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Discussion Guide For
B'chol L'vavcha
By Harvey J. Fields
Discussion Guide Created
by Jeremy Master
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Introduction
This Teacher's Guide is intended for use by teachers of older religious school children. The goal of this guide is to assist teachers in creating a classroom where students can learn and expand their knowledge from the textbook. This guide presents classroom activities, additional questions to ask, and further enrichment ideas to ensure that children of this age group can relate to prayer in a way that is meaningful to them.
B'chol L'vavcha is a commentary on the siddur that was written in 1975 and revised in 2001 to reflect a new generation of ideas. The book begins with a discussion of prayer garments and the debate over fixed, communal prayer and spontaneous, individual prayer. The body of the book discusses in depth the main prayers of a service in the order of the siddur. The book concludes by discussing what prayer is and what it can mean to us in this day and age.
In the course of examining the major prayers, the book also discusses any significant Jewish ideas that are related to the particular prayers. The book also includes gleanings from modern and ancient sources. Also included are modern creative prayers and poetry based on the major theme of the prayer. The goal of B'chol L'vavcha is to help provide an appreciation for the beauty of Jewish prayer as well as the history of its development and the role it has played in our people's culture and experiences.
Ideas for Using the Book
Suggested ways of using the book are presented on pages xix and xx of the preface. In addition to suggestions in the book and in this teachers guide, there are excellent lesson plan ideas for teaching prayer to junior high and high school students on pages 246-249 in The Big Book of Great Teaching Ideas: For Jewish Schools, Youth Groups, Camps, and Retreats by Shirley Barish (New York: URJ PRESS, 1997). In addition, this book also has excellent general lesson plan ideas that can be applied to the study of prayer.
For older Hebrew school children, the suggestion of making this book a part of b'nei mitzvah preparation is especially appropriate. The preparation time for b'nei mitzvah provides an excellent opportunity for family education. The book and teacher's guide could be used to enhance the knowledge of adults along with children. Far too many adults have a conception of prayer and of God that has not grown or changed since the time when they were of b'nei mitzvah age. Family education provides the opportunity for the family to grow in their Judaism together. In addition, parents could gain a new appreciation for prayer themselves. A b'nei mitzvah class that includes parents could be established as a regular part of the curriculum. In this manner, parents could take an active part in their child's preparation and prepare creatively for the b'nei mitzvah ceremony.
An idea that could be used throughout the year or while the book is studied is having the children create creative commentaries, poetry, or prayers of their own. The children could do this after studying many of the major prayers. This could be a regular homework assignment or time could be taken periodically in class for the students to write their own material. At the end of the year, the students could form their own creative siddur with these written materials supplementing the Hebrew prayers and design the siddur with their own art. Then, in coordination with the clergy, the students could design and lead their creative service for the synagogue or for the Hebrew school. Through this activity, students could actively engage the prayers on their own level while gaining an understanding of the positives and negatives of fixed and spontaneous prayer.
Another possible yearlong activity is dividing the class into groups and having one group teach or present for a small part of each class. Each group would be assigned a particular prayer to study. It would be their task to create a project based on the prayer they are assigned. The project could include art, music, dance, writing, or any other medium that could express how they understand the prayer and how they personally engage with the prayer. In addition to the materials in B'chol L'vavcha, the students could be given extra materials on the prayers including recordings and extra readings.
A project that could be done with an older group during the year is a tzedakah project. The Hebrew word "to pray," l'hitpalel, can also mean "to judge oneself." Prayer can be a way to improve ourselves and our society. In Jewish prayer, special emphasis is also placed upon having a minyan, or ten adults, because this comprises a community. Many prayers also focus on the feelings and needs of the community. Prayer brings Jews together into a community that shares similar values. Prayer asks us to judge ourselves and improve the world we live in. Prayer attunes us to these important Jewish values. A tzedakah project will make the class feel like more of a community and it will solidify into action the Jewish values expressed in many of the prayers.
Another activity that is of great importance is ensuring that the students actually go to services. The B'nei Mitzvah of their children should not be the first time families attend services. Engaging in what they are actually learning and joining the community for prayer will immensely enhance the study of prayer. Attendance and participation in services is an essential part of the success of teaching about prayer from B'chol L'vavcha.
The Tallit, Kippah, and T'fillin
Opening
- Ask the students to describe jobs or activities or rituals where the clothes the person wears shows what job or activity or ritual they are doing.
- Explain that just as a baseball player or the bride wears special clothes, many Jews have special clothes when we do the special activity of prayer. The special things that Jews wear when praying are the tallit, kippah or yarmulke, and t'fillin.
Creating New Prayers-A Controversy: Old and New
Chapter Summary
This chapter discusses the dilemma of using fixed or spontaneous prayer. It describes the positives and negatives of both. Next it describes guidelines for creative prayer. This can also be used for gaining an understanding of the guidelines that the ancient rabbis used for their creation of fixed prayer. The chapter ends with a discussion of preparing for prayer.
Opening
- Ask students to describe a moment when they have called on God outside of synagogue or outside of an actual prayer in the prayer book.
- Tell the students to take a few minutes to write down a prayer expressing what they are thinking at that moment.
- Ask the students to think of a prayer from the siddur that they have prayed and to recite it.
