Monday, March 16, 2026

March 19th- Vayikra and Pesach

 



INTRO/ PASSOVER


Passover Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibFbdDiQ1CU


 


HEBREW

Betzeyt Yisrael

kokus! shoklo! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c69BJdLZvA

 

Bimbam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG0D3FUFkHw&t=224s

Sacrifices and leaders

INTRO Passover Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibFbdDiQ1CU

 

Passover TORF

Elijah’s Cup for real

Chametz Quiz


Vayikra, Chapter 4: Adonai spoke to Moshe, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Yisra'el, saying, 'If anyone sins unintentionally, in any of the things which Adonai has commanded not to be done, and does any one of them:

 

 

 

 

3 if the anointed Kohen sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bull without blemish to Adonai for a compensation offering. 4 He shall bring the bull to the door of the Tent of Meeting before Adonai; and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull, and slaughter the bull before Adonai.

13 'If the whole congregation of Yisra'el sins, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly of elders, and they have done any of the things which Adonai has commanded not to be done, and are guilty; 14 when the sin in which they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for a compensation offering, and bring it before the Tent of Meeting. 15 The Zakenim/elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before Adonai; and the bull shall be slaughtered before Adonai….20 Thus shall he do with the bull; as he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this; and the Kohen shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.

22 "'When a Nassi (prince or leader) sins, and unwittingly does any one of all the things which Adonai his God has commanded not to be done, and is guilty; 23 if his sin, in which he has sinned, is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish. 24 He shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and slaughter  it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before Adonai. It is a compensation offering… and the Kohen shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and he will be forgiven.

27 "'If anyone of the common people sins unwittingly, in doing any of the things which Adonai has commanded not to be done, and is guilty; 28 if their sin, which he has sinned, is made known to them, then they shall bring for their offering a goat, a female without blemish, for the sin which they  have sinned. 29 they  shall lay their hand on the head of the compensation offering, and slaughter the compensation offering in the place of burnt offering. … and the Kohen shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.

*

 

Chapter Four of Vayikra (Leviticus) mentions four contrasting situations where a sin is committed- but not on purpose- that require a specific sacrifice to be done at the Mishkan  and then later at the Temple in Jerusalem.

1) What do these all have in common?

 

 

2)                    What makes each different from the others (besides the group or person itself)?

 

 

3)                     In particular what makes the language about the Nassi  (prince or leader) different from the others mentioned here?  Look at the start of the paragraph.

 

4)                    What does this tell us about the nature of leaders and leadership?

 

 

5)  What is  the Torah teaching us as the most important thing for an individual to do when they make a serious mistake?   

 


PASSOVER CUSTOMS TRUE OR FALSE

1.     French Jews eat matzo aux rillettes de canard, matzah dipped in shredded duck fat at the seder, in memory of the birds eaten after crossing the yam-suf/ sea of reeds.'

 

2.    Hassidic Jews, including Chabad, don’t eat anything where matza is soaked or wetted with liquid of any kind.  No matzo ball soup. No Matzo Pizza.  

 

3.    Sefaridic Jews eat thicker soft matzo only, never boxed Matza.

 

 

4.    Jews from Bagdad, Iraq have a tradition of auctioning off the hard  boiled egg on the seder plate right after the start of the seder- the one who pledges the most tzedakah gets to eat the egg before the meal,  everyone else has to wait to eat.

 

5.     Jews from Morocco have a part in the seder where they walk around with the matza in a sack on their backs.

 

 

6.    Many Jews with ancestors from Poland or Russia  don’t eat legumes- peas, beans, or peanuts on Passover.

 

7.     Reform Jews say you can eat bread on all but the first day of Peasch.

 

8.    -Chabad communities avoid any fruits or vegetables with peels on Passover.

 

9.    Ethiopian Jews hold seder under a giant tent they often build indoors as a reminder of wandering in the wilderness.

 

 

10.  The Jews of Yemen don’t have a seder plate,  but often cover the table in herbs, lettuces,  bottles of wine and so on.

 

11.  The jews of Jerusalem make their matzo in special ovens fired by olive wood, which burns at nearly 800 F.

 

12.  Most American Jews skip the 2nd half of the seder,  including the parts of the meal where we thank God for our food and many of the best songs.

 

13. Many jews in the Chavurah movement fill Elijah’s cup at the seder  by everyone spilling a bit of their own wine into Elijah’s empty cup.

