Issuu

2020-2021

5780-5781

COVID TORAH TORAH LESSONS FROM THE COVID PANDEMIC

INSIDE Divrei Torah written by our Bnei Mitzvah during the COVID-19 Pandemic •Temple Sinai of Roslyn•

COVID TORAH TORAH LESSONS FROM THE COVID PANDEMIC

Genesis BEREISHIT: REBECCA FABRICANT * SPENCER CYMBLER * JESSICA SISKIND NOACH: KAYLA DONNENFELD LECH L’CHA: JONATHAN FARBER VAYEIRA: TYLER LEVINE * EMILY GUILLON * SARAH GUILLON CHAYEI SARAH: MARLI JACOBSON * OLIVIA JACOBSON TOLDOT: ZACH KUPPERSMITH * SYDNEY HASSENBEIN VAYEITZEI: DANNY LEVINE VAYISHLACH: BENJAMIN RUBIN VAYESHEV: RILEY GREEN * MAXWELL GOLD * OLIVER GOLD * REESE MALLIN * MICHAELA MALLIN MIKEITZ: ETHAN YEDVAB

Exodus SHEMOT: ALEX BASS * NEIL REICHMAN VA-EIRA: ASHLEY SZERENCSY BO: MATTHEW WAXMAN B’SHALACH: KARA SHINDER YITRO: ALEX NEWMAN MISHPATIM: SOPHIE PLOTNITZKY T’TZAVEH: ALEXIS BROOKS KI TISA: COREY MILLER PEKUDEI: ZACH MASHAAL * MAX LIPPMANN

5781

TEMPLE SINAI OF ROSLYN

COVID TORAH TORAH LESSONS FROM THE COVID PANDEMIC

Leviticus VAYIKRA: ASHER FRIESS * JACK GLENNON * GABRIELLE GOLDSTEIN TZAV: BELLA KOHL * JACK BECKER M’TZORA: SPENCER GERSON * JAKE FINE KEDOSHIM: EMILY RUBEL * MIA STREINER * JORDYN ANMUTH EMOR: TYLER OSIT * CHLOE KANE * ZACHARY KANE * RYANN RAPPAPORT * LAYLA GOLDBERG BEHAR: CORY HERSHKOWITZ * JAKE GREENBERG B’CHUKOTAI: KATE POLON

Numbers B’MIDBAR: ETHAN BLUMBERG * RILEY LENSON NASO: ASHTON KLAR * FREDDY MURAD B’HAALOT’CHA: ANNA FALCONE* JORDAN ROTH SH'LACH L'CHA: JOSH BERGER PINHAS: ASHER HIRSCH

Deuteronomy KI TEITZEI: COLE BERLENT NITZAVIM: SARAH FERNBACH

5781

TEMPLE SINAI OF ROSLYN

FROM THE RABBIS

"Rabbi Hanina said: I have learned much from my teachers and even more from my friends, but from my students I have learned more than from all of them." - Talmud Bavli, Masechet Taanit 7a Among the disappointments we faced this year, no bar or bat mitzvah was celebrated as expected. No large congregation of family and friends to witness our students lead and teach. No celebrations with horas and toasts and family traveling in from near and far. They were mostly secluded affairs, often at home or in synagogue with just close family, masked and distanced. Often grandparents, aunts and uncles had to watch the service on line. And yet, every week, we were amazed and inspired by our students’ resilience; by how they focused on what was possible, and celebrated what was important. These young men and women excelled at every step along the process. Under the most challenging circumstances; they rose to the occasion and made us so proud. One of our greatest blessings was exploring and understanding the weekly Torah portion through their eyes. This year, the lived experience of a pandemic allowed each student to offer insightful, thoughtful and unique words of Torah, reflective of the uniqueness of the moment. Moreover, listening to them express the ways they grew as a result of this pandemic inspired us to reflect on the ways we may have grown as well. While we coached our students through a process of learning and preparation as their rabbis, these young men and women by all counts became our greatest teachers. Enclosed are their words, their reflections on their Torah portions, and their wise reflections on life during this pandemic. In honor of the holiday of Shavuot, a day when we celebrate receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, we are proud to share this compendium of COVID Torah with you. Within these pages you will find the Divrei Torah, the speeches, that our students delivered at their ceremonies. We believe these inspiring words and reflections, much like their authors, are truly a gift to our community and should be cherished. Wishing you a sweet holiday,

RABBI MICHAEL WHITE

RABBI ILANA SCHACHTER

GENESIS

BEREISHIT CONTRIBUTOR: REBECCA FABRICANT

My Torah portion, Bereishit, contains the first chapters of the Torah, and includes many iconic stories. It begins with the six days of creation, where God creates different elements of the universe every day, followed by a day of rest. We also read about the first human beings, Adam and Eve, and how a serpent convinced Eve to eat a fruit from a forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. Eve eats the fruit and encourages Adam to do so as well. As one of many punishments, God removes them both from the Garden of Eden. My Torah portion also tells the story of Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve’s children. One day, they both brought offerings to God, but God only accepted Abel’s offering. This caused Cain to get very angry, and he took his anger out on his brother by killing him. An important lesson that I discovered in the story of Cain and Abel is that we must control our anger so our emotions don’t get the best of us. When people let anger overwhelm them, it causes them to do or say things they wouldn’t have done originally, and might not be able to take back.

"WHEN PEOPLE LET ANGER OVERWHELM THEM, IT CAUSES THEM TO DO OR SAY THINGS THEY WOULDN’T HAVE DONE ORIGINALLY, AND MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE BACK."

I have seen this lesson play itself out, both in my own life and in fiction. For example, in the Broadway show, Hamilton (and historically as well), Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton had a rivalry, where there was animosity between them at several points throughout their relationship.

GENESIS emotions, and does something that results in causing many classmates’ pain and ruins Cady’s reputation. When people lose control of their emotions and do or say things they don’t actually mean, it can backfire and cause them to feel bad mentally or physically. This relates to my Torah portion because it provides another example of what can happen when one loses control of one’s emotions. While Regina didn’t kill Cady, she did let her anger get the best of her and it had consequences. This lesson from the Torah is so relevant in our daily lives, because everyone gets angry from time to time, myself included. One day when I was Initially, Burr thought Hamilton was too

in school, we were playing tennis. I knew there

comfortable talking about his thoughts on the

weren’t enough racquets for everyone, so I ran to

Revolutionary War, which began their tension. After

the bin to grab one quickly. Suddenly, a

that, there were multiple instances where Hamilton

classmate of mine ran in and pulled the racquet

was chosen for leadership roles over Burr,

out of my hand. This made me very upset, as now

beginning with George Washington selecting

I would have to wait to play, and wouldn’t be able

Hamilton to be his “right hand man” in the

to play with my friends. I was so upset, I could

Revolutionary War. With each of these instances,

have pulled the tennis racquet away from the

Aaron Burr’s anger toward and jealousy of

person who took it from me, but instead I held

Hamilton increased, to the point where he

myself back knowing that it wasn’t so important.

challenged Hamilton to a duel. When Hamilton

Unlike Cain, or Regina, instead of letting my anger

aimed his pistol at the sky, surrendering, Burr lost

get the best of me, I let him keep the racquet and

control of his emotions, and shot him. Similar to

waited for my turn.

Cain in my Torah portion, Burr was overwhelmed by anger and jealousy, and these emotions led him

Now that I am becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I hope to

to kill another person — an action he could not

learn from the lessons of my Torah portion. My

take back.

Torah portion has reminded me that while it is easy to be overcome by anger, we need to work

I also noticed the destructive impact of anger in

hard not to lose control of our emotions. I hope

another show, Mean Girls on Broadway. In this play,

this lesson can teach me to persist through times

the main character Cady does something to hurt

where my anger may make me want to do

her classmate Regina. When Regina finds this out,

something that wouldn’t be kind or that would

she is overcome by anger. She loses control of her

have a permanent consequence.

GENESIS CONTRIBUTOR:

SPENCER CYMBLER

In Parashat Bereishit, the Torah begins with the description of how God created the world. The Torah portion goes into detail about this creative process, from the moment when God was about to create life and the earth was full of chaos and darkness. God said “let there be light,” and then light and happiness were brought into the earth. For six days, God would

"WE SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL, REALIZING THAT THIS WORLD IS VERY FRAGILE AND THAT IF SOMETHING IS DESTROYED, NO ONE CAN FIX WHAT GOD HAS MADE FOR US."

create something new, with each day building off of the previous day’s act of creation. God then started to create people to live in this environment, giving human beings power to

I try to uphold this important value of keeping the earth

care for the earth.

clean in my life. Every day, I help my parents work around the house and clean up so our house can stay

In studying the Torah’s description of creation, I

clean and nice. Also, any time I finish a drink or a food

believe that God’s creative process is a model

or anything I'm done with, I throw out my trash rather

for each one of us. I believe that every day God

than leaving it on the ground. I think about the earth,

tries to create something new in order to

and know that littering is harmful. I believe cleaning the

improve the earth in different ways. The story of

earth and making it a clean and nice place is what God

creation can inspire us to live our lives by doing

wants from us.

what is right and caring for the earth. Similarly, at camp, we work hard to preserve our In Kohelet Rabbah, a book of biblical Midrash,

environment. We have a daily clean-up where every

we learn that, “When God created the first

grade in camp gets assigned a spot around camp.

human beings, God led them around the Garden

Everyone has to clean their area before being able to

of Eden and said: ‘Look at my works! See how

go to dinner. In addition, I reduce waste while I am at

beautiful they are-- how excellent! For your sake

camp by keeping the same water bottle around with me

I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil

the whole day rather than using disposable water

and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be

bottles.

no one else to repair it.’” I think that this means when God created life, God created a beautiful

While I have taken a few small steps towards keeping

place for humans. The message reflected in this

our earth protected and cared for, now that I am

midrash is that we should be very careful,

becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I want to be even more

realizing that this world is very fragile and that if

thankful of what God created; I will be more

something is destroyed, no one can fix what

considerate of my surroundings, and be grateful for all

God has made for us.

of God’s creation.

GENESIS

CONTRIBUTOR:

JESSICA SISKIND

My Torah portion, Parshat Bereishit, is the first portion of the Torah and contains many stories about the world’s beginning. The first story describes the 6 days it took for God to create the universe, and explains what God created each day. It also describes God resting on the seventh day. Following this episode, the text describes the garden in Eden, and how God placed Adam in this garden to take care of it. God tells Adam he can eat whatever he would like except for fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. God then created a woman for Adam out of one of his ribs. This woman was called Eve. Together, they kept the

"JEALOUSY IS EVERYWHERE AND IS NORMAL, BUT THE WAY YOU HANDLE IT IS IMPORTANT."

garden. One day, however, a serpent tricked Eve into eating fruit off of the Tree of Knowledge. Eve then convinced Adam to eat it. When God confronted them, God punished the serpent, Adam, and Eve. My Torah portion continues to describe how Eve became pregnant and gave birth to Cain and Abel. One day, both Cain and Abel brought offerings to God, but God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected Cain’s. This infuriated Cain and filled him with jealousy to the point where he couldn’t think. God warns Cain to control his anger, but he does not listen, and soon after, Cain killed Abel in the field. When I was reading through my Torah portion, the story that stood out to me most was the story of Cain and Abel. While the story was extreme and ended in murder, I can relate to the feelings of jealousy that Cain may have had. I believe jealousy can take over people in the worst ways. For example, Cain had a right to be jealous of Abel; his offerings were rejected by God when Abel’s were accepted. However, because Cain cannot control the anger he felt, he proceeded to kill Abel out in the field. In my own life, I have experienced jealousy. It comes around all the time. It is common and it is a strong feeling. One can

GENESIS

experience jealousy in any situation, whether with

moment and wonder why I couldn't just feel

your family, friends, a team sport, and even about

happy for my teammate? Why couldn’t I be mature

boys. What my Torah portion reminds us of is that

and realize everybody deserves a chance to

being jealous is normal, but can also be

succeed?

dangerous. It can change a person and make them do horrible things. I have seen what people do

The more I thought about my jealousy, the more I

when they're jealous. For example, many girls in my

realized that I can be happy for others, for they

class are jealous of my best friend, in large part

deserve things just as much as I do. Jealousy is

because of her popularity. Rather than deal with

everywhere and is normal, but the way you handle

their feelings, they act out in terrible ways to try to

it is important. As I studied my Torah portion, I was

hurt her. Some will gossip, or call her horrible

reminded of the things that can come out of being

names. While these girls do not physically hurt her,

jealous of others’ successes. When someone gets

they, like Cain, are blinded by their jealousy and

something you don't, it hurts, I can agree. But that

seek to cause her harm. You can't change the way

doesn't mean it’s okay to lash out or look for ways

jealousy takes over people. And even though my

to sabotage them. Instead, you should try to flip

friend and I know that there is no legitimate reason

your mindset, and try your hardest to smile and be

for the words or actions of people, the things they

proud of what others can accomplish. Finally,

said hurt.

while one may feel that jealousy has a way of taking over someone. I have learned that it is easy

I have been jealous before as well, but have

and important to control and turn around.

worked hard to reflect on what is causing my jealousy and what I need to do to control that

It has been an especially tough year to prepare for

feeling. For example, one time recently, I was

my Bat Mitzvah, and the COVID pandemic has

benched during my basketball game. I felt

affected my life in several ways. Some of you may

replaced by one of my teammates. My heart melted

know, my grandpa passed away recently due to

when I didn’t hear my name get called to go in. At

Covid-19. It was a long, sad and most

that moment I was filled with jealousy and felt

heartbreaking period of my life. He meant the

angry and annoyed. It was the worst feeling in the

world to me and the rest of my family. He was the

world. I felt I should be the one put in — I had

kindest man with the purest of hearts and

worked extra hard at practice the previous day.

deserves to always be remembered. For the past 3

Like Cain, I could not see how what I had to offer

weeks, I have been able to raise about $6,800 for

was anything less than my teammate.

hospitals and medical centers so that they can get more supplies and space to take in and treat more

However, unlike my Torah portion, I did not let my

patients. There are still many dying, but I am

emotions get the best of me, and cause me to act

hoping this money will help people who aren't as

out. Today, with a little distance, I look back at that

fortunate as I am.

GENESIS

NOACH CONTRIBUTOR:

KAYLA DONNENFELD

My Torah portion, Parshat Noach, begins with a description of the world as a place of violence, filled with corruption and destructive activity. Because of this, God decides to wipe all the inhabitants off the earth with a big flood. The only creatures God planned to save were Noah, his wife, their offspring, and one pair of each species of animal. God revealed this plan to Noah, and instructed him to build an ark, so that he and his family could survive and float on the surface of the flood water. God flooded the earth for forty days and nights, and the water remained for one hundred fifty days.Sometime after the flood, when the world was repopulated, the people started building a tower tall enough tower to reach the sky. God feels threatened by the people’s ambition and competence, so God split everyone up across the world, with different people speaking different languages. Since nobody understood each other, they could no longer build the tower. The stories contained in my Torah portion raised questions for me. For example, in both stories, God is angry with the behavior of the people, and gives them severe punishments. In the story of the flood, while I understand why God might have wanted a less violent world and felt it was simpler to start fresh, I think that there were probably people and certainly animals that did nothing wrong, yet were still destroyed. I believe that God should have only destroyed the living things that were mean and cruel to the earth. In addition, I wonder why God chose Noah and his family over all of the other good and kind humans. What good things did Noah and his family do that made them stand out to God that were

better than what all the other people did? Similarly, in the story of the Tower of Babel, the people expressed a confidence that upset God.They thought that they could build a tower as tall as the sky, an act that should be reserved for God. However, I think that if the people were acting poorly, God could have given them some sort of warning before changing their world so dramatically. Maybe if God had done that, the people would have improved their behavior.

"THE PANDEMIC HAS FORCED US TO PAUSE OUR NORMAL LIVES, AND GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT OUR ACTIONS AND WHAT WE ARE DOING TO THE WORLD." I also related to the flood story in terms of the world today and COVID-19. Learning Parshat Noach in the midst of a pandemic has made me think about the similarities between what is happening to the world right now and what happened to the world during Noah’s time. For example, God cleared out the world with a huge flood because of all the violence, and cruelty present. In our world, we also have violence, pollution, and cruelty, but it is up to us to figure out how we can make the world better. I don’t believe that COVID is a punishment from God, but the pandemic has forced us to pause our normal lives, and gives us an opportunity to think about our actions and what we are doing to the world. With people having to stay in their homes, pollution has decreased, wildlife is coming back out, and people have more empathy for others now. We did not experience a second flood, but our landscape is radically different now because of this virus. Rather than complete destruction, I think this virus may offer a reset for this world and a chance to act differently after it's over.

GENESIS

LECH L’CHA CONTRIBUTOR:

JONATHAN FARBER

My Torah portion, Lech L’cha, is about Abram, a man whose life was changed by God. Abram was a regular person, who had a wife Sarai and lived in Haran. My Torah portion begins when God speaks to Abram and tells him to go on a journey, promising to take care of Abram’s family, and make his name great. Abram follows God’s instructions and leaves his home; he brings his wife and nephew Lot. His journey takes him through Egypt, where the Pharaoh takes Sarai as his wife, thinking that she is Abram’s sister. When Pharaoh discovers the truth, he sends them away. Although my Torah portion tells a story from another time, I related to much of Abram’s journey. Abram’s journey is not smooth or easy, and contains moments of success and moments of challenge. Also, Abram’s journey begins suddenly, without preparation or warning. In many ways, these are the elements of my journey from being a small child to the person I am today. For example, as I was studying my Torah portion, and preparing for my Bar Mitzvah, the COVID Pandemic hit, and my life changed suddenly. We had to stay in quarantine, learn from home, and all of our social and extracurricular activities were cancelled. Like Abram, I had to make a sudden change in my life; I wasn’t expecting it, and the future was uncertain. However, this period of sudden change in my life ended up being very positive for me and it pushed me to grow. Without distractions, I focused on my work and not other things. I didn’t go to sports after school every day, had fewer tests and quizzes, and more free time. Life changed, my lifestyle changed, and it caused me to grow by doing things I don't normally do. With more time to myself, I started studying more, focusing more on school work rather than sports. I also started reading for fun again, which I hadn’t done in a while. I’m thinking more about the future and what I will do in life. Similarly, with God’s instruction to leave his home and travel to an unknown land, Abram had to change his life. Leaving everything he knew behind, he had to adjust to a different lifestyle, and he benefited from change. Abram took the responsibility to do a task God gave him; he followed God’s instructions and along the way was able to grow. He grew by becoming a helpful person, settling a dispute between his herdsmen, and rescuing Lot. His journey shaped him into a father of Israel. As I become a Bar Mitzvah, I hope I will continue to change, and welcome changes in my life the way Abram did. Looking back at the past year during the COVID-19 pandemic, I can see the ways in which I changed as a person from someone who was unmotivated to a person who wants to grow in life. In addition, just as Abram cared for his family and those in his community along his journey, I have grown to care for and love a rescue dog which my family adopted from a shelter. When we got him he was petrified and so as he adapted to us and started to accept us and love us he changed to a loving dog. As I continue to grow, I hope to work at an animal shelter and make other animals feel safe and loved.

"THIS PERIOD OF SUDDEN CHANGE IN MY LIFE ENDED UP BEING VERY POSITIVE FOR ME AND IT PUSHED ME TO GROW." 10

GENESIS

VAYEIRA CONTRIBUTOR:

TYLER LEVINE

My Torah portion, parshat Vayeira, describes several episodes with Abraham. First, Abraham is approached by three men, and he welcomes them into his home generously. God announces that Sarah will bear a son even though she thought this was impossible. Later on, Abraham is instructed to sacrifice his son Isaac, as a test by God of Abraham’s loyalty. Abraham agrees but at the last moment, an angel of God intervenes; Isaac is saved and God tells Abraham to sacrifice a Ram in Isaac’s place. Also in my Torah portion, God tells Abraham that God will destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the bad behavior of the people. Abraham challenges God, asking God if God would still destroy the cities if 50 people were innocent, to which God responds no. Abraham keeps arguing, each time lowering the number until it gets to 10. Unfortunately, even after this successful argument, there was only one family who was not sinful in the cities: Lot and his wife and daughters. They were spared by being told to escape, with a warning not to look back, but Lot’s wife looked back into the city, and turned into a pillar of salt. One lesson that I took out of the story of sodom and Gomorrah is that our actions have consequences. These cities were destroyed because of the actions of their inhabitants. While this story may be extreme and while God might not punish us for our actions today, we still live in a society with laws, rules and expectations. For example, if you break the law, by robbing a bank or murdering another person, there are severe legal consequences, such as imprisonment.