- Ask the students to describe some of the differences between the prayer that they wrote and the prayer from the siddur (e.g., difficulties expressing their own feelings, siddur prayers don't always express what the individual is feeling, fixed prayers are often communal, spontaneous prayer is often personal).
- Tell the students that some of the differences they are expressing are because one prayer is spontaneous and the other is fixed. Write down the words keva (fixed) and kavanah (creative, directed, inner feeling, or devotion) and define them. Explain that these two concepts are always in tension when we pray. At the top of page 7 in the book there is a set of questions to ask about the positives and negatives of having fixed and spontaneous prayers.
- Ask the students for arguments in favor of both fixed and spontaneous prayer. When they are finished with their list, have them look briefly at pages 7-9 in the book for B'chol L'vavcha's arguments.
- Explain that there are positives and negatives to both and that prayer needs the fixed and the spontaneous to really be meaningful. Also, explain that the tension between fixed and spontaneous has always been there for Jewish prayer.
Class Activities
Text Study
Bring copies of 1 Samuel 1:9-11.
- Describe the context of the selection from the Bible and then read it: Hannah is childless and goes to the Temple to pray to God; after she prays this prayer, she becomes pregnant with Samuel who will become a great judge and prophet for the people.
- Lead a discussion about what makes this a spontaneous prayer (e.g., personal feelings, only applies to a particular moment in time and to a particular person, she is asking for something for herself).
- Have the students look at the Avot on page 101 of B'chol L'vavcha.
- Discuss the major similarities between this fixed prayer and Hannah's spontaneous prayer.
- Ask students to think about and write down how they could make Hannah's prayer more like a fixed prayer and how they would rewrite the Avot into a more spontaneous, modern, personal, or creative prayer.
- Have the students present some of their changes. After they have presented, have them look at pages 107-111 to read out loud in class and examine how other modern Jews rewrote the Avot.
Debate: Fixed Prayers Versus Spontaneous Prayers
- Split the class into two groups and have the premise of their debate be a ritual committee meeting at their synagogue over whether there should be more or less creative elements in the service.
- Half the committee is in favor of increasing the personal, creative, and spontaneous parts of prayer in the service including adding modern rewritings of prayers in Hebrew, creative translations into English, creative poetry by members of the congregation, and guided meditations instead of the same prayers that Jews have been saying for over 2000 years.
- The other half of the committee wants to keep the service the same as it is relying on the beauty of the Rabbis' words as a spiritual guide.
- Have the two groups write down their arguments and select different people to present the different arguments.
- After they present their debate, explain that the Rabbis in ancient times had the same debate and they also could not come to a clear conclusion. Have them look at the side quotations on page 7 from the Talmud and the Rabbinic Opinions on the side of page 9. Explain that the solution they found is to pray with fixed prayers but not without kavanah (intention, inner feeling, or devotion) within their hearts. This is the way that Jews still pray today. We read the same words in the siddur, but with the personal intentions of our hearts. B'chol L'vavcha asks the reader to study the fixed prayer in order to understand how to bring in the intentions of our hearts.
Guidelines for Creative Prayer: Art Project and Discussion
- Explain to the students that even though creative prayer is supposed to express our own personal thoughts, there is a need for guidelines. As a discussion topic to start the art project, ask the students: If we are being creative, why is there a need for guidelines? If we are expressing our personal feelings, why do we need rules? (Some answers include: The need to know the right language and way to speak creative prayers. Even though they are creative, there are still things that can and cannot be included in prayers to be said in a Jewish community. Another answer could focus on the need to respect other human beings when we make our prayers.)
- The goal of the art project is to write the guidelines for creative prayer as they appear on pages 10-13 and create drawings or other similar pieces of art on posters as examples of each of the guidelines. This way, the class can hang the posters on the wall and have a list of guidelines for any creative prayers they might write in the future.
- After the art work has been finished, each student or group of students will present the guidelines that they worked on. They should explain what the guideline means and why it is needed.
- It is possible to start a discussion on any of the guidelines.
Class Activity
Text Study
Bring copies in Hebrew and English of Numbers 15:37-41 (students should recognize the last two verses of this as the second part of the Reform V'ahavta) and copies of the V'ahavta, in particular Deuteronomy 6:8, which is the verse that is interpreted as describing the t'fillin. Also, bring in a tallit and t'fillin to show the students and give them an example of how it is put on.
- Have the students read out loud the quote from Numbers and lead a discussion on it asking:
- What do you think it means that it should be "on the corners of garments throughout the ages"? Does it exactly describe the tallit?
- How would looking at the fringes lead to following the mitzvot, being holy, and not doing evil?
- Why do you think that this commandment is connected to the Exodus from Egypt and the assertion that Adonai is our God?
- Show them the tallit and the tzitzit (fringes), and show them how to put on the tallit. Describe the symbolism of the fringes as explained in the book.
- Read the V'ahavta and discuss:
- What does the Torah actually say about what you should bind on your hand and have as a symbol before your eyes?
- How does this relate to what the t'fillin actually are?
- Finally, explain that there are four portions of Torah inside the t'fillin boxes including the V'ahavta that all describe the need to have them bound as signs on the hands and as symbols before the eyes. Ask them if this changes their understanding of the purpose of the t'fillin boxes.
