these three holidays? o How can our learning about and celebration of the holidays connect back to and build on what we experienced in Got Shabbat! last year? o What traditions from each of the holidays might we want to adopt and/or adapt in our own family’s lives?
 * J-Time Driving/Essential Questions:**

- Opening circle/icebreaker: Shana Tova & Welcome back (to our special Hey class community, new educational initiatives, etc.) à Sharing highlights of summer, new years’ resolutions - Intro to J-Time Program & our essential questions for the year (see above) à some sort of pop quiz/self-reflection activity + overview of the 3 holidays we’re focusing on - Craft project to make sukkah decorations that will be hung & enjoyed on Sukkot - Pizza dinner or snack - HW: Some sort of pre-Sukkot family project/prep for them to do before next program
 * Tuesday, September 22nd (5-7 pm)**

- Welcome & Chag Sameach- opening circle/song (one of the parodies- “I have a little sukkah”) - Short service à Hire David to do music (?): o A few opening prayers o A taste of Hallel o Shaking the lulav o Kiddush & Blessing for sitting in the sukkah - Snacks/light bagel brunch + Singing in Sukkah - Text Study on Sukkot Sources: o Why sukkot? And why now (after the High Holidays)? o The origins & modern meaning of building sukkot o The imperative to “rejoice” - A few words of intro to our November //Tikkun Olam// project day - TBD but Sukkot-related: Habitat for Humanity? Planting at KTI? Visiting the Farm?
 * Sunday, October 4th (10 am - 12 pm): 2nd Day Sukkot**
 * Sunday, November 8th (10 am - 2 pm*)**

- Opening circle/ice-breaker à If you had to describe yourself as any fruit or vegetable (or just pick one to be for the day), what would you choose? Why? - Intro to Tu B’Shvat: o Hebrew dates/the Name o 4 “new years” in Judaism o Seven species of Israel à some sort of matching game or family challenge - Pizza Dinner or snack? - HW- everyone bring something for the January… Food item and/or a reading/blessing (Also have them bring their Havdallah candles and/or spice boxes from last year in Jan)
 * Tuesday, December 15th (5 - 7 pm)**

- Tu B’shvat Seder (a special Seudat Shlishit) with: o The 4 cups of wine o Different fruits & nuts o Songs & Readings, etc. à Hire David to do music (?) o Some sort of performative group activity in 4 groups representing the seasons- drama/movement exercise or other collective creation - Havdallah ceremony + More singing
 * Saturday, January 30th (4 - 6 pm): Tu B’Shevat**

- Opening Circle & Ice-breaker: Costume plans for Purim - Learning piece- interactive text study on the symbol of trees in Judaism (connection back to Tu B’Shvat): o //Etz Chayim// & other relevant biblical verses or images of trees – i.e. laws about not cutting down trees when conquering land/in war o //Honi// & the carob tree story- maybe in contrast with “The Giving Tree” o Trees in Israel… celebrating them/planting in wintertime
 * Tuesday, February 23rd (5 - 7 pm)**

- Final Activity: a hands-on planting project- maybe decorating flower pots or planting parsley seeds for Pesach

- //Not sure what to do here: I know that we’re focusing specifically on these 3 holidays but I feel like we also should relate to Passover as well which begins the following week// à //maybe pick up on the connective themes of karpas, the beginning of the season of freedom, the journey from slavery to Sinai (i.e. Pesach to Shavuot)// - //Maybe another group tikkun olam mini-project or planning session here…//
 * Tuesday, March 23rd (5 - 7 pm)**

- Opening circle/ice-breaker: How we’ve changed in the past year since we last counted the Omer together - Brief shacharit service (?) - Intro to Shavuot: o The agricultural origins of the holiday in the Bible itself vs. later rabbinic layer of receiving Torah o Traditions: all night “tikkun”/study session, eating dairy, reading Ruth o Concept of //Bikkurim// & what it means to offer up our “first fruits” - Snack or light bagel brunch - “Writing our own Torah” activity à larger-than-life outline of a scroll, post-it notes, etc.
 * Sunday, April 18th (10 am - 12 pm)**

- Opening circle/ice-breaker: Torah trivia- the sequel! - Our own “tikkun”: o Intro to //Megillah Ruth// à Why we read it on Shavuot, basic plot o Biblio-drama activity (like last year in Got Shabbat!) o Performance + putting together the story - Closing blessings & song (“The Torah Connection”- to the tune of “The Rainbow Connection”) - Dairy Dinner- blintzes (?) pizza (?)
 * Tuesday, May 18th (5 - 7 pm): Shavuot**

- //In addition to just having a celebratory pot-luck (or catered) picnic, we’ll do some sort of review of the year// // à // //maybe mapping a literal timeline of the holidays & our learning on each one, questions out of the hat activity like in Got Shabbat!, etc.// - //Fun outdoor games or group challenges//; //goodbye gift (?)//
 * Sunday, June 6th (12 //-// 2 pm) Final Celebration/Picnic!**

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman','new york',times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 9:06 AM, Alan Block <anbkti@yahoo.com> wrote:

Shalom Families!

We hope that you had a wonderful summer and look forward to hearing what everyone was up to in person when our group reconvenes to launch the new and exciting sequel to //Got Shabbat !// As we shared with you last spring, the success of our pilot program last year enabled us to secure a Legacy Heritage Foundation Grant which is generously funding the expansion of our family education initiative here at KTI. To that end, we’re thrilled to share more about our plans for the upcoming year and give you the calendar for our group’s gatherings. Please read on for an introduction to this exciting next stage of our journey together and see the attached file for specific dates and times.

A natural extension of the //Got Shabbat!// curriculum, //J-Time// (short for //Living in Jewish Time//) will bring our community of //Hei// families together again for monthly learning and celebration, but this time focusing on a few seasonal holidays: Sukkot, Tu B’Shvat, and Shavuot. Each of these three //chagim// is rich with ancient tradition, modern meaning, and programmatic potential; all of them involve rituals that are inherently multi-sensory and open for creative expression- from building a temporary shelter to offering one’s “first fruits.” Moreover, these three holidays are all historically connected to the environment, and more specifically, to the land of Israel. Finally, we are thrilled that this year’s //J-Time//program will incorporate an additional component of //Tikkun Olam// or Social Action projects that we will be participating in as part of our learning and celebration together. These projects will both allow us to give back to the community as well as give new expression to the Jewish values that underlie each holiday.

As you will shortly see on the attached calendar, the timing for our monthly gatherings are different from last year- primarily because our program no longer focuses exclusively on Shabbat. The year is structured so that we will actually be together on the three holidays of Sukkot (October 4th), Tu B’Shevat ( January 30th ), and Shavuot (May 18th), as well as for several programs in between to prepare for and learn about each of the //chagim//, and participate in some related Social Action projects. A few of the dates are on Tuesday evenings following the regular religious school hours; on those evenings, the //Hei// students will obviously not have their regular class, but instead be joined by you for our special program which will include a pizza dinner or other light supper. When one of our programs falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, //Hei// students will participate in the J-Time program in lieu of that weekend's Shabbat morning class.

We recognize that the timing of some of these sessions might make it challenging to bring younger siblings in particular, and we understand if you are unable to attend with your entire family each month. We do expect that //Hei// students will always have one or more parents with them at the least, even if siblings are not able to come, since this program really is intended to be a comprehensive family experience. That said, we encourage as many of you as possible to join us at each gathering, and in particular, ask that you make every effort to have your WHOLE FAMILY join us at the three programs which take place on the holidays themselves. (They are bolded in the calendar and enumerated above.)

Again, we’re very excited to reconvene this special group and on Tuesday night, September 22nd at 6:30PM, we’ll be having an introduction and orientation to the program, which will also include opportunities for your input and feedback. In the meantime, feel free to be in touch with either of us by e-mail or phone with any questions and to confirm that you will be join us on the 22nd. See you then!

// B’Shalom // , <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Alan and Leora

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Alan N. Block Leora Frankel Education Director Rabbinical Student, HUC-JIR Congregation KTI <span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> New York, NY <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">575 King Street Leora.frankel@gmail.com <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; cursor: pointer;">Port Chester, NY 10573 Tel:(914) 939-1004 Ext 218 Fax:(914)939-1086 hebrewschool@ktionline.org <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">--

Shalom Hei Families, First off, I want to wish you all a wonderful start to the New Year- may it be a happy & healthy one for the whole KTI community! Second, I am aware that there are a number of concerns about the tentative calendar for our new J-Time program (the next leg of our “Got <span class="yshortcuts" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: pointer;">Shabbat ” journey). Please know that Alan and I are completely open to changing the dates and timing; we understand that schedules are extremely complicated and want to find 9 program slots that are most convenient for people in light of other commitments. Nothing is set in stone at this point and our number one priority is to have the full participation of this amazing group that we have built together over the past year! To that end, I would urge you to attend our orientation/introductory gathering <span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: 0% 0%; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: pointer;">on Tuesday night, from 6:30-8:00 pm so that you can find out more about the program and have your say about possible better dates. The first half of that evening will be more programmatic for the Hei students, parents and any other siblings there, to regroup after the summer and experience a taste of the year to come. The second half of the program will be more logistics-oriented; while the children continue with some activities, we’d like to sit down with parents to iron out the details of our programs and look at the calendar together in order to modify it. I recognize that a weekday evening is difficult for some parents to make, and I encourage even one parent to join us if at all possible to represent your family and share with us your thoughts about calendar changes- even if you can only be there for the latter half. As for the Hei students, the program is in lieu of their regular religious school session. Finally, we will be having a light supper for everyone, so don’t worry about the kids eating. Feel free to be in touch with any questions, please confirm via email, who in your family will be joining us<span class="yshortcuts" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: pointer;"><span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: pointer;">on Tuesday. __L’shana Tova- <span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: 0% 0%; border-bottom-style: none; cursor: pointer;">Happy New Year , Alan and Leora ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................__

KTI’s J-TIME Intro Program Leora Frankel, Family Educator Goals: · Bring last year’s Got Shabbat! group back together after a summer apart · Introduce the themes of the 3 major holidays we’ll be exploring this year · Get parent input for changes to the proposed calendar/timing of programs · Make decorations for the KTI sukkah to be hung for our next gathering

Welcome/Regroup (6:30-6:45) - Welcome///shehechiyanu// on being all back together again & for this new year/journey - Go around & share summer highlights - Brief intro by Leora to new J-Time program

Intro to our J-TIME holidays (6:45-7:15) - Break into 3 groups (by randomly passed out cards- each w/name of holiday) - Each group gets slips of paper with 4 questions they need to think about & answer together about their assigned holiday à like at teacher workshop on Rosh Hashanah: o What does this holiday celebrate or mark in the Jewish year? o What customs or traditions do we have for this holiday? o What season does this holiday fall in and how is the season connected to the traditions of the holiday? o What symbols or special items (food, ritual objects, etc.) do we associate with this holiday? - After the group has gone through the questions, they should together create a graphic depiction on a poster of what they want to teach the other two groups about their holiday. (//I will reinforce that this is obviously just our initial, basic recollections about each of the holidays- no pressure to “have all the answers”- and that we will delve deeper into each one over the course of the year through J-Time!//) - Sharing the posters; discussion about similarities & differences among the 3 holidays: o Each connected to a particular season/part of the agricultural cycle: § Sukkot- Fall harvest festival § Tu B’Shvat- First blooms during the winter in Israel § Shavuot- First fruits in spring o Sukkot & Shavuot are 2 of the 3 //Shalosh Regalim//- (w/Passover) during which people used to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem with their agricultural offerings o Sukkot & Shavuot also both connected to particular points in biblical history: § Sukkot- our wandering in the desert- living in temporary booths § Shavuot- //Matan Torah­// – our receiving of Torah o All connected to the Land of Israel- either historically or still today § The foods/vegetation associated with these holidays are all indigenous to Israel (i.e. the 4 species of the Lulav & Etrog, fruits/nuts of Tu B’Shvat) § Special significance of trees/the environment in the land of Israel Dinner & Shmooze Time (7:15-7:30) - Trivia or other casual activity to do while eating (?)