 

14. Miriam’s cup is a new tradition that has become popular across all over the Jewish world.

 

15. Jews from Iran often have someone  show up dressed as Pharaoh just before wine is spilled for the 10 plagues.

 






 

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

 

 Jeremy Gimbel

Elijah’s Cup: A Symbol of Agreeing to Disagree

MAR 28, 2018, 8:01 AM

 

“Let’s agree to disagree.”

That’s an expression we often say when we reach a stalemate in a conversation. In essence,   we say to each other, “I understand you have a different point of view than I do, I’m not going to change my position. You’re not going to change your position. So, we’ll part ways and deal with it another day.” The Rabbis of the Talmud (that crucial collection of rabbinic commentary, laws, and discussion finished about 1500 years ago) dealt with things in much the same way, but they used a different word: an acronym, “tei’ku.”

Did you know that there’s a remnant of a “teiku” argument on your seder table?

It all starts in the Torah, Exodus 6:6-7. The Israelites are slaves to Egypt, and God promises a bunch of pretty great things to the Israelites through Moses: “I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary acts of judgement. And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God.” The Rabbis thought these were pretty great things too, so the four words highlighted here became the justification for the four cups of wine that we drink at the Passover seder.

 

With me so far? Great. But get ready, because things are about to get messy.

The next verse continues: “I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I the Eternal.” The rabbis weren’t really sure what to do with this extra verb, “bring.” Does that mean that we should actually have five glasses of wine? Is that extra glass required? Optional? Not allowed? Should the seder be focused on the exodus from Egypt alone and not the Israelite’s eventual destination after attaining their freedom?

 

The rabbis couldn’t reach an agreement. They understood that there were differing views, and that neither side was going to be persuaded to change their mind. They said, “Teiku: Tishbi Yitaretz Kushiot Ubay’aot – The Tishbite (aka: Elijah) will resolve questions and problems.” In other words, we drink four cups, and we hope that one day Elijah will return and tell us whether to drink a fifth cup.

Elijah the Prophet is a symbol of a future time, when peace and harmony will reign. We invoke Elijah at the end of Havdalah, in a verse of Birkat Hamazon (blessing after meals), and at baby namings, all in hopes that Elijah might come and bring about a time without human suffering.

When we invoke Elijah at the Passover Seder, it is not, as Rabbi Laura Baum termed in a  Huffington Post article in 2012, a “Jewish Santa Claus” who comes in, and when your back is turned, drinks the unattended glass of wine in the middle of your table.
We welcome Elijah because we hope the Messianic age will come speedily in our day, and then we will know whether or not we can drink that fifth glass.

 

Here is the core value: Elijah’s cup is a symbol of agreeing to disagree. By design, the seder is filled with lots of questions and invitations for even more. On the surface, it may appear that the Haggadah does not sufficiently address how to have those discussions, and, especially, how we should leave them if they are left unres

Friday, March 13, 2026

A song wanting good news for tough times

 Hannan ben-Ari shows influences from the Beatles to Bob Marley in a song yearing to hear "sorot tovot",  good news.   Hard not to agree....


 MONDAY TEAM

1)     SPORTS- 

Cast: anchor,  field reporter, Rashi, Dr.  Nechama Leibovitz --  Theme Mario car-  Yoshi’s isand them

"Welcome to the 2026 commentating championship!  R. shomo Yitzhaki aka Rashi vs. Nechama Leibowitz PhD

2)    ADVICE 

Cast:  Ms. Brooks,  Rambam

Marshall.bunny asks:  what you do if you were on mount sinai  and you found that there was a golden calf- would you break the tablets?

newsprout27 asks: How does it feel to be Jewish around non jews?-

martyschwartzfan1 asks: How do you balance the open and hidden meanings of the text, and how do you know what takes precedence?

moseslover349 asks: What would you do if you found out you were related to your slaves?-

 

 THURSDAY TEAM

1)          SPORTS

a.      Cast- Announcer “Sam”,  Fan “Jeremey”, (Rabbi Abraham) Ibn Ezra, Reporter “Jennifer’

b.      Theme- Final Countdown

c.        

2)         Judgy Reviews

a.      Cast- Allie and Alex

b.      Theme: outro to  Sesame St.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K_SD2GWEHE

c.       Reviewing-

3)         Advice

a.      Host “Collin Sche”

b.      Theme: SNL Outro  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8bfjL8i0WE

 


Thursday, March 12, 2026

Teudat Afikoman

 From NILE,  the National Library of Israel for Educators.




Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Purim Lano, Pesach Ala Mano!