Section One: Birchot HaShachar (The Morning Blessings) and P'sukei D'zimra (Benedictions of Praise)
Chapter Summary
This chapter starts with an important description of the different forms of prayers. The chapter then reviews the morning blessings and then the p'sukei d'zimra which contain psalms of praise surrounded by blessings of praise.
Class Activities
Different Kinds of Blessings
- Have the students look at pages 16-19 in the book. Have them notice the different kinds of prayers for different situations on pages 16-17 and then have them read What Is a B'rachah and Three Kinds of B'rachot on pages 18-19.
- Have them split up into small groups and have them write scenes to be performed with each group using a different prayer on pages 16-17 in order to show us when different prayer forms are used and what is the reason for using the different prayer forms. Also have them include an explanation of what a b'rachah is.
- Have them perform their scenes for everyone in the class.
Journal Assignment
- Assign the students the task of going through their day and at the end of the day writing down moments in their everyday life that they think could have used a blessing. These could be moments of joy or stress; moments in which they appreciate the world around them, like seeing a rainbow; other special moments; or something regular that they usually take advantage of, like having food.
- At the next class session, have the students report back some of the moments that they thought could use a prayer in their lives. Ask them what category of prayer they think their various prayers fit under.
Birchot HaShachar: The Morning Blessings
- For the morning blessings, ask the students to write down the order of what they do in the morning and what they think about in the morning. Then have some of the students share their morning ritual.
- Explain to them that just as they have rituals for waking up and getting ready for the day, the Rabbis in ancient times also had an order of morning rituals that they described for every Jew to follow. First they would thank God for allowing them to wake up and then they would go to the bathroom and thank God that their bodies work. Next they would thank God for giving them a soul and making them special. Finally they would go through a list of things that they have that they feel fortunate and thankful to have.
- Have them look at the blessings on pages 20-22. Also make a copy of the blessing for the body in the siddur, which comes before Elohai N'shamah. This blessing relates that the Rabbis believed human beings are comprised of two parts, a body and a soul. Discuss briefly the significance of this concept. What is a soul? Why is it so important to recognize the body as being equally important to the soul? How can this be a lesson on how we should treat our bodies?
- Lead a discussion about the order of the blessings. Why did the Rabbis choose this order of things to bless? Discuss the significance of important issues raised in these blessings. Why do we thank God for making us Jews? Why do we thank God for making us free, for clothing the poor, giving sight to the blind, etc.?
- Another aspect of the discussion could lead to talk about whether the pray intends for us to think that God actually clothes the naked and causes the blind to see. Are these metaphors or symbols for the miracles of life that we possess? Could this be a call to action for us as God's partners to ensure that people live in freedom and that the poor become clothed?
At the top of page 26, there is a suggested activity for the prayer of Courage and Truthfulness and commentary on pages 24-25.
The Psalms: Poetry of Praise
- Explain to the students that the main part of the p'sukei d'zimra is psalms of praise and rejoicing. Explain that a psalm is an ancient poem that appears in a book of the Bible including 150 of these sacred poems.
- Have them take a look at the two psalms on page 30 of the book.
- Have the students write a poem of praise to something in their life that is meaningful and brings joy to them. Have them read their poem in class and then discuss with them some similarities between the feelings they expressed and the feelings expressed by the psalmist.
Section 2: The Sh'ma
Chapter Summary
This chapter examines the Sh'ma and the prayers surrounding the Sh'ma. The chapter begins with an examination of the Bar'chu and takes a brief look at what having a minyan means. The Sh'ma tells us that God is One and we should love God. The prayers surrounding the Sh'ma actually tell us about what kind of God we are praying to. God created everything, God has a special relationship, called Torah, with the Jewish people, and God acted once in history to redeem us, showing that even though God may not act that way in history now, God is still in many ways with us.
Class Activities
Bar'chu: Text Study
- There is a text study from Nehemiah 9:5 for the Bar'chu on page 39 of B'chol L'vavcha complete with a set of discussion questions.
- Make sure to mention that the Bar'chu is our call to prayer. It lets everyone who is praying know that this is the moment to really start concentrating on the prayers.
Yotzer: Handmade Midrash
Materials needed: lots of multicolored paper and glue sticks.
- Read the Yotzer prayer on page 42 to the students. Discuss briefly the theme of the wonder of nature, of God's role in nature, and of light and darkness.
- Next ask the students to think about how nature can be a very spiritual place. Ask them to think about a time when they felt the wonder of nature.
- Instruct them to make a handmade midrash about the place in nature where they felt the wonder of nature. A handmade midrash is made by ripping up various different pieces of paper and gluing those onto another piece of paper to make a picture. No scissors should be used. This is supposed to be done by hand and it doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to be expressive.
- After they are finished, have each student present their handmade midrash.
- Discuss with them how their feelings of wonder in nature would compare to the feelings of the poet who wrote the Yotzer prayer. What similarities and differences are there between them and the person who created the Yotzer?
- Discuss with them the vision of God presented in this prayer (God as Creator, God as source of power, God as force that orders the universe, etc).
Ahavah Rabbah: What is Love?
- Begin by asking the students to give their own ideas about attributes of love (e.g., What is love? How does love feel? What is love like between a parent and a child? etc.) in short phrases or single words, and write them on the board.