"BEING ABLE TO LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES ALLOWS US ALL TO GROW INTO BETTER HUMANS." If you violate rules in school by misbehaving or not attending class, you might receive detention, a failing grade, or even expulsion. If you misbehave at home, like talking back to your parents, the consequence might be that your electronics are taken away. I have gotten in trouble before which resulted in consequences, but I was able to learn from this and make better decisions in the future. Being able to learn from our mistakes allows us all to grow into better humans. I think this is a really important lesson from my Torah portion, that can be applied to both our individual as well as our collective actions. For example, the damage we are doing to our earth, through pollution and the destruction of wildlife, is taking its toll on our earth. Our reckless actions have resulted in severe environmental consequences, such as fires in California and poor air quality. Now that I am becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I want to set some goals for my future self. What I have wanted to be for a very long time is a lawyer. I will try as hard as I can to achieve this goal, by working hard in school, studying, and being the best me I can be. I want to achieve my goals because not only will I attain my dream job, but I will become a better person along the way. But if I am not able to be my best self, and let my youth go to waste, as my Torah portion says, actions have consequences.

GENESIS CONTRIBUTOR: EMILY GUILLON

Just like Abraham and Sarah, she didn’t lose hope,

My Torah portion, parshat Vayeira contains the story

and we are here today with great strength and health

of Abraham and his wife Sarah in their old age; Sarah

because of her.

is 90 years old and Abraham is 100 years old. One day, three angels appear next to Sarah and Abraham

I can also relate to the value of never giving up hope

and inform them that Sarah will become pregnant.

because as I was preparing for my bat mitzvah, the

Sarah laughs, doubting the angels, because she was

global pandemic began with a deadly, contagious

90 years old. Soon, however, Sarah becomes

virus. During this time, it has been easy to lose hope:

pregnant and she is shocked. Her son is named Isaac

things keep changing, and for many months we

(after the Hebrew word for laughter).

didn’t see our friends and family. At the same time, I know how important it is for us to believe that things

The story of Abraham and Sarah having a child so

will get better, that the pandemic will end, and that

late in their lives really resonated with me, as it can

we can resume our normal lives.

be a lesson for us to never give up hope. When Sarah learns that she will have a baby, she laughs because

People can’t give up hope because then it will add

it sounds impossible, given her age and the fact that

more fear. When you have hope, you have a goal to

she was not able to have babies in the past.

reach for. In my case, that has been hoping for the

"DURING THIS TIME, IT HAS BEEN EASY TO LOSE HOPE... AT THE SAME TIME, I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR US TO BELIEVE THAT THINGS WILL GET BETTER, THAT THE PANDEMIC WILL END, AND THAT WE CAN RESUME OUR NORMAL LIVES." It would be understandable if, after wishing for a

end of the Coronavirus. Some things that continue to

child for so long, Abraham and Sarah gave up on

make me hopeful are the people on the news who

their hope for a child. At that moment, however, God

predict how long it will last, and are able to estimate

granted Sarah and Abraham’s wish, and their son,

that after a period of time, things might go back to

Isaac, grew up to be a founding father of the Jewish

normal. When that happens, we might never hear of

nation.

the Coronavirus again. The story of Abraham and Sarah gave me hope because if something that is so

The story of Abraham and Sarah presents a powerful

extraordinary, like Sarah and Abraham having a baby

model for how hope in the face of difficulty can bring

at 90 years old is possible, I have hope that maybe

about great things. In my life, my mom represents a

the Coronavirus will end soon.

model of hope as well. My twin sister and I were born three months early with a lot of health problems.

Now that I am becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I want to

Despite the multiple challenges she faced, my mom

spread the message of hope in my life. For example,

showed strength and took great care of us.

my family recycles a lot, because despite the

GENESIS

pollution we see on earth, we are committed to

plan to destroy these cities along with their people,

saving the planet; we have hope that the animals in

but Abraham argues with God about that, claiming

the ocean can still be saved. This is what my

that not everyone could be bad, and that those

Mitzvah Project is based on. My goal for my

good people have a right to live.

Mitzvah Project was to sell handmade string bracelets for 5 dollars each. All of the money raised

I feel that Abraham’s attempt to save any righteous

goes to Gumbo Limbo, a sea creature rehabilitation

people by trying to convince God was heroic;

center in Florida. This money will help sick turtles

Abraham was arguing with God even though God is

and other sea creatures that are injured by other

the one who makes the decisions. God could have

animals and different plastics and other waste in

killed Abraham for standing up to God, but Abraham

the ocean. The veterinarians and volunteer

took that risk for others. In addition, Abraham

workers at Gumbo Limbo have hope that one day

believed in the goodness of others; he looked for

all of the sea creatures that they are helping will go

the good in people, even if they acted badly.

back into the ocean. It may be hard for some

Without knowing them, he tried to save the people

people to still have hope about our planet and to

of Sodom and Gomorrah.

believe that things can improve, but I believe that if we work hard enough and if everyone does their

I relate to the way that Abraham acted because I

part, then we can make a real difference.

also care about how other people are feeling and

"I HAVE NOTICED SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO DEMONSTRATE EMPATHY AND TO CONSIDER PEOPLE WHO WE DON’T KNOW THROUGHOUT THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK."

how they are being treated. When I was in elementary school, I decided to write my principal a letter about how some kids who had special needs were being treated unfairly by other students, and how I wanted to do something to stop that. Similar to Abraham in my Torah portion, I expressed empathy towards others whom I did not know. After the principal read my letter, she introduced me to the teacher of students with special needs, who decided that I could come to the classroom and cook with her students every week. I ended up building a relationship with and learning a lot about each student in that class; it was a great experience and definitely a highlight of elementary school.

CONTRIBUTOR: SARAH GUILLON

In my Torah portion, Parshat Vayeira, God wants to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah; two cities filled with people who are not nice to each other and don’t respect their cities. God tells Abraham about God’s

I have noticed several opportunities to demonstrate empathy and to consider people who we don’t know throughout the Coronavirus outbreak. During this time, people including me and others are trying to do their part by staying home as much as they can, and wearing a mask if they go in public

GENESIS

to shop for food and supplies. The people who act

care more for animals and our environment.

this way have empathy towards others around

For our Mitzvah project, my sister and I decided to

them. They take these precautions so they don’t

sell string bracelets to raise money for Gumbo

get exposed to the virus or expose the virus to

Limbo, a nature center for sea animals in Boca

others, including members of their family. They are

Raton. This amazing nature center cares for sick and

thinking of others, not just themselves.

hurt sea animals. Just like Abraham who cared for the people of the two cities Sodom and Gemmorah,

Nurses, doctors, and other people who work in

we cared about the sick and injured sea animals in

hospitals are trying to help others and are putting

Gumbo Limbo and did what we could to support

their own lives at risk by treating and supporting

them.

those patients who have the virus. Like Abraham, they are all heroes, thinking of others and placing the needs of strangers above their own. Abraham’s life would not have been impacted if Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, but Abraham still cared about those who lived there. During this pandemic,

CHAYEI SARAH

medical workers could have stayed home, but decided instead to go to work and try to save as

CONTRIBUTOR:

many lives as possible.

MARLI JACOBSON

Even though in the end, Sodom and Gomorrah

Our Torah portion is called Parashat Chayei Sarah

were destroyed, Abraham's intentions should not

which can be translated as “Sarah’s Lifetime,” and

be ignored. He was someone who wanted to save

is found in the book of Genesis. At the beginning of

people, because after all, they were still human

the torah Portion, Sarah died, and Abraham

beings with feelings and family. He cared about

searched for a far away place to bury her. He

others and was willing to fight with God for their

buried her in the cave of Machpelah. Abraham then

survival. This is the definition of a true hero.

sent his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Along the way, the servant was at a well, when a

Now that I’m becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I will try to

woman named Rebekah provided water for him

be more empathetic, and more sensitive to how

and his camels. The servant was so taken by her

others are feeling. For example, if I am at school

kindness that he asked Rebekah’s mother and

and someone doesn’t have a partner, I could ask

brother if she would marry Issac. Rather than

them if they want to be my partner. If someone just

making the decision for her, they left the final

failed their test and was really upset, I could try to

choice up to Rebekah, who decided to go with the

make them feel better by talking to them. And if

servant to marry Issac.

someone was under a lot of stress, I could support them, and help make them feel that everything will

Our Torah portion has many significant themes.

be okay.

The one that most interested me was when Rebekah offered the servant water. Kindness

In addition to caring for other people, I also want to

seemed to come naturally to her. She went out of

GENESIS

her way for the servant and for his camels. This is an important reminder that one act of kindness can stick with someone for a long time. It can cheer them up when they are feeling down, and even change their life. My family experienced a significant act of kindness during the Holocaust. My great aunt Margo and my great grandma Hedy were making their escape to the United States, and were on a train from Hamburg, Germany. My great aunt was four years old and she was sleeping. Suddenly, the Nazis came and invaded the train. Rather than arresting them, one Nazi let my great grandma and my great aunt stay on the train. This was because my great aunt was sound asleep and she was a very little girl. He said, in German, “shhh, take off your armband and let the child sleep.” He let them stay on the train instead of being removed and likely taken to a concentration camp. This act of kindness allowed my great grandma and my great aunt to not only live, but also to come to America. Once in America, they were able to reunite with my great grandfather and eventually had my grandma Annie, who married my grandpa Irwin and they had my aunt Lori and my mom. Then my mom married my dad and they had my brother, sister, and I.

"ONE ACT OF KINDNESS CAN STICK WITH SOMEONE FOR A LONG TIME. IT CAN CHEER THEM UP WHEN THEY ARE FEELING DOWN, AND EVEN CHANGE THEIR LIFE." While not as dramatic, I strive in my own life to perform small acts of kindness. For example, during this pandemic, I FaceTime or Zoom with my grandparents almost everyday to check in and say hi, just to brighten their day a little bit. This act of kindness may not be a huge effort, but it still has a huge impact on my life and my grandparents' lives. When I call them, they always have huge smiles on their faces. It is very hard during this time because we can’t interact with our extended family as we used to, so just a quick call to them can make them feel important and loved. For my Mitzvah project I decided that I wanted to perform an act of kindness to change someone’s life: I donated nine inches of my hair and am trying to raise awareness for hair donations. Both my grandmother Annie and my aunt Lori had cancer. Luckily my aunt did not need to have chemotherapy, but my grandma did, and as a result of her treatment, she lost her hair. My grandma told me that during that awful time, she didn’t recognize herself when she looked in the mirror and her self confidence was lower. The combination of thinking about how sad my grandma felt when she lost her hair and how important my hair is to me, contributed to making me want to donate my hair. My hair donation will hopefully help a child become more confident and happy at a time when they are being treated for cancer and have lost their hair, or they are not able to grow hair. A small deed that I performed will likely make the recipient so happy and could have a lasting impact on his or her self-esteem. Anyone can donate his or her hair, if they have enough hair for the donation, but the process requires a bit of research. Unfortunately, one hair donation does not create one wig, which is why higher volumes of hair donations are needed.

GENESIS

I donated my hair to Children with Hair Loss

servant and his camels water.

because their wigs come with a hair “care kit” so children can maintain their wigs. Every year until the

She was so helpful and kind for doing this, that the

child is 21, they receive a hair replacement and a

servant was struck by her generosity. He also

new care kit free of charge from the Children with

noticed she was beautiful. He thought she would

Hair Loss organization. Please see the mitzvah

be perfect for Isaac to marry. The servant went to

project section of our B’not mitzvah website for

Rebekah’s mother and brother to make sure it was

more information.

okay with them for her to marry Isaac. Then he made sure it was okay with Rebekah. The servant

Now that I have become a Bat Mitzvah I’m looking

then took Rebekah with him to go meet Isaac. They

forward to being treated more like an adult. This is a

met and it was love at first sight.

big milestone in my life that I am happy to share with my family and friends, even if it is virtual.

I noticed that in our Torah portion, traditions begin

Rebekah’s act of kindness made me realize that I

and are continued. For example, when Sarah died,

can make a difference every day, big or small, just

Abraham buried her in the cave of Machpelah.

by being kind or doing good deeds.

When Abraham died, Isaac buried him in the same cave as Sarah. This location became a traditional family burial spot. We even carry on this tradition today, by burying someone alongside members of their family when they pass away. Another example of tradition is before asking Rebekah directly, the servant approached Rebekah’s mother and brother for their consent to the marriage. Today, many people also ask parents for their child’s hand in marriage.

CONTRIBUTOR:

OLIVIA JACOBSON

This Torah portion is called Parshat Chayei Sarah, which translates to “The Life of Sarah.” When I first read the Parashah, I thought it was strange that it was called “The Life of Sarah,'' because it starts off with the burial of Sarah. After burying Sarah, Abraham wanted to find a wife for his son, Isaac. He sent his servant back to his town to look for a wife and along the way, the servant stopped at a well to give his camels water. A woman named Rebekah was there, and offered to give both the

This reminded me of the Holocaust class Marli and I participated in here at Temple Sinai last spring, given by Mr. and Mrs. Laskey. Among the many things we learned in the class, one that really stood out to me relates to traditions. During the Holocaust, Jews fought back by still observing their Jewish religion. In the face of terrible adversity, they still carried on Jewish traditions and tried to live their lives. They celebrated Shabbat and holidays, and still observed milestones such as wedding ceremonies and bar and bat mitzvahs. When I thought about the way traditions were

GENESIS featured in our Torah portion, I also thought about the traditions my family and I have, and the holidays and special occasions that we celebrate. Since the pandemic began, I realize how important it is to keep traditions. They might look a bit different, but our traditions have helped me and my family to make our quarantine time both meaningful and fun. We have celebrated holidays, birthdays, milestones and special occasions, all while maintaining traditions that have been part of my family for years. We have also established some new traditions which I will pass down to future generations including making challah with my mom on Shabbat afternoons. For my mitzvah project, I wanted to help others to keep traditions alive. Since mealtime is such an integral part of our everyday lives, I’ve decided to make an email cookbook filled with family recipes to share with the Roslyn community. In the August 2020 Temple Sinai’s Scribe, I shared a few paragraphs requesting recipes. I am still in the process of creating this cookbook that I will email back to everyone who submits a recipe or requests a copy. There is still time to submit your family recipes and be included in the special project. Please see the mitzvah project section of our b’not mitzvah website for more information and submit recipes by November 30, 2020. Now that I am becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I feel that keeping these traditions are especially important to me. They make me feel connected to my family and give me a feeling of comfort. Today is just one example of how I have participated in a Jewish tradition. I read from the Torah that was passed down to me, and I am taking responsibility for its teachings. It's important to keep these traditions and pass them down through generations because it's part of our culture and it reminds us of family. In our Torah portion, when Sarah died, Abraham felt he had to continue his family’s legacy by finding a wife for his son Issac. That was his way of carrying on traditions. I would like to do the same for my family and generations to come by carrying on special traditions.

"SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN, I REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO KEEP TRADITIONS. THEY MIGHT LOOK A BIT DIFFERENT, BUT OUR TRADITIONS HAVE HELPED ME AND MY FAMILY TO MAKE OUR QUARANTINE TIME BOTH MEANINGFUL AND FUN."

GENESIS

TOLDOT CONTRIBUTOR: ZACH KUPPERSMITH

In my Torah portion, Toldot, we hear the story of twin brothers, Jacob and Esau. From the beginning, their relationship is strained because they are very different people. In addition, Jacob is very close with his mother, whereas Esau is very close with his father. As my Torah portion progresses, however, the situation escalates. Jacob first convinces Esau into giving him his birthright. Then, Jacob tricks his father Isaac into giving him a blessing his father had reserved for Esau. Jacob and Esau not only let their relationship devolve, but Jacob takes active steps to damage their relationship. By the end of the Torah portion, Esau wants to kill Jacob for what he has done, and Jacob has to run away. Family is one of the most important things in life, and nothing should ever get in the way of that. Most families have their fair share of disagreements. In my family, we definitely can argue, especially my sister and me. We have ridiculous disagreements like who gets to sit where in the car or at the dinner table, which often result in us yelling and screaming. But in the end, we all work together to make up and move past things. We mean too much to one another to ever let anything get to a point as bad as Jacob and Esau. Arguments happen, but they should never get to a point where you want to kill your own sibling. In studying my Torah portion, the story of Jacob and Esau has reminded me never to hold a grudge. Holding grudges can lead to people who care about each other no longer speaking. I could never imagine that happening. My parents have modeled this important lesson for me. I have watched my dad have disagreements in business and I admire his ability to move on right away. My mom always helps me with everything, and

even when she gets frustrated with me, her ability to move on is impressive. Moving on from moments of conflict and working to repair relationships is extremely important, especially with family. One of the best ways to nurture relationships is with honesty and open communication. For example, instead of holding your feelings in, you should always share with loved ones when they have hurt you. Instead of holding his anger, Esau could have confronted Jacob to see if they could have worked things out. Similarly, once Jacob realized what he had done wrong, he could have apologized and sought his brother’s forgiveness. Instead, neither of them was honest or open, which led to Esau wanting to kill his own brother. Communication is something I will continue to work on with Reese, even when this is hard. Family means so much to me, and I would be heartbroken to

"MOVING ON FROM MOMENTS OF CONFLICT AND WORKING TO REPAIR RELATIONSHIPS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT."

see my family devolve like Jacob and Esau. This has been a difficult year for everyone, and I am grateful for the health and happiness of those around me. While I have missed my friends, basketball, camp and even school, I have had endless amounts of family time. One of my favorite parts of quarantine was our family dinners. These dinners would be fun

GENESIS and interactive with many different types of food.

blessing, Jacob pretended to be Esau: he put

In thinking about my Bar Mitzvah project, I was

some hair on his skin, went hunting, had Rebecca

reminded how lucky I am to have a meal on my

cook a meal and went to Issac to receive his

table every night. I have asked family and friends to

brother's blessing. Isaac had very poor eyesight,

contribute to the Hebrew Union College Soup

so after he ate the meal, he proceeded to give

Kitchen. Last February, before the Pandemic, I had

Jacob the blessing, thinking it was Esau. Right

the privilege of participating in this soup kitchen. It

after the blessing was given, however, Esau

was eye opening and serves as a constant

walked in ready for his blessing, but it was too

reminder to appreciate what I have, and help better

late! It had already been given to Jacob and

the lives of others.

could not be taken back. Esau was devastated and begged Isaac for another blessing. After lots of begging he finally got a blessing but it wasn't a

CONTRIBUTOR:

SYDNEY HASSENBEIN

My Torah portion is Parshat Toldot, and I really enjoyed its storyline. The Torah portion revolves around our ancestors: Issac, the son of Abraham, Isaac’s wife Rebecca, and their two children, Jacob and Esau. Esau was the eldest son; he was hairy and red when he was born. He enjoyed hunting and being a man of the outdoors. The younger son was named Jacob, who was more of a stay-at-home person or, in other words, the total opposite personality of Esau. Jacob and Esau experienced many moments of fighting, just like siblings do, just like my brother and I do. It seems that the differences in the ways they acted distanced them from each other and led to unhealthy competition. Jacob took advantage of Esau and made him hand over his birthright due to hunger. He took advantage when he should have just shared the food that he made with his brother. Later in the story, Issac tells Esau that it is nearing his time to die, and he will give him a blessing as the eldest son. Rebecca overheard their conversation, and since she favored Jacob, she told him that this was happening. In order to steal his brother’s

good one. This story taught me a lot about sibling relationships and how we should treat other people. I have learned that we should help our siblings and not go against them. Also, this story describes two brothers with distinct skills: Jacob can prepare soup for example, and Esau is talented at hunting game. If Jacob and Esau were not so competitive with each other, they could be a team, both benefiting from each other’s skills and acting as if they were teammates. If they acted this way, then maybe Jacob would receive his own blessing without having to steal it from his brother. In my own life, I have learned that when it comes to having different strengths, only good things come out of working together to help one another. When it was time to try out for the tennis team, both my friend and I were interested. We knew this would take lots of practice, so we decided to take lessons with a coach and practice on our own time too. We were both very passionate about this and really put in the work so we would be prepared. Having different strengths when practicing made us both so much better because we would critique and help each other.