For most of our 6th Gade families, our understanding of what it means to be Jewish is one that is Ashkenormative.   When we think of Jewishness, we often think of  the foods of Eastern Europe, of Chasidim with black coats and hats,   Hebrew tinged with the letter  " ת "  read as an "S",  and Yiddish words and accents. For most of us, this is the default mode by which we exp  But for much of the Jewish world, Jewishness is anchored in the foods of  Spain, Greece,  or Turkey, and the langauge of Ladino.  Ladino, Gabe pointed out to our students,  is a compound language like Yiddish,  but its roots are in medival Spanish and Hebrew.    The great Flory Jagoda sings the perfect Ladino song for this time of year:  Pesach Ala Mano- Passover is at Hand!



Pesah ala Mano

Flory Jagoda

 

Purim, Purim, Purim lano,

Pesah, Pesah ala mano;

Las matsas si stan faziendo,

Los japrakis si stan koziendo.

Aman (4x) Il Diyo Bendicho mos da mazal (repeat)

Purim, Purim, Purim lano,

Pesah, Pesah ala mano;

La Nona sta diziendo a los nyetos,

Alimpiya il puelvo, kantones i loz techos.

Aman…

Purim, Purim, Purim lano,

Pesah, Pesah ala mano;

Il Sinyor Rubi disho a las tiyas

No kumer il pan ocho diyas.

Aman…

 

Purim, Purim, Purim is over,

Passover is at hand;

Matzot are being made,

The stuffed grape leaves are being baked.

Amen (4x)

Almighty God give us good fortune.

Purim, Purim, Purim is over,

Passover is at hand;

The grandmother is telling the grandchildren,

Clean the dust, the corners and ceilings.

Aman…

Purim, Purim, Purim is over,

Passover is at hand;

The Rabbi tells the aunties

Not to eat bread for eight days.

Aman…

Some parents may hear that and think "well, that does encapsulate a moment of what it is like to be between Purim and Pesach, but does it really speak  musically to today's students?" Which is why we shared  this excellent,  dynamic remix of the song to share with them (listen to this one with headphones  or you will miss out on the full effect).  



In addition to our exploring Ladino and reviewing the 10 plauges mentioned in the Seder,  we also did a bit of shopping!  Not actual shopping, but as part of the second part of our unit on the Tallit, we had students search for Tallitot in a host of their favorite colors, and they found them!  The incredible variety of colors and styles of Tallitot aviable today helped us realize that there is  a style of Tallit out there for everyone,  and  in our synagouge,  we encourage people of all genders to wear a tallit during prayer.  Why many Jews, especially women,  still feel it difficult to connect to this essential Jewish prayer practice- even in our welcoming and supportive synagouge-  is one we hope to explore with our clergy in coming weeks. 




 

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Where the notes go after being read....

 In the shadow of Operation Roaring Lion and in light of the security situation, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation held this morning (Sun.), as it does each year ahead of Passover, the traditional removal of prayer notes from between the stones of the Western Wall - removing tens of thousands of prayer notes that were placed between the stones over the past six months, before their transfer for geniza (designated burial).



The removal was accompanied by the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and the director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Mr. Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, who together offered a special prayer for the success of the campaign against Israel’s enemies, most notably Iran; for the safety of IDF soldiers and security forces fighting on the various fronts - in the air, at sea, and on land; for the well-being of United States soldiers standing alongside the State of Israel in its defense and in confronting the threats; and for the peace and security of the people of Israel and the State of Israel.
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation: "In these days, when the people of Israel are facing challenges and seeking heavenly mercy, we see how thousands of prayers continue to arrive at the Western Wall from across Israel and around the world. Alongside prayers for peace in the State of Israel, for the safety of the soldiers, and for the salvation of the entire nation, prayers also arrive from many places and countries, including from citizens of hostile states who seek peace among nations and countries. We also pray for the well-being of United States soldiers standing alongside the State of Israel in confronting the threats, and we long for days of peace, security, and fraternity among all peoples."


The removal was carried out in accordance with halachic guidelines, using gloves and disposable wooden tools, in order to preserve the sanctity of the site and the personal content of the notes. The notes were collected in special sacks and will be buried in a designated geniza.
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation notes that hundreds of notes are sent daily through the foundation’s website, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of notes that are placed personally by worshippers and visitors at the Western Wall throughout the year.


What stood out this year in an exceptional way were notes sent through the foundation’s website by citizens from countries hostile to Israel, including: Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Qatar, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Jordan, Egypt, Kazakhstan and others containing moving requests for peace, reconciliation, and the building of relationships between peoples and nations.

