Paradigms and Prophets

Today we read about the typical structure of the prophetic stories. They usually feature someone with a calling from God, who then tries to avoid doing God's will. God gives the prophet a message to transmit, and ultimately the life of the prophet is difficult.

After reading 2 stories of prophecy (Moses and Jeremiah), I asked students to write their own stories, set either during Biblical times or the present, featuring all of these elements. The stories were wonderful! I asked all of the kids to take them home and share them with their parents immediately. If yours was in school and didn't give it to you, please ask!

Apology

Today we read a story in which the Israelites were conquered by the Assyrians. The text attributes their defeat to their idol-worshiping ways. I asked the students what other reasons there might have been for the Assyrian victory, that were not divine in nature. We followed this up with a d'var torah writing exercise, in which I asked students to think of an event that could have two explanations, one supernatural and one not, and write which explanation they agreed with.

Some students were having a hard time thinking of an example, and I gave a gloriously poor one. I shared the story of Pat Robserton's absurd and hateful statement that Hurricane Katrina was God's reaction to letting Ellen Degeneres host the Emmy's. Not only do I think this was probably an inappropriate story to share with the class, but it also turns out to be false.

I did have a chance before the end of the day to correct my error, but I wanted to let you know as well. Please forgive my lapse of judgment.

Art and Music

We've been trying to beautify the classroom while also deepening our understanding of some of the prayers we have worked on this year. There are two interesting new art projects on the walls. One is called "Kol Adonai", the voice of God. We've been studying the Psalm 29 , which is recited at the end of the service and describes many manifestations of God's voice in the natural world. I asked students to reflect on a place in the natural world where they experience God's voice, and to illustrate the scene. You'll find these watercolors hanging above the blackboard in our classroom.

In our study of the prophet Isaiah, we read about his apocalyptic vision of seraphim singing "Holy, Holy, Holy" to the Almighty. (This story is the source of "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh" in the Shabbat Kedusha.) I asked students to carefully read Isaiah's description of the seraphim and illustrate what they imagined.

It look like tomorrow may be a snow day. Don't forget Yom Shira on Sunday!