GENESIS

I had a strong backhand whereas she has a strong forehand. This was key. We helped each other when we could’ve gone against each other. Jacob and Esau had different strengths just like my friend and me. Unlike Jacob and Esau, however, we did not fight often, nor were we enemies. I enjoyed practicing with her, and our bond (and our game!) definitely became stronger. Perhaps this would have been the case with Jacob and Esau if they collaborated instead of competing with one another. Another aspect of Jacob and Esau’s story that troubled me was the way their parents helped them to compete against each other. I feel that my parents are very balanced, giving my brother and me equal affection. There is never really a point where I feel on the side or invisible. Jacob and Esau’s parents are very open about their favoritism. If i were to put myself in Jacob’s or Esau’s shoes, I wouldn't be as happy as I am now. How parents treat their children can really affect one's life. I am so grateful for how my parents show love to both of us in a balanced way.

"If we build partnerships with people whose strengths are different from our own, we can both be stronger."

Moreover, our parents appreciate and celebrate our differences, and have shown us that being different from each other can be useful. Drew, my brother, is very athletic and focuses on tennis, whereas I am very good with technology. Before my tennis tryout, he was able to help me and work with me. Likewise, when we had to adapt to remote learning this year, I have been able to use my skills to help him, since he is not as strong with technology. Going back to Esau and Jacob's story line, they really had a good opportunity to lift each other up, and it slowly slipped out of their hands as they were sneaky and went against each other. This storyline really made me think about something I would never think about. I used to always think

differences would not be useful but now I realize that I should appreciate people’s differences. Differences are usually looked at the wrong way and viewed negatively. However, if we build partnerships with people whose strengths are different from our own, we can both be stronger. As I was preparing for my Bat Mitzvah, I enjoyed the process of exploring my Torah portion. While I began my lessons without knowing very much about the Torah portion, I was able to learn much about it and connect it to my own life.

GENESIS

VAYEITZEI CONTRIBUTOR:

DANNY LEVINE

In my Torah portion, Parshat Vayeitzei, we read about our ancestor Jacob. Jacob goes into Beersheba and works for Laban. During that time, Jacob falls in love with Rachel. Laban tells Jacob that he can marry her if he works there for seven years. After the seven years, though, Laban gave Jacob Rachel’s sister, Leah instead. However, Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, and agreed to work for Laban for another seven years to marry her as well. Leah felt inferior to Rachel, and tried to compensate by giving Jacob many children. This made Rachel jealous of Leah. After some time, Jacob planned to leave Beersheba with all of his children and Leah and Rachel. One aspect of my Torah portion that really upset me was the way Laban deceived Jacob and did not deliver on his promise to him. When Jacob agreed to work for Laban for seven years, he believed that Laban was going to be truthful about what he said and would allow him to marry Rachel. After seven years, when Laban gave Jacob Leah to marry instead, Jacob felt deceived and hurt. He thought that by working hard, he was going to get what he was promised in Rachel. The way Laban acted bothered me because it was dishonest and unfair; he made Jacob believe he was working in order to marry Rachel, while Laban knew all along that he was going to give him Leah. This shows that Laban does not believe in honesty and only does what is best for himself. In my life, I like to believe that when one works hard, one will be rewarded. For example, I have been playing basketball and practicing since when I was a baby. Even when I did not want to play, I did. Because I

worked hard, I was rewarded by playing in games and in leagues, and by being given greater responsibilities. Today, as a result of practicing, I usually get a lot of playing time; I might not be the most skilled, but I work hard and am able to contribute. When Jacob worked for Laban, he thought he was getting the same thing. He believed that if he worked hard for Laban, he was going to get to marry Rachel. He believed, as I do, that if you work hard, it pays off. If what had happened to Jacob happened to me, I would feel demoralized. I would want to give up, and walk away. I am impressed by Jacob’s determination; even though he didn’t get what he deserved and had to work twice as hard for what he wanted, Jacob continued to work for Laban until Rachel could be his wife. Another great example of how hard work can be rewarded is the story of Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Butler was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother. Jimmy's mom did not have a lot of money and struggled to pay the bills. When Jimmy was 13, his mother kicked him out of their house; he would stay with friends and lived on the streets for some time. While Jimmy was a good basketball player, he was was not a top recruit when he graduated from high school. While at Tyler Junior College, Jimmy worked every single day to get better, two years later, he transferred to Marquette. During his final two years of college he put in hours upon hours of work. At the end of his college career, he was drafted as the last pick of the first round by the Chicago Bulls. Ever since then he has thrived, and is one of the hardest working players in the league. Jimmy recently made it to the NBA finals. He went from homeless to the NBA finals because of hard work. While I have seen that working hard can result in getting what you want or even what you deserve, I also recognize injustice in our world, and know that there are some people who are not treated fairly no matter what they do or how hard they may work. The recent instances of racial injustice in our country are

GENESIS

examples of this. For instance, Breonna Taylor. In a police raid, she was shot several times by police, even though she had not committed any crime, and the police were not held responsible for this death. Breonna Taylor worked hard in her life as a medical worker, but she did not get what she deserved. She worked hard for her life and in return she got shot to death. Or George Floyd, who was walking back to his car when police officers put him in cuffs and started putting his knee on his neck for stealing a pack of cigarettes. He said ”I can’t breathe” and then was killed for stealing a pack of cigarettes. I am so glad that Jimmy Butler was able to work hard from the streets to the NBA, but I know as well that he could have easily experienced the same fate as George Floyd or Breonna Taylor. One thing I took away from my Torah portion is that if you work hard for something you should be appreciated and given the respect for what you did, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Sometimes you may work hard and deserve something but you might not get it. However, when you don't get what you expected, or when you don’t get what you deserve, you shouldn't give up on it. Instead, you should work harder for that goal like Jacob did. You should say to yourself, “I want this, and I'm going do whatever I can to get this done.”

"WHEN YOU DON'T GET WHAT YOU EXPECTED, WHEN YOU DON’T GET WHAT YOU DESERVE, YOU SHOULDN'T GIVE UP ON IT; INSTEAD, YOU SHOULD WORK HARDER FOR THAT GOAL..."

VAYISHLACH CONTRIBUTOR:

BENJAMIN RUBIN

My Torah portion, Parshat Vayishlach, is about two brothers, Jacob and Esau, as they are about to reconnect after many years. When they were young, they did not get along well. Jacob, the younger brother, was jealous of Esau because he was entitled to certain things as the eldest. As a result, Jacob cheated his brother out of his birthright and firstborn blessing. Esau threatened to kill Jacob, and so Jacob ran away in fear of what his brother would do to him. My Torah portion

begins with Jacob receiving word, much later in his life, that his brother was coming to reunite with him. Jacob feared that Esau had returned to seek revenge for the bad things he did, so he became anxious and scared of meeting his brother. In an attempt to make peace, he sent lots of gifts and lots of his belongings over to his brother. When he comes face to face with Esau, however, Jacob discovers that he just wants to meet up and forgive. I think this is a very kind and touching story from our tradition, which shows that interpersonal problems can be fixed and even some of the most difficult relationships can be repaired, as long as you are able express remorse for your previous actions and seek

GENESIS

forgiveness. I know firsthand that both asking for and offering forgiveness can be hard, especially with someone close to you, thisis part of what makes the message of this Torah portion so valuable. In my life, there have been several moments when I have experienced conflict with another person. For example, one time my brother and I were playing basketball and he went up for a shot. I didn’t want him to make the shot, so I thought maybe I could push him a little, and he would miss. Like Jacob, I thought I could take advantage of my brother, just a little, in order to win. However, things took a bad turn; when I pushed him, my brother fell and hit the ground hard, and was a little slow to get up. When he got up, he took the ball and tried to use all of his force to chuck it at me and hurt me back. After this, his body was sore, and he was very angry with me, and I was angry with him too.

"This story really showed me how important it is to treat people with respect, even if you don’t always get along, and even if you disagree." Even after I apologized, my brother did not want to forgive me, but eventually he did. While our scuffle on the basketball court did not compare to the drama between Jacob and Esau, my brother and I still struggled to forgive one another and

move on. Fortunately, however, we were able to resolve our differences before things got as serious as they did with Jacob and Esau. This Torah portion inspired me; I realize that no matter how long you have an issue with someone, you can always forgive one another, just like Jacob and Esau- if they can fix their relationship after trying to kill each other, I can too. In addition, after reading this Torah portion, I know I can change my relationships in the future by fixing mistakes before things escalate. Jacob and Esau had to figure this out the hard way, and they have taught me that staying mad at someone who you care about is not worth it, and that it is better to forgive and forget. Looking ahead as I become a Bar Mitzvah, a goal I have in the future is to give back to the people that always cared for me and my community. This is one of many goals I want to achieve. In terms of short term goals, I want to improve at the sports I play and pursue my dreams. Equally important, I want to be a good brother and a good person, being respectful to my family and others. This story really showed me how important it is to treat people with respect, even if you don’t always get along, and even if you disagree.

MOVING ON FROM MOMENTS OF CONFLICT AND WORKING TO REPAIR RELATIONSHIPS IS EXTREMELY This year has been a crazy series of events, IMPORTANT and experiencing such an intense year has changed my perspective on the world a lot. I learned that time spent with your family is very important and meaningful to me. I also learned that you have to always cherish the moments spent with the people you care about. This was a particularly crazy year to be preparing for a Bar Mitzvah, which has been a big goal of mine. Because of the pandemic, I have been working on this goal for almost a year: studying, practicing and working at it. Though it was difficult, I was very excited to cherish this moment with all the people I care about.

GENESIS

VAYESHEV CONTRIBUTOR:

RILEY GREEN

Shabbat Shalom! My Torah portion is about Joseph. It begins by describing Joseph’s relationship with his father and brothers. Joseph’s father favored him, which plants the seeds of jealousy in his brothers. This jealousy grew as Joseph shared his dreams of ruling over his brothers. In one of his dreams, he even imagines his mother and father bowing down to him along with his brothers, represented by the sun, moon and stars. After hearing these dreams, Joseph’s brothers are so overcome by jealousy that they decide that they are going to kill Joseph and throw him into a pit to rot. Joseph’s oldest brother Reuben saw it differently and suggested that they just throw him into a pit until they decide what to do with him. Another one of his brothers named Judah then sees a caravan filled with Ishmaelites that are traveling to Egypt. He suggests to his brothers that they should sell Joseph to them and have them bring him to Egypt. His brothers dip Joseph’s coat in blood to make it seem like he was killed by a wild animal, and show the coat to their father, Jacob, who mourns his death. One aspect of Joseph’s story that really stayed with me was how destructive jealousy can be. In my Torah portion, I saw that Joseph’s brothers were really jealous of Joseph because of the way Jacob paid special attention to him. The jealousy was really destructive because his brothers didn’t want to speak to him and they didn’t want anything to do with him. Their jealousy turned into hate when Joseph shared his dreams of ruling over them and his father and mother, and resulted in their plotting Joseph’s death, and causing Joseph to become a slave in Egypt, separated from the family for many years.

"It’s okay to become jealous in life, but that when it goes too far, it can become really destructive to relationships and friendships."

The way in which Joseph’s brothers let their jealousy and anger get the best of them reminded me of one of my favorite childhood movies, The Lion King. In the movie, there are two lions that are brothers: Mufasa who is the king, and Scar, Mufasa’s brother. Scar is hungry for power, and extremely jealous of his brother. His jealousy takes over and he ends up killing his own brother in order to become king. This story is another example of jealousy being destructive in a family.

GENESIS

Similar to my Torah portion, Scar’s jealousy becomes really destructive for the siblings and ends up splitting their family apart. In reflecting on the idea of jealousy, I also thought about jealousy in my own life. I know it is natural to get jealous sometimes, to want what other people have, especially with your sibling. However, it is important to not let jealousy turn into anger and overpower you. For example, when my brother got a laptop, I was a little jealous at first. I wanted one too. After thinking about it, though, I realized that he was two years older than me and that when I was older, I would be able to get one too. Rather than jealousy taking over me and destroying my relationship with my brother, I was able to control it and not let it overwhelm me. Unlike Joseph’s brothers, I realized that my relationship with my brother was more important than wanting a laptop. In one of my dreams, I dreamt that my brother got a new phone, laptop, airpod pros, an apple watch, and more. I got so jealous of him that I wouldn’t speak to him for a week. I realized how destructive jealousy can be. In my dream, my jealousy took over me and began to destroy my relationship with my brother. It’s funny how all this talk about Joseph and his dreams resulted in me having a dream with kind of the same concept, but not as extreme of a story. Something that I learned from this Torah portion was that it’s okay to become jealous in life, but that when it goes too far, it can become really destructive to relationships and friendships. Now that I’m becoming a bat mitzvah I want to live out these lessons that I learned from my Torah portion. From now on, I will live out the lesson to not let jealousy take over me so that it won’t ruin any of my relationships or friendships in the future.

CONTRIBUTOR: MAXWELL GOLD

My Torah portion is about Jacob’s family. Jacob has many sons in his family, but he likes one of them the most: Joseph. He favors Joseph by giving him a coat of many colors. This causes tension in the family. His other sons are jealous and resentful. They want to kill Jospeh but they then decide instead to sell him into slavery. They faked Joseph’s death by killing a goat and putting the blood on the coat of many colors, and they showed it to their father. In my story, I noticed a number of things that do not seem fair or kind. From the very beginning, Joseph receives special treatment from his father, which is difficult for the other brothers to experience. Because of their jealousy, they try to ruin Joseph. What the brothers do is terrible, and I believe it is always important to stand by your family and be a good sibling. I would never do what Joseph’s brothers did to him no matter how mistreated I felt. At the same time, I also related to how they felt, because it is difficult when people are treated unfairly or unequally. It can sometimes be hard to not be jealous or resentful towards people when you feel you have been mistreated. I have seen many examples of this Torah portion’s theme throughout my life. Sometimes we favor certain people over others and this can be hurtful. And sometimes people are given certain privileges over others when they haven't fairly earned them. In my school, my classmates work hard and are rewarded by receiving good grades.

GENESIS Another example of this is that people are often treated differently because of the color of their skin or the way they look. People who are smart or talented are passed over for jobs or to be selected for a team because of their race or even gender. And other people, less deserving or qualified, can get a position they didn’t earn. This is extremely unfair and wrong. Like Joseph’s brothers, these individuals feel overlooked, and that painful feeling can stay with someone for a long time. I know not everything in life can always be fair, but I hope that in the future, people who work hard will be acknowledged for their hard work and get what they deserve, and that the credit will always go to the person who really earns it. I also hope that people are always given a fair and equal chance to succeed. While sometimes the hardest worker loses out and someone less deserving wins, I will continue to do my part in trying to treat others equally and fairly.

"I know not everything in life can always be fair, but I hope that in the future, people who work hard will be acknowledged for their hard work and get what they deserve."

CONTRIBUTOR: OLIVER GOLD

My Torah portion is about a man named Jacob and his relationship with his sons. Jacob favors his son Joseph, and gives him a coat of many colors. The other brothers resent Joseph because of this, and sell him into slavery in the land of Egypt. They cover up their action by dipping the coat of many colors in blood and presenting it to Jacob so that he would think that Joseph died. Throughout the story, Joseph is known for his many vivid dreams and his ability to interpret them. He used his gift of interpreting dreams to help him gain respect and purpose in Egypt. In my Torah portion, Joseph’s brothers don’t appreciate Joseph’s talent in describing and interpreting the dreams that people have. Rather, the brothers hated Joseph for having this gift and believed he wanted to control them. I believe that when your sibling is good at something, you should not put them down, you should help them. If I were Joseph’s brother, I would have been proud of my brother’s talent and I would have helped him get even better at describing dreams. One way I would do this is by making him take a guess at what my dream is and helping me to better understand it. A common theme throughout this Torah portion is how brothers feel about one another. I relate to this Torah portion very much because it makes me consider the ways I can and should support my own brother. For example, in our lives, sometimes my brother is better than me at something. Instead of resenting my brother for his talents, I encourage him to be his best. That is something that Joseph’s brothers would not do for him.

GENESIS However, when either my brother or I do something better than the other, we don't brag about it. Joseph may have been born with a special gift, but the way he shared his gift with his brothers made them feel upset and mad. In my family, my brother and I support each other; we celebrate the talents of the other and we encourage each other to improve. This Torah portion reminds me how important it is to support and respect your siblings, rather than acting as if you are better than them or being resentful that they have gifts you might not share.

CONTRIBUTOR: REESE MALLIN

The focus of this parsha, Vayeshev, is Joseph. Jacob, Joseph’s father, favors him over his brothers because he is the first-born of his wife Rachel, who passed away. Jacob makes a special robe for Joseph from fine wool. In addition to this special robe, Joseph also tells his brothers about dreams he has of him ruling over them. The brothers’ hatred of Joseph is so great that they plot to kill him. They decide against killing him, but instead shove him in a pit and then sell him. His brothers take the robe from Joseph, dip it into blood, and show the bloody robe to Jacob who then believes that his favorite son was killed by a wild beast. This sends Jacob into a long period of mourning. Loss is a major theme throughout this Torah portion. Many individuals in the story experienced some type of loss. For example, Jacob sees Joseph's bloody coat and feels both the loss of Joseph (even though he isn’t actually dead) and a reminder of the loss of his wife; since Joseph reminds Jacob of Rachel, when he thought Joseph had died, he probably also thought that meant he lost Rachel completely. In addition to Jacob’s losses, Joseph also experiences loss. Joseph lost his family and wasn't able to see them anymore, and he lost his home as he was forced to move away as a slave.

This theme resonated with me, because this year, as I have prepared for my Bat Mitzvah, we have been living through the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought with it much loss as well. Many people have lost family and friends to this terrible disease. For others, life has changed dramatically, and that is also a loss. For example, we don’t have the same freedoms that we once had before COVID-19. This is something that we may have taken for granted, and appreciate it only now that it is gone. The theme of loss also brings up memories of my grandma Faye. Although I was only 2 years old when she passed away, my parents have told me a lot about her. Grandma Faye was a holocaust survivor. This was a loss because she was a very kind person and a lot of people who knew her miss her.

"We will always have to experience loss at one point or another; it is a part of life that we cannot change. However, although it will happen, it is important that we don’t cause it to happen out of hatred or jealousy. During this difficult time that we all are going through, we should support one another as much as possible."

GENESIS COVID-19 and the death of a loved one reflect losses that we cannot control. In the Torah portion, however, one thing that struck me was how much of the loss was unnecessary and could have been avoided. For example, much of the loss is the result of hatred and jealousy. Joseph’s brothers caused their father so much pain that could have been prevented. As we know, we will always have to experience loss at one point or another; it is a part of life that we cannot change. However, although it will happen, it is important that we don’t cause it to happen out of hatred or jealousy. During this difficult time that we all are going through, we should support one another as much as possible. There is no room for hatred and jealousy.

CONTRIBUTOR:

MICHAELA MALLIN

My Torah portion, Vayeshev, is about Joseph, who has dreams that can interpret the future. In these dreams, Joseph sees his brothers bowing down to him in the future. Not only does Joseph have these dreams, he tells his family about them. Joseph is also his father's favorite son. The dreams along with the favoritism drive his brothers crazy. They are very jealous of Joseph. His brothers plot against him and sell him into slavery. Jacob, Joseph’s father, is led to believe that he was killed by a beast. When Joseph is in Egypt, he works for Pharaoh’s officer, and life is going good for him until he has to go to prison because he was falsely accused of a serious crime. Although I don’t have 10 siblings like Joseph, I can understand the dynamics and complexities of family relationships. Family can be very complicated. Joseph shares a father with his brothers, but they have different mothers. We don’t have a situation like this in my family, but I can see how that would make things even more difficult. Vayeshev teaches us important lessons about family and relationships. When you are with people all the time, it is hard not to have conflicts.