- Next ask the students to pick which of the attributes of love they feel best describes the action of God giving Torah to the Jewish people and the Jewish people taking the Torah and living life by the Torah. Ask them to talk about what images in their lives and in the world around them come to mind when they think of God and love.
- Have them read the Ahavah Rabbah prayer on pages 48-49. Lead a discussion on the prayer. Some questions to ask:
- How does the fact that God gave us Torah show that God has love for us?
- When someone you love asks you to behave in a certain way, how does that make you feel? How do you feel when you actually behave the way this person wanted you to behave? How do you feel about God telling us to behave in a certain way? How does following God's mitzvot, which give us directions on certain ways to behave, make you feel?
- How in this prayer is God like a parent to us? (God gives us rules out of love for us just like a parent does for a child.)
- How is God like a partner to us in this prayer? (The relationship of love is one of mutuality.)
Sh'ma
- Ask the students to write down what we mean when we say that God is one.
- Ask the students to present their answers and discuss their ideas with them.
- Lead a discussion on why this sentence is so important to the Jewish people. Why does saying that "Adonai is our God, Adonai is One" play such a central role to our spiritual life as Jews?
Loving God with all your Heart and Soul
- Ask the students to write down ways that one can show that they love God with all their heart, mind, and soul.
- Have them present their ideas and discuss the significance of the ideas they raise. Ask them if their examples define how a person can love God with all their heart, mind, and soul.
- Have them look on page 67 at the example of Rabbi Akiva in the second paragraph of the With All Your Mind section. Discuss with them whether being a martyr shows love of God with all your soul. Ask them to think about and discuss if there is anything in this world that they would risk, or give up their lives for.
- Ask them if the examples they give for what they feel is worth giving up their life fits into any of the things they discussed about how a person can show their love for God.
Sh'ma and V'ahavta: Text Study
Bring the text from the Torah of all three paragraphs of the traditional Sh'ma. Have the class read the English of each paragraph out loud. Lead a discussion on the reasons for the Reform cutting out paragraph 2 and the beginning of paragraph 3 and on the similarities and differences of the messages of the paragraphs. Questions to ask:
- The first and second paragraphs appear very similar. What messages are there in the second paragraph that might not fit our modern beliefs and, therefore, would not work as a prayer for us? (connection of reward and punishment to the following of the mitzvot, etc.)
- The beginning of the third paragraph contains the command for wearing a tallit and the second half is about doing the mitzvot and God leading us from Egypt. Why is the part about the tallit not included in the Reform Sh'ma, but the second part is?
- After reading all of the sections of the traditional Sh'ma, do you think that the Sh'ma is like the other prayers? In the Sh'ma, what is similar and what is different?
In addition to this activity, on page 68 of the book, there is a question to consider the phrase "teach them faithfully to your children." It asks to think about the Jewish responsibilities of parents today. This would also make an excellent writing assignment and discussion.
Mi Chamochah: Video Session
- View the movie "The Prince of Egypt" from the beginning of the song, "There Can Be Miracles," which is towards the end of the movie, through the end of the movie. During this song, the children of the Israelites actually sing the Mi Chamochah. Make sure to point out that the Mi Chamochah comes from the Torah. (Point out that the movie gets it wrong, the Mi Chamochah is actually sung by the Israelites after they cross the sea, not before.)
- After viewing the end of the movie, discuss the significance of the context of the Mi Chamochah. Some questions to consider:
- Why do you think the prayer writer wanted to include this section from the Torah and from our sacred history? How does this present the message of God's redemptive power?
- In the movie, we see the Israelites rejoicing as they dance through the desert. How does this prayer express the same joy and hope that the Israelites experienced?
- We see the Israelites escaping from slavery and they see their new freedom as a miracle. Although there is not much slavery in today's world like the Israelites experienced in Egypt, different forms of slavery still exist. Discuss the different forms of slavery that exist in the world (child-labor, mistreatment of workers, oppression of women and different ethnic groups or races, lack of freedom of speech and religion, etc.). How can we use this prayer as a call to action to abolish the slavery that still exists in the world?
- What is the vision of God presented in this prayer? (God as Rock and Reedemer, God as source of truth, God as holy and source of wonders, etc.) How is this vision different from those presented in the Yotzer, Ahavah Rabah, and V'ahavta?
Section 3: The Amidah
Chapter Summary
This chapter begins with a short description of what the Amidah is, how it was created, and its many different names. The Sh'ma and its blessings describe the Jewish vision of God. The Amidah is more like actually talking to God. It is a more private and personal prayer that is open to even greater creativity and kavanah. The book then gives commentary on the thirteen middle blessings of the weekday Amidah. On page 101, the text moves into the full Amidah starting with the first three blessings that are always the same on weekdays, holidays, and Shabbat, and ending with the three blessings that are always the same. (There are changes with two of these prayers depending on whether they are said at night or during the day.) The text also includes the one middle blessing that is said on Shabbat.
Class Activities
The daily middle blessings/requests: Performing the Amidah
- The Amidah has been compared to a person approaching a king for a request. First one reminds the king about the past relationships the king had with ancestors. Then one praises the king for strength and for being special. After making the king feel honored, the king is ready to hear personal requests. As the person finishes the request, they tell the king that they hope their request will be heard, then they thank the king and ask for peace in the kingdom and only then can they leave the king.