Making Civilization, Making Art

 

נְקֻדּוֹת!

VOWELS!

 

Sound

name

symbol

 

שׁוּרוּק

וּ

 

שְׁוָא 

ְ

 

חִירִיק

ִ

 

צֵירֵי

ֵ

 

סֶגּוֹל

ֶ

 

פַּתַח

ַ

 

קָמַץ

ָ

 

חוֹלָם

וֹ

 

קֻבּוּץ

ֻ

 

דָּגֵשׁ

ּ

 

 

 

 

  מָרְדְּכַי

Maredechai

Mardechai

Mordechai

Mordekai

Marty Cry

 

וְאֶסְתֵּר

Vaester

Ve’estehr

Ve’estir

Ve’eester

It’s Easter?

 

בְּשׁוּשַׁן

Besusan

Vesusan

Beshushan

Veshusan

B. Sue Shan

 

כְּשֶׁעָמַד

Kese’ameyd

Kese’amad

Keshe’ameyd

Keshe’amad

Keysha Achmed

  

לְהַשְׁמִיד

Lehashmid

Lehasmid

Lehashamid

Lehushmud

Lets play hockey.

 

הַיְּהוּדִים 

Ha’ye’hodim

 Hai’hodim

Ha’ye’hudim

 Hai’hudim

Haiyeyehudimdim


 

  וּשְׁלָלָם

Ve’shelalam

Ve’selalam

U’selalam

Ushlalam

You slalom.

    

  וְקִלְקַלְתָּ

V’keelehkalleta

U’keelehkalleta

U’keelkalltah

V’keelkalltah 

Vklkthththtath

 

 

 

מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ

Machshavto

Machsavto

Machashavato

Machashavto

 Make schav, to go.

 

 

גְּמוּלוֹ-

Gemulo

Jemulo

Nemulo

Gemolu

Gremlins

 

בְרֹאשׁוֹ

Berasho

Verasho

Berosho

Verosho

Vesomething


 

 Text-plor-ation- for each podcast segment,  we will need:  cast/characters,  theme music,  torah content, podcast title

Sports

         Advice

            

 





 

Parsha: Vayakhel/ Shekalim –

 

What are the steps in making bread?

In making clothes?

In making a leather jacket?

In building a house?

 

What makes a castle a castle?  Defenses! Luxuries!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIVh8ljdfzg

60 seconds

 

 


 

Shemot 35

Vayakhel

Now Moshe assembled the entire community of the Children of Israel

and said to them:

“These are the words that Adonai has commanded, to do them:

For six days is work to be made,

but on the seventh day,

there is to be holiness for you,

Sabbath, Sabbath-Ceasing for Adonai;

whoever makes work on it is to be put to death!

You are not to light a fire throughout all your settlements on the Sabbath day.” 

 

 

THE THIRTY NINE CREATIVE LABORS

THAT ARE NOT FOR SHABBAT USE

 

Making Bread

 

 

Activity

Trans-literation

Ivrit

Meaning

Derived Prohibitions

1

Plowing

Choreish

חורש

Plowing a field

digging in a garden

2

Sowing

Zoraya

זורע

Planting seeds

 fertilizing, watering.

3

Reaping

Kotzair

קוצר

Harvesting grain, Picking fruit,

Picking flowers

4

Gathering

M’amer

מעמר

Collecting fallen fruit

raking leaves

5

Threshing

Dash

דש

Husking corn you are not about to eat

juicing fruit you are not about to eat

6

Winnowing

Zoreh

זורה

Separating grain and its wrappings,

shelling  peanuts of their skin

7

Sorting

Borer

בורר

Sorting out what you want from a mixture of stuff

Removal of bad fruit or bones from food you are not about to eat.

8

Grinding

Tochain

טוחן

Milling grain into flour

Grinding coffee, or pepper.

9

Sifting

Merkad

מרקד

Sifting with a utensil.

Ummm… sifting.

10

Kneading

Lash

לש

kneading dough.

mixing paste

11

Cooking (Baking) B2

Bishul (Ofeh)

בישול (אופה)

Cooking raw food in any way- but not reheating.

boiling, frying, baking

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making Clothes

 

12

Shearing

Gozez

גוזז

Removing wool from an animal

getting a haircut

13

Scouring

Melabein

מלבן

 bleaching wool

doing laundry

14

Combing

Menapeitz

מנפץ

Separating fibers.

combing a wig

15

Dyeing

Tzovea

צובע

Coloring or painting fabric

painting a wall

16

Spinning

Toveh

טווה

Making yarn.