I have realized this even more during the COVID-19 pandemic. We all have been with our families more than ever. There are pros and cons to that. My sister and I have had to spend a lot of time together during these past nine months. Before this happened, we were together a lot, but life was very busy. It was a bit different. When things came to a halt, our normal activities stopped or were online. There are times when Reese gets on my nerves, and selling her into slavery may have crossed my mind a few times. All joking aside, we get along pretty well. I am thankful for that. When relationships go sour, there is usually fault on both sides. In the Torah portion, Joseph repeatedly brags about his gifts and dreams. It is important to be humble. I know a person that constantly brags about how great they are at everything. It isn’t fun to be around them. When you have gifts or talents, you don’t need to boast. These things will be recognized by others without you bragging. It only puts a strain on relationships with others when people act that way. Through slavery and imprisonment, Joseph learns this lesson. Joseph’s brothers also have a lot to learn. They were older and needed to be more tolerant of their younger brother. He was younger and still had a lot more learning to do. I completely understand that people who brag are very hard to take and can be aggravating. I am so lucky that I don’t have that with my immediate family. In this week's Torah portion, Joseph and his brothers had to endure many unpleasant things, but ultimately were able to learn from them and grow. There was fighting, jealousy, lying, slavery, and imprisonment to name a few. Right now, we all are going through a very difficult time with the COVID-19 pandemic. I truly believe that there are reasons why these things happen and they teach us very important lessons. Through these lessons, we become stronger and smarter which leads to a positive result. I hope the lesson from the Torah portion on my Bat Mitzvah is something that you can take with you when you leave here today.

GENESIS

"We all are going through a very difficult time with the COVID-19 pandemic. I truly believe that there are reasons why these things happen and they teach us very important lessons."

MIKEITZ CONTRIBUTOR:

ETHAN YEDVAB

In my Torah portion, Parshat Mikeitz, Pharaoh had two dreams. He couldn’t understand what they meant, but knew they were meaningful. He called on his advisors, but no one could help him interpret his dreams. Then he heard about a man named Joseph, who was currently in jail, but might be able to help him. Pharaoh called on Joseph, who explained that his dream predicted seven plentiful years in Egypt followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh was so appreciative, and thought Joseph was so gifted, he appointed Joseph to be the overseer of Egypt’s land, so that he would make sure they saved and stored up enough food to provide for the people during the famine.

Sure enough, Egypt enjoyed seven years of plenty and then the famine arrived. At some point, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt in desperation and begged for food to feed their family. It had been years since they saw their brother Joseph and they didn’t recognize him. But Joseph knew exactly who they were. He was very conflicted about helping them. On one hand, they had been so terrible to him many years ago, but on the other hand, they were still his family and he wanted to forgive them. He wanted to see if they had changed, so he tested them. He gave them the food that they needed, but kept one of the brothers, Simeon. Joseph told them if they wanted Simeon released, they should return with their youngest brother Benjamin. When they returned with Benjamin, Joseph hosted a feast for them. When all of the brothers were leaving, Joseph hid a valuable cup in Benjamin’s bag and then had him arrested for stealing. He did this to see how his brothers would react and if they had changed.

MOVING ON FROM MOMENTS OF CONFLICT AND WORKING TO REPAIR RELATIONSHIPS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

While so many aspects of my Torah portion resonate with me, I think the theme of overcoming obstacles is the biggest and most relevant topic. Let me start with Joseph and the obstacles he had to overcome throughout his life. He was the favorite son, so his brothers hated him. They hated him so much that they left him for dead in a ditch, and then they sold him into slavery. However, he overcame some of the challenges of slavery, and rose from about as low as you can go to a position of power. Then his character was tested, and he ended up being falsely accused of a crime, and put in jail for years. While most people would have lost hope, Joseph remained positive. After he was long forgotten by most, he is sent to Pharaoh for his assistance and becomes the overseer of Egypt’s land. I know some of this background because my sister’s Torah portion was a few weeks before mine two years ago and it left a lasting impression. In both parts of the Joseph narrative, Joseph was able to overcome the obstacles in his life.

GENESIS

He rose from a victim to an influential leader, and in his position of power was able to help Egypt as a country overcome its obstacle of a seven-year famine. In my Torah portion, Joseph has to face another obstacle, and has to choose whether or not to help his brothers. Pharaoh's dreams and what they reveal about Egypt’s future also present obstacles to overcome. Joseph predicted seven years of abundance in Egypt, followed by seven years of famine. Upon hearing this news, some might embrace the next seven years and not worry about the future, while others might worry much about the future that they don’t appreciate the now. Joseph’s experiences in life allowed him to guide the people of Egypt, appreciating the good but preparing for the difficulties ahead. Joseph led Egypt through a major crisis, much like what we are living through during this Pandemic. Most people never imagined or planned for a time when they wouldn’t be able to leave their home and go to a store to get what they need, or that they would have to wear a mask, and socially and physically distance from others to prevent getting or spreading a potentially deadly virus. Who would have believed the shelves of the supermarkets would be empty? Or that Amazon wouldn’t get you what you needed the next day? During the Pandemic, many of the companies that manufacture these goods had so many employees who were sick and unable to work that they couldn’t keep up with the demands. Our country also relies very heavily on imported goods that were not readily available because this was a world-wide Pandemic. Joseph’s brothers went to their neighboring land to ask for help, but this pandemic affected everyone so there was no neighboring land to help us. From food and supplies to healthcare providers, we all needed more than what existed at the same time. The pandemic has presented obstacles for all

of us. While some people may have had the foresight to stock up on supplies and followed the advice to stay home when possible, no one had seven years to plan and prepare. I have been fortunate to have what I needed at home and to not have to worry where my next meal was coming from. However, the pandemic presented obstacles to my routine and my life as well. In March, school shut down without very much planning. We went from wishing for a snow day to every day being a snow day with online learning and no end in sight. All sports ended and I looked forward to going to camp more than ever, but then camp was cancelled too. In addition, while most of my friends’ parents were home with them, my parents went to work every day in their hospitals so I wasn’t as safe to be around and felt more isolated as a result. I also had to prepare for my Bar Mitzvah from home: I have had to learn all of the prayers, my Torah and Haftarah portions without being physically present. It is really challenging to be mentally present when you aren’t there physically. And yet, while the Pandemic has presented us with many obstacles, just like Joseph, we have been able to overcome so many of them. Although I would have much preferred to be in person preparing for my Bar Mitzvah, who would have ever thought I’d be texting or FaceTiming with Cantor Elena? Or making jokes with a really cool Rabbi? Despite not being able to go to camp, I made the most out of it and it turned out to be a great summer. I discovered some new freedoms. I learned to ride a bike... it took long enough. We spent weekends at the beach and did things I normally wouldn’t have been able to do. When I couldn’t be with my friends from home or camp, I was still able to play video games and talk to them for hours and hours. We have all been challenged trying to make the best of things. As I wrote this speech, I was in quarantine for fourteen days, because my dad tested positive for Covid and that made things even harder. Joseph dug himself out of a hole, and rather than blame others, he committed to being a better person.

GENESIS

"Even when the world seems against us… we have to persevere, work through it, appreciate all that we have and look forward to a better tomorrow." We will all be able to put this behind us as well, but I appreciate all that I have learned and the ways I have grown from this experience as well. Although Joseph had his fair share of life’s obstacles, he used his position of power to help others. I admired how he helped others who are struggling - not because he was better than them, but because he had the ability to help. I would like to model my behavior after Joseph and always look to help others. From donating food or money to someone who needs it, to being inclusive and being kind, I want to be able to give of myself to others if I have the ability to do so. As I said before, I am extremely fortunate that I have never had to worry where my food was coming from, but that is not the case for many. My mom told me about a Food Pantry that was just set up by the medical staff and the Foundation at her Hospital for employees who are struggling to make ends meet. I didn’t realize that even if you had a really good job, it still might not be enough. I learned that patrons of this food pantry are food insecure; some have spouses who lost their jobs, or have been too ill to work, and some have lost members of their

household due to Covid. Even with their jobs, they don’t have enough money for groceries or they work so many hours that they are not able to shop for groceries, and they rely on the Foundation porch for basic necessities. That got me to think about and appreciate all that I have. And what I have a lot of is basketball jerseys. Before the pandemic, I received a lot of these as gifts at many Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations. When the pandemic began, I started to think about my Bar Mitzvah and I asked my mom if I could start ordering jerseys to give away at my Bar Mitzvah celebration. So now I have even more than before. I decided to donate many of them and have asked some of my friends to join me in this effort. These same people who risk their lives day in and day out to care for others and need assistance with groceries, likely struggle to buy special gifts for a loved one this year. I hope that these jerseys will help some of our healthcare heroes give some special gifts and remind them how much they are appreciated. Joseph was able to overcome his obstacles just like we are today. Even when the world seems against us… we have to persevere, work through it, appreciate all that we have and look forward to a better tomorrow.

EXODUS

SHEMOT CONTRIBUTOR:

ALEX BASS

My Torah portion is Parshat Shemot, and tells the story of the Israelites who were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. Pharaoh was scared that the Israelites would outnumber his own people living in Egypt, which could allow them to take over their land. In response, Pharaoh tried to make it hard for them, so they would leave. He enslaved them, forcing them to do really hard tasks, and treating them especially poorly. In addition, he ordered that all male Israelite babies be killed when they were born, in order to further decrease the number of Israelites. Even though this was the law of the land, some midwives went against Pharoah’s orders and secretly let the babies live. They were willing to risk getting in trouble because they knew what Pharaoh was asking them to do was wrong. One of the male Israelite babies was Moses, and when the baby’s mother could no longer hide him, she placed him in a basket and sent him down the Nile. One day, Pharaoh's daughter was by the Nile and saw the baby, and recognized him as an Israelite. She knew he was supposed to be killed but took him in as her own son. Even though she knew her father would be mad, she did the right thing, like the midwives. Reading this Torah portion has taught me a lot about the role that empathy and compassion can play in our lives. When making decisions about how to help others in the world, sometimes you have to choose to be selfless in order to help

others instead of staying out of trouble but watching people suffer from the choice you have made. The midwives, as well as Pharaoh’s daughter had empathy and compassion, which made their choices seem like no brainers. In addition, Moses’s sister keeps watch over her brother, even at risk to herself. Her name was Miriam, which is also my Hebrew middle name, connecting me even further to this Torah portion and its values. The importance of showing compassion and doing what is right is important in so many places throughout our lives. In the Holocaust, for example, there were laws that persecuted Jews. Similar to my Torah portion, this persecution became the law of the land. Despite the risk to their own lives, there were some people who felt that this was wrong, and protected Jews so they would not be persecuted. These people were called righteous gentiles. These people were not Jewish, but tried to understand how the Jews felt in order to act righteously. They knew that they were not allowed to do something like this by law. They were risking their own lives, but they protected others because they knew what was right. This is a heroic act of empathy that inspires me, showing that sometimes you have to do what may seem to be dangerous or wrong in order to help others. The midwives in my Torah portion and the righteous gentiles during the Holocaust both displayed empathy, and subsequently realized that going against “the rules” was actually the right thing to do. Furthermore, the midwives in my Torah portion were not only compassionate, but were also pioneers of speaking up and doing something you feel is right, even if it is going against the rules. Whether we choose to live our lives with compassion and empathy can change how we think, what we do, and how we react to situations. One example that demonstrates this today is how people who are wealthy and fortunate react when they see a charity they could donate to or a person who needs clothes or food.

EXODUS

"READING THIS TORAH PORTION HAS TAUGHT ME A LOT ABOUT THE ROLE THAT EMPATHY AND COMPASSION CAN PLAY IN OUR LIVES. WHEN MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT HOW TO HELP OTHERS IN THE WORLD, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE TO BE SELFLESS IN ORDER TO HELP OTHERS"

Some people will do the right thing and give as much as they can to help others. Using empathy, they try to imagine what it would be like living how others live, which generates compassion and motivates them to act on another’s behalf. Others, however, might just ignore the fact that the person needs their help, and might feel that what other people have or don’t have is not their problem. They might not be able to see what they are really going through because they have never experienced anything like it. Even though we do not live in ancient Egypt, we still have to make decisions about the

way we live in the world, and whether we choose to put ourselves or others first. When faced with an opportunity to help another, would you act like Pharaoh's daughter and do something that you did not have to do, but you knew was right, or act like Pharaoh and make your decisions without empathy because you felt threatened by someone or something? My Torah portion has made me realize how important it is to think about our actions and their consequences when taking action in the world. How can we act out of empathy and compassion and help others? While it may be easier to do nothing, this Torah portion reminds me that the right thing to do is to act from a place of empathy, considering how we can help others.

CONTRIBUTOR: NEIL REICHMAN

My Torah portion is about the story of Moses, an Israelite raised in Pharaoh’s palace, who is chosen by God to redeem the Israelites from slavery. When Moses is born, he is saved from slaughter by being tossed into a river in a basket. He is discovered and adopted by the pharaoh’s daughter. As an adult, Moses witnesses an Egyptian striking an Israelite slave and kills the Egyptian. Moses leaves Egypt, and later encounters God, who tells him to ask Pharoah to free the Israelites. He fails initially, and a larger workload is put on the Israelites.The Torah portion ends with God telling Moses he will punish the Egyptians for not letting the Israelites go. This Torah portion symbolizes how the experiences that we have in our lives affect the people we grow into. For Moses, we see a number of experiences that change the

EXODUS

trajectory of his life. For example, his experiences of killing the Egyptian and later meeting God shape his personality and actions. For the first part of his life, he lives in a palace as the Pharaoh’s adopted son, but then after killing the Egyptian, he is forced to flee, and becomes a shepherd. The encounter with the Egyptian and the slave changes his life because it opens his eyes to how unfairly the Israelites are treated. It also results in him leaving the life he has always known to begin a new career. While he is a shepherd, he encounters a burning bush and speaks to God, who tells him to go back into Egypt to persuade the pharoah to let the Israelites go. This changes his life because it forces him to face his and the Israelites’ problems. It also helps him realize that he is a leader. He hid away in the wilderness as a shepherd until God told him to go back to Egypt. It is in that moment that he is able to lead the Israelites. Moses’s story contains many of these lifechanging experiences, which may be extreme. However, this Torah portion resonated with me, because in life, everyone’s decisions and experiences affect who they become. I have seen this firsthand, in my own life, and observed this to be true elsewhere as well. An example of this in my own life was my first wrestling tournament. There were a lot of people and I was really nervous. It didn’t help that this was my first time in a singlet, which isn’t exactly all that much fun to wear. I did (fairly) well, and was a lot less nervous by the end. After this, I decided to keep doing tournaments, though not a lot of them. That experience helped to shape my personality and behavior today. From that moment on, I was a lot less shy, and was more comfortable in large groups of people (though I still prefer not to be in

one in the first place). I still wrestle, though I can’t at the moment due to covid, and I doubt that’s going to change anytime soon. This experience was a pivotal moment in my life, and helped me to realize more about myself. As a result, I am much more comfortable around other people. When thinking of examples of when a decision or experience in a character’s life can have a significant impact on their future, I also thought about Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars. He begins the series as a “chosen one” type of person, but by the end, the experiences he has had changed him into a sociopathic, evil person. When he is refused the rank of master he becomes crazed with power, which leads to his transformation into Darth Vader. This shows how experiences can truly affect who we become. These examples connect to my Torah portion, because they both demonstrate the effects of experiences on the people we become. My

"This Torah portion encourages me to want to try to see each moment as a learning opportunity; even negative experiences or when facing difficult problems."

EXODUS

wrestling tournament impacted me because it made me a lot less shy, and the story of Anakin Skywalker shows how experiences can impact our lives. Moreover, my Torah portion offers another important lesson about how we can grow from our life experiences, the problems that we face, and how we respond to them can shape who we become. For example, Moses runs away from his problems in Egypt, but is later forced to face them, and faces them fairly well. In my life, I have had negative experiences as well as positive ones, and this Torah portion encourages me to want to try to see each moment as a learning opportunity, even negative experiences, or when facing difficult problems. As I become a Bar Mitzvah today, I want to learn to handle my problems in a good and healthy way that helps me grow from them.

VA-EIRA CONTRIBUTOR:

ASHLEY SZERENCSY

In my Torah portion, Parshat Va-eira, the Israelites are slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. God wanted to save the Israelites with help from Aaron and Moses, so God sent Aaron and Moses to tell Pharaoh to let God’s people go. Pharaoh, however, was very stubborn, and did not agree, even though it would have made it easier for Aaron, Moses, God, and the Israelites because they wouldn’t have to suffer more. God then told Moses that Egypt would receive terrible plagues. After the second plague, which was frogs everywhere, Pharaoh offered to let the Israelites go if the

plague would end, however, Pharaoh was still stubborn, and as soon as he realizes everything is almost back to normal, he starts to get back to his old self and his bad habits. He wound up not keeping his promise and did not let the people go. The plagues continued, and each one makes it difficult for the Egyptians to live. After the seventh plague, however, Pharaoh could not take it anymore, and he admits what he was doing was wrong to God, the Israelites and to Aaron and Moses. I think this is one of the big moments in my Torah portion. Pharaoh seems to realize, even temporarily, that he should not keep the Israelites as his slaves. Throughout the entire Torah portion, I am struck by how stubborn Pharaoh actually is. He knew there were consequences coming but refused to change, and even when he told Aaron and Moses he would let the Israelites go, he would go back on his word. If he had been able to be less stubborn, perhaps the Egyptians would not have had to suffer through all the plagues and the Israelites could have been free earlier. Pharaoh’s stubbornness and selfishness feels like a lesson for all of us; when we are unable to think of others. When we put ourselves first and are unable to change our perspectives, we cause pain to others, to the world around us, and ultimately to ourselves as well. I have thought about Pharaoh’s behavior recently, as it connects with our behavior and choices in this pandemic. Today, many of us wear masks and choose to socially distance from others in order to keep each other safe, however, there are some people who refuse to wear a mask, or disregard these health guidelines, because they do not think they are sick and don’t want to disrupt their lives. As a result, because of people’s stubborn or selfish behavior, they may spread the virus to

EXODUS

others, causing harm to other people and putting their lives at risk. In addition, some people who do not wear a mask even get sick themselves. Like Pharaoh, these people do not think about how their actions will impact others, and as a result cause damage to those around them and even themselves. In our world, we know that our choices affect others, and the environment as well and yet there are still people who litter or pollute the environment out of carelessness or selfishness. When I go out, I will see someone leave their garbage on their table without cleaning it up, or dropping trash on the ground, or making unnecessary waste. These actions are selfish, where the individual does not stop to think about what will happen to that trash or to our environment. This kind of pollution can kill sea creatures, and have lasting environmental impact. I think that person should have just gotten up and recycled. While it requires extra effort, it would have been better than killing that turtle, and one small action can make a difference. In addition, when someone is selfish like Pharaoh, he may not realize what a big impact it’s making on his life too. Pharaoh only wanted what was best for himself, and he didn’t realize what he thought was doing best for him was actually also bad for him. This again connects to the way we treat the environment. That person who didn’t throw out his garbage probably didn’t realize that the damage he was causing to the earth would affect him too. That person could have poisoned our water, ruined the soil, and killed our sea creatures, and his bad decision impacts the same planet that he lives on. Pharaoh may have thought he was only punishing the Israelites, but his selfishness and

"When we are unable to think of others, when we put ourselves first and are unable to change our perspectives, we cause pain to others, to the world around us, and ultimately to ourselves as well." stubbornness resulted in plagues for his own community and himself as well. In conclusion, I believe that everyone can always choose kindness and do the right things, and can limit their stubborn or selfish behavior. We all make mistakes, but afterward, we can learn from them and do the right thing. I learned that Pharaoh was not able to do this. He could have learned that what he was doing was wrong but instead he kept getting more full of himself and putting himself first. He did not care about what was good for anyone else. Becoming a Bat Mitzvah has taught me many things, and studying my Torah portion reminded me that when selfishness gets in the way, people tend to only think about themselves and not care about other people. You shouldn’t always do something because it is good for you; you need to think about how your decisions impact everyone else and your environment. Also, there is always room for kindness.

