blogs/masa

Akabyah ben Mahalel said: Remember these three things, and you will not come into the power of sin: Know where you come from, and where you are going, and who you’ll have to explain your life to.”

We are commanded to rejoice during the festival of Sukkot. Our students certainly fulfilled that commandment this past weekend! 

On Friday, the group learning about Judaism and Nature with Jonathan made ink, which they then used to paint flags and banners for Simchat Torah. The kids were particularly excited to know that they had used a process that connected them to Torah scribes throughout history!

The group doing crafts with me got to dip beeswax candles. Our B-Mitzvah class took a break from their usual studies to join us, and they were excited to think about using candles they made themselves when celebrating being called to the Torah next spring!

It was especially nice that so many children joined us for services after the potluck this Friday. Families are always welcome, and several older members of our community mentioned that they were delighted to have children joining in the services.

On Sunday, we continued learning passages from Pirkei Avot. This week, the passage was about remembering where we came from and thinking about where we are going. All of the younger kids made art about their responses to the passages we’ve learned. You can see some of it on the bulletin board in the social hall, and you can scroll to the bottom of this post for a gallery of the pictures the kids drew. 

The children then got a chance to practice holding and carrying the little Torahs we’ve got. Several of them put the practice to good use on Sunday night, and carried little Torahs at the Simchat Torah celebration. Older students even got the opportunity to carry the larger Torahs (with help from adults).

Our fifth and sixth grade students wrote a delightful parody of a popular song to celebrate Sukkot. They shared it at closing circle, and those who attended the Simchat Torah celebration shared it with the BHA community on Sunday night.

The B-Mitzvah class was working hard, learning about creating social change with Rabbi Brent, and then practicing to read Torah to the community for the first time. I am incredibly proud of their hard work, and also of their courage. It can be scary to stand up in front of people and sing in Hebrew. They did an excellent job, and I think they made the younger children excited to learn how to read Torah themselves. I know they brought a lot of joy to the adults in the room!

Coming up:

Friday--4:00: Masa 5:30: Mini Minyan 6:00: Candle lighting, blessing the children, kiddush, and potluck, 7:00: Services

Sunday--9:30-12:30: Masa

Further down the road:

November 17: Grandfriends’ Day. Please register in advance! (You can either register your child’s Grandfriend or request a match for your child using this form.)

FRIDAY December 20: BHA Hanukkah Party from 5:00-7:00. Hanukkah overlaps with winter break this year, so the party will be on the FRIDAY before Hanukkah. Bring latkes, donuts, or applesauce to the potluck, and get ready to celebrate!