Sukkah Decoration-Making for Children & Calendar Conversation w/Parents (7:30-7:50) - Clarify importance of 3 on-holiday celebrations (and change timing of Oct 4) - Discuss whether Tuesdays are possible à if so, what time’s best - Same questions re: Sundays - Are there other possible times? - Social action component of program… once or twice all together, expectation of a few other experiences that families will take on/be responsible for themselves

Closing Circle & Family Homework (7:50-8:00) - Sharing something we’re looking forward to in the coming year - Family Homework assignment: NEED TO DECIDE THIS!

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Hi all, I just wanted to report back after what I think was a pretty successful J-Time launch last night! We had all but one Hei family in attendance (in various permutations- some were just the child & one parent; others ended up bringing the whole family). A brief synopsis, though I'm happy to share more details: After welcoming everyone back and sharing a bit about our summer adventures, we officially began the next leg of our journey together with Shehechiyanu. Then the first half of the evening was an introductory program to J-Time and the holidays we'll be learning about this year, which included some family group work and adorable presentations by the kids- see attached photos thanks to Alan! The latter part of the evening we split up the kids from adults, and while the children worked on some snazzy Sukkah decorations to be enjoyed out our Oct 4th celebration, the parents, Alan & I talked logistics/calendar. As we had anticipated, there were definitely an array of concerns about our proposed dates, but I'm pleased to say that I think we got some good input and even a degree of consensus about possible better times with which to work. Alan and I are working out some revisions this week, and while we recognize that there still may be one or two programs that certain families will have to miss, I feel very positive about the development of the calendar and all of the parents' voices having been heard. Overall, and with the exception of one outlying negative comment from a parent, I think the enthusiasm about continuing with this program was definitely there. Parents & children alike seemed excited about being back together again in this group which really has bonded now, and despite some frustrating moments as we hashed out the calendar changes, a number of parents articulated that they do see this as an important part of their child's education and their role in it. I think considering this whole initiative is only a year old, we're in pretty good shape in terms of buy-in and just need to keep sending out the positive vibes and quell as best we can any kvetching along the way. I guess we'll talk more at our first <span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none;">Governance Board meeting, but feel free to be in touch with Alan & me for more about last night should you have questions. All in all, a great success! Shana Tova,Leora

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<span style="font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">Shalom J-Time Families, <span style="font-family: georgia,serif;"> I just wanted to remind everyone that we have our first official holiday program **<span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: pointer;">this Sunday, October 4th from 5:00-6:30 pm**. We'll be meeting in the social hall, but weather-permitting will spend most of the time in the KTI sukkah itself as we learn, sing, and snack in celebration of Sukkot! As I mentioned in previous e-mails and conversations, these programs that take place on the holidays themselves are especially geared towards the ENTIRE family, so we encourage you to bring young & older siblings in addition to your Hei class child. If you have not yet done so with your family, please print and complete the attached **Family Learning Activity** sheet that I handed out at the end of our introductory meeting the other week. We'll be using this for the opening of our program on Sunday, so it could also be a nice conversation piece for your family over the course of this Shabbat. Also, if you happen to have your own Lulav & Etrog set, feel free to bring it on Sunday. (We will have a few to pass around as well as we assume most people don't...) Finally, if you have a moment today, **please RSVP** with how many family members you think will be joining us on Sunday so we can have an accurate head count and enough refreshments. Looking forward to seeing you then! Shabbat Shalom & Chag Sukkot Sameach,Leora

KTI’s J-TIME Intro Program Leora Frankel, Family Educator Goals: · Bring last year’s Got Shabbat! group back together after a summer apart · Introduce the themes of the 3 major holidays we’ll be exploring this year · Get parent input for changes to the proposed calendar/timing of programs · Make decorations for the KTI sukkah to be hung for our next gathering

Welcome/Regroup (6:30-6:45) - Welcome///shehechiyanu// on being all back together again & for this new year/journey - Go around & share summer highlights - Brief intro by Leora to new J-Time program

Intro to our J-TIME holidays (6:45-7:15) - Break into 3 groups (by randomly passed out cards- each w/name of holiday) - Each group gets slips of paper with 4 questions they need to think about & answer together about their assigned holiday à like at teacher workshop on Rosh Hashanah: o What does this holiday celebrate or mark in the Jewish year? o What customs or traditions do we have for this holiday? o What season does this holiday fall in and how is the season connected to the traditions of the holiday? o What symbols or special items (food, ritual objects, etc.) do we associate with this holiday? - After the group has gone through the questions, they should together create a graphic depiction on a poster of what they want to teach the other two groups about their holiday. (//I will reinforce that this is obviously just our initial, basic recollections about each of the holidays- no pressure to “have all the answers”- and that we will delve deeper into each one over the course of the year through J-Time!//) - Sharing the posters; discussion about similarities & differences among the 3 holidays: o Each connected to a particular season/part of the agricultural cycle: § Sukkot- Fall harvest festival § Tu B’Shvat- First blooms during the winter in Israel § Shavuot- First fruits in spring o Sukkot & Shavuot are 2 of the 3 //Shalosh Regalim//- (w/Passover) during which people used to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem with their agricultural offerings o Sukkot & Shavuot also both connected to particular points in biblical history: § Sukkot- our wandering in the desert- living in temporary booths § Shavuot- //Matan Torah­// – our receiving of Torah o All connected to the Land of Israel- either historically or still today § The foods/vegetation associated with these holidays are all indigenous to Israel (i.e. the 4 species of the Lulav & Etrog, fruits/nuts of Tu B’Shvat) § Special significance of trees/the environment in the land of Israel Dinner & Shmooze Time (7:15-7:30) - Trivia or other casual activity to do while eating (?)

Sukkah Decoration-Making for Children & Calendar Conversation w/Parents (7:30-7:50) - Clarify importance of 3 on-holiday celebrations (and change timing of Oct 4) - Discuss whether Tuesdays are possible à if so, what time’s best - Same questions re: Sundays - Are there other possible times? - Social action component of program… once or twice all together, expectation of a few other experiences that families will take on/be responsible for themselves

Closing Circle & Family Homework (7:50-8:00) - Sharing something we’re looking forward to in the coming year - Family Homework assignment: NEED TO DECIDE THIS!

<span style="font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">//


 * J-Time Sukkot Program Outline - Sunday, October 4th (5:00-6:30 pm)**

5:00-5:15 Welcome & Chag Sameach- opening circle, sharing of //Ushpizin// responses from the family take-home activity (what ancestors/loved ones they would invite into the sukkah)

5:15-5:45 Sukkot Family text study à first break into family units & then back together § Why sukkot? And why now (after the High Holidays)? § The 4 species § The origins & modern meaning of building sukkot § The commandment to “rejoice”- //V’samachta B’chageha// End with demonstration/explanation of how to shake the lulav & etrog

5:45-6:00 Blessings over sitting in the sukkah, kiddush and snack foods Refreshments (with passing around the lulav & etrog sets to practice shaking)

6:00-6:25 Singing in the Sukkah § 3-4 sukkot songs/parodies § Oseh Shalom (teach a new melody- Debbie Friedman’s)

6:25-6:30 Closing circle & announcements about November //Tikkun Olam// morning _ // J-TIME Pre-Sukkot Family Activity // To read & fill out as a family before our October 4th Sukkot celebration: // One of the traditions associated with Sukkot is inviting guests into our sukkah through //Ushpizin //(the Aramaic word for “guests”). Not only is it a mitzvah to share meals with family & friends in these temporary huts, but it is also a custom to symbolically invite in our biblical forefathers. In the 16th century, special blessings were written to invoke the presence of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and King David; in more modern times, people added the names of our foremothers Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, as well as other women heroes of the Bible like Miriam or Deborah the prophetess. Finally, some families take a few minutes before sitting down in the sukkah to think about which more recent relatives whose memories they would like to honor and invite in for the holiday.
 * To Answer** ** : ** What relatives or loved ones would your family like to symbolically invite into the sukkah this year as part of our //Ushpizin //ceremony? Why did you choose these particular individuals and how are you connected to them or their memory?

- // ** Sukkot Blessings ** The //lulav// is held up in the right hand, and the etrog is held //pitom// (stem) end down in the left hand. Facing east, we recite the blessing. Then we turn the etrog up and shake the entire bundle 3 times in each of six directions: straight ahead, right, back, left, up, and down.
 * Blessing for shaking the //Lulav// (and //Etrog//) **


 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image004.png width="253" height="42" caption="lulav"]] ||
 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image004.png width="253" height="42" caption="lulav"]] ||

//Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al n'tilat lulav.// Blessed are you, Adonai our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your mitzvot and commanded us to take up the //lulav//.

<span style="height: 24px; left: 0px; margin-left: 83px; margin-top: 5px; position: absolute; width: 375px; z-index: 251656192;">
 * // Shehecheyanu: //** The first time we wave the //lulav// each year, we also recite the blessing marking a special occasion:

//Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, shehechehyanu, v'kiy'manu, v'higianu laz'man hazeh.//

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, King of the Universe, who has sustained us and brought us to this moment.

While the Torah instructs us to literally live in the sukkah for seven days, most people only have meals or just sit in the sukkah. When eating or reciting //kiddush// in the sukkah, we recite this special blessing:
 * Blessing for Sitting in the Sukkah **


 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image008.png width="223" height="39"]] ||
 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image008.png width="223" height="39"]] ||

//Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu leisheiv basukkah.// <span style="height: 163px; left: 0px; margin-left: 195px; margin-top: 35px; position: absolute; width: 46px; z-index: 251660288;"> <span style="height: 73px; left: 0px; margin-left: 412px; margin-top: 91px; position: absolute; width: 114px; z-index: 251659264;"> Blessed are you, Adonai our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your mitzvot and commended us to sit in the sukkah.