EXODUS

BO CONTRIBUTORS

MATTHEW WAXMAN

My Torah portion, Bo, describes the last three plagues that came upon the Egyptians before the Israelites are redeemed from Egypt. After being enslaved for many years, God finally promises to free the Israelites, and sends Moses to talk to Pharaoh. When Pharaoh refuses to let the Israelite people go, God tells Moses that God will send plagues to the Egyptians. After a number of plagues, Pharoah promises to free the Israelites, but then quickly goes back on his word. Finally, God warns Moses about the 10th and final plague: the killing of the first born children. The Israelites put blood on their doorposts so the “Angel of Death'' would “pass over” them. In addition, we also learn in my Torah portion about how to observe Passover- a holiday that we continue to celebrate today, and which marks this moment of exodus and redemption. One aspect of my Torah portion that resonated for me was that God promises to help the Israelites. God keeps that promise, while Pharaoh continues to promise to free the Israelites from slavery, but breaks his promise many times. When

someone makes a promise to us, it fills us with hope for the future. When someone does not deliver on that promise, it can be very disappointing. Throughout my Torah portion, Pharaoh makes false promises to the Israelites, telling them that they can be free while not actually intending to free them. In my life, as most kids do, I have asked my parents for many things, like when I wanted the new Xbox Series-X. “Promise” I begged. “No promises,” my parents replied. “We will not make promises to you that we might not be able to keep!” I felt betrayed because I really wanted the new Xbox, but then I realized a valuable lesson. They were making sure that if they promised me something they could deliver on that promise. Moreover, I learned that you always have to be patient for something that you want. The Israelites had hope and faith that God would redeem them from slavery, and were patient as each plague was delivered to the Egyptians. On Passover, we celebrate our freedom and show gratitude for God keeping God’s promise to the Jewish people. I can only imagine what it must have been like for the Israelites, while Pharaoh kept promising their freedom, getting their hopes up, and then taking back his word. Months ago, I had a very different expectation for what today might be. Even though nobody promised it to me, I imagined a Bar Mitzvah in person, with many friends and family and a party to celebrate.

"My Torah portion and this past year have reminded me that we don't always get what we want, and that we should be grateful for the things that we have." 37

EXODUS

Right now, I wish that everyone could have attended my service and celebrated with me. While the scenario is very different from my Torah portion, I can relate to the Israelites. My Torah portion and this past year have reminded me that we don't always get what we want, and that we should be grateful for the things that we have. Now that I am becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I realize that I have so much to be thankful for, and will continue to appreciate the people who care for me. Just as during Passover, we give thanks for all that we have, and we remember the suffering and escape of the Jewish people. I am grateful to be standing here today as a Bar Mitzvah. I am grateful to be able to worship as a Jew and to be part of the Jewish community!

B’SHALACH CONTRIBUTOR:

KARA SHINDER

My Torah portion, B’shalach, begins as God tells Moses how to split the sea and get away from the Egyptians. After Moses splits the sea, God guides the Israelites throughout their journey. While in the wilderness, God provides the Israelites with advice and food in the form of Quail and Manna. God tells the Israelites to take just

enough food for themselves each day, and a double portion on the 6th day in preparation for the 7th day (Shabbat). This Torah portion explores the theme of trust. Throughout the Torah portion, the Israelites need to have faith in God, and trust that they will be taken care of, even when their future is uncertain. The people had to trust that the Sea would split and that they would not drown when they tried to cross over. They had to trust that when God provided Manna for them to eat, that more would arrive the next day, and they had to trust in the journey that God and Moses were taking them on. This is a

EXODUS

relevant theme in my life as well, as I also need to trust people in my community and act with the faith that they will take care of me. The Israelites had faith in God and Moses, and they knew they would guide them safely throughout their journey. In my life, I trust that people will guide me throughout my journeys too. Just as the Israelites had to put their faith in God and in Moses when they left Egypt and especially when they crossed the sea, there have been several moments when I had doubts about something in the future, and had to put my faith in someone else’s idea. For example, when I was planning my mitzvah project, I wanted to raise money for a group called North Shore Family Guidance Center, which supports children who have mental illnesses. This is meaningful to me, because many people don’t know that much about mental diseases and I wanted to raise money for research about it so that people could know more. When I had the idea for my mitzvah project, I didn’t know how much money we could raise or if we would even raise enough to successfully reach our goal, however, my mom had a vision and believed we could do it. I had to trust her and have faith that we would be successful. As a result, we ended up surpassing our goal and raised a great amount of money for a worthy cause. Trust is also incredibly important when you are on a team, because in order to be part of a team, you have to be able to rely on each other. The Israelites had to see themselves as a team, working together toward a common goal, with God and Moses leading them with a plan that they had in mind. They trusted that God and Moses would guide them and make the right decisions for them, helping them to achieve their goals of becoming free and journeying to the Promised Land. Similarly, during one of my basketball games, my team had a play that relied on working together to set me up to score. In order to do this, each member of the team had to trust in the process, as well as put their trust in me, that I would be able to score. We did this successfully and we ended up scoring and winning our game.

"While studying this Torah portion, I have been reminded that during personal and general moments, trust is always necessary." Today and in the past months, we have been through a pandemic and we have had to trust the important people and leaders in our country. At one point, many people weren’t allowed out of their houses; they couldn’t see family and friends, and were only allowed to go out if necessary. This was incredibly difficult, as we had to live our lives in a radically different way and had no way to know if and when things would get better. Especially during these hard times, we have had to have faith that our leaders were making the right decisions for us and that they were leading our country the right way, just like the Israelites had to trust that God was guiding them the right way. Whenever the Isrealites had a hard time throughout their journey, they had to trust, as we do today, that their leadership was making the best decisions for them.

EXODUS

While studying this Torah portion, I have been reminded that during personal and general moments, trust is always necessary. We have to be able to trust important people in our lives at home, and important leaders. This is important because we have to be hopeful when times get hard and even when life is going well. We have to trust our families, friends, and leaders that life will stay this way. We have to trust people for making decisions for us and we have to trust ourselves for making decisions for others too. This Torah portion shows me how important trust is which I will need in my future. Trust is important to have throughout your life in school, in college, jobs, and in family. I am looking forward to using what I’ve learned in my life as I grow up.

YITRO CONTRIBUTOR:

ALEX NEWMAN

In my Torah portion, Yitro, Jethro, Moses’ father in-law, traveled a long distance to observe and support Moses, because he heard Moses had just become a new leader. When he arrived, however, Jethro noticed that Moses was overworking himself, and he was taking all the responsibilities of his community upon himself. Jethro wanted to share his knowledge of how to be a better leader because he had experience with leading his own people. He advised Moses to get some people to help him and to delegate some of the responsibilities to others. Moses took that advice, and he got some people to help him. My Torah portion also describes a powerful encounter with God. God instructs Moses to prepare the Israelites to experience God. God made a grand entrance with thunder and fire and instructed the people with the Ten Commandments. In this part of my Torah portion, I noticed that God’s dramatic entrance caused fear in the people. I think that this was intentional, because God

wanted the people to respect God and the commandments. I found this to be a powerful message, and it demonstrates the relationship that God wants to have with the people; one of respect and understanding. This is not just a message for Moses or the Israelites in the wilderness, but for us too. When I first read my Torah portion, I wasn't sure if Jethro was trying to be helpful to Moses, or trying to disrupt his leadership, however, once I spent a little more time studying this text, I came to see that Jethro was a good person. He wanted to support Moses in his leadership, which is why he made the journey to visit him. In addition, when he saw the way Moses was taking everything on himself, he was concerned that this might be too much for one person, and he stepped in to try to help. Jethro teaches Moses, and all of us as well, an important lesson in leadership: we do not need to do everything ourselves, in fact we can’t. Rather, it's okay to take help from others and is often the better choice. I can relate to this because sometimes I take too much responsibility on myself, or take on all the work for myself. After reading this, and seeing what Jethro had to say, I see that it's important to let others help you out. I've received help from others and it has made my life easier during the pandemic. In

EXODUS

the beginning of the pandemic I was upset, and annoyed that everything was getting canceled. I was holding these feelings in and trying to resolve them myself, but then I shared my frustration and fears with my family. They taught me to look on the bright side of things and to try new things, and that's exactly what I did. By opening up to my family and letting them work with me to address my problems, and it made my life easier.

Today, I took my first step as a leader in my Jewish community, but I was only able to do it with the support of others who helped me prepare. Now that I'm becoming a Bar Mitzvah, and after taking the time to learn from my torah portion, I will accept help from others whenever I need it, just like Moses did. I will also try to be the best person I can be.

I also experienced this lesson throughout my preparation for my Bar Mitzvah. At first, I was having a hard time getting ready for my Bar Mitzvah and I was very nervous. Like Moses, I needed to prepare for my leadership, and felt responsible for each part of my Bar Mitzvah preparation on my own. However, when I realized that I did not need to do this on my own, I received help from family, friends and tutors, and they made preparing for my Bar Mitzvah a lot easier. Now, with the help and support of those people, I'm able to stand before you today. As a leader, Moses first tried to do all the work himself, but then he took Jethro’s suggestion and allowed others to help him lead.

MISHPATIM

"We do not need to do everything ourselves, in fact we can’t. Rather, it's okay to take help from others and is often the better choice."

CONTRIBUTOR:

SOPHIE PLOTNITZKY

My Torah portion is called Mishpatim, and describes the different laws for living our lives and instructions for treating other people. The text also encourages Mitzvot to promote kindness and peace in the world. In particular, the Torah portion discusses the importance of treating strangers with compassion, because we remember being outsiders living in Egypt. One line regarding this commandment stood out to me. It says: “You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.” In studying this verse and my Torah portion, I learned that this value of caring for people who are different from us is mentioned in the Torah 36 different times. I wondered why this was so important to our Jewish tradition as to be repeated so much. Well, I believe it’s because Jews have a history of being oppressed, and while we might not be slaves or strangers anymore, we must always remember what it was like. Moreover, we want to learn from history, what people have done wrong and what

EXODUS

"Jews have a history of being oppressed, and while we might not be slaves or strangers anymore, we must always remember what it was like." they have done right, so that we can live more just lives in the future. In these past few weeks, I have become a Community Ambassador for the Sid Jacobsen JCC Food Bank. I have been collecting food and supplies, making kindness cards, and raising funds for this wonderful cause. With the help of family and friends, I have raised $1800 and 250Ibs. of food for people in need. Our local food bank provides food to 10 different food pantries nearby on Long Island. They partner with Island Harvest for some more specific needs and go to homes of seniors to give them food too. It is important to realize that everyone might need some help, and that's okay. There are a lot of families in need right now, so this is the perfect time to give back. Giving to local Long Islanders in need is important during this time because they are my community and my friends. This connects to the Jewish imperative to care for the stranger because we are willing to give others what they need even if we don’t know who they are. It is the act of giving that matters most. Now that I’m becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I realize how I can use the Torah to guide me in the future. Some things that I would like to achieve are always being kind to strangers, making others feel welcomed, trying my best, and loving what I have and who I am.

T'TZAVEH CONTRIBUTOR:

ALEXIS BROOKS

My Torah portion, T’tzaveh, describes several instructions and rituals regarding the Tent of Meeting and the priests. Aaron, Moses’s brother, has to wear certain things as a priest and has many rituals to follow. The Tent of Meeting is a sacred place for the Israelite people, who are instructed to bring clear oil of beaten olives for lighting the lamps. Aaron and his sons are instructed to set them up at the tent to burn before God as a Ner Tamid, an eternal light, which is always burning. When I first read through my Torah portion, what initially got my attention was God’s detailed instructions to Moses and his brothers on how the priests working in the tent were to dress in fancy clothing. I love fashion and style, so the description of how the priests should be outfitted was extraordinary to me. However, after reading the portion over again, I came to the realization that what was being presented had a much deeper meaning. Given our current circumstances, being in quarantine due to a dangerous virus and people struggling to survive because of economic hardships, I recognized two constant themes throughout the Torah portion, home and light, both of which have great meaning to me. The Torah portion describes instructions from God on how to create a “house;” not just any house, but a central gathering place for the Israelite people in the wilderness, following their exodus from Egypt. This resonated with me because in the past months during the pandemic, I have noticed tents that have been built in temple parking lots, similar to what is

EXODUS

"During quarantine, I have learned that having a home and a loving family is powerful, and helps to overcome challenging times." described in my Torah portion. This pandemic has made me think about the idea of space. There are fewer places where we can gather together safely. It doesn’t matter if we are in a beautiful building like Temple Sinai, or just under a tent, because the ability to gather, united, in prayer or for conversation, is of most importance. God wanted Jewish people to have a place they could call home, a place they could connect to God and to one another. The instructions for this space included directions for creating and maintaining the Ner Tamid, the eternal light, which made the people feel like they were able to connect with God. In our sanctuary today, we also have a Ner Tamid, which hangs in front of the ark for all to view. I believe that the Ner Tamid symbolizes to all visitors that enter the synagogue, Jewish or not, in person or on Zoom, that this sanctuary is a place for gathering at any time, day or night, weekday or weekend. It signifies safety, showing that this space is not just a venue in which to pray, but a place to congregate with family and friends; to learn, reflect, and celebrate. The symbol of light represents comfort and safety in our lives. How do you feel when you drive up to your home after a long day and see the lights on in the window with family waiting for you with hugs and kisses? You feel a sense of love and safety….you are home! That is how I feel. Like the expression “We will leave the light on for you,” the synagogue is a home for us, always welcoming all who enter in a calm, safe, beautiful and

nonjudgmental place. The idea of the Ner Tamid also reminds me that everybody has an internal light within them, radiating for all to see and illuminating the world with goodness and integrity. I believe a person's most important asset is one’s heart. I believe that we are all good, and have an inner Ner Tamid that affects everyone and everything around us. My compassion and acceptance of others radiates from my heart as a guiding light, a source of happiness and inspiration for others to be good in this world. Bringing out love and happiness in others is what I strive for everyday…simply talking to a stranger, laughing with friends, and complimenting others. During quarantine, I have learned that having a home and a loving family is powerful and helps to overcome challenging times. By knowing that my home is safe and always being able to lean on my family for support has been a source of strength for me, a source of light. The feeling that I have when I see a light on in my home, or the Ner Tamid in the Sanctuary, is the feeling of safety that everyone should be able to experience. The Torah portion describes how our ancestors built a sense of community with a guiding light. As a Bat Mitzvah, I have learned about my rich past and traditions, inspiring me to become an important member of the Jewish community. All should be blessed with a home that is warm, welcoming, and loving…the home is where the heart is. Knowing that all people, not just me, have the power to not only light up your own life but others as well.

EXODUS

KI TISA

did, and continued to lead them, even when they betrayed him. Even though they grew impatient with him, he continued to try to help them.

CONTRIBUTOR:

In my life, I am grateful for people who take responsibility for me and who model this same kind of patient leadership and responsibility as Moses. My teachers both in Roslyn Middle School and in Harbor Hill Elementary School have helped me with my education, and to grow as a student. They taught me the importance of staying organized, doing my homework, and preparing me for quizzes, tests and projects. My Hebrew School teachers helped me to learn Hebrew, and about Jewish Holidays. All my teachers were always patient with me if there was something I was having trouble with, and helped me to understand, but my family, especially, has helped me my entire life, since the second I was born to right this very millisecond. My parents have helped me to be nice and kind, taught me to make good choices and to know right from wrong. My brother helps me with almost everything when my parents aren’t around and even when they are. All these people have taken responsibility for me, and I am so grateful for it.

COREY MILLER

In my Torah portion, we read about Moses and learn about his leadership style. Moses goes up to God to receive the Ten Commandments, so life for his people can be better. Moses is talking to God for a while, and when he returns to the people, he witnesses that they made their own God in the form of a golden calf. Moses gets angry, breaks the tablets and destroys the golden calf. God gets mad at the people too, and says that God will no longer be their God. God also releases a plague on the people. When Moses sees how much his people are suffering, he takes matters into his own hands and helps his people by begging God for forgiveness and to blame him for the actions of his people. Moses took responsibility for his people. God forgives Moses and his people, and Moses re-makes the ten commandments with God. When he comes back down to his people, Moses covers his face with a veil to mask the glow from looking at God for 40 days straight. In reflecting on Moses’s leadership, I noticed multiple characteristics in Moses that resonated with me, for example, taking responsibility and being patient. Moses displayed his responsibility for the Israelites when he took matters into his own hands. Moreover, he was patient with the people even when they were impatient with him. For example, he brought the ten commandments down from God to the people, and then re-made them with God after his people were impatient and made a golden calf in place of God. Moses didn’t give up on the people no matter what they

In my Torah portion, Moses teaches us that being patient is important. I have experienced this lesson firsthand. My older brother is 7 and a half years older than me. I was in 5th grade, 10 years old, when he went away to begin college. My brother and I have a very strong bond, and when he was home we would hang out together 24/7. Then, when he went off to college and wouldn’t be back for three months, it was extremely hard for me. I felt empty, devoid, like I lost my best friend. Yes, we would Facetime and message, but that did not compare to seeing him in real life. I had to be patient for three months, then he would come home for a short while,

EXODUS

but then go back to college. I had to wait another two months to see him again. I realized that it would be like this for the next 4 years. Seeing him, being patient again, seeing him, being patient again. I understand now how hard it was for the Israelites to be patient for Moses to bring down the ten commandments. It's really hard to be patient. Now that my brother is more than halfway done with college, I have realized that being patient pays off in the end.

In my life, especially now that I am becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I know I need to lead by example. Some leaders are more vocal and lead with their voice, sometimes with a loud voice. Leading by example is doing things that I like to do and doing the right thing and not necessarily following what other people do just because most people may be doing it. I hope that in the future, as I become a Bar Mitzvah, I can be responsible and lead the way Moses did.

"I know I need to lead by example... Leading by example is doing things that I like to do and doing the right thing and not necessarily following what other people do just because most people may be doing it."

PEKUDEI CONTRIBUTOR:

ZACH MASHAAL

My Torah portion, Parshat Pekudei, describes the construction of the tabernacle, a sacred place for the Israelites to gather and connect to God. Bezalel is assigned to make the tabernacle beautiful. Everyone in the community contributes to make the tabernacle; each person over the age of 20 helped out and gave gold and silver. This came out to a total of 603,550 men.

The community also contributed to the priestly outfits. The priests wore breastplates with different valuable stones on them, gold rings, shoulder pads and they wore golden headbands which said “Holy to God'' on them. The community made the tunics of fine linen of woven work for Aaron and his sons. Thus they completed all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meaning. Then they brought the

EXODUS

"I hope that I can be a great leader... In order to make that happen, I know I will have to become more responsible, more mature and take more action... I will become more thoughtful and caring to other people. I hope that by taking on these qualities, other people can look up to me and perhaps even learn from me." tent to Moses. When Moses saw that they did all the tasks as the Eternal had commanded, Moses blessed them. The Eternal One was giving Moses things to do on different days. In the first month of the second year, the tabernacle was set up. One part of my Torah portion that really caught my attention was the way the priests were dressed. They had to wear really special armor such as a breastplate with special stones on it. The stones had value and represented the tribes of Israel. I think this is important because I think it is important to represent your tribes, and the one who represents his tribes should also be distinguished by what he wears. In college football, the captains also wear clothes that distinguish them as leaders. They have a “C” on their jerseys. During the game, if there is a problem, people know that they can go to the captain. In addition, the captain is someone the others can look up to. When people see how the captains are dressed or how they are leading, it can motivate them and push harder to be a captain in the future. In my Torah portion, the priests wore golden headbands that said “HOLY TO GOD” on them. These headbands also let

the Israelites know that these priests were special and powerful. Perhaps it would even inspire the people to be better versions of themselves. I believe that wearing such a uniform would also make the priests feel more confident. They would feel empowered, knowing that they are holy to God, and that they have sacred responsibilities to the community. Now that I am becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I would also like to grow into these qualities of leadership and responsibility. Just as the priest wears special items that remind him of who he is and what is expected of him, I wear special ritual clothes from today onward, such as tefillin and a tallit. Today, as Bar Mitzvah I serve as a leader; I prepared to lead the service and lead the prayers today. I hope that I can be a great leader, so that people look up to me, see me as a leader and a special person. In order to make that happen, I know I will have to become more responsible, more mature and take more action. For example, if there is a challenge with another person, I will try to resolve it. I will become more thoughtful and caring to other people. I hope that by taking on these qualities, other people can look up to me and perhaps even learn from me.