Making wicks or tzitzit

17

"Warping"

Maysach

מיסך

Setting up threads for fabric.

 

18

Constructing 2 Loops

Oseh Shtei

עושה שתי בתי

Making loops for a net.

 

19

Weaving

Oreig

אורג

weaving fabric

making a basket of reeds, braiding hair

20

Unravelling

Potzea

פוצע

Pulling a loose thread.

 

21

Tying

Koshair

קושר

Tying permanent knots to make fabric

crocheting and knitting.

22

Untying

Matir

מתיר

Untying permanent knots.

 

23

Sewing

Tofair

תופר

Sewing pieces together

stapling

24

Tearing

Koraya

קורע

Tearing a fabric to be sewn.

 

 

 

 

Making Leather

 

25

Trapping

Tzad

צד

Trapping a wild/stray animal for its skin.

trapping an animal for food

26

Slaughtering

Shechita

שוחט

slaughtering

 

27

Flaying

Mafsheet

מפשט

Removing animal skin.

a bit icky

28

Tanning

M’abayd

מעבד

Tanning or  polishing hides.

 

29

Smoothing

Memachaik

ממחק

Scraping leather smooth.

 Polishing shoes.

30

Scoring

Meshartait

משרטט

Scoring, folding leather or paper for cutting.

 

31

Measured Cutting

Mechataych

מחטך

Cutting leather or fabric to specific sizes

 

32

Writing

Kotaiv

כותב

Writing a meaningful character.

 

33

Erasing

Mochaik

מוחק

Erasing a meaningful symbol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Building a House

 

34

Building

Boneh

בונה

Creating shelter, building.

 

35

Demolishing

Soter

סותר

demolishing something to build in that space.

 

36

Extinguishing

Mechabeh

מכבה

Extinguishing a flame.

 

37

Ingiting, Lighting

Mavir

מבעיר

Starting a fire

Striking a match, turning on a gas grill, lighting candles.

38

Final Hammer Blow

Makeh b’Patish

מכה בפטיש

The last touch on a project of creating or building

Fixing a bike

39

Transporting

Hotza’ah

הוצאה

Carrying burdens from private to public spaces and vice-versa.

Traveling outside of your neighborhood.

 

 

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/cholent-the-sabbath-stew/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HdPC99sc9o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57O6omutaUg

 


 

Shemot 35 Continued


 So the entire community of the Children of Israel

went out from Moshe’s presence,

and then they came, every person whose mind was uplifted

and everyone whose spirit made-him-willing brought Adonai’s fund-raiser

for the skilled-work on the Tent of Appointed-time, for all its service [of construction], and for the garments of holiness.

Then came men and women alike, everyone of willing mind;

they brought

brooch and nose-ring and signet-ring and necklace, every kind of gold object,

everyone who wished to elevate an elevation-offering of gold to Adonai;

and everyone with whom could be found

blue-violet, purple, worm scarlet, byssus and goats’-hair, rams’ skins dyed-red and tanned-leather skins,

brought it.

Everyone raising a fund-raiser of silver and bronze

brought Adonai’s contribution,

and everyone with whom could be found

acacia wood for all the work of the service [of construction], brought it.

 

And every woman wise of mind,

with their hands they spun

and brought their spinning—

the blue-violet, the purple, the worm scarlet and the byssus,

and every one of the women whose mind uplifted them in practical-wisdom

spun the goats’-hair.

 

And the princely-leaders brought

the onyx stones and the stones for setting,

for the efod and for the Chest-plate,

and the fragrant-spice and the oil

for lighting, for oil of anointing, for fragrant smoking-incense.

Every man and woman

whose mind made-them-willing to bring [anything] for all the workmanship

that Adonai had commanded to make through Moshe, the Children of Israel brought it,

as a freewill-offering for Adonai.


…so Moshe called

for Betzalel, for Oholiav,

and for all persons wise of mind into whose mind Adonai had put wisdom,

all those whose mind uplifted them to come-near for the work,

to make it.

And they took from Moshe all the contributions

that the Children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of [constructing] the Holy-Shrine,

to make it.

Now they brought him further, freewill-offerings in the morning, [every] morning;

and came, all the wise-ones who were making all the skilled-work for the Holy-Shrine,

person after person, from their skilled-work that they were making,

and said to Moshe, saying:

“The people are bringing much more

than enough for the service of [doing] the work

that Adonai has commanded, to make it!”