<span style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Chag Sameach everyone, It was wonderful to see almost all of you again this past Sunday- to learn, share, and sing together in celebration of <span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: pointer;">Sukkot ! I was touched by everyone's thoughtful responses to the Ushpizin //prompt about inviting our ancestors into the sukkah as well as to the themes raised by the text study. It never ceases to amaze me how insightful your children (and you) are. I also particularly enjoyed introducing my brother to you, especially after having gotten to know all of your family members over this past year. I'm still doing "the lulav shake" nearly a week later...<span style="font-family: georgia,serif;"> I wanted to update you with a revised calendar for the year that Alan & I modified in response to the feedback from our initial meeting. As per your request, we changed all of the Tuesday evening programs except// //the one that actually takes place on the holiday of Shavuot, changed Sunday start times to earlier, and added in a Friday night to the schedule. You'll also notice that rather than trying to squeeze in January, February, and March sessions amidst the various school breaks, we instead decided to have two sessions across those three months. We know that there still may be a session or two that is difficult for some families to make and again urge you to join us with as many family members as possible at each program. In addition to the seven more sessions laid out on the calendar, we'll keep the momentum going between programs through more at-home activities and conversations like the past session's// Ushpizin //prompt as well as with some of the hands-on// Tikkun Olam //(social action) projects which we'll begin exploring at our November gathering. Please note that this next program will be on Sunday, November 1st from 9:30-11:30 am. I'll be in touch again soon with additional details and preparation for that program and a taste of the social action opportunities we'll have for that morning. <span style="font-family: georgia,serif;"> As you probably know, tomorrow night and Sunday we'll be celebrating // Simchat Torah //, the time when we both finish and begin again with reading the Torah. I don't think I mentioned it last week, but one of the many names for the holiday of Sukkot, is// Zman Simchateinu//- The Time of Our Joy- and// Simchat Torah //is the grand crescendo at the end of this celebratory week. I hope that as we renew the cycle of Torah this weekend and celebrate the place of this sacred text in our lives, that you'll feel just a little more connected to some of the stories and teachings in it as a result of our learning together this past year. I know I do!<span style="font-family: georgia,serif;"> As always, feel free to be in touch with any questions, and thanks again for helping us work out a schedule to accommodate the maximum number of families! <span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; cursor: pointer;">Shabbat Shalom & Chag Sameach,Leora //

**// J-TIME //**** Family Text Study: Sukkot ** hadar // trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. // ||
 * Leviticus Chapter 23 **
 * ** לט ** אַךְ בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי, בְּאָסְפְּכֶם אֶת-תְּבוּאַת הָאָרֶץ, תָּחֹגּוּ אֶת-חַג-יְהוָה, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים; בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן שַׁבָּתוֹן, וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי שַׁבָּתוֹן. || <span style="height: 94px; margin-left: 247px; margin-top: 35px; position: absolute; width: 71px; z-index: 251656704;">[[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image003.png width="71" height="94" caption="C:\Users\Leora\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Low\Content.IE5\00FCBE6P\j0411133[1].wmf"]]// //** 39 ** Mark, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the yield of your land, you shall observe the festival of the Lord for seven days: a complete rest on the first day, and a complete rest on the eighth day. // ||
 * ** מ ** וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן, פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים, וַעֲנַף עֵץ-עָבֹת, וְעַרְבֵי-נָחַל; וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם--שִׁבְעַת יָמִים. || ** 40 ** On the first day you shall take the product of
 * ** מא ** וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לַיהוָה, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה: חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם, בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי תָּחֹגּוּ אֹתוֹ. || ** 41 ** You shall observe it as a festival of the Lord for seven days in the year; you shall observe it in the seventh month as a law for all time, throughout the ages. ||
 * ** מב ** בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים; כָּל-הָאֶזְרָח, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, יֵשְׁבוּ, בַּסֻּכֹּת. || ** 42 ** You shall dwell in booths for seven days, all the citizens in Israel shall live in booths, ||
 * ** מג ** לְמַעַן, יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם, כִּי בַסֻּכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם: אֲנִי, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם. || ** 43 ** in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I the Lord your God. ||
 * ||  ||

**Questions think and talk about with your family:** Y When does the Bible tell us that Sukkot should be observed? (In what season, which Hebrew month, and for how long?) Y What Sukkot symbols & traditions do you recognize in the above verses? Y Why, according to this passage, should the Jewish people celebrate Sukkot? Why else do you think we continue to celebrate the holiday even today?

// How is the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah to be observed? One should eat, drink, and dwell in the sukkah throughout the seven days of Sukkot, both day and night, exactly as one dwells in one’s house during the entire year. Throughout the seven days, one should regard one’s house as temporary and one’s sukkah as permanent, as it is written: //You shall dwell in booths for seven days. //(Lev. 23:42)// //Shalom J-Time Parents, I hope you're staying dry these last few days and are looking forward to reconvening for our 3rd J-TIME program **<span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: text;">this Sunday morning, November 1st from 9:30-11:30 am.** (Not only did we manage to adjust the timing to finish before soccer games begin that afternoon, but we'll also get an extra hour of sleep from <span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: text;">Daylight Savings the night before- a double scheduling win!!) As I mentioned back in October, this will be the beginning of the Tikkun Olam// element of our J-TIME program that will add another meaningful dimension to our learning and celebrations this year. On Sunday, we'll both explore this Jewish concept and how it relates to our three holidays, as well as have a chance to partake in some small hands-on projects in family groups. To that end, please take a few minutes between now and Sunday to **print & look at the attached "Tikkun Olam prompt" file**together with your //Hei// student (as well as any other siblings who might join you on Sunday). These 2 questions will be our jumping off point for conversation on Sunday, and could be a nice Shabbat table conversation piece this weekend... __**A few final notes/details for Sunday's program** : 1. We will be serving a light bagel breakfast as part of the program on Sunday morning. Thanks to Jacqueline Proner for helping to organize the meal with the KTI office! 2. As always, your Hei student is excused from Saturday morning religious school this week for attending the J-TIME family program. 3. If you have any basic gardening tools- shovels/spades/scoops/etc. to dig holes for bulbs- that you would be willing to share, please bring them along. (These will be used for one of the three //Tikkun Olam// project options from which families can choose from as part of the program. Even if you don't wind up choosing to do the planting project with your family, we would appreciate borrowing your shovels.) 4. **Please RSVP** to Alan or me with how many of your family members will be joining us on Sunday so we can plan for the right amount of food, equipment, etc. Thanks so much & see you on Sunday!LeoraPS- I have re-attached the updated/FINAL J-Time calendar again for your reference... Please note that our next program after Sunday will be<span class="yshortcuts" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 1px dashed #0066cc; cursor: text;">on Friday night, December 4th. --

** KTI’s J-TIME: ** //**Living in Jewish Time**// <span style="height: 97px; left: 0px; margin-left: 463px; margin-top: 26px; position: absolute; width: 82px; z-index: 251655168;"> ** Tentative 2009-2010 Calendar **
 * For ** //**Hey**// **Class Families**

Tuesday, September 22nd 6:30 - 8:30 pm <span style="height: 95px; left: 0px; margin-left: 427px; margin-top: 37px; position: absolute; width: 109px; z-index: 251657216;"> ** Sunday, October 4th 5:00 - 6:30 pm (Sukkot) ** Sunday, November 1st 9:30 - 11:30 am //<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 200%;">Friday Night, Dec. 4th or 11th 6 - 8 pm // <span style="height: 76px; left: 0px; margin-left: 426px; margin-top: 37px; position: absolute; width: 72px; z-index: 251658240;"> ** Saturday, January 30th 4 - 6 pm (Tu B’Shevat) ** <span style="height: 64px; left: 0px; margin-left: 479px; margin-top: 2px; position: absolute; width: 69px; z-index: 251659264;"> //<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 200%;">Sunday February 21st or 28th 9:30 - 11:30 Friday Night, March 19th or 26th 6 - 8 pm <span style="height: 68px; left: 0px; margin-left: 445px; margin-top: 6px; position: absolute; width: 91px; z-index: 251660288;"> or Saturday Havdallah March 20th or 27th 4 - 6 pm // Sunday, April 18th 9:30 - 11:30 am <span style="height: 87px; left: 0px; margin-left: 477px; margin-top: 31px; position: absolute; width: 65px; z-index: 251656192;"> ** Tuesday, May 18th 6:30 - 8:00 pm (Shavuot) ** Sunday, June 6th 12 //-// 2 pm Final Picnic!

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal;">**J-Time November Program Outline - Sunday, Nov. 1st (9:30-11:30 am)**

9:30-9:45 Welcome & Chag Sameach- opening circle, sharing of answers to family discussion prompt: How can we be God’s partners in the world?

9:45-10:15 Family Learning- Intro to //Tikkun Olam// - Jewish quotes/texts around the room that relate to Tikkun Olam à Each family walk around, read the quotes and choose one or two that they especially connect with- talk about together & be prepared to share why they chose it and what it means to them - Sharing of quotes and reasons - Excerpt from Ron Wolfson’s //God’s To Do List: 103 Ways to be an Angel and Do God’s Work on Earth// - Intro to //Tikkun Olam// component of J-TIME program this year à being partners with God, giving back to the community, actualizing the values we talk about for each holiday - Break into teams for this morning’s //Tikkun Olam// opportunities (baking, grounds, etc.)

10:15-10:30 //HaMotzi// + bagel brunch

10:30-11:20 //Tikkun Olam// Projects (in small groups/different locations around KTI)

11:20-11:30 Closing circle & upcoming announcements

“God took the man (Adam) and placed him in the garden of Eden, to keep it and to watch over it.” (Genesis 2:15)

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest… but you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger; I am your God.” (Leviticus 19:9-20)

Once, while the sage, Honi, was walking along a road, he saw an old man planting a carob tree. Honi asked him: “How many years will it take for this tree to give forth its fruit?” The man answered that it would require 70 years. Honi asked: “Are you so healthy a man that you expect to live that length of time and eat its fruit?” The man answered: “I found a fruitful world because my ancestors planted it for me. So, too, will I plant for my children.” (Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 23a)

Hillel used to say: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” (Pirke Avot- The Ethics of Our Fathers 1:14)

He (Rabbi Tarfon) used to say, “It is not your obligation to complete the task, but neither are you free to abandon it…” (//Pirke Avot//- The Ethics of Our Fathers 2:16)

** J-TIME Family Learning Prompt: **
 * Intro to ****Tikkun Olam**
 * Family Instructions** : One of the themes we will be exploring in the upcoming J-TIME programs is the Hebrew phrase //Tikkun Olam//, meaning “healing the world.” This is Judaism’s unique version of social action or doing good deeds, though the idea is bigger than just one specific cause or generous act. Rather, Jewish tradition sees the whole world as broken in many ways, and view us—human beings—as God’s partners in helping to heal it. In preparation for Sunday morning’s program, please discuss the following 2 questions with your family, jot down some of your thoughts below, and be prepared to share your answers with the rest of the group.