- Have the students break up into groups. Have them create a skit to act the scenario described above including all thirteen middle prayers from pages 80-100.\
- After they have acted this out, discuss with them the meaning of the prayers.
- Ask them which ones are more personal and which ones are more communal.
- Ask why they think the prayers follow the order they do.
- Why ask for these particular things in these prayers?
Have the students write a list of modern, creative, personal prayers that they would personally say. Have the students present and discuss these in class.
Avot
Two activities appear in the text. On page 103, there is a text study based on the way the language has changed in the Reform Avot to include women. On page 105, there is a class activity about the different ways people understand God in order to understand why we say the "God of&..., God of&...," sentence in the Avot. The sentence symbolizes that each of our ancestors had different relationships with God.
Video Session
- Ask the students to describe some events in Jewish history where they know that our ancestors changed the Jewish people and, therefore, changed who we are.
- If no person mentions it, ask the students about how our ancestors coming to America changed the way we live our lives.
- Show them a portion of the movie "Hester Street," which is about Jewish immigrants living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan at the turn of the twentieth century. Ask the students how coming to America led to changes in language, clothing, religious practice, and cultural attitudes. Start a discussion about how Judaism has changed from the time of these immigrants until now; and yet, there are still some similarities. We are Jewish and they were Jewish.
- Discuss how change has always been a part of Judaism. Discuss how our world and our Judaism is different than in the time of Abraham and Sarah. Sarah and Abraham lived very different lives than us. Yet, we remember how their lives and their actions affected us and how we still are Jews and have a similar relationship with God. We remind God and ourselves of this clearly in the words of the Avot.
- Have the students look at the words of the Avot on page 102.
- Discuss with them why we would want to remind God and ourselves about relationships developed in the past. What purpose does this prayer serve for us?
- Discuss with them the vision of God presented in this prayer (God as protector, God remembers our sacred covenant, etc.).
G'vurot: God's Power
- Have the students write or create an art project such as a drawing or collage about a moment when they felt powerless.
- Have them present what they wrote or created if they feel comfortable. Ask them how it felt to be powerless. What went through their minds at that moment? What did they want? What did they hope for?
- Discuss the language of the G'vurot. Discuss with the students similarities between what they thought and felt at the moment they felt powerless and the words of the prayer. Discuss with them, using the words of the prayer, why the author of this prayer would appeal to God as the source of power at times of illness ("You send . . . healing to the sick"), lack of freedom ("You bring freedom to the captive"), and death ("You . . . keep faith with those who sleep in the dust").
K'dushah-Text Study: Isaiah 6
- Have the students read Isaiah 6:1-13. Ask them to comment on and discuss Isaiah's vision and their impression of what it means.
- Have them each briefly draw their own ideas of what Isaiah's vision would look like. Or choose another art project like a collage or handmade midrash (see instructions to Yotzer for a description of handmade midrash). Have them present their ideas of the vision.
- Explain to them that each student has a different idea of this vision of the holiness and uniqueness of God. Just as there are many different ways of looking at this vision, so too are there many different ways of understanding holiness and what it means to be holy. Isaiah provided a vision of God's mysterious holiness, but there are many different ways of looking at God as holy.
- Have them read the K'dushah prayer and discuss its ideas. Discuss with them how Isaiah's vision relates to the meaning of the K'dushah.
- Discuss with them how the word kadosh can have several different meanings including holy, different, unique, and special. This prayer is saying that God is something completely different than us. We cannot necessarily understand God's true holiness with our human minds so we create visions of God like the one that Isaiah had.
K'dushat Hayom: Shabbat, the Day of Rest
- Start by saying that the class is going to be responsible for advertising for Shabbat observance within the synagogue. The class is going to be making posters and slogans supporting and giving people reasons to celebrate Shabbat at the synagogue and in the home. Explain to the students that they are to share with the synagogue their reasons for Shabbat being a meaningful spiritual experience. The goal is for the students to find aspects of Shabbat that are personally meaningful that give them reasons to want to observe Shabbat.
- Start by asking the students what they know about Shabbat and what they have learned about Shabbat.
- Have them read the K'dushat Hayom on page 128 and ask them if there are any messages in the prayer that offer a new lesson about Shabbat. Discuss with them what the phrase "purify our hearts to serve You in Truth" has to do with Shabbat.
- Discuss briefly with the students the messages of rest on Shabbat and the idea that Shabbat is a taste of the world to come, a time to experience peace and salvation.
- Have the students create their posters and then present them. Make sure to highlight any important issues about Shabbat that they raise in the posters.
Shabbat Meal
It might also be useful to organize a Shabbat meal to be eaten together as a class after services and to experience all of the elements of a Shabbat meal.
The Shabbat Has Kept Israel
A good discussion topic could center around the meaning of the famous phrase by Ahad Ha'am who wrote, "More than Israel has kept the Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept Israel."
Avodah
- Ask the students to describe what an acceptable prayer is in their minds.
- Have them read both the traditional and the Reform versions of the Avodah on pages 137-138.
- Discuss the difference between acceptable worship during Temple times with sacrifices and between acceptable worship in our modern times. Is it good that we no longer offer up sacrifices?