EXODUS

"This Torah portion underscores the value of contributing to a communal need, which inspired me to address a communal need in our world." CONTRIBUTOR: MAX LIPPMAN

My Torah portion, Parshat Pekudei, describes the materials used for the tabernacle, in great detail. At the start, the Torah portion lists all the gold, silver and copper that had been given by the Israelites. It also describes how the Israelites decorate the tabernacle, including adorning it with precious stones like crystal and lapis lazuli. When they finish constructing the tabernacle, they present it to Moses, and Moses is instructed to make an offering to God. After the tabernacle is completed, God’s presence fills the tabernacle and surrounds the Israelites, and they can't continue on their journey until God’s presence departs. The Israelites use all of their most precious items to build the Tabernacle, after having been slaves without possessions or wealth. This must have been bittersweet for them, because on one hand, they are giving away their precious possessions, such as gold, silver, diamonds, rubies and precious stones. At the same time, those materials will be used to construct a beautiful place to worship God, perform rituals and gather together. I appreciated this aspect of my Torah portion, and have thought a lot about how the Israelites took what was precious to them and invested it in making real a dream of their community. In my life, I am interested in investing; I appreciate how when you put in your money into something you believe in, eventually something great can grow out of that initial investment.

The Israelites invested their possessions in the construction of their sacred space, and they gave something they valued to better the community. In my life, I value a number of tangible and intangible items, such as sports items, money, clothing, and time. Like the Israelites in my Torah portion, I have also invested in and shared that which I value in order to help others. For example, I have worked with Chazak. This is a program at Temple Sinai that helps children with special needs feel included and confident . I volunteered my time to help these children because I thought it would better the community and at the same time be positive for those children. I would definitely do it again because it made me feel good to know I was helping these kids. This Torah portion also underscores the value of contributing to a communal need, which inspired me to address a communal need in our world: clean water access. In honor of my Bar Mitzvah, I donated $1000 to UNICEF. I learned recently that children in Africa have to walk 10- 15 miles a day to get two gallons of water just to be able to cook food. UNICEF collects funds to build water pumps, one of which can provide 10 years of clean water to an entire village. That can show how one person’s donation can make a huge difference for the communal need. Like the Israelites who gave from their heart to build something beautiful, giving this money makes me feel that we are making a difference in the world.

LEVITICUS

VAYIKRA CONTRIBUTOR: ASHER FRIESS

My Torah portion, Parshat Vayikra, describes the different offerings that Israelite people made to God. Some of the offerings in the parsha include: the burnt offering, the Olah; the sin offering, the Chatat; and the penalty offering, the Asham. The burnt offering was a voluntary offering, and required the sacrifice of a “special,” high quality animal without blemish. The sin offering was performed in cases where someone did something wrong but unintentionally, or without knowing it. In order to address this, the person made an offering in order to face the consequences of their actions, but once he performs the offering, what he did is forgiven, and he is able to have a fresh start. The penalty offering is performed in the case where a person did something wrong, but did not care to worry about it, and as a result faced a more severe consequence than one making the sin offering. When I was studying this Torah portion, I initially found the sin offering difficult, because it seemed like people who were mostly good had to face a severe consequence for just one mistake that they didn’t even know they were making. At the same time, I see how such a ritual can be beneficial, because it would have motivated people not to make the same mistake in the future. For example, if you did something that wasn’t so bad, and then you are punished for it, it can be frustrating and annoying at first. However, in the long run, you will be glad that you had to face responsibility for your actions, because the punishment pushed you to be your best

form of you in the future and taught you a valuable lesson. The message of Parshat Vayikra is that our actions, whether intentional or not, have consequences. This relates to my life, because when I have made mistakes, small or large, there have been consequences for my actions. Once I have faced the consequence, I am able to have a fresh start to try and do better. For example, in basketball, if you cause a turnover you will have to face the consequence of being subbed out. However, after some time, you are able to come back in with a clean slate. This has happened to me many times, but one time stands out better than the rest. In one travel basketball game I wasn't playing very well, so I got benched for a while. I could have gotten really down on myself, but I decided to stay positive, because I knew I could redeem myself later. Then the coach put me back in with around two minutes left in the game. The game was close and the clock winding down, when I got fouled with like 20 seconds left. I went on to hit both free throws to put my team up by three points. We won the game and no one remembered the mistakes I made. Like making an offering in my Torah portion, being benched provided me with an opportunity to regroup and realize what I had to do better. Being put back in the game gave me the second chance I needed to play my best for my team. These offerings also reminded me of another Jewish ritual about seeking forgiveness and starting over: Yom Kippur. When we go to synagogue on Yom Kippur, we think about the various ways that we were not the best versions of ourselves that year. Rather than the physical offerings in my Torah portion, we make offerings with our words, and ask God to receive them and forgive us. When Yom Kippur ends, we have a fresh start from all the mistakes we

LEVITICUS made in that past year. On Yom Kippur we take a day out of our lives to be “benched,” in order to regroup and have a clean start to try our best in the next year. After reading my Torah portion, I’ve learned that making an offering can be a consequence for someone’s actions, and can lead to having a fresh start. Today, while we don’t have offerings of animal sacrifices, this is still relevant. We still have times in our lives when we are able to reflect on our mistakes and then be able to have a fresh start, like Yom Kippur. While facing our mistakes is challenging, it is important, because it pushes us to be better people and not make the same mistake again. If we didn't have a challenge, what would we be living for?

"While facing our mistakes is challenging, it is important, because it pushes us to be better people and not make the same mistake again."

CONTRIBUTOR: JACK GLENNON

My Torah portion, Vayikra, gives detailed instructions for the ancient Israelites about when to the portable sanctuary and how prepare their offerings to God before the priests. It describes how to slaughter a bull and prepare it as an offering. There are also instructions for the offering of a goat, whose blood is dashed against the altar walls after it is slaughtered by the priests. The first priests were the sons of Aaron. Vayikra also provides specific details for selecting an animal from your flock; it says it must be without blemish. What I understood from Vayikra was that the Israelites were sacrificing the animals and conducting these rituals in order to connect to God. These specific rituals felt strange to me; animal sacrifices are not the way I would want to connect with God today. I understand, however, that the Israelites were following the instructions of their leaders, Moses, Aaron and his sons. They shared with the Israelites that this is the right way to connect with God. Today, the way we express ourselves

before God is different. Thankfully, we no longer sacrifice animals. However, people still try to connect with God by offering things of themselves. For example, today people’s love and support of one another can be seen as a kind of offering. They are giving something of themselves and may receive something back, like appreciation or gratitude. Another way that people can give of themselves is when someone gives time out of their day to help another or to volunteer. When people offer time out of their day, they usually receive the feeling of knowing they did something good for someone else. This idea of giving as a modern-day sacrifice to God relates to me. At the beginning of the year, I volunteered at a soup kitchen. While I was there, I helped the guests. Many of the guests were homeless or did not have enough food to support themselves. I took time out of my day to help the people in need and hopefully make their day better. Similar to the sacrifices I read about, I gave an offering of my time and my heart. Going to the soup kitchen was a meaningful

LEVITICUS

experience for me, and I went home feeling I just made the world a little better by helping others. I gave something and received something back. I have also given of myself when my family needed it. Last year, I found out my dad had cancer. I knew it was going to be hard for my family and Dad, but that we would put up a fight. I also knew my dad needed my help and support, so I made sure to be there whenever he needed me. If a family member got sick during the time of my Torah portion, I think the family would make a sacrifice to God and ask for healing. For me, however, I felt the best offering I could make was helping my dad, and do whatever he needed. Whenever I came home from school, I would go straight into his room just to talk with him and see how he was doing.

"During the recent covid crisis I have seen people help and support each other through tough times." Another time I gave of myself was in November of 2019. My sister had torn her ACL playing soccer. She was in pain and needed support, so I was there for her; I helped her ice her leg and get food. When our family was eating dinner, she was not able to come to the dinner table, so I would go and sit with her and keep her company. My sister appreciated that I was there for her, and that made me feel good, because I knew that I was there for her. I had given up time out of my day, but it was meaningful to help someone who needed me. During the recent Covid crisis, I have seen people help and support each other through tough times. We have Zoomed

with family members living far away and shared distance meals. During this time, I got much closer with my family by sharing every meal, riding bikes and spending time together. I have enjoyed connecting with my family, even under the circumstances.

CONTRIBUTOR:

GABRIELLE GOLDSTEIN

My Torah Portion, Vayikra, begins the book of Leviticus. It describes several sacrifices, or offerings, to God. Some sacrifices you can choose to make when you do something wrong, but others are mandatory. For each sacrifice, different instructions are provided, guiding the Israelites through each step of the process: how to find the animal, determine which type it is and how to prepare it for sacrifice. Some of the offerings are given to God completely, which means that they are burned on the altar and the priests cannot benefit from them, but some are given to the priest to eat. The Torah portion speaks about being responsible when you do something wrong and what to do. As an expression of taking responsibility for our actions, we would have to make a sacrifice. A sacrifice was not only an offering to God, but it meant giving something up that belongs to us, and making an effort to change through our actions. For example, animals from a person’s flock were often sacrificed, which otherwise would be used for necessities like food or clothing. Even though we don't have to make animal sacrifices today, the Torah teaches an important lesson: when we make a mistake, we still need to work hard and sometimes give something up to show that we regret what we have done and want to move forward. For example, when I get into an argument with my brother, I see what part of the fight was my responsibility and apologize for my actions.

LEVITICUS Then I try to do better the next time. The Torah portion also values giving up things that are precious to you through sacrifice, as a way of communicating with God. These sacrifices serve to either ask for God’s help, seek God’s forgiveness, or thank God for good fortune. Today, we continue to communicate with God, but through our prayers rather than through sacrifices. For example, a couple of years ago, my grandma was sick and had surgery. That Friday night, my family and I went to synagogue and prayed for her recovery. Over time, my grandma got much better and became a lot stronger. In my Torah portion, people make a sacrifice to communicate with God, but we used our words to reach out. I feel that the emphasis in my Torah portion on sacrifice, of giving something up as a way of expressing oneself, can also be seen today. For example, when we make donations to support others in need, we are giving up something that would have been ours, but instead we are giving it to someone who needs it more, or to a cause that we believe in. Every year in October, I, along with my family and lots of my friends, raise money for people with cancer by participating in a run. We run or walk around a big neighborhood in order to raise money and create awareness for people who need help. This encourages many people to think beyond themselves and to sacrifice what they have in order to

"I realized that I need to be more careful with what I do and not take the things I have for granted."

help others in need. During the pandemic, we have also had to give up doing certain things in order to help keep others safe. We have had to make sacrifices like not going out for dinners, not seeing our friends as often, and wearing masks in public in order to prevent spreading the virus. In my Torah portion, the culture around sacrifices likely caused the people to be very careful with everything they did on a daily basis; if they were to do something wrong, they would have to sacrifice an animal which could have been a meal or clothing for them. After reading my Torah portion and as I become a Bat Mitzvah, I realized that I need to be more careful with what I do and not take the things I have for granted. This process has made me think about what good I can do for others when they are in need, and how I can thank God when something good happens to me and my family. Another thing I learned from my Torah portion is that making a sacrifice can also benefit others. Food is one of the most important things for my family and me. During the pandemic I realized how difficult it could be for some people to get to the supermarket and get what they needed. For my Bat Mitzvah project, I delivered groceries to people who were unable to shop for themselves. I took time every week to get shopping lists from different people, and went to multiple markets to gather what these people needed for the week. I took time to deliver the items to each person. This made me feel really good because I was helping people in need as well as appreciating that I could do this for me and my family. After reading my Torah portion, I have learned that sacrifices can be an important way of expressing yourself and communicating with God. I have also learned that it is extremely important to take responsibility for my actions.

LEVITICUS

TZAV CONTRIBUTOR: BELLA KOHL

In my Torah Portion, Parshat Tzav, God gives Moses instructions for the Israelites, guiding them in the ways they can connect and have a strong relationship with God. The people are to present God with animal sacrifices, grains, and other food offerings. The sacrifices were to be made with the help of the priests and in front of the larger community, who would all gather by the portable sanctuary. Even if they didn’t have much, the people made sure to present God with their offerings. There were different offerings that corresponded to the different things the people had to say to God, and the most common offerings were expressions of gratitude, guilt, and request.

"My Torah portion is about connecting to God through sacrifice, but I believe there are other ways to connect with God." Based on the text, it seems like the sanctuary was the only space where someone could connect with God, and offerings were the only method of communication. However, I believe that you can connect with God even if you are not in a sanctuary. For example, when I got my first bird, I felt like I had a purpose, a responsibility to take care of my new little budgie. I had the responsibility of caring for a life, a responsibility that I always wanted. When I had my bird, I felt needed, and like we both appreciated each other so much. Like the Israelites, I wanted God to know how thankful I was for Blueberry. I was able to show my gratitude through my actions and my words, even though I was not in the sanctuary or making offerings.

Similarly, when I make a mistake (or more often overreact), I can be stubborn and not own up to what I said or did. Like the Israelites, I feel guilty, and over time, I say sorry and find forgiveness from the people in my life that mean so much to me. While I do not make a sacrifice to God to express my guilt, I make an offering in the form of an apology to those I hurt. In my life, I’m not always at the synagogue praying, but I still think about how I should be a good person and remember that my actions have consequences every day, even without making a Guilt offering. I try my best to make the right choices. It’s hard, but I am able to remember the right thing to do by thinking about the consequences of my actions. I can also relate to the concept of prayer as a form of request. For anyone who doesn’t know, I love dogs. Sometimes I go with my dad to visit dog shelters. One time, I went to the North Shore Animal League and I saw some older dogs there, who were barking and seemed angry at us. I had heard that many of these dogs had abusive owners previously, so I understood why they might have been barking: they were protecting themselves from getting hurt again. While I knew I wasn’t able to adopt a dog, I prayed that one day every one of those dogs would find a loving family with whom they could be safe and happy. I did not make a sacrifice, but I offered up the words of my heart to make a request of God on behalf of these animals. My Torah portion is about connecting to God through sacrifice, but I believe there are other ways to connect with God. By being a good person toward others and having good intentions, you can show God your feelings, thank God for your life, apologize for the mistakes you have made, or pray for the ones you love.

LEVITICUS

CONTRIBUTOR: JACK BECKER

In my Torah portion, Parshat Tzav, Moses receives detailed instructions from God regarding the various sacrificial rituals that Aaron and his sons are to perform. For example, the burnt offering is where Aaron and his sons present the animals for sacrifice, which are left on the fire all night until morning. The purgation offering is where the priest eats the food in the sacred precinct in the enclosure of the tent of meeting. The reparation offering is like the purgation offering: the same rules apply, but the priest who offers a person's burnt offering shall keep the skin of the burnt offering that was offered. The next offering, with cakes of leavened bread added, shall be offered along with one’s thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being. When I was reading through my Torah portion, which is focused on various animal sacrifices, I initially thought it held no relevance for my life. But, after further study, I began to realize that just as the Israelites are making sacrifices to connect to God, I do certain things in my life to connect with other people, and show them I care for them. Just as the Israelites do these rituals in an attempt to bring the Divine presence into their lives, I try to create holiness in the world through building deep connections with others. There are many ways I strive to create holiness through relationships. One example is when my brother and sister and I are home alone, and I take care of them. In showing them I love them and making them feel protected, I feel I am creating a sense of holiness in my home. Another way I can increase holiness in the world is by making a new student feel comfortable in my school; the new student no longer feels alone, but connected to another person. Similarly, I strive to build connections with

my teammates in sports. For example, when a teammate falls down and you pick him up, your action shows your teammate that you care for him and that we are a team. This act of caring is a holy act, and shows that the team cares for each other like they are a family. In addition to considering the ways in which we bring holiness into the world, my Torah portion also discusses the practice of being grateful, as it describes an offering of Thanksgiving in this way: “Out of this person shall offer one of each kind as a gift to the eternal; it shall go to the priest who dashes the blood of the offering of the wellbeing.” I can relate to this important value of gratitude: appreciating what I have and finding ways to give back. For example, I am fortunate to have food to eat which makes me stay healthy and parents who provide and prepare food for me. One of the ways I can express my gratitude to them is by preparing the plates and setting the table before we eat. I am also very grateful for the clothing that I have, without which I would probably be very uncomfortable, sick or even freezing. I can express gratitude by taking care of my clothes and not taking them for granted: doing laundry, folding my clothes and putting them away in the cabinet. While I do not relate to my Torah portion’s method of connecting to God through sacrifice, I appreciate how rituals and behavior in our daily lives can help up to be more mindful, to create an environment of holiness, appreciation and gratitude. Now that I am becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I will take the message of my Torah Portion to heart by changing how I care for others. I will focus on ways I can help someone to feel cared for, supported, appreciated, and not alone. Most importantly, I will continue to consider how I can express gratitude.

LEVITICUS

M'TZORA CONTRIBUTOR:

SPENCER GERSON

It’s not an especially welcome coincidence that this Torah portion, M’tzora, is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago when the Torah was written. My Torah portion discusses the procedures and protocols for when somebody in the community gets leprosy. First, the priest has to go outside the camp and see if the leper was healed, and has to make certain sacrifices. The affected person must then wash all of his or her belongings to get rid of the leprosy, and then must remain outside of the tent for seven days. The priest assists in the purification ritual; he has to rub certain things on the person to get rid of this leprosy. Then the priest must reevaluate the status of the house, and if he decides it’s clean, he performs a cleansing ritual on the house as well. God had given instructions about how to deal with people with the disease of leprosy, and when you read through the ritual, much of it makes sense even today. Responding to leprosy way back then and responding to Covid-19 now are not too different. Of course there were no vaccines then, but God commanded, and the priests understood, the need for strict hygiene, quarantining, cleaning of homes, clothes and objects handled by disease carriers. When a person contracts leprosy, he or she has to stay away from everybody else for seven days. Similarly, when one of us contracts coronavirus, we have to stay away from others as well. In my Torah portion, it also says that the impure people that were in the house must wash their clothes. This connects to us now, because when we are outside or near somebody we need to wash our hands and use hand sanitizer to make sure we stay pure of germs. The text also states that the priests have to inspect the house and the people to make sure the leprosy is gone. Today, doctors examine us and provide testing before re-entry, to make sure we are safe and healthy. The priests in my Torah portion and doctors today are similar in that way.

"Good hygiene and cleanliness are basic tenets of Judaism, as is listening to governmental authority."

The detailed rituals involving birds and blood and so forth gave the people a process to follow and an indication of their faith. Today we put our faith in our doctors and government officials to tell us what to do, everything from hand-washing, social distancing and mask wearing to staying home and not going to work or school. Most people listen, many do not. Why is that?

LEVITICUS Authority in the Torah came directly from God and was enforced by the priests. That was the way you lived your life, and we read many examples of people or whole communities being punished for disobeying the rules. Today we live primarily by laws and rules communicated by the government and, depending on your religion and your degree of faith and adherence, what your religious leaders tell or advise you to do. Today, some people have a distrust of government, or just don’t like any kind of authority, and this only helps to spread the disease. My family follows the rules for combating Covid-19 and I know our rabbis strongly encourage us to do so. Good hygiene and cleanliness are basic tenets of Judaism as is listening to governmental authority. To me, this Torah portion is a reminder that learning the rules for dealing with disease and understanding their basis is a link to our Jewish heritage and faith in God. The specifics have changed dramatically over the centuries but the guiding principles are the same. One more point that I want to make is to remind everyone of the incredible role that Jewish doctors and researchers here and in Israel have played in combating the pandemic. We should be proud of our heritage in medicine and healthcare, and much of it goes back to the lessons in today’s Torah portion dealing with leprosy.