 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image004.png width="65" height="65"]] ||
 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image004.png width="65" height="65"]] ||


 * 1. In what ways can we be partners with God in our lives? **


 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image006.png width="36" height="58"]] ||
 * || [[image:file://localhost/Users/alanblock/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image006.png width="36" height="58"]] ||


 * 2. What or who in the world do you** **think needs healing?**

“God took the man (Adam) and placed him in the garden of Eden, to protect it and to watch over it.” - Genesis 2:15

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest… but you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger; I am your God.” - Leviticus 19:9-10

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” - Leviticus 19:18

“Justice, justice, you shall pursue!” - Deuteronomy 16:20

Hillel used to say: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” - Pirke Avot //(The Ethics of Our Fathers) 1:14

Rabbi Tarfon used to say, “It is not your obligation to complete the task, nor are you free to abandon it…” -// Pirke Avot //(The Ethics of Our Fathers) 2:16

“Save one life, and it is if you have saved the entire world; destroy one life and it is as if you have destroyed the entire world.” - Mishna Sanhedrin 4:5

Once, while the sage, Honi, was walking along a road, he saw an old man planting a carob tree. Honi asked him: “How many years will it take for this tree to give forth its fruit?” The man answered that it would require 70 years. Honi asked: “Are you so healthy a man that you expect to live that length of time and eat its fruit?” The man answered: “I found a fruitful world because my ancestors planted it for me. So, too, will I plant for my children.” - Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 23a

_ **J-TIME Program Outline: Friday Night, December 4th**
 * 6:30 – 6:45 Welcome, opening circle (****Bim Bam**//**, highlights of past week/month and special occasions)**

- //Shalom Aleichem// - //Blessing Children// - //Kiddush// - //Hand washing// - //HaMotzi//
 * 6:45 – 7:00 Friday night blessings/rituals around table using packet:**


 * 7:00 – 7:30 Dinner + abridged** //**Birkat HaMazon**// **and singing**

- //Opening song or psalm (Yismechu?)// - //L’cha Dodi// - //Barchu// - //Shema & V’ahavta// - //V’Shamru// - //Moment of Silence for Amidah + Oseh Shalom// - //Mourner’s Kaddish//
 * 7:30 – 7:45 Mini- Kabbalat Shabbat service**

(See attached pages for details and order of stations)
 * 7:45 – 8:20 Intro to Tu B’Shvat: 7 Species Scavenger Hunt Activity**


 * 8:20 – 8:30 Closing circle/reminder about Tu B’Shevat Seder next time**
 * Dessert & Schmoozing**

9/09 ARTICLE in KTItems....Synagogue Newsletter ** Launching J-Time! **
 * By Leora Frankel, KTI Family Educator**

As I hope you’ve noticed, KTI was buzzing with positive energy this past year over the pilot Got Shabbat! program that was initiated by our involvement with Project RE-IMAGINE. You may also have heard that our congregation was recently awarded a prestigious grant by the Legacy Heritage Foundation to help us expand and build on the success of //Got Shabbat!// with the next stage of our new family education program. While the incoming //Dalet// students and their families will have a chance to experience //Got Shabbat!// this upcoming year, the original cohort and I will embark on a new journey together through a program called //Living in Jewish Time,// or //J-Time// for short. A natural extension of the //Got Shabbat!// curriculum, //J-Time// will bring this community of families together again for monthly learning and celebration, but this time focusing on a few seasonal holidays: Sukkot, Tu B’Shvat, and Shavuot. Each of these three //chagim// is rich with ancient tradition, modern meaning, and programmatic potential; all of them involve rituals that are inherently multi-sensory and open for creative expression- from building a temporary shelter to offering one’s “first fruits.” Moreover, these three holidays are all historically connected to the environment, and more specifically, to the land of Israel. In addition to learning about and celebrating the holidays as a community, my hope is that by the end of the year, families will feel empowered to adopt and adapt traditions at home which will continue to enrich their holiday celebrations in the future. Finally, I’m thrilled that this year’s //J-Time// program will incorporate an additional component of //Tikkun Olam// or Social Action projects that families will be participating in as part of their learning and celebration together. These projects will both allow us to give back to the community as well as give new expression to the Jewish values that underlie each holiday. While I don’t want to give away too many of the surprises we have in store for this year’s //Hey// class families, I do want to share my excitement and enthusiasm for this latest educational innovation here at KTI. As I contemplate and prepare for the new Jewish year, //J-Time// is very much on my mind as something I’m anticipating will leave a meaningful mark on the coming twelve months. I look forward to sharing more reflections and updates as we officially launch the program and wish the whole KTI community a //Shana Tova U’Metuka//- A Sweet New Year!

11/09 ARTICLE in KTItems....Synagogue Newsletter

J-Time Update by Leora Frankel, KTI Family Educator Our new J-Time (//Living in Jewish Time//) program for //Hei// class families is off to a great start this fall! At the kick-off September program, parent-child teams creatively presented introductions to each of the three holidays we’ll be focusing on this year—//Sukkot Tu B’Shevat,// and //Shavuot//—as we begin our journey through the Jewish calendar. In addition, the //Hei// students and their siblings had a chance to make colorful decorations for the KTI //sukkah//, which were proudly displayed throughout the holiday. Speaking of which, our second gathering took place mostly in the //sukkah// itself, as we learned about some of the origins of //Sukkot// and its rituals through a family text study and discussion. After sharing a snack in the //sukkah//, everyone had a chance to practice shaking the //lulav// and //etrog//, and we ended the afternoon with a joyful song session, including the very popular “Lulav Shake” which got us all dancing! On November 1st, we met again to begin exploring another special component of the J-Time program- that of //Tikkun Olam//, or “healing the world.” There’s a notion in Jewish tradition, and in particular the mysticism of //Kabbalah//, that the world is in a state of brokenness and that we are God’s partners in repairing it. It was touching to hear both parents’ and children’s thoughtful reflections about who and what they feel need healing in the world, as well as their responses to some Jewish quotations and texts that speak to these questions. Perhaps the most popular of these citations was the following story from the Talmud (Ta’anit 23a): //Once, while the sage, Honi, was walking along a road, he saw an old man planting a carob tree. Honi asked him: “How many years will it take for this tree to give forth its fruit?” The man answered that it would require 70 years. Honi asked: “Are you so healthy a man that you expect to live that length of time and eat its fruit?” The man answered: “I found a fruitful world because my ancestors planted it for me. So, too, will I plant for my children.”// The message of this passage—that we must plant for future generations—was one that especially resonated for many parents. As one of the //Hei// students commented, //Tikkun Olam// is about “paying it forward” and laying the groundwork for a better tomorrow in any way we can. In this spirit, we spent the second half of our program not just talking about //Tikkun Olam// but actually DOING it. Families divided into three groups to take part in different projects: One group got busy literally planting on the grounds of KTI, filling the Holocaust Memorial Garden (that Jewish star on the front lawn) with bulbs to bloom this spring. A second group designed and decorated Thanksgiving cards for senior citizens in the King Street Nursing Home to help brighten their month and bring cheer for the holiday. The third contingent took over the KTI kitchen to bake cookies for a fundraiser that raised money for “Support Our Troops,” a cause which the congregation has supported in the past on Mitzvah Mornings and in other capacities. These activities were just a taste of the //Tikkun Olam// projects that families will have the opportunity to participate in this year as part of J-Time, and made for a meaningful morning together. We look forward to reconvening again in December to start preparing for //Tu B’Shevat//!

//

//<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">

What does this holiday celebrate or mark in the Jewish year? What customs or traditions do we have for this holiday? What season does this holiday fall in and how is the season connected to the traditions of the holiday? What symbols or special items (foods, ritual objects, etc.) do we associate with this holiday?
 * Questions to Think About & Answer together: **
 * TO DO together ** ** : ** Create a visual representation (using pictures and/or words) to explain what you learned about your holiday to the rest of the group.

<span style="height: 143px; margin-left: 474px; margin-top: 3px; position: absolute; width: 60px; z-index: 251657728;"> ** Questions to Think About & Answer together: ** What does this holiday celebrate or mark in the Jewish year? What customs or traditions do we have for this holiday? What season does this holiday fall in and how is the season connected to the traditions of the holiday? What symbols or special items (foods, ritual objects, etc.) do we associate with this holiday?
 * TO DO together ** ** : ** Create a visual representation (using pictures and/or words) to explain what you learned about your holiday to the rest of the group.

<span style="height: 143px; margin-left: 474px; margin-top: 3px; position: absolute; width: 60px; z-index: 251658752;"> ** Questions to Think About & Answer together: ** What does this holiday celebrate or mark in the Jewish year? What customs or traditions do we have for this holiday? What season does this holiday fall in and how is the season connected to the traditions of the holiday? What symbols or special items (foods, ritual objects, etc.) do we associate with this holiday?
 * TO DO together ** ** : ** Create a visual representation (using pictures and/or words) to explain what you learned about your holiday to the rest of the group. //

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal;">**Tuesday, December 15th (5 - 7 pm)** - Opening circle/ice-breaker à If you had to describe yourself as any fruit or vegetable (or just pick one to be for the day), what would you choose? Why? - Intro to Tu B’Shvat: o Hebrew dates/the Name o 4 “new years” in Judaism o Seven species of Israel à some sort of matching game or family challenge - Pizza Dinner or snack? - HW- everyone bring something for the January… Food item and/or a reading/blessing (Also have them bring their Havdallah candles and/or spice boxes from last year in Jan)

_

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 27px; line-height: 39px;">**J-TIME Tu B’Shvat Scavenger Hunt/Activity**


 * ** Station/Fruit Picture ** || ** Activity ** || ** Where to next? ** ||
 * Wheat || 4 Jewish New Years

|| Barley || || Figs ||
 * Barley || Making a tree with bodies
 * Figs || Hebrew Gematria

|| Dates || || Olives || || Grapes || || Pomegranate || || Wheat ||
 * Dates || Etz Chayim Hi – Tree of Life
 * Olives || Story of Chanukkah- oil in the menorah
 * Grapes || Matching the blessings for foods
 * Pomegranate || Symbolic #s in Judaism

_

**WHEAT STATION:** Did you know that according to the rabbis, we actually have 4 New Years in the Jewish calendar? Can you name them? ( __Try to guess & then check the answers underneath this sheet.) //

The 4 Jewish New Years are:
 * 1. **** The 1st of **//**Nisan**// (the month of Passover/spring), which is the new year for kings & according to the Bible’s counting of the months.


 * 2. **** The 1st of **//**Elul**// (the month before the high holidays begin), which is the new year for animals.


 * 3. **** The 1st of **//**Tishrei**//, which is Rosh HaShanah, and the new year for the Jewish calendar and holiday cycle.

// So, how many did you guess…? // Make a tree out of your bodies, using everyone in your group (& call over Leora or Talia to show them before dismantling).
 * 4. **** The 15th of **//**Shevat**//, or //Tu B’Shevat, //which is the new year for trees.
 * BARLEY STATION **
 * Challenge: **


 * FIGS STATION **

Did you know that every Hebrew letter has a number value according to a system called //Gematria//? The “ //Tu” // in the name of the holiday// Tu B’Shevat //actually stands for the number 15 because the holiday is celebrated on the 15th of the month of// Shevat. // Using the chart below, calculate the numerical value of your Hebrew name. (Try this for a few group members & see whose is highest!)


