Dear Hebrew School Families,
Most of our weekday Hebrew School sessions conclude with all of our students coming together for a twenty minute service. These services are an opportunity to really engage with the meaning of the prayers. This week, we focused on the Shema.
Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad!
Hear, O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One!
After we talked about what the Hebrew words mean, I passed out index cards and asked everyone to write down why they thought we would say that our God is ONE. When everyone was done, we read some of the cards out loud. After hearing only a few of the responses, it was obvious that while we all thought that there was only one God, many of our beliefs about God were actually unique!
As a group, we decided that it was actually A GOOD THING that all of us believed slightly different things about God. Our diverse ideas just made the fact that we come together to sing or say the Shema more powerful!
I concluded this week’s services by reminding our students that one of my favorite rabbinical responsibilities is talking with them about God. I encouraged them to come see me if they ever wanted to brainstorm about who or what God is.
I hope that you’ll take time this weekend to begin or continue a family conversation about your beliefs. It can seem like an overwhelming subject, but asking your children about this week’s Shema activity is a great place to start!
Have a wonderful weekend and a restful Shabbat!
-Rabbi Bearman, November 7, 2014