- Discuss why the Reform movement decided to take out the references to the Temple in the Reform Avodah (we do not believe in the hope of restoring the Temple). Why do they think some people continue to hope for the return of the Temple and the Temple service?
Hodaah: Thanksgiving
- Have the students write down things that they are thankful for in their lives and have them read their lists in class.
- Have them complete sentences like the following. (Feel free to add as many sentences of your own as you can think of on the topic of giving thanks.)
- I am thankful for _____.
- I give thanks when _______.
- It feels good to be thanked because______.
- Have the students write down their answers and explain them in class. Link ideas they expressed in their sentence completion to why it would be good to thank God and why we feel God would want our thanks.
- Have them read the Hodaah prayer on page 147 and discuss with them the theme of thanksgiving. What kinds of things are we giving thanks for in this prayer? Why is thanksgiving almost at the very end of the Amidah?
- Divide the class into groups and have them create ideas for tzedakah to ensure that other people in the world can have the things that they described they are thankful for. How can we turn our thankfulness and appreciation for what we have into action to help people who do not have the same lives as us and do not have the same things to be thankful for?
Birkat Shalom: Letters of Peace
- Have the students read the Birkat Shalom on page 153 and the evening Birkat Shalom on page 157.
- Have them write a letter (it could be a sample letter that is not going to be sent) to a person or organization that needs to hear about Judaism being a religion of peace. The letter must use the words of the Birkat Shalom as an example of the commitment of Judaism for peace in the whole world.
- Have the letters read to the class and then discuss further what peace means to Judaism and why we would end the Amidah with a prayer for peace. It would be useful to look at page 154 for a description of what the word shalom means.
- Why is it important for Judaism to have a vision of God as the source of peace?
On page 168, there is also a good discussion activity about how we should treat an enemy that could be adapted into a discussion about this prayer and the Israeli-Palestinian situation.
Section 4: K'riat HaTorah: The Reading of the Torah
Chapter Summary
The chapter begins with a history of reading Torah and continues with a discussion of the value of Torah for Judaism. The book then moves into explanation and commentary of the Torah service. This includes liturgy for standing before the ark, taking the Torah out of the ark, reading the Torah and haftarah, the Rosh Chodesh blessing, and returning the Torah to the ark.
Class Activities
Torah Service Choreography
- Since the Torah service is the only part of the service with a lot of choreography, it would be useful to run through the service with the students. (Perhaps you could have the rabbi or cantor help out with this.)
- Go to the sanctuary and run through the entire Torah service as if it were a regular Saturday morning.
- Try running the service as it is written in the prayer book with a hakafah and raising the Torah during V'zot HaTorah.
- Explain and illustrate any differences that your synagogue observes, if there are any.
- Read from the Torah and haftarah and show the students how to do aliyot.
- Show them the inside of the Torah and describe the process of making a Torah.
There is a reading with an activity on pages 176-177 that can be used to discuss the value of Torah study and its place in the modern world and our lives. (The number of qualities discussed in the activity could be decreased from forty-eight to save time and make the activity less monotonous.)
There is a text study suggested at the bottom of page 178 that asks the student to think about the spiritual value of Torah.
At the Ark
- Use the activity in the middle of page 182 to have the students consider the meaning of the words of the Ein Kamocha in modern terms. Have them split into groups to discuss what things have become idols in our modern world and have them present their discussions.
- Have the students read the At the Ark liturgy on page 179.
- Discuss with them how lessons from Torah can be brought into our modern world so that the negative modern idols avoided.
Taking the Torah out of the Ark: Debate over Study or Deeds
- Discuss with the students why the Sh'ma would be said at the taking of the Torah out of the ark. Why purpose does saying the Sh'ma in this place have?
- Ask the students why Torah is not actually mentioned when the Torah is taken out of the ark? Ask them whether this tells us whether the reading of Torah is meant as a deed or as study?
- Have them read the A Debate section on page 186 and have them do the activity that has the class divide into two and debate what is more important, study or practice.
Aliyot and Reading of Torah
- Bring in music used for the cantillation of the Torah and haftarah. Either the rabbi or the cantor can be asked to come in and do this activity. This can be found in:
Portnoy, Marshall and Josee Wolff. The Art of Torah Cantillation: A Step-by-Step Guide to Chanting Torah. New York: URJ PRESS, 2000.
---. The Art of Cantillation, Volume 2: A Step-by-Step Guide to Chanting Haftarot and M'gilot. New York: URJ PRESS, 2002.
- Either the teacher or the rabbi or the cantor should sing for the students an example of cantillation and chant a portion of the Torah (B'reishit would be best). Do the same for the haftarah.
- Discuss with the students why they think cantillation would be useful for the reading of the Torah.
- Discuss with them how reading the Torah and being called to the Torah can be seen as an honor.
Haftarah: What is it?
- Bring a set of Tanachim (Bibles) to class. Have the students look through the table of contents. Point out to them how the Bible is ordered. There are three major parts of the Bible: Torah, N'vi-im (Prophets), and K'tuvim (Writings). The three first Hebrew letters of each are taken to form the abbreviation Tanach. Explain to them the differences in content between the three different parts of the Bible.