 * What does your Hebrew name add up to in ** //**Gematria?**__


 * ** [|60] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Samech] || ** ס ** ||  || ** [|1] ** || [|//Aleph//] || ** א ** ||
 * ** [|70] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Ayin] || ** ע ** ||  || ** [|2] ** || [|//Bet//] || ** ב ** ||
 * ** [|80] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Pe] || ** פ ** ||  || ** [|3] ** || [|//Gimel//] || ** ג ** ||
 * ** [|90] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Tsadi] || ** צ ** ||  || ** [|4] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Dalet] || ** ד ** ||
 * ** [|100] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Kuf] || ** ק ** ||  || ** [|5] ** || [|//He//] || ** ה ** ||
 * ** [|200] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Resh] || ** ר ** ||  || ** [|6] ** || [|//vav//] || ** ו ** ||
 * ** [|300] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Shin] || ** ש ** ||  || ** [|7] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Zayin] || ** ז ** ||
 * ** [|400] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Tav] || ** ת ** ||  || ** [|8] ** || [|//Het//] || ** ח ** ||
 * ** Final Letters: ** ||  || ** [|9] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Tet] || ** ט ** ||
 * ** [|500] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Kaph Sofit] || ** ך ** ||  || ** [|10] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Yod] || ** י ** ||
 * ** [|600] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Mem Sofit] || ** ם ** ||  || ** [|20] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Kaph] || ** כ ** ||
 * ** [|700] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Nun Sofit] || ** ן ** ||  || ** [|30] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Lamed] || ** ל ** ||
 * ** [|800] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Fe Sofit] || ** ף ** ||  || ** [|40] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Mem] || ** מ ** ||
 * ** [|900] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Tsadi Sofit] || ** ץ ** ||  || ** [|50] ** || <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-size: 16pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">[|Nun] || ** נ ** ||

** DATES STATION **

Can you sing the line below from our siddur//? //** “Etz Chayim Hi Lamachazikim Ba…” ** // (Translation: “It is a tree of life to those who grasp it…” –Proverbs 3:18)

What does this prayer relate a tree to? How is this holy object like a tree? (Share your thoughts with the group.) Olives were especially important in ancient Israel because they produced oil for both cooking and fuel.
 * OLIVES STATION **

What upcoming Jewish holiday celebrates oil? What made the oil in this story so special? (Tell the story as a group.)
 * GRAPES STATION **

Grape products like wine or grape juice require a special blessing. Can you name it? (Hint: we said it tonight.)

Can you also name the blessings we’d say over the following:

Wheat & Barley products like bread (think: //challah//). Fruits that come from trees like pomegranates. (Check your answers underneath.) Answer- the blessing endings:

Over grape products like wine or grape juice: “ //…Borei Pri HaGafen.//”

Over wheat or barley products like bread (especially //challah//): “//…HaMotzi Lechem Min Ha’Aretz.//”

Over fruit that grows on trees like pomegranates: “ //…Borei Pri HaEtz.//”
 * POMEGRANATE **
 * STATION **

Jewish tradition teaches that the pomegranate has 613 seeds. Though this may not literally be true, what do you think that number (613) represents?

Can you name other important or symbolic numbers in Judaism and what they stand for?

(See underneath for some possible answers or ideas after you’ve brainstormed as a group.)

Answer: The 613 pomegranate seeds represent the 613 //Mitzvot //or commandments in the Torah. Some other important Jewish #’s: // // 4 = cups of wine, questions & sons (at the Passover  //seder//) 7 = days of creation & of the week

10 = 10 Commandments, plagues

18 = //Chai //or “Life” in// Gematria

Did you come up with any other ideas?

//<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">** J -TIME **Tu B’Shevat Seder Compiled by Leora Frankel, KTI Family Educator ט " טבשב ו 5770/2010


 * Welcome to our Tu B’Shevat Family Seder!**

Tu B’Shevat is the New Year for the trees. It takes place on the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Shevat. When the Temple in Jerusalem was standing, Tu B’Shevat marked the birthday of every tree, so that people knew how old their trees were. They were not allowed to eat from the trees until they were three years old. After the Temple was destroyed, there was not much celebration of Tu B’Shevat until the 16 th Century in Tzfat (Israel), when the Kabbalists—a group of Jewish mystics—adopted the holiday in order to show the importance of nature in Judaism. A Tu B’Shevat Seder is structured a lot like a Passover Seder with four questions and four cups of wine (or grape juice) and lots and lots of eating of many different kinds of fruits. The order (seder) in the way we are having our meal together allows us to think and discuss the special meanings of what we are eating and drinking. Some parts we’ll be doing all together and others in small groups or families so we can have more intimate conversations. Ask lots of questions Help us answer these questions Try at least one fruit you haven’t eaten before or at least in a long time Sing and dance Share stories Have a great time!
 * What is Tu B’Shevat?**
 * What is a Tu B’Shevat Seder?**
 * What do I do during a Tu B'Shevat Seder?**

The first cup of wine/juice that we drink is all white, which reminds us of winter, when nature is asleep. The earth is empty, sometimes covered in snow, as it awaits the beginning of spring. After pouring we’ll say together: םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ב , ןֶ פּ ָ גַ ה י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב . //
 * The First Cup: Winter**

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei p’ri ha’gafen.

//Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine.

And we add, in celebration of being together on this special occasion://

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha’olom, She-heh-che-yah-nu Ve-ki-yi-ma-nu Ve-he-gi-a-nu La’zman Hazeh. //Blessed are You, Adonai our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this moment.


 * We sing together…**

. דַ חַ י םַ ג םיִ חאָ תֶ בֶ ש םיִ עָ נ הַ מוּ בֹ וט הַ מ ה נִ ה// Hinei Ma Tov U’ma Na’im Shevet Achim Gam Yachad

//Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brothers (and sisters) to sit together.


 * A Winter Poem: Falling Snow** **(Anonymous)**

See the pretty snowflakes Falling from the sky; Look into the garden, On the walls and rooftops Where the grass was green; Soft and thick they lie. Covered by the snowflakes, Not a blade is seen. On the window ledges, On the branches bare; Now the bare black bushes Now how fast they gather, All look soft and white, Filling all the air. Every tree is covered, What a pretty sight! In winter the ground is hard, but underneath it is soft and things are getting ready to grow. Likewise, these fruits need their shells or peels to protect their insides as they ripen. Find a fruit on the table whose outside we don’t eat but whose inside we do. ּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ב םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּני , י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב ץעה// Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’etz //Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the tree. Why is today different from all other days?
 * The First Fruits: Fruits with Hard Shells/Peels**
 * The Four Questions of Tu B’Shevat**//

//1. Other New Years honor historical events and people. Why does this New Year honor trees? 2. On other days, we eat many kinds of foods. Why today do we eat fruit, especially fruits of Israel? 3. On other days, we may take trees and nature for granted. Why today do we think about conserving and sharing? 4. Today, it is wintery and cold. Why today do we talk about planting and spring?
 * We’ll divide into groups for a few minutes and each have a chance to discuss**
 * one of these questions. Then we’ll come back together to share our ideas.**
 * We sing together…**

תחרוז זפ שמשו תחרופ הידקשה // Ha’shkadiah porachat v’shemesh paz zorachat. //תא תורשבמ גג לכ שארמ םירפצ גחה אב // Tziporim m’rosh kol gag, me’vasrot et bo he’chag. // תונלאה גח עיגה טבשב וט **Tu B’Shevat higiah, hag ha’yilanot! (x2)**

תעוושמ ץראה תעטל תע העיגה // Ha'aretz meshava'at higi'ah et lata'at //ץצוח אצנ םיתאב . ץע ול חקי דחא לכ // Kol echad yikach lo etz be'atim nitze chotzetz. // תונלאה גח עיגה טבשב וט **Tu B’Shevat higiah, hag ha’yilanot! (x2)** The almond tree is growing, the golden sun is glowing. From every rooftop birds sing out, little children sing and shout. Tu B’Shevat is here, the holiday of the trees! The second cup of wine/juice is mostly white with a dash of red in it. It represents spring, when the world slowly changes from the white of winter to the colors of spring. After refilling our cups, we say together:
 * The Second Cup: Spring**

ב םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ֻ , ןֶ פּ ָ גַ ה י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב . //

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei p’ri ha’gafen.

//Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine. After creating the whole world and the first man, God led Adam around the Garden of Eden and said, “Look at my works. See how beautiful they are, how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil or destroy my world - for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you…” ~ Ecclesiastes Rabbah What does this midrash teach us about our responsibility to the earth? Do you agree with this teaching? Why or why not? What do—or could—you do as a family to better preserve our world?
 * The First Trees: A Family Text Study**
 * Discuss as a family:**

(Then we’ll come back together as a whole group to share our thoughts.)
 * We Sing…**

ץ ע - איִ ה םיִ יַ ח , רָ שֺ אְ מ ָ היֶ כְ מֹ תְ ו הָּ ב םיִ קיִ זֲ חַ מַ ל . םולש ! // Etz Chaim Hi LaMachazikim Ba V’Tomcheha M’Ushar. (x2) Shalom, Shalom! (x3)

//It is a tree of life for those who hold fast to it And all of its supporters are happy. (x2) Shalom, Shalom! (x3) In spring, we see the blossoming and fruits of our planted seeds. Find a fruit on the table whose outside we eat but whose inside (i.e. a pit) we don’t.
 * The Second Fruits: Fruits with Pits**

םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ב , י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב ץעה//

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’etz //Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the tree.

Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav (an 18 th century Chassidic teacher & the great grandson of the Ba’al Shem Tov) is said to have once prayed:// Master of the Universe, grant me the ability to be alone; May it be my custom to go outdoors each day Among the trees and grasses, among all growing things And there I may be alone, and enter into prayer; to talk with the one that I belong to. //One way of celebrating Tu B’Shevat is thinking about our own connections to nature. Many of us have had moments in our lives where we felt especially close to or awed by the natural world, and perhaps found God there.
 * Connections to Nature**
 * When is a time that you were inspired by nature?**

The third cup, which is mostly red with a little white, symbolizes the heat of summer and the full blooming of nature. We say together over it: ב םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ֻ , ןֶ פּ ָ גַ ה י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב . //
 * The Third Cup: Summer**

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei p’ri ha’gafen.

//Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine. Israel is called in the Bible “//Eretz Zavat Chalav U’Dvash- //a Land of Milk & Honey,” but it is also a land with many fruits, vegetables, and grains. How quickly can you unscramble the names of the 7 species of Israel that we celebrate on Tu B’Shevat? (Hint: think about our last program’s stations.) EHWAT ILEOV LAREBY PERGAS IGF ETDA EPGORNATSEMA The third category of Tu B’Shevat fruits are those that we can eat completely—inside and out! Find a fruit like that, hold it up, and we’ll say together one last time:
 * Seven Species World Scramble!**
 * The Third Fruits: Totally Edible**

םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ב , י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב ץעה//

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’etz //Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the tree.


 * A Tu B’Shevat Story**

Once Honi was walking along the road when he saw a man planting a carob tree. He asked, “How long before it will bear fruit?” The man answered, “Seventy years.” Honi asked, “And will you be alive in 70 years to eat from its fruit?” The man answered, “And what if I am not? Just as I found the world full of carob trees planted by my parents and grandparents, so will I plant for my children.”