So Moshe commanded and they had a call go throughout the camp, saying:

“Man and woman—let them not make-ready any further work-material for the fund-raiser of the Holy-Shrine!”

So the people were stopped from bringing;

the work-material was enough for them, for all the work, to make it, and more.

 

 



 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YSkaEWuqAw

Until 6:30-  Betzalel

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/BezalelLogo.svg

that logo is?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Bezalel%2C_1913.jpg

That street corner

 

Artist best typifying the Betzalel school:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephraim_Moses_Lilien

Betzalel today:

https://www.bezalel.ac.il/en

https://www.meisterdrucke.ie/kunstwerke/1260px/Ephraim_Moses_Lilien_-_EM_LILIEN_-_%28MeisterDrucke-645155%29.jpg

https://www.lbi.org/media/images/Moses_by_Lilien_High-Res.height-515.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Abraham_Lilien.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

1.    Shuva means “return.”  When is Shabbat Shuva?

a.   Between Pesach and Purim

b.   Between RH and YK

c.    Between Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom Hazikaron

d.   Between  Yom Huledet and Yom Chadash

e.    Between Ninja Day and Samurai Day

 

2.   Shabbat Shirah commemorates a special song. What song?

a.   The song sang on the other side of the Sea of Reeds

b.   The song sang after Moses died

c.    The song sang after the princes of Israel dug a well

d.   The song to be sung when the messiah arrives

e.    The song “Levitating” by Dua Lipa, dude.

 

3.   Shekalim is the plural for a silver coin, half of which was donated by every adult Jew to the temple when it stood. What is the singular?

a.   Shakal

b.   Shukul

c.    Shekel

d.   Shikil

e.    He’s lying-  its like the word fish- it can be plural too!

 

4.   Shabbat Zachor is the shabbat of remembrance- what are we commanded to remember?

a.   Remember when you made that Golden Calf when Go had said not to make idols?

b.   Remember when Miriam said that mean stuff about Moses?

c.    Remember when Amalek attacked you when you had just left Egypt and were exhausted?

d.   Remember when you got the Torah at Sinai?

e.    Remember when you tried your first bowl of cholent?

 

5.   Shabbat Parah is about a special cow that is all rowan haired, which otherwise means it is

a.   All black

b.   All reddish-brown

c.    All pale White or Albino

d.   All Yellow and sick looking

e.    All armored and ready to fight dragons

 

6.   Shabbat Hachodesh marks the month of Nissan, which is the month of…

a.   Passover

b.   Sukkot

c.    Holocaust Remembrance Day

d.   Channukah

e.    The all-Mediterranean Disco Dance Marathon

 

7.   Shabbat Hagadol means the big shabbat.  Traditionally, the rabbi of the community gets up and talks about

a.   Yom Kippur

b.   Passover

c.    The creation of the state of Israel

d.   The Death of Moses

e.    Our glorious leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea!

 

8.   Chazon, or vision, is a word for what a prophet sees that God sends her or him. Whose  grim vision is read as haftorah on Shabbat Chazon?

a.   Jeremiah

b.   Isaiah

c.    Ezekiel

d.   Chuldah

e.    Melvin Golfputter of 3556 Clark St.  Unit G.

 

9.   Nachamu-  means “comfort them.” What are the Jewish people being comforted for?

a.   Yom Kippur and having to fast a whole day without food or water

b.   The burning of ever copy of Talmud the French could find in 1240 CE in Paris

c.    The 9th of Av and the destruction of the Temple

d.   The loss of East Jerusalem to the Jordanians in 1948

e.    The creation of the rules of Kashrut that prohibit Jews eating bacon

 

10.                   Opinion:  Shabbat Mevarchim is a shabbat when we ask God to bless the month to come with many blessings. Which is your favorite?

a.    A month where there is a love of Torah and respect for God

b.    A month where there is no shame or disgrace,

c.     A month in which there is prosperity and honor

d.    A month where there is peace, sustenance, and blessing

e.    A month in which there will be fulfilled the wishes of our hearts for goodness.

 

11.                    Chol Hamoed is the in-between time of a holiday that is neither Yom tov, full holiday,  and Chol, regular days.  When is there a shabbat Chol Hamoed?

a.   Purim and  Shavuot

b.   Pesach and Sukkot

c.    Channukah and Sukkot

d.   Chanuah and Purim

e.    It’s a trick question-  there is no longer any chol hamoed without the Temple.


 


 

and also

https://coffeeshoprabbi.com/2014/04/18/chol-hamoed/