- Explain that the haftarah comes from the books of the Prophets. The word "haftarah" actually means "conclusion" or "dismissal." Discuss why the reading from the Prophets would be given this name. Also explain that the haftarah portion for the week is most often chosen because it relates in some way to the Torah portion of the week. Other times it is related to specific holidays like when Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbat, a special haftarah for Rosh Chodesh is read.
- The text study activity at the top of page 196 could be used to examine the relationship between the haftarah and the Torah portion.
Studying the Haftarah Prayers
- For studying the prayer before the haftarah, the activity in the middle of page 197 could be used.
- For the blessings after the haftarah, have the students read the traditional blessings on pages 198-199. Discuss with them the words of this prayer. Questions to ask:
- What are themes of the four sections of this prayer?
- Why is there almost no mention of the prophets in this prayer? (They are only mentioned once.)
- Are these appropriate blessings to say after the haftarah?
- Have them look at the Reform version of the blessing after the haftarah. Why would the Reform cut out the end of the first and the middle parts of this prayer? (These parts talk about the coming of the Messiah and the rebuilding of Jerusalem in Messianic days.)
Rosh Chodesh: Prayer for a Lifetime of Joy
- Examining this prayer presents an excellent opportunity for reviewing the Jewish calendar. It is important to point out that the calendar is a lunar year, each month is twenty-nine or thirty days, and that every few years there is a leap month added because of the difference in the length of the solar and lunar years.
- Have the students read the prayer on page 201 and the Reform version on page 202. Have them examine in particular the sentence that begins "Grant us life . . . " in the traditional version. Point out that the author provides a list of twelve things that the author believes would bring joy and happiness for a lifetime. Discuss the reasons for each of the twelve things that bring joy and happiness.
- Have them perform the activity in the middle of page 206 (This activity has the students create their own list of twelve things they believe brings joy and happiness in a lifetime; then they present this list to the class.) Have the students compare their lists to the one in the prayer.
- Discuss with them the reason for the Reform version abbreviating this list of things that bring joy. (The traditional list contains ideas that run counter to our Reform theology, many parts of the list are repetitive, etc.)
Rosh Chodesh: A Women's Holiday
- Have the students read or discuss with them page 208 of the book, which describes Rosh Chodesh as a women's holiday.
- The activity described at the bottom of page 208 could be used with the students breaking into groups and writing their answers down to be discussed later.
- It might be useful to have them look at an actual Rosh Chodesh service that either the women's group at the synagogue uses or one from the Women of Reform Judaism. To contact Women of Reform Judaism call (212) 650-4050 or e-mail wrj@urj.org. In addition, you can learn more about Women of Reform Judaism at their web-site: http://rj.org/wrj/.
- Have the students examine what women have done for the Rosh Chodesh service to emphasize women's spirituality.
- Another option is to invite a representative of the Sisterhood/women's group at the synagogue to come and talk about or lead a Rosh Chodesh service.
- The girls in the class could come to the synagogue when the women are having their Rosh Chodesh celebration so that they can experience it with the other women of different age groups.
It is a Tree of Life: Returning the Torah to the Ark
- Have the students read the Returning the Torah to the Ark prayer on page 209. Ask them to describe what the words of this poem make them feel about Torah. (They should say honor or joy or some similar idea.)
- Tell them that they are going to make commercials expressing this loving feeling towards Torah. They are advertising Torah to the Jewish people as something that revives the soul, as it says in the prayer. Have them use one of the phrases from this prayer as a slogan. Have them create a picture to go along with the written and acted out part of the commercial.
- Have them perform the commercials. After they have performed, discuss what it means to say that Torah is a "tree of life" especially in light of the values expressed in their commercials.
Section 5: Siyum HaAvodah: The Conclusion of the Service
Chapter Summary
This chapter discusses the Aleinu; the Kaddish; three songs that often are sung at the end of services: Adon Olam, Ein Keiloheinu, and Yigdal; and the Kiddush.
Class Activities
Aleinu: A Controversial Prayer
- Ask the students to read the Aleinu on pages 214-215 and have them write down or think about the parts of the prayer that make them uncomfortable or that do not fit our modern, multicultural, pluralistic values.
- Have them look at the original version of the Aleinu on pages 216-217 to see the sentence that was censored by Christians. Discuss with the students why the Christians would want to censor this line.
- Ask the students to get into groups and rewrite the parts of the prayer that they find objectionable and have them present this in class.
- Have them compare their version to the alternate versions of the prayer in:
Stern, Chaim. Ed. Gates of Prayer: The New Union Prayerbook. New York: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1975.
---. Ed. Gates of Prayer for Shabbat and Weekdays: Gender Inclusive Edition. New York: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1994.
- Discuss with them the changes that the Reform movement made to the Aleinu as compared to the changes that they made to it. Ask them which version they like the best and why.
Kaddish: Remembering the Dead Through Praising God's Name.
- Have the students read the Kaddish on pages 223-224. Explain to them that the Kaddish was written in Aramaic. Have them look through the prayer book and point out the fact that the Kaddish appears in other places during the service but in a slightly different form. In traditional services, the Kaddish is used as a break between sections of the service. It serves as a kind of comma to take a break. In the Reform prayer book, this function is retained before the Bar'chu. The form of the prayer in B'chol L'vavcha is the Mourner's Kaddish.