(Adapted from Talmud// Ta’anit //23a)

The fourth cup, which is all red, symbolizes the bright colors of the Fall leaves. The cycle of seasons is complete and it’s time to plant again... ב םָ לֹ ועָ ה ךְֶ לּ ֶ מ וּניּ הלֱֹ א ָ יְ י הָ תַ א ךְוּרָ ֻ , ןֶ פּ ָ גַ ה י ִ רְ פ א רֹ וב . //
 * The Fourth Cup: Fall**

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei p’ri ha’gafen.

//Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has created the fruit of the vine.


 * “The Garden Song”** **by David Mallett**

Inch by inch, row by row Gonna make this garden grow All it takes is a rake and a hoe And a piece of fertile ground Inch by inch, row by row Someone bless these seeds I sow Someone warm them from below 'Til the rain comes tumbling down Pulling weeds and pickin' stones Man is made from dreams and bones Feel the need to grow my own 'Cause the time is close at hand Grain for grain, sun and rain Find my way in nature's chain To my body and my brain To the music from the land Inch by inch, row by row Gonna make this garden grow All it takes is a rake and a hoe And a piece of fertile ground Inch by inch, row by row Someone bless these seeds I sow Someone warm them from below 'Til the rain comes tumbling down Plant your rows straight and long Thicker than with prayer and song Mother Earth will make you strong If you give her love and care Old crow watchin' hungrily From his perch in yonder tree In my garden I'm as free As that feathered thief up there Inch by inch, row by row Gonna make this garden grow All it takes is a rake and a hoe And a piece of fertile ground Inch by inch, row by row Someone bless the seeds I sow Someone warm them from below 'Til the rain comes tumbling down

ט גח " חמש טבשב ו ! //

=
=============================================== The following article appeared in the February/March edition of KTItems//, our synagogue newsletter.

K.T. Items Page 8 J-Time Update by Leora Frankel, KTI Family Educator “ //Tu B’Shevat Higia, Chag Ha-Ilanot //!” (Tu B’Shevat has come, the holiday of the trees!) These Hebrew words were sung with great joy by our// Hei //class families at the latest J-Time gathering on January 30th, and captured the spirit of our second trimester together. Over the past two months, we have been learning about and preparing for this unique ecological holiday which might be described as an Israeli Arbor Day or the Jewish New Year for trees. We were first introduced to some of the themes of Tu B’Shevat through a family scavenger hunt and discussion back in December. As teams traveled among seven activity stations—representing the seven biblical species of produce in Israel—they encountered such themes as the rich symbolism of trees in Judaism (e.g. Why we call the Torah a “tree of life”) as well as some fun facts (e.g. The numerical value of their own Hebrew names) connected to the upcoming holiday. We then had the opportunity to delve a little deeper and celebrate together on the afternoon of the holiday itself. The highlight of our program was a// Tu B’Shevat Seder//, an adaptation of the traditional Passover ritual that has creatively evolved in recent years. As with a Passover Seder, we drank four cups of grape juice- representing the four seasons, contemplated Four Questions of Tu B’Shevat, and ate a number of symbolic foods to honor the trees and agriculture of Israel. Families each brought different types of fruit for the group to taste, and we took turns sharing stories, blessings, and personal reflections, all guided by our very own// Tu B’Shevat Haggadah//! Perhaps the most touching moment for me was hearing both parents and children speak about times in their lives when they felt especially inspired by nature; from memories of summer camp to travels around Israel, everyone was eager to chime in about their personal connections to the natural world. After the conclusion of our Seder, we marked the end of the Sabbath and welcomed the new week with a brief Havdallah ceremony, a nice reminder of the learning we did last year in// Got Shabbat. //Finally, all of the children had a chance to do some actual planting of their own in honor of Tu B’Shevat—parsley that should sprout just in time for everyone’s Passover Seders! As we continue to explore the rhythm of Jewish time through these environmental holidays, the new J-Time program is most certainly planting seeds for more meaningful family learning and celebration of Jewish life at KTI.//

**April 18th J-Time Program Outline**

9:30-9:45 Breakfast, opening circle- sharing highlights of Passover

9:45-10:05 Intro to Shavuot: Creative Talmud Page Activity

Shavuot has 5 different names it’s been given from the Bible through rabbinic times, each one teaching us something about the holiday. We’ll divide into 5 groups, each of which will receive a poster board with one of the names, a bit of background information, and a question in the middle. Together as a group, read through the text and brainstorm answers to the question which you should write around the border. You may also decorate the margins with images that illustrate this aspect of the holiday. Each group will have a few minutes with the poster board and then we’ll rotate; as we keep adding layers of thoughts to the posters, we will be creating our own type of modern Talmud pages. After the fourth rotation, every group will have a minute to present the collective responses of the whole group to the last question they answered. (The posters will then become the centerpiece for the religious school Shavuot bulletin board!)

10:05-10:25 Counting the Omer: Color-Coded Beads

Shavuot marks the culmination of the 7 weeks of counting the Omer which we talked a little about at last April’s Got Shabbat! //program for those who remember. The Omer was not only a historical time for the Israelites to prepare themselves for receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai but remains a period personal reflection and growth. The Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) associated each of the 7 weeks of the Omer with a different mystical quality (of God) and later each became connected to a color as well. We’ll each have a chance to choose a few qualities that we would like to focus on increasing in ourselves during the coming weeks of the Omer and make a representative bracelet or keychain with the corresponding colors.

**Key to Color-Coded Omer Beads**

//
 * **Color** || **Hebrew Name** || **Spiritual Qualities** ||
 * ** Purple ** || חֶסֶד - Chesed || Caring, Kindness ||
 * ** Blue ** || גְבוּרָה\דִין - Gevurah/Din || Strength, Discipline ||
 * ** Green ** || תִּפְאֶרֶת - Tiferet || Beauty, Balance ||
 * ** Yellow ** || נֶצַח - Netzach || Creativity, Intuition ||
 * ** Orange ** || הוֹד - Hod || Order, Organization ||
 * ** Red ** || יְסוֹד - Yesod || Confidence, Self-Esteem ||
 * ** Brown/ ****Black** || מַלְכוּת - Malchut || Power, Justice, Love ||

"First Fruits"/Feeding the Hungry - Some sort of cooking and/or baking for a local soup kitchen (food coordinated by Andrea, cooking and possibly assembly line of bagging lunches in 1-2 groups) - Collection of cans & other non-perishable food items to be brought to both program (sorted by Lance Goldman and maybe another small group of helpers)
 * 10:30-11:30 Tikkun Olam Projects- together w/Vav Families (in Ballroom)**

Environment - One group decorating/dedicating new recycling bins for KTI (Alan to buy supplies) - (Hopefully) another group or two planting flowers around the rotunda

Israel - Station for writing letters/postcards on behalf of Gilad Shalit (to his parents and/or Obama) - Maybe one more station for "Chayalim Bodedim" (Israeli soldiers from abroad- US, etc. whose families aren't there)... working on something for this (Leora to prepare for these stations)

=
==================================================================================================== **The Harvest Festival** **Chag HaKatzir** //**חַג הַקָּצִיר** When the Jews first entered the Land of Israel, most people were farmers and wheat was a central crop which they planted. When the shoots of wheat first appeared in the early spring they were short and green. These grew into long thin stalks as the farmers counted the forty-nine days or seven weeks until the wheat was finally ready to be harvested. The gathering of wheat was so important that the Shavuot celebration became called “the festival of the harvest.”//


 * Why do you think the wheat harvest was so important to the people that they made it into a holiday? What essential foods (some that we eat on Jewish holidays) are made of the wheat?**

// **The Festival of Assembly** //**Chag HaAtzeret** //**חַג הַעֲצֶרֶת** Shavuot was one of the three festivals (“//shalosh regalim//”) during which all the Jewish people used to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They journeyed there by foot from distant lands in order to bring a special offering to the Temple and celebrate the holiday together. When everyone gathered on the steps of the Temple in Jerusalem, they were re-enacting the moment of the Israelites gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai before receiving the 10 Commandments & Torah.//


 * How do we re-enact or remember the moment of receiving Torah at Sinai in our Jewish life today? What moments of prayer or celebration symbolize that assembly?**

// **The Festival of Weeks** //**Chag HaShavuot** //**חַג הַֹשָּבוּעוֹת** We count seven weeks of the// Omer //to mark the seven weeks between the time when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt and when they were given the Torah at Mt. Sinai. This was a period of preparation and transformation for the Jewish people and when we count the// Omer //today, we also reflect on how we can better ourselves and take further steps on the journey of Jewish life.//

// **The Festival of First Fruits** //**Chag HaBikkurim** //**חַג הַבִּכּוּרִים** At the beginning of each harvest, every household would bring some of their best produce to the Temple in Jerusalem in order to thank God and help feed some of the hungry people in their community. Shavuot was a time when farmers would bring the first summer fruits which grew as an offering of thanksgiving, and thus was also called “//Chag HaBikkurim//.” Many synagogues still assemble fruit baskets on this holiday in honor of the ancient tradition.//
 * Why don’t you think God gave the Israelites the Torah immediately after they were freed from slavery? How did the people need to grow and change during these seven weeks after the Exodus in order to be ready to receive the Torah and make their way to Israel?**


 * Although we are no longer farmers with literal crops, how can we still bring “first fruits” to share with the needy members of our community? What do these contributions represent?**

// **The Time of Receiving Torah** //**Zman Matan Torateinu** // **זְמַן מָתַן תּוֹרָתֵינוּ** The Rabbis called Shavuot “//Zman Matan Torateinu//” because its date is when the Bible recounts the story of receiving the 10 Commandments and Torah at Mt. Sinai. To celebrate Shavuot, some people participate an all-night Torah study session (called a “//Tikkun Leil Shavuot.//”) in honor of this incredible moment. They read and discuss different stories in the Bible until the sun rises!//


 * Why is the Torah so central and important to the Jewish people? Why do we read the same stories from the Torah again and again each year?

