blogs/masa

This Sunday, we turned our focus at Masa to the verse from Pirkei Avot that reminds us “You’re not required to complete the task, but you aren’t free to quit working.”  You may know this line from the song "Lo alecha hamlacha ligmor."

We connected this verse to the ways that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had worked to mend the world. We began by listing some of the ways the world needs to be repaired, from climate change to racism, poverty, and other forms of inequality. We then broke into smaller groups to come up with ways that we can do our part to help with the task of repairing the world.

The children were both thoughtful and creative in their solutions, and recognized that sometimes the best way to use their power is to influence the beliefs of other people (such as with their suggestions of encouraging adults to vote for a president who holds our values, or petitioning store and restaurant owners to pay a living wage).

We deepened our study of Pirkei Avot in age-group classes, as well as continuing our Hebrew learning. Wendy’s and Carole’s classes did a great job of cleaning up after snack. Debbie’s class was so eager to begin learning that they headed over to their class area before snack was even finished! And Jonathan’s class was so engaged in their learning that they were disappointed when their time to study ended.

Jonathan’s class has been taking time to study the weekly Torah portions. There is a lot to unpack in these stories! They have been bringing their full selves--both hearts and minds--to the project. 

Speaking of the weekly Torah portions, I want to encourage families that don’t already have a Chumash (a copy of the Torah, arranged by Torah portion, and with the Haftorah portions included) to pick one up at BHA. We have a number of Chumashim that we’re no longer using, and we would like for them to go home with our members! 

Ellen’s class is busy preparing for B-Mitzvah. With Rabbi Brent, they are learning about effective work for making change in the world. They met with Amber Grant, of the Beacon City Council, as part of their project to encourage composting in Beacon.

With Cantor Ellen, they continued learning the Torah service, in preparation for leading services at their b’nei mitzvah this spring! They also took some time to study some quotations from Dr. King, and to discuss their understanding of what the quotations mean. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see their work!

Coming up:

Friday Masa: 4:00-6:00. There is no Mini Minyan or potluck this week. Classic Shabbat services will be held at 7:00.

Sunday Masa: 9:30-12:30.

Purim Carnival: Sunday, March 8, 11:00-1:00.