- Discuss with the students why this is used for mourning. Questions to ask:
- What is the prayer asking for?
- What characteristics does the prayer attribute to God?
- What does the prayer hope for?
- Who is included in the prayer?
There is also a writing activity for the Kaddish on page 230 that asks the students to write a brief additional prayer about life or immortality to be read before the Kaddish.
Song Session: Hymns at the End of the Service
- Introduce the three songs, Adon Olam, Ein Keiloheinu, and Yigdal, to the students. Explain briefly what they are about, who wrote them, and what they mean.
- Briefly look at the language of each song. Discuss with them what the authors of these poems feel about God.
- Have the students get into groups and write their own short song of praise to God that could fit the end of the service. Tell them to feel free to use any songs they want to put their words to.
- Bring in the cantor or another song leader who can play guitar and knows many different versions of the songs at the end of the service. If no song leader can be found, use different recordings of Jewish songs. Transcontinental Music has recordings of many different versions of Jewish songs. You can contact them by calling (800) 455-5223 or by e-mail at tmp@urj.org. Their website address is: http://transcontinentalmusic.com
- Have the song leader teach the students a number of different varieties of each song (if there are different versions). The song leader could also give a brief introduction to each version explaining which Jewish culture and from what time period it comes from. Additional songs besides these three could be brought in to class. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce the students to Jewish music.
- Possible discussion questions after the singing could be:
- What music did they like the best and why?
- In their opinion, what music fit the meaning of the songs the best?
- Why would we want to end services with these songs?
Kiddush (Including Friday night Kiddush which is not in B'chol L'vavcha)
In this activity the students are going to create their own kiddush cups. You will need cups that could be used as Kiddush cups and some art supplies to decorate the cups. Some ideas for how to decorate the cups include using paints or colored tissue paper and glue to paste onto the cup in a multicolored design.
- In class, have the students read the Friday night Kiddush. Lead a discussion on the Kiddush. Some questions:
- What is the meaning of the second blessing? Is it a blessing that is actually for the wine or is it about something else?
- In this blessing, what two reasons are given for the observance of Shabbat? Why are these the reasons for observing Shabbat?
- We have seen the last line of the blessing, "Baruch atah Adonai M'kadeish HaShabbat," in two other places in services, in the K'dushat HaYom of the Amidah and in the blessings after the haftarah. Why would we repeat this blessing continuously during Shabbat?
- What phrases in the Kiddush tell us about how the Jewish people feel about Shabbat?
- Have the students look at the Kiddush for Shabbat day on page 238. Ask them if they notice any differences. (Instead of it being a blessing about Shabbat, it only consists of a couple of quotes from Torah about Shabbat before the blessing over the wine.)
- Do the art activity with the students and lead them in reciting both Kiddush blessings. Spend some time to help them really learn the Friday night Kiddush. Explain that the Friday night Kiddush can be recited at home during the Shabbat meal in addition to it being recited at the synagogue.
L'chah Dodi: Guided Meditation (Not found in B'chol L'vavcha, but an important part of the Shabbat liturgy)
- Bring the students outside, preferably to a grassy and tree filled area, and have them sit in a circle and close their eyes. Feel free to embellish this meditation
- Have them imagine that they are mystics living in the town of Tzfat on the top of one of the hills of northern Israel. It is the 1600s and they have escaped persecution in Spain and in Germany to come to live in the land that God promised to Abraham and the Jewish people. Have them imagine the sights, sounds, and the smells of this town as everybody gets ready for Shabbat. Tell them to imagine the smells of the challah and special Shabbat meal being cooked in every home; and the sight and sounds of people returning home from work and getting ready to go out and celebrate Shabbat. The people are all dressed in their best clothes to welcome Shabbat, who they see as the bride of Israel. Many are dressed in all white, the traditional color for a wedding and also a symbol of purity. They walk to the outskirts of the town as the sun starts to set. As Shabbat begins they walk together down the hill into the valley and the woods singing Psalms of praise to feel the joyous spirit of Shabbat. It is in this environment and with this feeling in mind that the poem, L'chah Dodi was written.
- Give them copies of the full L'chah Dodi (not the one in the Reform prayer book). First point out that the author put his name into the beginning of each stanza of the poem as an acrostic. It spells out Shlomo HaLevi, who we also know as Solomon Alkabetz. Have them read L'chah Dodi and then discuss with them what this mystical person meant when he wrote the poem. Questions to ask:
- What are some of the themes of this poem? (Shabbat, Jerusalem, etc.)
- The mystics believed that peacefulness of Shabbat is a taste of the world to come. How does the author express this feeling in this poem?
- How does the mystical feeling of this poem relate to how you imagined the experience of Shabbat in Tzfat to be like?
- How does this poem relate to your own thoughts and feelings about Shabbat? How can we bring the feelings of this poem about Shabbat into the Shabbat of our modern world?
Conclusion
1. Encourage the students to write about how prayer can enrich our lives.
· How can prayer teach us to be better people?
· How can prayer help us appreciate the world around us better?
· How can prayer help us make our lives more meaningful and special?
· How can prayer be used to express the innermost feelings of our hearts and souls?
2. Spend some time discussing with the students their feelings about prayer and some of the things that they learned about prayer and what prayer means to them.
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