//==================================================================================================================//** // **Key to Color-Coded Omer Beads**

//
 * **Color** || **Hebrew Name** || **Spiritual Qualities** ||
 * ** Purple ** || חֶסֶד - Chesed || Caring, Kindness ||
 * ** Blue ** || גְבוּרָה\דִין - Gevurah/Din || Strength, Discipline ||
 * ** Green ** || תִּפְאֶרֶת - Tiferet || Beauty, Balance ||
 * ** Yellow ** || נֶצַח - Netzach || Creativity, Intuition ||
 * ** Orange ** || הוֹד - Hod || Order, Organization ||
 * ** Red ** || יְסוֹד - Yesod || Confidence, Self-Esteem ||
 * ** Brown/ ****Black** || מַלְכוּת - Malchut || Power, Justice, Love ||


 * Key to Color-Coded Omer Beads**


 * **Color** || **Hebrew Name** || **Spiritual Qualities** ||
 * ** Purple ** || חֶסֶד - Chesed || Caring, Kindness ||
 * ** Blue ** || גְבוּרָה\דִין - Gevurah/Din || Strength, Discipline ||
 * ** Green ** || תִּפְאֶרֶת - Tiferet || Beauty, Balance ||
 * ** Yellow ** || נֶצַח - Netzach || Creativity, Intuition ||
 * ** Orange ** || הוֹד - Hod || Order, Organization ||
 * ** Red ** || יְסוֹד - Yesod || Confidence, Self-Esteem ||
 * ** Brown/ ****Black** || מַלְכוּת - Malchut || Power, Justice, Love ||

**Key to Color-Coded Omer Beads**


 * **Color** || **Hebrew Name** || **Spiritual Qualities** ||
 * ** Purple ** || חֶסֶד - Chesed || Caring, Kindness ||
 * ** Blue ** || גְבוּרָה\דִין - Gevurah/Din || Strength, Discipline ||
 * ** Green ** || תִּפְאֶרֶת - Tiferet || Beauty, Balance ||
 * ** Yellow ** || נֶצַח - Netzach || Creativity, Intuition ||
 * ** Orange ** || הוֹד - Hod || Order, Organization ||
 * ** Red ** || יְסוֹד - Yesod || Confidence, Self-Esteem ||
 * ** Brown/ ****Black** || מַלְכוּת - Malchut || Power, Justice, Love ||

//
==============================================================================================//======

//<span style="font-family: Arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 35px; line-height: 52px;">**Gilad Shalit: Missing Israeli Soldier**

Gilad (22) was born on 08/28/1986. He is the son of Aviva and Noam Schalit from Mitzpe Hilla in the Western Galilee and the brother of Yoel (25) and Hadas (18). Gilad was born in Nahariya but was raised from the age of two in Mitzpe Hilla. He graduated with distinction from the science class of “Manor Kabri” high school. Gilad loves mainly math and sports. He has enjoyed playing basketball ever since he was a child, but is interested in sports in general. He follows the different leagues and tournaments all over the world, from tennis and basketball to cycling and athletics. If you wish to know the results of a tournament somewhere in the world – it’s Gilad you should ask. Gilad is a well-mannered, quiet and introverted young man. An almost permanent shy and hesitant smile light up his face. Gilad is always volunteering to help everyone; even on his short vacations from the army he helped his parents run their “Bed & Breakfast”. Gilad began his military service at the end of July 2005. He preferred to serve in a combat unit despite the fact that he could have avoided combat duty due to a low medical profile. Gilad was highly motivated. He overcame all the obstacles facing a combat recruit of the armored forces and successfully ended his training a few months ago. For the last couple of months he has been on duty guarding and ensuring the security of the settlements around Gaza. On Sunday, 06/25/2006, at 05:40 in the morning, a terrorist group of several Palestinians crossed the border south of the Gaza Strip into Israel through a tunnel near Kerem Shalom and attacked an army facility that was within the sovereign territory of Israel. At least one rocket was fired and grenades were thrown at a tank positioned in the area. The tank was manned by four soldiers one of whom was Gilad Schalit. The missile hit the rear end of the tank causing the death of its commander and an additional soldier. One soldier was wounded. Gilad Schalit, the fourth soldier in the tank, was wounded in the shoulder and was abducted from the tank and taken by the terrorists to the Gaza strip. On Monday, 06/26/2006, the Palestinians declared they were willing to give information about Gilad in return for the release of all female and under 18 years old security prisoners held in Israeli prisons. On Saturday, 07/01/2006, the Palestinians demanded an additional 1000 prisoners be released. Two days later they set a 24-hour ultimatum. A few hours later Israel stated that it would not cede to the terrorists’ demands. There is no information as to Gilad’s welfare as for now but his family is still praying for his return. ** Writing Letters of Support to Gilad’s Parents **

One way to express your love and support of Israel is to write a letter to Gilad Shalit’s parents as they continue to worry about and pray for the return of their son. Their names are Aviva and Noam Shalit (pictured above with photos of Gilad) and they have had nearly five long years of pain as they await news of their son and urge the Israeli government and Hamas to help bring him home. They do even not know if he is still alive but have not lost their hope. Some things you might want to say to them are: // “We are sending you love/hope/strength/support during this difficult time.” “The Jewish community in America has not forgotten about Gilad and your struggle!” “We are thinking of you and praying for Gilad’s safe return.” “As we celebrate Israel’s Independence Day, we are thinking of and honoring Gilad’s dedication to the State of Israel.” // You can also tell them a little about yourself and sign the letter with your name, age, and what town you live in.

Yom Ha’atzmaut Cards for //Chayalim Bodedim

//

There are many Israeli soldiers whose parents don’t live with them in Israel—either because they escaped from a country of persecution or because they made //aliyah //(moved to Israel) on their own. It is especially difficult for these young men and women to serve in the army and defend the country with their families so far away. One way that we can celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) this week is to make cards for these young soldiers to tell them we’re thinking of them and thank them to their dedication to the Jewish homeland. Here are some things you might write to them: // “Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication on behalf of Israel.” “You are a modern Jewish hero defending and protecting Israel. “We want to wish you a Chag Sameach- Happy Independence Day!” “Although we are far away in America, we are thinking of you.” // You can also tell them a little about yourself and sign the letter with your name, age, and what town you live in. ========================================== The following article appeared in the February/March edition of KTItems//, our synagogue newsletter.

K.T. Items Page 8 J-Time Update by Leora Frankel, KTI Family Educator “ //Tu B’Shevat Higia, Chag Ha-Ilanot// !” (Tu B’Shevat has come, the holiday of the trees!) These Hebrew words were sung with great joy by our //Hei// class families at the latest J-Time gathering on January 30th, and captured the spirit of our second trimester together. Over the past two months, we have been learning about and preparing for this unique ecological holiday which might be described as an Israeli Arbor Day or the Jewish New Year for trees. We were first introduced to some of the themes of Tu B’Shevat through a family scavenger hunt and discussion back in December. As teams traveled among seven activity stations—representing the seven biblical species of produce in Israel—they encountered such themes as the rich symbolism of trees in Judaism (e.g. Why we call the Torah a “tree of life”) as well as some fun facts (e.g. The numerical value of their own Hebrew names) connected to the upcoming holiday. We then had the opportunity to delve a little deeper and celebrate together on the afternoon of the holiday itself. The highlight of our program was a //Tu B’Shevat Seder//, an adaptation of the traditional Passover ritual that has creatively evolved in recent years. As with a Passover Seder, we drank four cups of grape juice- representing the four seasons, contemplated Four Questions of Tu B’Shevat, and ate a number of symbolic foods to honor the trees and agriculture of Israel. Families each brought different types of fruit for the group to taste, and we took turns sharing stories, blessings, and personal reflections, all guided by our very own //Tu B’Shevat Haggadah//! Perhaps the most touching moment for me was hearing both parents and children speak about times in their lives when they felt especially inspired by nature; from memories of summer camp to travels around Israel, everyone was eager to chime in about their personal connections to the natural world. After the conclusion of our Seder, we marked the end of the Sabbath and welcomed the new week with a brief Havdallah ceremony, a nice reminder of the learning we did last year in //Got Shabbat.// Finally, all of the children had a chance to do some actual planting of their own in honor of Tu B’Shevat—parsley that should sprout just in time for everyone’s Passover Seders! As we continue to explore the rhythm of Jewish time through these environmental holidays, the new J-Time program is most certainly planting seeds for more meaningful family learning and celebration of Jewish life at KTI.

**April 18th J-Time Program Outline**

9:30-9:45 Breakfast, opening circle- sharing highlights of Passover

9:45-10:05 Intro to Shavuot: Creative Talmud Page Activity

Shavuot has 5 different names it’s been given from the Bible through rabbinic times, each one teaching us something about the holiday. We’ll divide into 5 groups, each of which will receive a poster board with one of the names, a bit of background information, and a question in the middle. Together as a group, read through the text and brainstorm answers to the question which you should write around the border. You may also decorate the margins with images that illustrate this aspect of the holiday. Each group will have a few minutes with the poster board and then we’ll rotate; as we keep adding layers of thoughts to the posters, we will be creating our own type of modern Talmud pages. After the fourth rotation, every group will have a minute to present the collective responses of the whole group to the last question they answered. (The posters will then become the centerpiece for the religious school Shavuot bulletin board!)

10:05-10:25 Counting the Omer: Color-Coded Beads

Shavuot marks the culmination of the 7 weeks of counting the Omer which we talked a little about at last April’s Got Shabbat! program for those who remember. The Omer was not only a historical time for the Israelites to prepare themselves for receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai but remains a period personal reflection and growth. The Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) associated each of the 7 weeks of the Omer with a different mystical quality (of God) and later each became connected to a color as well. We’ll each have a chance to choose a few qualities that we would like to focus on increasing in ourselves during the coming weeks of the Omer and make a representative bracelet or keychain with the corresponding colors.

**Key to Color-Coded Omer Beads**


 * **Color** || **Hebrew Name** || **Spiritual Qualities** ||
 * ** Purple ** || חֶסֶד - Chesed || Caring, Kindness ||
 * ** Blue ** || גְבוּרָה\דִין - Gevurah/Din || Strength, Discipline ||
 * ** Green ** || תִּפְאֶרֶת - Tiferet || Beauty, Balance ||
 * ** Yellow ** || נֶצַח - Netzach || Creativity, Intuition ||
 * ** Orange ** || הוֹד - Hod || Order, Organization ||
 * ** Red ** || יְסוֹד - Yesod || Confidence, Self-Esteem ||
 * ** Brown/ ****Black** || מַלְכוּת - Malchut || Power, Justice, Love ||

"First Fruits"/Feeding the Hungry - Some sort of cooking and/or baking for a local soup kitchen (food coordinated by Andrea, cooking and possibly assembly line of bagging lunches in 1-2 groups) - Collection of cans & other non-perishable food items to be brought to both program (sorted by Lance Goldman and maybe another small group of helpers)
 * 10:30-11:30 Tikkun Olam Projects- together w/Vav Families (in Ballroom)**

Environment - One group decorating/dedicating new recycling bins for KTI (Alan to buy supplies) - (Hopefully) another group or two planting flowers around the rotunda

Israel - Station for writing letters/postcards on behalf of Gilad Shalit (to his parents and/or Obama) - Maybe one more station for "Chayalim Bodedim" (Israeli soldiers from abroad- US, etc. whose families aren't there)... working on something for this (Leora to prepare for these stations)

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==================================================================================================== **The Harvest Festival** **Chag HaKatzir** **חַג הַקָּצִיר** When the Jews first entered the Land of Israel, most people were farmers and wheat was a central crop which they planted. When the shoots of wheat first appeared in the early spring they were short and green. These grew into long thin stalks as the farmers counted the forty-nine days or seven weeks until the wheat was finally ready to be harvested. The gathering of wheat was so important that the Shavuot celebration became called “the festival of the harvest.”

//**Why do you think the wheat harvest was so important to the people that they made it into a holiday? What essential foods (some that we eat on Jewish holidays) are made of the wheat?**//

**The Festival of Assembly** //**Chag HaAtzeret**// **חַג הַעֲצֶרֶת** Shavuot was one of the three festivals (“//shalosh regalim//”) during which all the Jewish people used to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They journeyed there by foot from distant lands in order to bring a special offering to the Temple and celebrate the holiday together. When everyone gathered on the steps of the Temple in Jerusalem, they were re-enacting the moment of the Israelites gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai before receiving the 10 Commandments & Torah.

