All Tied Up..Now Let's Cut It...

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Tzitzit and Tallit Family Ed Program. The tallitot you made are magnificent, and you should be very proud of your hard work. As you now know, tying tzitzot is not an easy task, but with a little bit of cooperation and a lot of patience, each of you made a beautiful tallit. Thank you and Yasher Koach to all of the Kitah Vav students and their dedicated parents for a job well done. Don't forget to bring your tallit to class on Sunday.

We will begin our Circumcision Life Cycle Unit on Tuesday. Stay tuned for some very interesting tips, and some wonderful dinner table discussions.

How are rainbows and circumcision connected?
Come to class today and you will find out.
Have a great day!

Not Just a Knot...

"You shall make for yourselves

twisted threads on the four corners of your garment
with which you cover yourself."
Deuteronomy 22:12

Tallit and Tzitzit Family Ed Program
Sunday, October 26, 2008

Bring a parent and fabric!
Meet in the Social Hall

Weekend Update

It was great seeing so many of our students at the Wandering and Wondering Family Ed Program this morning. Thank you for your support.

If this program stimulated your Biblical senses, Andover High School is presenting Children of Eden, a family friendly musical, loosely based on the book of Genesis. Check out Kitah Vav alumni Lindsay Alexis and Charlie Frank.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
NO SCHOOL - Simchat Torah Celebration

Sunday, October 26, 2008
Kitah Vav Family Ed Tallit and Tzitzit Program

Who's Shakin it in your Shack?

"When a person is seated in the sukkah,

Abraham and six distinguished visitors partake in his company."

Ushpizin, the tradition of inviting guests to our sukkah originates in the teachings of the Zohar, the mystical writings of our religion. The idea of the ushpizin, Aramaic for guests, suggests that the spiritual strength of the sukkah is so strong, that when we are seated in the sukkah, we have the power to welcome the souls of each honored guest.

So, spiritually speaking, we asked each student to pick a distinguished guest to invite to our outback shack. Students could invite anyone they wanted, living or deceased, celebrity, relative, ancestor, friend; the choice was theirs. The only catch was they had to explain why this invited guest could enhance the Jewish experience, strengthen our Jewish connection or stimulate our Jewish identity. Ask your child who they invited, or stop in and see our display.

Don't forget, Family Education Program Sunday morning.
Be there or be square.
Have a Wonderful Shabbat!

Celebrate in the Shack

This week we celebrate the festival of Sukkot, and thus Kitah Vav spent our valuable time together talking about family, friends, and celebrating the holidays as part of the Jewish community. Sukkot is actually referrred to as Zman Simchatanu, the holiday of celebration and happiness, and we are commanded to live in booths for seven days, and celebrate. Sukkot is a time to give thanks for the wonderful harvest, but also allows us to separate ourselves from our materialistic nature and connect to family, friends, and the environment. Even if you didn't put up a sukkah this year, take time to spend a few minutes outside with your family and enjoy the beautiful fall. Look at the moon, appreciate the leaves, share a snack, and most importantly, marvel at the wonderful world we live in. Chag Sameach, Barbara and Tracye

Put Me in the Book of Life!

Gamar Chatima Tova
We hope you had an easy fast.
If you didn't fast, we hope you at least tried.
And if not, did you give up sweets and snacks for the day?
How did you measure up? Did you hit the bullseye?
Are you working towards a better you and a better world?
Have you said anything mean or unkind?
Catch yourself before the words are spoken!

Thanks to the students and parents who visit this blog, it makes posting most meaningful. Feel free to leave a comment to let us know you were visiting. We will continue to reward students who sign in, leave a message, or mention the homework.

No School Tuesday, October 14, 2008, Sukkot
No School Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Simchat Torah

Extra Credit: Check out this website http://freerice.com

Tefillah, Teshuvah, Tashlich,

As we continue on our journey through the High Holidays, the twentieth letter of the English alphabet continues to have a strong presence in our daily discussions.

In Tefillah, we talked about our connection to the community and the Viduy, the confessional. When chanting this part of the Yom Kippur liturgy, each of us takes responsibility for our own sins and the sins committed by others, symbolizing our regret that we were unable to prevent others from sinning.

We also continued our discussion on Teshuva, deciding that saying "I am Sorry," is indeed very difficult, but something we must do. G-D will not, and cannot forgive us for sins commited against others, as this is something we must take care of on our own. Judaism does have a unique take on teshuvah however. If we sincerely ask for forgiveness three times, and are rebuked each time, then and only then, will G-D intervene and grant forgiveness.

Finally, to end our morning, we took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and joined together on the banks of the Rouge River to "cast away" our sins. Standing together in a circle, we read the Tashlich service together and then symbolically tossed our sins into the water.

Time to Think... Please bring at least 18 cents for tzedakah.