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Showing posts from November, 2019
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Intentional Thanks and Wisdom from the Father of the Polio Vaccine It’s almost like the movie Groundhog Day, and “deja vu all over again.” Yes, another year and another opportunity to hear responses to the same assignment for our students.  From Nursery through Middle School, mid November is that time--the time for the “What I am Thankful For” essay or bulletin board to come out of the files.  And while it may seem repetitive and trite, an insight from this week’s parsha reminds us, once again of why it’s necessary for all of us to articulate and specify the parts of our life for which we must give thanks. In this week’s parsha, Sarah dies and Avraham goes to Kiryat Arba.  The Torah tells us: וַתָּ֣מָת שָׂרָ֗ה בְּקִרְיַ֥ת אַרְבַּ֛ע הִ֥וא חֶבְר֖וֹן בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַיָּבֹא֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם לִסְפֹּ֥ד לְשָׂרָ֖ה וְלִבְכֹּתָֽהּ׃ Sarah died in Kiriath-arba—now Hebron—in the land of Canaan; and Abraham proceeded to mourn for Sarah and to bewail her. (Gen. 23:1) Why does the Torah t
Rainbows, Pittsburgh and Perfect Lessons from KDS Tweens for the Month of Cheshvan As we are now past the holidays, our students have opened up the learning of the book of Breishit and, in many of our classes, our children, with the guidance of their teachers, are leading parsha conversations. Last Monday, I entered the 5th grade conversation about Noach and gained lenses on life and the rainbow that framed much of this past week at KDS.  The leader asked, “Should the rainbow be seen as a sign of sadness or a sign of hope? After all, it reminds us of the greatest devastation brought to humanity.  But is also is a reminder of the future.”  5th grade students went back and forth about the rainbow, expanding the conversation to discussing challenging places and spaces that can, at once, make them feel sad and also hopeful. And, on Friday, as I sat with our 7th and 8th graders to reflect with them on the first Yahrzeit of the Tree of Life shooting, we discussed a similar question tha