//**How do we re-enact or remember the moment of receiving Torah at Sinai in our Jewish life today? What moments of prayer or celebration symbolize that assembly?**//

**The Festival of Weeks** //**Chag HaShavuot**// **חַג הַֹשָּבוּעוֹת** We count seven weeks of the //Omer// to mark the seven weeks between the time when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt and when they were given the Torah at Mt. Sinai. This was a period of preparation and transformation for the Jewish people and when we count the //Omer// today, we also reflect on how we can better ourselves and take further steps on the journey of Jewish life.

//**Why don’t you think God gave the Israelites the Torah immediately after they were freed from slavery? How did the people need to grow and change during these seven weeks after the Exodus in order to be ready to receive the Torah and make their way to Israel?**// **The Festival of First Fruits** //**Chag HaBikkurim**// **חַג הַבִּכּוּרִים** At the beginning of each harvest, every household would bring some of their best produce to the Temple in Jerusalem in order to thank God and help feed some of the hungry people in their community. Shavuot was a time when farmers would bring the first summer fruits which grew as an offering of thanksgiving, and thus was also called “//Chag HaBikkurim//.” Many synagogues still assemble fruit baskets on this holiday in honor of the ancient tradition.

//**Although we are no longer farmers with literal crops, how can we still bring “first fruits” to share with the needy members of our community? What do these contributions represent?**//

**The Time of Receiving Torah** //**Zman Matan Torateinu**// **זְמַן מָתַן תּוֹרָתֵינוּ** The Rabbis called Shavuot “//Zman Matan Torateinu//” because its date is when the Bible recounts the story of receiving the 10 Commandments and Torah at Mt. Sinai. To celebrate Shavuot, some people participate an all-night Torah study session (called a “//Tikkun Leil Shavuot.//”) in honor of this incredible moment. They read and discuss different stories in the Bible until the sun rises!

//**Why is the Torah so central and important to the Jewish people? Why do we read the same stories from the Torah again and again each year?**//

**Key to Color-Coded Omer Beads**


 * **Color** || **Hebrew Name** || **Spiritual Qualities** ||
 * ** Purple ** || חֶסֶד - Chesed || Caring, Kindness ||
 * ** Blue ** || גְבוּרָה\דִין - Gevurah/Din || Strength, Discipline ||
 * ** Green ** || תִּפְאֶרֶת - Tiferet || Beauty, Balance ||
 * ** Yellow ** || נֶצַח - Netzach || Creativity, Intuition ||
 * ** Orange ** || הוֹד - Hod || Order, Organization ||
 * ** Red ** || יְסוֹד - Yesod || Confidence, Self-Esteem ||
 * ** Brown/ ****Black** || מַלְכוּת - Malchut || Power, Justice, Love ||


 * Key to Color-Coded Omer Beads**


 * **Color** || **Hebrew Name** || **Spiritual Qualities** ||
 * ** Purple ** || חֶסֶד - Chesed || Caring, Kindness ||
 * ** Blue ** || גְבוּרָה\דִין - Gevurah/Din || Strength, Discipline ||
 * ** Green ** || תִּפְאֶרֶת - Tiferet || Beauty, Balance ||
 * ** Yellow ** || נֶצַח - Netzach || Creativity, Intuition ||
 * ** Orange ** || הוֹד - Hod || Order, Organization ||
 * ** Red ** || יְסוֹד - Yesod || Confidence, Self-Esteem ||
 * ** Brown/ ****Black** || מַלְכוּת - Malchut || Power, Justice, Love ||

**Key to Color-Coded Omer Beads**


 * **Color** || **Hebrew Name** || **Spiritual Qualities** ||
 * ** Purple ** || חֶסֶד - Chesed || Caring, Kindness ||
 * ** Blue ** || גְבוּרָה\דִין - Gevurah/Din || Strength, Discipline ||
 * ** Green ** || תִּפְאֶרֶת - Tiferet || Beauty, Balance ||
 * ** Yellow ** || נֶצַח - Netzach || Creativity, Intuition ||
 * ** Orange ** || הוֹד - Hod || Order, Organization ||
 * ** Red ** || יְסוֹד - Yesod || Confidence, Self-Esteem ||
 * ** Brown/ ****Black** || מַלְכוּת - Malchut || Power, Justice, Love ||

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<span style="font-family: Arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 35px; line-height: 52px;">**Gilad Shalit: Missing Israeli Soldier**

Gilad (22) was born on 08/28/1986. He is the son of Aviva and Noam Schalit from Mitzpe Hilla in the Western Galilee and the brother of Yoel (25) and Hadas (18). Gilad was born in Nahariya but was raised from the age of two in Mitzpe Hilla. He graduated with distinction from the science class of “Manor Kabri” high school. Gilad loves mainly math and sports. He has enjoyed playing basketball ever since he was a child, but is interested in sports in general. He follows the different leagues and tournaments all over the world, from tennis and basketball to cycling and athletics. If you wish to know the results of a tournament somewhere in the world – it’s Gilad you should ask. Gilad is a well-mannered, quiet and introverted young man. An almost permanent shy and hesitant smile light up his face. Gilad is always volunteering to help everyone; even on his short vacations from the army he helped his parents run their “Bed & Breakfast”. Gilad began his military service at the end of July 2005. He preferred to serve in a combat unit despite the fact that he could have avoided combat duty due to a low medical profile. Gilad was highly motivated. He overcame all the obstacles facing a combat recruit of the armored forces and successfully ended his training a few months ago. For the last couple of months he has been on duty guarding and ensuring the security of the settlements around Gaza. On Sunday, 06/25/2006, at 05:40 in the morning, a terrorist group of several Palestinians crossed the border south of the Gaza Strip into Israel through a tunnel near Kerem Shalom and attacked an army facility that was within the sovereign territory of Israel. At least one rocket was fired and grenades were thrown at a tank positioned in the area. The tank was manned by four soldiers one of whom was Gilad Schalit. The missile hit the rear end of the tank causing the death of its commander and an additional soldier. One soldier was wounded. Gilad Schalit, the fourth soldier in the tank, was wounded in the shoulder and was abducted from the tank and taken by the terrorists to the Gaza strip. On Monday, 06/26/2006, the Palestinians declared they were willing to give information about Gilad in return for the release of all female and under 18 years old security prisoners held in Israeli prisons. On Saturday, 07/01/2006, the Palestinians demanded an additional 1000 prisoners be released. Two days later they set a 24-hour ultimatum. A few hours later Israel stated that it would not cede to the terrorists’ demands. There is no information as to Gilad’s welfare as for now but his family is still praying for his return. ** Writing Letters of Support to Gilad’s Parents **

One way to express your love and support of Israel is to write a letter to Gilad Shalit’s parents as they continue to worry about and pray for the return of their son. Their names are Aviva and Noam Shalit (pictured above with photos of Gilad) and they have had nearly five long years of pain as they await news of their son and urge the Israeli government and Hamas to help bring him home. They do even not know if he is still alive but have not lost their hope. Some things you might want to say to them are: // “We are sending you love/hope/strength/support during this difficult time.” “The Jewish community in America has not forgotten about Gilad and your struggle!” “We are thinking of you and praying for Gilad’s safe return.” “As we celebrate Israel’s Independence Day, we are thinking of and honoring Gilad’s dedication to the State of Israel.” // You can also tell them a little about yourself and sign the letter with your name, age, and what town you live in.

Yom Ha’atzmaut Cards for //Chayalim Bodedim//



There are many Israeli soldiers whose parents don’t live with them in Israel—either because they escaped from a country of persecution or because they made //aliyah// (moved to Israel) on their own. It is especially difficult for these young men and women to serve in the army and defend the country with their families so far away. One way that we can celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) this week is to make cards for these young soldiers to tell them we’re thinking of them and thank them to their dedication to the Jewish homeland. Here are some things you might write to them: // “Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication on behalf of Israel.” “You are a modern Jewish hero defending and protecting Israel. “We want to wish you a Chag Sameach- Happy Independence Day!” “Although we are far away in America, we are thinking of you.” // You can also tell them a little about yourself and sign the letter with your name, age, and what town you live in.

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=========================================================================== The following article appeared in //KTItems// our synagogue newsletter...May-June issue... <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">//<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">J-Time //<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Update: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> by Leora Frankel, KTI Family Educator <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The past two J-Time programs have been extremely exciting as we begin preparing for our final holiday of the year: Shavuot. In March, we learned about how Shavuot was one of the three pilgrimage festivals (the others being Sukkot and Pesach) during which Jews would ascend to Jerusalem from around the Land of Israel and beyond. We flashed forward several centuries to the modern State of Israel with a heated game of Israel “Jewpardy” including questions about the country’s landscape, language, politics and culture. But the sweetest part of our March program was definitely the special competition we had in which teams of families were challenged to make maps of Israel out of ice cream—living out the description “a land of milk and honey”! They depicted the geography and topography of the land through various symbolic toppings: chocolate syrup represented the waters of the Dead Sea, Jordan River, Sea of Galilee, and Mediterranean; orange and yellow sprinkles colored the deserts; Jerusalem was marked by a blue M&M and so on. Check out the three final projects in the adjacent photos of our proud ice-cream cartographers… <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Then in April we delved further into the holiday of Shavuot, exploring five different biblical and rabbinic names it has been assigned over time and the implications of each. For instance, the name Shavuot literally means “weeks,” marking the end of the seven week count of the Omer which began on the second day of Passover during which farmers once brought daily measures of grain to the Temple in Jerusalem. These 49 days represented a period of spiritual preparation by the Israelites for the revelation and receiving of Torah at Sinai which we celebrate on Shavuot. One of the more modern teachings about the Omer associates each of the seven weeks with a cluster of personal qualities (originally described by the Kabbalist mystics as Divine attributes) for us to focus on, each of which was later assigned a specific color. Families had a chance to reflect on what characteristics each member hopes to further cultivate during these weeks of the Omer and made color-coded bracelets and key chains to help us remember. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finally, we teamed up with the Vav families following their Nosh n’Drosh and participated together in a number of //Tikkun Olam// projects inspired by the “Count the Days, Count the Ways” initiative. One of the traditions of Shavuot is to contribute produce or other food items to the needy in our community, a symbolic reenactment of the farmers bringing their “first fruits” to Jerusalem in their early summer pilgrimage. In this spirit, Andrea Neuman helped organize sandwich and salad making, cookie baking, and an assembly line of bagging snacks for both St. Peter’s Soup Kitchen and the Carver Center. On the theme of the environment, Hei and Vav families planted colorful flowers around the entrance of KTI and decorated new recycling bins to be used in the synagogue. And in honor of //Yom HaZikaron// (Israeli Memorial Day) and //Yom Ha’atzmaut// (Israeli Independence Day), we wrote letters to the parents of MIA Gilad Shalit and made cards for IDF soldiers who serve the country without parents in Israel. It was a meaningful morning all around and paved the way for more social action opportunities at KTI on Shavuot itself. We look forward to celebrating it together in May!