I do want to thank parents for their support as we navigate the waters of our Hybrid program. There are a lot of moving parts and we're doing our best to offer a meaningful experience both virtually and in-person. Your input and suggestions are valued, please reach out if you have any concerns or thoughts.
Watch for our "This Week in Religious School" email that is sent on Friday afternoons. If you have any issues on Sunday mornings, I do monitor email throughout the morning.
Wishing you well -
Ron Leff, RJE
DIrector of Education
I had the honor of reading the first words of the Torah to our Fourth and Fifth grade students on Sunday morning - "In the Beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth." (Genesis 1:1) It is always exciting to read those words immediately after hearing the final words of the Torah, renewing our committment to learning and understanding the Torah.
In Breishit, the first book and parashah, the Torah teaches that human beings are created B'tzelem Elohim - in God’s image. Since God does not have a physical image, it is difficult to know what this verse means. One way of understanding it is that being created in the image of God, we have choices and can exercise freedom. We are partners with God in shaping life and preserving the world. (Fields, A Torah Commentary For Our Times, p. 22)
Jewish tradition teaches that recognizing that we are created B'tzelem Elohim, in the image of God, can shape the way we see ourselves. It instructs us that all of our actions have the potential to connect us with God if we act in God-like ways. For example, 'just as God is kind and merciful, you should be kind and merciful also.'
Family Discussion: What do you think it means to be "created B'tzelem Elohim." Look around the table at your family. What are some of the things they do for you or for others that show that they can be like God? Ask everyone to complete the sentence: "You are like God when you………………………"
Set your legacy in stone and show your pride in our amazing community by purchasing a personalized, engraved brick that will be beautifully displayed outside our main building, to be seen for years to come.