CONTRIBUTOR: JAKE FINE

In my Torah portion, M’tzora, we read descriptions of how to address a plague or disease that is in the community. There are instructions for what happens when the plague (or virus) enters the house. The priests had to make sure the house was clear of the disease because it could affect them or even the house itself. If any person was in the house during the time when the plague was present, that person would need to wash his clothes and be cleaned. The Torah portion describes a disease that was easily spread and that people did not know much about. That meant that they couldn't make a vaccine, or medicine that could help kill it or stop the spread. They worked with what they had; they separated the sick people from the healthy people, which meant the disease couldn't spread from the sick to the healthy. When I first started studying the Torah portion, I didn’t really understand what was going on or what it had to do with my life. Now, however, I am able to understand this

Torah portion much more, because I can relate to the part of the story that describes a mysterious disease that is easily spread. Throughout my preparation for today, we have been living through a global pandemic, with a virus called COVID-19. Like the priests and Israelites in my Torah portion, I have been in close contact with today's virus multiple times. Its presence has had a tremendous impact on the way my life looks. All of a sudden, the ancient descriptions of my Torah portion now seem familiar and relatable. My life has changed a lot ever since the pandemic started. Similar to the strategy used to protect unaffected people in my Torah portion, today everyone has to social distance, wear masks, and use hand sanitizer in order to minimize exposure to people who might have the virus. In addition, people are going out much less, and if they see other people, they meet outside. Personally, my life is pretty different now then before. At the beginning of quarantine, our schools were completely closed. I was able to go bike riding with my friends and hang out with them almost every day. Even now, a year later, the way

LEVITICUS

"THIS PANDEMIC WE ARE ALL CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH HAS MADE ME LEARN AND THINK A LOT MORE ABOUT MY LIFE..." we “go to school” is very different; now I go to school in person every other day and am virtual on the days I am home. Like my Torah portion, our lives have been disrupted by this rare virus that is causing a lot of pain and suffering throughout the world. It has affected who I see and what I do. Our pandemic has also been different from what was described in my Torah portion because there doesn’t seem to be as much stigma today; most people are trying to help each other more than hurt each other, and don’t want to alienate people if they get the virus. And perhaps most importantly, unlike the affliction in my Torah portion, In 2021, we have a lot more technology than existed in my Torah

KEDOSHIM CONTRIBUTOR:

EMILY RUBEL

My Torah portion, Kedoshim, means "holy." Being holy, among other things, means having certain ethical responsibilities as a Jewish person, and to be special. The Torah portion includes many laws that show the Israelite people how to be holy and to live holy lives. For example, it forbids one from lying about the value of an item, or how much something weighs. For example, you are not permitted to sell a 15 carat diamond ring and say it was worth 20 carats. The person buying it would pay for a more expensive diamond but receive something of lesser value, which would be unfair. God also instructs the people to

portion, and we are using it to our advantage. We have better scientists now, and have more ways to stay safe and keep clean. We now even have a vaccine, and I am happy that things are getting back to normal. I was finally able to see my grandparents in Florida who I hadn’t seen in over a year. This pandemic we are all currently going through has made me learn and think a lot more about my life, because I am in a fully different situation now that I ever thought I would be in. My health, my family, my friends mean so much to me, and I appreciate them even more now, because I have seen how many people have struggled this year.

grow out certain hair on their bodies, as a reminder of being part of God’s chosen people. Other religions may not have a rule like this, which makes Jewish people holy or special. Finally, God also wants the Israelites to treat rich and poor people equally. Just as we need to be honest in our commerce and weights and measures, God wants us to also be fair in the way we treat people. When reading my Torah portion, I agreed with these ethical laws, and related to them. I think that many of the instructions included in this Torah portion have to do with fairness, and should be followed. What was most striking to me was the way in which the Torah portion talks about how you shouldn’t cheat, lie, or take advantage of people who are more vulnerable. For example, the text says,“You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind.” This law, protecting vulnerable

LEVITICUS people, is still important today, but some people do not follow it. For example, I saw a news story recently about certain bank employees who were caught calling senior citizens in an attempt to steal from them. These employees would claim to be a relative of the seniors, say that they were in trouble and needed money immediately. Many of their targets believed them, and gave away thousands of dollars. Sadly, when they realized they were deceived, there was almost no way for them to get their money back. Just like placing a stumbling block before the blind, these thieves took advantage of these vulnerable people, who were unable to fight back or defend themselves. My Torah portion also has resonated with me in a new way in the past several months. As I was preparing for my Bat Mitzvah, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and we were all forced to quarantine. The Torah portion talks about not insulting the deaf, or placing a stumbling black before the blind, and emphasizes the importance of not doing anything that could put a vulnerable person in danger. During this time, it was dangerous for anyone to go out, but especially for older people. To help reduce the risk of the health of older people, we brought things like groceries over to my grandparents' house so they didn’t have to go out. Also, if we ever went near them, we would need to wash our hands. The actions that we took to protect my grandparents, and that we took to keep each other safe during the pandemic, were examples of upholding the important ethical laws of the Torah. Another lesson that I learned from my Torah portion is to treat others the way you want to be treated. In the text, it states, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people. Love your fellow as yourself.” This law is trying to stop people from being mean to each other, and encourages everyone to be

"The actions that we took to protect my grandparents, and that we took to keep each other safe during the pandemic, were examples of upholding the important ethical laws of the Torah." kind. An example from my own life is when my brother sometimes needs help with his homework. Even though I may be busy, I still make time to help him. I do this because if I needed help but I didn’t get any, I would feel upset, or sad. The obligation to love our fellow as ourselves encourages all of us to put ourselves in the other person’s position, and act accordingly. After reading the words of my Torah portion, I understand that these laws are some of the central ideas of Judaism. I am able to connect to them because I agree with them, and I think that we should always live by them. As I get older, I hope to always help people in my life, especially those who are vulnerable, and to continue to treat people the way I would want to be treated.

CONTRIBUTOR: MIA STREINER

My Torah portion, Parashat Kedoshim, explains how God gives many commandments to Moses that he must share with the Israelites. Kedoshim, the name of my Parsha, literally means “holy.” God describes to Moses the different ways that the Israelites can be holy, and outlines how to acknowledge and worship God, including the sacrifice of animals and the way in which we should treat our calendar and land. God also instructs Moses on how to treat people with dignity, honesty, and respect. This includes how we cannot murder or steal from our fellow Israelites, nor can we mistreat people who have different abilities.

LEVITICUS This Torah portion really resonated with me because I know, firsthand, how important it is to treat all people with kindness, especially people with different abilities than I have. As most of you know, I am a seventh grade student in middle school. Every day, I see many people around me that have physical and psychological disabilities. Unfortunately, these people are more susceptible to being made fun of than others. However, people who attempt to cause them harm are only harming themselves, because by doing this, they are not respecting God. In addition, this Torah portion relates to my life because I have a very close relationship with my uncle who is autistic. Like the examples in this Torah portion, I know that his disabilities make him a target to be made fun of. As I’ve grown older, I’ve been able to get to know him in ways that I didn’t think were possible. I’ve been able to see past his disabilities and recognize the importance of

treating him with respect. My experience with my uncle and this Torah portion has given me an interest in supporting people with disabilities. Recently, I took a tour of The Center of Developmental Disabilities in Woodbury, where my uncle went to school and lived for several years. It is a place where children and adults of different abilities can achieve their dreams by overcoming obstacles and enjoying opportunities. I met a few of the students learning there and was fortunate enough to play piano for them. Giving back to these kids really helped me understand how a simple act of kindness can really make somebody’s day. I am looking forward to volunteering there in the future. As I stand here today, the experiences in my life have helped me understand the words of my Torah portion and the lesson behind it. I will strive to treat everyone equally, seeing the holiness within them and living my life with compassion.

"I WILL STRIVE TO TREAT EVERYONE EQUALLY, SEEING THE HOLINESS WITHIN THEM AND LIVING MY LIFE WITH COMPASSION." CONTRIBUTOR:

JORDYN ANMUTH

My Torah portion is called Kedoshim, which means “holy.” In my portion, God tells Moses commandments that he should share with his community in order to be holy. For example, God instructs the people to give food from their fields to others in need. God also discourages the people from acting unkind, even in small ways, like insulting someone or making fun of them. The Torah portion encourages people to treat everyone with kindness and compassion, even if some have more or less than others. It describes how we should treat strangers coming into our land with kindness, peace, and as a friend or citizen. God also continuously tells Moses

that he and his kin should keep Shabbat through celebration and worship. My Torah portion resonated with my life, because so many of God’s instructions have to do with treating people with kindness and being generous to people in need, which are important values in my life as well. Not only does this way of life help other people, but it can make you feel good afterwards. One of the commandments in my Torah portion that really speaks to me is that you shouldn't harvest all of your land, but leave the corners of your field unharvested for others. I interpret this to mean that you should give a portion of important things in your life to someone

LEVITICUS else who needs it. This might be food, as the Torah portion describes. For example, if you go into your pantry and realize you have more food than you need, why not donate it to a food bank or a shelter and make someone's day who needs it. In my school, we often have food drives; the custodians put huge cardboard boxes in the classroom, and students in each class bring in all sorts of non-perishable food items, from the market or from their own homes. When the boxes are full, the school donates them to food pantries, which distribute the food to those who need it most. When I contribute to one of these food drives, it’s just like leaving the corners of my land for the hungry. We are giving away some of our food to people who need it more than we do. This act of giving a percentage of what is yours to others could also be understood with money. In our society, some people may have more money than others, and those who have the ability to donate something to others should. One could give to another person directly or through a charity. We can understand the instruction to leave the corners of our field for others as a suggestion to not use all our resources on ourselves, but to buy items for others. A few months ago, my friends and I went to someone's house and we all brought new toys to give to children whose families might not be able to afford holiday presents. We wrapped the gifts so that the children could enjoy this surprise on Christmas and Hanukkah. This act was one

EMOR CONTRIBUTOR: TYLER OSIT

In my Torah portion, which is called Emor, we learn about the ways the Priests conducted themselves with holiness, and

way that I could offer some of what I have to others who might not have as much. Now that I’ve studied this Torah portion, I've come across many ways to become a holy community. We can achieve this by being generous and taking that extra step that will make someone smile or help another person.

"TO BECOME A HOLY COMMUNITY, WE WILL ALL NEED TO RESPECT EACH OTHER, HELP EACH OTHER, AND THINK OF EACH OTHER." For example, we can donate things to charity or just give money or food to a specific person that is in need. To become a holy community we will all need to respect each other, help each other, and think of each other. In my life, I can go out of my way to do something that I know will help the community or someone, and my Torah portion has taught me that the small things count as much as the big things. I can help raise money for charity or schools, I can clean up our town, I can buy someone food. There are so many ways we can help our community become holy. This Torah portion reminded me to share our abundance with others, and to celebrate the holy days.

the way they handled sacrifices. For example, one of the roles of the priest was taking donations of the people and burning them as sacrifices to God. These donations were very important, both to the person who gave the donation and the priest in his facilitation of the sacrifices. God wanted the Israelite people to have a

LEVITICUS close relationship with God, and in order to do so, gave instructions to Moses for the ways that the Israelites could engage through sacrifice. This Torah portion outlines a Festival calendar: the ancient Israelite celebrations and the sacrificial rituals associated with them. For example, one holiday described begins with a sacrifice known as a “Passover Offering,” followed by a Feast of Unleavened Bread, and after which Israelites must refrain from eating leavened bread for seven days. In addition, The text describes three holidays in the seventh month: a sacred occasion on the first day, commemorated with “loud blasts,” a Day of Atonement on the 10th day, which is a day of complete rest and a day to practice self-denial; and a “feast of booths” on the fifteenth day, which begins a weeklong festival of offerings to God.

atonement and ask God for forgiveness, one had to burn an animal and sacrifice it to God. For Passover as well, the holiday began with a Passover offering.

During these seven days, the Israelites must live in booths, in order to remind them of the booths in which they dwelled. These holidays were known as the set times of the Eternal.

In reading my Torah portion, I am moved by the idea that our people’s holidays have been celebrated the same way for thousands of years. This is important to me because Judaism is very important to me, and it gives me hope that the things that I’m doing will continue on for many more years to come.

In studying my Torah portion, I felt a deep connection between the festivals described and the way I celebrate my Judaism today. Each of the holidays described in my Torah portion are variations of the very same holidays that the Jewish people celebrate today, with some big differences. The biggest difference is that offerings were a significant part of the ritual observance, now largely replaced by prayers. For example, on Yom Kippur, in order to make

While we no longer make sacrifices to God, in many ways, the festivals are celebrated the same way. For example, Rosh Hashanah is a holiday where we blow the shofar, which indeed commemorates the holiday with loud blasts. On Yom Kippur, we still practice self-denial, and on Sukkot, we spend a week dwelling in booths. Every time I celebrate one of our Jewish holidays, I am able to think about how special this holiday is, and how meaningful it is to observe it in nearly the same way the Israelites did. As a result, I feel more connected to my ancestors, the Israelite people.

Now that I’m becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I recognize that some of the responsibility now falls on me; I hope to follow all the holidays in a meaningful way and try to keep the tradition going. Without sacrifices as a common practice, I know I can still pray to God during times that aren’t holidays.

"EVERY TIME I CELEBRATE ONE OF OUR JEWISH HOLIDAYS, I AM ABLE TO THINK ABOUT HOW SPECIAL THIS HOLIDAY IS, AND HOW MEANINGFUL IT IS TO OBSERVE IT IN NEARLY THE SAME WAY THE ISRAELITES DID." 60

LEVITICUS CONTRIBUTOR: CHLOE KANE

My Torah portion, Emor, talks a lot about the priests: who can be priests, how they have to act, and how they have to set an example. It also describes holidays that the Israelites should observe and what they ought to do on them, including Shabbat and how you can work on the first 6 days but must rest on the 7th. My Torah portion also instructs the farmers to leave some of everything they grow for strangers or even poor people; they are not allowed to take everything.

"JUDAISM VALUES HELPING PEOPLE YOU DON’T KNOW AND BEING KIND TO EVERYONE." Some parts of my Torah resonated with me, while others really upset me. For example, The Torah portion explains that people who have imperfections with their bodies, be it a blemish or a disability, are unable to serve as priests. This was upsetting to me. I do not feel that the Torah should be able to discriminate this way; it should not say people can’t have a certain job just because they have something wrong with them that they were either born with or can’t control. However, something I really appreciated in the story was God’s commandment to leave some of what we grow for people who are poor, even if they are strangers. It was amazing how the Torah encourages kindness to people we might not know, and leaving crops that could otherwise be used to sustain us, out for others to take. Reading this part of my Torah portion made me realize how much Judaism values

helping people you don’t know and being kind to everyone. I appreciate these values and try to bring them into my own life. For example, I tutor a first grader on various subjects, in order to help him improve in school. I did not know him before I started tutoring him, but I wanted to show kindness to him and help him. Like my Torah portion which commands us to help those in need, even if we don’t know them and even if we get nothing in return, I am able to give of my time and help someone else. I love that there are great people in the world who love to help others, and feel very lucky that so many of these inspirational people are in my own life. I have friends and family all around me doing community work whenever they can, and I see how their efforts put a smile not only on their own face, but on the faces of everyone around them. These people inspire me to help others no matter what. After reading my Torah portion, however, I look back and realize that there is so much I want to do to help others but haven’t yet. I know I can do those things if I put my mind to it. I realize that many are not as fortunate as I am, and there is so much I could do to help them. At my school, we do many different things to help those in need, such as like toy drives or food drives, and when I was in the Community Service club last year, we came up with many things that we could do to help others. However, when this pandemic hit, we were not able to make any of the ideas we had happen, because we had to stay home and school was remote. It was upsetting knowing that we could not do so many of the things we came up with to help those in need, knowing that while we were no longer able to do them, the people still needed our help. Like those who took crops from the corners of the field in my Torah portion, there are always those in need and we can always do our part to help. Today, as things seem to be improving with

LEVITICUS

the pandemic, I am looking forward to being able to do more for others. My Torah portion reminded me to think more about others who are not as fortunate; if you come across someone who needs help, help them,

because they are also people like you and me. It also reminded me how important it is to treat people with kindness and equality, regardless of their abilities or how they look.

CONTRIBUTOR:

part of the Torah, I have a much better understanding of what it means for me to be the leader of the company. I’m going to have to decide what I and other people should do, and I am the one who is responsible for making our plan work out. I know that as the business grows, I am going to have to be a role model for others. It is going to take a lot of work on my part to make Waves a success, and I am already holding myself to a high standard, like the priests.

ZACHARY KANE

My Torah portion gives instructions for the priests to live their lives in a certain way, and to serve as good examples for the Israelite people. The laws they have to follow are very specific and include very high standards, for example, “they shall not shave smooth any part of their heads, or cut the side growth of their beards, or make gashes in their flesh.” My Torah portion also describes commandments for observing holidays including Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah, explaining that everyone should celebrate these days, and not just the priests. What interested me in my Torah portion were the guidelines for the priests. The priests are given a long list of rules that they must follow, indicating the high standards to which they were held. In exchange for following these rules, they are given a powerful leadership role as the spiritual leaders of the community. With this leadership also comes great responsibility and seriousness. The Torah portion emphasizes the importance of following the rules and commandments in order to be a good example for your community. This resonates with me, because I think it is important to set a good example as a leader, and that people should hold you to a higher standard if you are in that role. Recently I came up with an idea for a new clothing business with the help of my friends. We’re calling it Waves and I am going to be the CEO. After studying this

My Torah portion emphasizes the priests as leaders of the Israelites. They serve as advocates for the Israelites, and help to communicate with God on their behalf through managing the animal sacrifices. I think the Torah portion is showing us that all leaders who advocate on our behalf should be good role models, even today. In our country, the role of advocate falls to people in Congress and in the White House. I also think our leaders of this country should be good role models, because they do not just set an example for us, but they represent us to other countries. Just like the priests represented their community. Now that I have studied my Torah portion and thought about the role of the priests, it has made me realize the importance of setting an example as a leader and to do what is right as a leader. One of my goals is to allow my parents to retire without having to worry about their taxes and bills. I say that because they both work very hard to handle three kids (especially if the kids are Chloe and Maxwell), and to put food on the table every day. I know they could work for the rest of their lives, but I want to change

LEVITICUS that, and let them retire and not worry. If I did that, I would be acting as a role model for others, like my own children, showing them how to treat their parents so that hopefully they would treat me the same way. As I continue to grow up, I hope to hold myself to a high standard as a leader and a role model for others.

CONTRIBUTOR:

RYANN RAPPAPORT

In my Torah portion, Parshat Emor, God gives the Israelites instructions for observing holidays like Sukkot, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Shabbat. God tells them when the holidays should occur throughout the year, and how each holiday is to be observed. I’ve known the stories behind some of these holidays for as long as I can remember; I know that we celebrate Shabbat as the day of rest after 6 days of work because God rested on the seventh day of creation. I know that Passover celebrates how God freed the Israelites from slavery, that the Israelites left Egypt before their bread could rise, and that we now eat unleavened bread, matzah, to remember our ancestors and to celebrate our freedom. I know that we celebrate Sukkot by living in a Sukkah, in remembrance of the way God protected the Israelites in the wilderness under difficult conditions. However, before studying my Torah portion, I had not read the ancient instructions for observing these holidays. I realized that God wants us to observe these holidays in order for us to think about why we have them, what is involved

"THE TORAH PORTION EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOWING THE RULES AND COMMANDMENTS IN ORDER TO BE A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR YOUR COMMUNITY." in celebrating them, and what experiences led us to observing them. In addition, by giving us these holidays, the text provides us with a way to remain connected to God and to our history. As I read my Torah portion, I was surprised to learn that there are differences between the way the Torah describes the holidays and what I was always taught. For example, my Torah portion does not mention the exodus from Egypt when describing Passover; instead, it says that the people must make a Passover offering to God, a sacrifice, rather than host a Seder. The text says that we must eat unleavened bread for seven days but does not mention our escape from slavery. Similarly, Sukkot is described as the feast of booths, a solemn occasion, and again requires offerings by fire, instead of the fun, relaxed time we usually have in the Sukkah. In my Torah portion, the Jewish holidays are more than just our history and tradition; in fact, they are presented as laws to the Jewish people, and the instructions that we get about each of these holidays are to be followed like any other law. Reading this has made me realize that Jewish people don't just see

"THIS YEAR, I ALSO LEARNED HOW YOUR FAMILY CAN BE BROUGHT TOGETHER AND CONNECT DURING THE HOLIDAYS, EVEN IF WE HAVE TO DO IT DIFFERENTLY THAN WE HAVE IN THE PAST." 63

LEVITICUS

holidays as a reason to throw a party. Rather, holidays can teach us how to live a good life. Celebrating the Jewish holidays teaches us why we live the way we do and how to appreciate what we have. Writing my D’var Torah made me think not only about how important the holidays are, but how over time we continue to celebrate these holidays even if we change the way we do it. This year, as we have gone through a pandemic, we have not been able to celebrate the holidays the way we normally do. So this year, most of the holidays felt like normal days and nothing special. Not having the ability to go to the synagogue for the High Holy Days and to be able to spend time with family made the holidays feel different. On Yom Kippur, I usually connect to the holiday by going to the synagogue. When I was not able to do that in person this year, I struggled to feel the connection with the holiday and what I was supposed to do. In addition, I could not say sorry face-to-face for things I have done to some of my family members. Sukkot felt like it was canceled altogether. On Sukkot, you are supposed to build a Sukkah to eat in, but eating in a Sukkah did not feel covid-safe, and as a result I did not have the opportunity to celebrate. For the first time in years, I was not at Hebrew school in person and did not get to go into the beautiful Sukkah that Temple Sinai always has for their congregation. However, even though I couldn’t do some of my favorite things to celebrate a lot of the holidays, I was fortunate that I could still be in touch with family. Zoom and Facetime made it possible to have covid-safe holidays where I got to be in touch with grandparents, aunts and uncles. Now that I have studied this Torah portion, and now that I am becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I realize how the observance of these holidays developed and how important they really are.

In my Torah portion, I learned some of the ancient rituals of the Jewish holidays, why we celebrate the holidays and why they are so important to the Jewish people. This year, I also learned how your family can be brought together and connect during the holidays, even if we have to do it differently than we have in the past. My Torah portion has shown me that holidays are not only a way to celebrate, but a way to relate to others and connect with your family and community. Some people just celebrate these holidays because they have to, but don't know why they are doing it. Now, I know I will not be one of those people, because I have a true understanding of what these holidays mean to the Jewish community and what they can mean for me, my family, and my community.

CONTRIBUTOR:

LAYLA GOLDBERG

This week’s Torah portion, Emor, shares themes of instructions for celebrations and for showing gratitude. The very first sentence I will chant today describes how God provided instructions to Moses about a celebration on the 15th day of the seventh month, the Festival of Sukkot. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks points out that Sukkot is the only festival described in the parsha that mentions rejoicing. In fact, Sukkot is also called “the festival of our joy.” Sukkot is a time to remember the 40 years the Israelites lived in the desert, without permanent homes. This was obviously a very challenging time for the Israelites and not very joyful. It was a prolonged period, during which there was little to protect the Israelites from the outside and no sense of permanence. Ironically, starting in March, we all experienced the opposite of the lack of a permanent home. In fact, we were forced to stay in our homes, isolated from our extended family and friends. This

LEVITICUS

experience could be an opportunity for us to anticipate the end of this modern day period of unpredictability, as it will undoubtedly be a cause for celebration and joy. The Sukkah is built with only three walls and a roof that does not protect from the elements. In speaking with Rabbi White recently, he pointed out that this is meant to remind us that we don’t need a building to make us strong. What we need are people, community and love. During quarantine, our temple building was closed, but people continued to gather together on zoom to offer each other community and love. This is an important reminder to us all of what we need to be strong. Today, I am grateful for those of you who are physically present to support me, as well as those who are joining from afar.

"WE DON’T NEED A BUILDING TO MAKE US STRONG. WHAT WE NEED ARE PEOPLE, COMMUNITY AND LOVE." The Torah portion, Emor, also describes many holidays in detail, which reflects their importance for the people. Celebrations have also been important during quarantine. The celebration of our first zoom seder gave us the chance to see my grandparents, my cousins, my aunts and uncles and other family members that we

usually celebrate with. It was a nice opportunity to feel like we were together even though we were all in different places. Gratitude is another important theme in the Parshat Emor. For example, it describes how people brought offerings to the temple, including bread and animals in gratitude for good weather for their crops, being healthy, and having healthy animals. The theme of gratitude is especially relevant and important in my life today, during quarantine. It was very hard to be away from normal things, like school, camp, normal schedules and friends. When I am feeling sad and frustrated about the situation, I have to remind myself of all the things I do have - a healthy family, a safe place to live, and a puppy I had dreamed about having, who is keeping us all active and happy. One of the specific ways that the Torah portion talks about showing gratitude is the commandment of gleanings - instructions for farmers to leave a portion of their fields for the poor. One of my favorite activities over the past several years at Temple Sinai has been each fall, when my family participates in the Day of Gleanings. We go to the Garden of Eve farm and harvest vegetables which are then donated. It is fun to be outside with everyone, get dirty harvesting and know we are helping others in the process. Rabbi Sacks writes that Sukkot “symbolizes living with unpredictability” and that the story of Sukkot tells “us that though we journey through a wilderness, we as a people will reach our destination.” I look forward to future years when this pandemic is behind us and we can return to the annual activity of Gleanings. It will also be an opportunity for celebrating a return to normal life and an annual family and community tradition.

LEVITICUS

BEHAR CONTRIBUTOR:

CORY HERSHKOWITZ

My Torah portion, Parashat Behar, is about how God told the Jewish people to observe certain rules. It focused a lot on the seventh day of the week and how observing Shabbat helps us to observe God’s rules. The Torah portion also focused on considering every seventh year as a sabbatical year, meaning we need to give the earth a rest also so it doesn’t get overworked. In my portion, I believe God was also saying that God created everything for the Jewish people, and that we are to follow God’s laws in order to be kind and respectful, to each other and to the land. There were three main ideas that I took away from my Torah portion. First, that God made laws for the people and expected them to be followed. Second, that family and taking care of people we care about is really important. Third, that we do not have all the power; there needs to be a rhythm in our lives of rest and work, and the same for our land. Following laws and rules are important to being a good person. In my life, I have to follow the rules that my parents set for me, that my school sets for me and of course the rules and laws that society set for all of us. God wanted people to rest on the seventh day of the week, following God’s example. God set this so the people would rest, but I also think God set this rule so the people would remember that they did not hold all of the power. While everyone has some power over themselves and others, God is ultimately more powerful because without God, we wouldn’t have the world we live in.

"God created everything for the Jewish people, and we are to follow God’s laws in order to be kind and respectful to each other and the land."

I can relate to this because sometimes it’s really hard for me to not have all the power. Like when I want to spend extra time on my PS4, or stay up later than I’m supposed to, or finish a school assignment I really don’t want to do. Following rules about when I can play video games or when I need to go to bed is hard, because they remind me I’m not in charge. At the same time, the rules remind me that I need to take a break from my PS4, because it’s not really good to be playing video games all the time, and staying up later isn’t always a good idea either, because I need rest in order to do well in school. God created the seventh day, Shabbat, as a day to rest and remind us

LEVITICUS

to be grateful for all of the things we value in our lives. Shabbat is also a day to connect with our family and friends, and to be grateful for all of the things they do for us. Learning this portion of the Torah taught me that I need to sometimes show my parents that I’m thinking about them and their well-being too.

It could be something as simple as calling my dad in the late afternoon to see how his day is going, or asking my mom if she needs help with something. Now that I am becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I hope to continue to live out the instructions and the values of my Torah portion has taught me.

CONTRIBUTOR:

extremely fortunate, and we have had no severe cases of illness. I am also extremely grateful that over the past year, my parents have protected me, my sister, and my grandparents, and have made sure we have been safe. Even though they may be a little too protective, it shows how much they love and care about us. Being forced to spend a lot of time at home this past year has given my sister and me an opportunity to create a special bond. Prior to the pandemic, we were on different schedules in and out of the house, but when the pandemic hit, we were home and only had each other to hang out with to pass the time. I am grateful for this special bond and for the fun memories we created together.

JAKE GREENBERG

My Torah portion, Behar, describes the special laws that God tells Moses while on Mount Sinai, so that the Israelites would know how to behave when they entered the Promised Land. One of those laws passed down is that on every seventh year, the people must give their land a “shabbat," a rest. During this time, farmers may not sow their fields. A similar law states that the 50th year will be a Jubilee year, which is another “shabbat” of sorts. In the Jubilee year, in addition to no agricultural work, all property should revert to its original owner and if someone owns slaves, they are to be set free. By having to give up things that are in their possession, the Israelites are reminded that what they “own” is just a loan from God, who is the true owner of everything. A theme from my Torah portion that really stands out to me is to never take things for granted and to be grateful for the things we have in life. The laws described to Moses from God, especially in the Jubilee year, remind the Israelites of this; and many, many years later, I can still relate to this theme in my everyday life. For example, I am grateful that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, my family has been

Before reading my Torah portion, I never thought deeply into how fortunate I am for everything I have while so many others are struggling just to survive. For example, living in a place like Roslyn, I too often take for granted what I have and forget that few people in this world live like I do. When I go into New York City and pass by people sleeping on the streets or living in cardboard boxes, I feel badly for them. When I see this, it makes me feel grateful to think that I live in a very safe and amazing neighborhood, like Roslyn. From reading my Torah portion, the questions I asked myself were, Why am I so lucky to live in

"WHEN WE CAN PAUSE IN OUR LIVES AND REFLECT, WE ARE ABLE TO HAVE A NEW AND CLEAR PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS." 67

LEVITICUS

such a nice house, when others do not even have a roof over their head? Do I deserve this? I realized that what I have is a gift that I should never take for granted.

Whereas my Torah portion speaks about the idea of letting our land rest every seven years, we also know that elsewhere in the Torah, God commands us to observe Shabbat, the day of rest, on a weekly basis. When we can pause in our lives and reflect, we are able to have a new and clear perspective on things. We can take the time to think about how grateful we are in life for the things that God gave to us, but we can also think about ways to improve our lives and the lives of others. On Yom Kippur, we fast. This sacrifice is supposed to allow us to reflect on the past year and think about the things we can do to improve in

B’CHUKOTAI CONTRIBUTOR:

KATE POLON

In my Torah portion, Parshat B’Chukotai, God shares a set of instructions for the Israelite people. God wants to make sure that they do what is right and try to become the best versions of themselves. Within these instructions are a series of positive and negative incentives for the Israelites. God tells the people that if they follow God's instructions and are involved in doing good, God will cause them no harm. Rather, God will take care of the people in return for them doing good things and obeying, and their relationship with God will become stronger as a result. However, if they turn from God and do not follow the instructions, there are several consequences, like God stopping the rain so their crops die. The people’s relationship with God will also suffer, because God doesn’t want to be associated

the upcoming year. When you take a break, you can reflect on times where you acted too quickly and may not have thought things through. There are certainly times in my life where I should have paused before I acted. For example, when I am told to get off my Xbox, I start complaining because I do not want to get off (okay, maybe this has happened more than once). Once, that complaint then turned into me losing my temper, which then lead to me getting punished. If I had just paused, I would realize how foolish I was acting. I would be able to control my temper and would better understand the consequences of my actions. My Torah portion shows us that taking time and space to pause and reflect, is beneficial both on a personal level and to our broader community.

with people who don't abide by God's rules. Through the instructions and incentives in my Torah portion, we see how God is trying to develop a relationship with the people of Israel; God offers the people laws to follow, with consequences if they are not able to hold up their side of the agreement. God wants them to understand that when God feels respected, God wants to return the favor and make sure others feel the same way. However, if the people upset God, God will do upsetting things to the Israelites. God and the Israelites model for us the important aspects of being in a relationship, which resonated with me. For example, in order to be happy and feel good, we need to treat others the way that we would like to be treated. In my life, I also have rules that I live by in my relationships. Similar to the way God lays out the rules for how God will interact with the people, I do not want to associate myself with people who make me feel bad or disrespect me. I also know how important it is to make others feel good. If I were to do something that hurt someone, I would apologize and try to learn from my

LEVITICUS

mistake, so that next time I will know how to approach the situation better. In God’s instructions to the people, God tries to show the Israelites how to be good people, including showing them that it is okay to mess up sometimes, but that there will be consequences. God seeks a relationship with the people where they are following God’s laws willingly, thus becoming closer to God and benefitting from that relationship. This reminded me of a book that I read as a child, The Giving Tree. In it, a boy and a tree develop a very close relationship over many years. The tree supplies the boy with everything he needs, from food to shelter. The tree felt good helping the boy with what he needed and in return, the boy came to visit the tree everyday. In my Torah portion, God wanted to have a good relationship with the people, asked them to do something, and in return, they would be taken care of and rewarded. Similarly, the boy in The Giving Tree maintained a close relationship with the tree, and in return the tree gave him the bare necessities. I also saw aspects of the relationship between God and the Israelites modeled in my relationship with my parents. My parents take care of me, and provide me with all the things that I need. They also have rules that I need to follow, and I have responsibilities in my house, such as cleaning my room or helping to clean up around the house. I do these things in part because it is an expectation that my parents have, and if I do them I will get a small toy. Beyond that, though, I am also doing these things because it makes me proud to know that I can help, even the slightest bit. Because I am in a relationship with my parents, I feel happy when I can make them happy. In addition, these rules and expectations that my parents set for me have taught me how to be helpful to others and to do what is

right, similar to the way God’s instructions to the Israelites help to teach them how to be good people. For me, after learning how to do small things around my house to help my parents, I now look for bigger ways to help, like in my community. After learning how to clean my room, I feel inspired to clean up our neighborhood, and to help pick up garbage on the street. Because of the relationship that I have with my parents, where we do things for each other, I now understand how to be in a relationship with others.

"IN ORDER TO BE HAPPY AND FEEL GOOD, WE NEED TO TREAT OTHERS THE WAY THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED." God offers the people a path to be in relationship with God by doing what is right. I try to live this way as well, and try to be helpful to my parents and my community. By offering to help cook dinner, I make my dad happy. By offering to help do the laundry, I make my mom happy. By picking up trash on the street, I make the planet happy. This Torah portion has helped me think about how I can be the best I can be, while knowing that I will make mistakes along the way because nobody is perfect. I am learning how to become comfortable in my own skin and be the best person I can be.

NUMBERS

B’MIDBAR CONTRIBUTOR:

ETHAN BLUMBERG

In my Torah portion, B’midbar, God asks Moses to take a census of all the people in the wilderness. God tells Moses a few people will be helping him, one leader from each of the Tribes of Israel. Together, they took a census of all the tribes, for all men over the age of 20, and recorded how many people were in each tribe. They recorded the men over the age of 20 so they could see how many people could be in the military. However, those in the tribe of the Levites were not counted in this census because they had their own special job - to take care of the Tabernacle of the Pact. The Levites served as Priests and were responsible for taking care of all the tasks that needed to be done at this holy place. From within this tribe, only men between 30 and 50 years old could serve in the Tabernacle of the Pact, so God asked Moses to take a separate census of that tribe so they could see how many people could take care of this place. A theme in this Torah portion is that every person has a purpose, that every person can feel that they are important and have a job. This is an important value today, and in my life as well. For example, in hockey everyone one has a position, a job that they have to do. Every position is different, but equally important. In every sport that has offense and defense, in the pros and sometimes in kid levels too, the offense gets noticed first. They will always be the MVP winners and people will think they are the most important. However, without the defense and the goalie, there is no way any team will win. They need these positions to stop the other team from scoring. Like in my Torah portion, every position on the

team has a purpose, and each position is needed, or else the team will never succeed. The census in my Torah portion made sure that each person was counted and that each position of importance was able to be filled. In our world today, however, not everyone is counted. Often, the people who are not counted are homeless. Many people misunderstand the circumstances of homelessness, and think that people who don’t have a job should just get one. It is not that easy. Some people who experience homelessness may not have had the same opportunities as others to be educated, or to live in a safe environment. Worst of all, however, is when people who are trying to get out of homelessness are not given a chance, when people discriminate against them because of how they appear or because of their circumstances. They could have a specific skill, and be the best worker there, but they are not ever given a chance to show that. When a census is taken today, homeless people are often overlooked. They are literally not counted. It is easier to find people with a home; you knock on the door and count the people inside. But when someone lives on the streets, in an alley, or the in shadows they might not be counted. This relates to my Torah portion because in the Torah portion, everyone had a special job; everyone was counted. The Torah portion values counting each person as a way to give each person a purpose and a job. In our world today, not everyone is counted, and those living on the streets who are not counted, who are not given a job to do, might feel that they do not have a purpose. The theme of this Torah portion is that everyone should be counted. Since not everyone in our world is counted, I feel that we need to change as a whole. Everyone, no matter where they come from should be given a chance.

NUMBERS

"EVERY POSITION ON THE TEAM HAS A PURPOSE, AND EACH POSITION IS NEEDED, OR ELSE THE TEAM WILL NEVER SUCCEED." CONTRIBUTOR: RILEY LENSON

My Torah portion, B’midbar, describes how God told Moses to take a census of all the Israelites, in order to find the men more than twenty years old who are eligible to protect the community. God told Moses that he would have several people that would help him with this hard task - the heads of each tribe of Israel. Each of these leaders went into their communities, counted each person, and brought out all of the people twenty years and older. One thing that I found very interesting in my Torah portion was that Moses was not expected to take the census on his own; he received help. He and the other representatives worked as a team to complete the project. In my life, I have experienced the benefits of working together as a team, and know how important it is. For example, in my family, we act as a team. Everyone in my family has different jobs that help our other family members out. One time that I remember working with my family as a team was when we moved my older sister, Carly, into her dorm at Cornell. In order to get everything done, we each had a job. My mom organized everything for the move. My dad and brother were in charge of putting things together, which was not exactly easy for them considering neither of them is very handy.

hanging all of her clothes and decorating, so everything felt like home. Moving in would have taken so much longer had we all not worked together, and it certainly would not have been as much fun. At my camp, there is also a strong emphasis on teamwork. For example, I am a part of a bunk, and everyone in the bunk works as a team as we fulfill our bunk responsibilities. Together, we keep the bunk clean and clean up our table during meals. We also fill the role of family while away from our own homes and families. We celebrate birthdays, we comfort each other when one of us is sad, and take care of each other if one of us doesn’t feel well, just like our families at home would. For the seven weeks of camp, my camp friends and I live and treat each other like sisters. For my Bat Mitzvah project, I have decided to work with a charity very close to my heart. “Fredye and Charlie’s Angels” is a group created in honor of two of my closest family friends' parents, The Morrises and the Shapiros. “Fredye and Charlie’s Angels” helps to organize parties, collect money and necessities for the patients at Cohen’s Children Hospital. Due to Covid-19, these parties were not able to happen recently, so I have collected toys, games and art supplies to donate to the children to enjoy. Now that I have officially become a Bat Mitzvah, I will carry on the lessons of teamwork that my Torah portion has taught me. My family and I already work as a team

Carly and I had fun working together

NUMBERS

to celebrate Jewish life; we work together to prepare for all of the Jewish holidays. As I continue to grow into a Jewish adult, I hope to carry on these traditions, continuing to work as a team with my own family.

NASO CONTRIBUTOR:

ASHTON KLAR

My Torah portion, Naso, begins with Moses and Aaron needing to count the people in each tribe as part of a census. Today, we still utilize this method of counting all the people in a country; a census takes place in most of the countries of the world and is used to help the governments distribute funds. Another part of my Torah portion focuses on purity, and describes ways to become pure again after one becomes ritually impure. For the Israelites, maintaining the status of purity was important because it allowed them to connect to one another and make offerings to God. We read about the importance of these offerings at the end of my Torah portion as well, where the text describes the leaders of each tribe making offerings. They did this as an act of gratitude, thanking God for all of their gifts and, through offerings, becoming closer to God. I found the part describing the census interesting, because back then it gave Moses and Aaron important information about the tribes. I am impressed that Moses and Aaron were able to accomplish this, because they had to walk and ride camels to every individual house to count those in each house and in

"I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE BENEFITS OF WORKING TOGETHER AS A TEAM, AND KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS."

each tribe. I was impressed that they could do all of that back then without any technology. While there were many aspects of my Torah portion that I found interesting and relevant, one part that I found difficult to relate to was a strange ritual that took place if a woman was suspected of being unfaithful. She had to drink bitter waters as a test: if she is guilty of being unfaithful, she will become cursed in some ways, but if she is proven not guilty, nothing will happen. It is strange because I don’t understand how one is able to curse another with bitter water, and I don’t understand why anyone would possibly kill somebody because they were being unfaithful. I connected most with the image toward the end of my Torah portion where the Chieftains all give the same offerings to God. I found this to be a powerful image, where one can feel more connected to God and to those around God by taking part in the same action of giving. I have felt this way in my own life when giving to charity. If everyone working with a charity gives the same thing, it feels like everyone is connected to each other because we have all helped the same group of people by giving to them. This happened in real life when I worked on a project to help developing countries by providing them food. The charity had all the volunteers come together and meet in a specific spot. Together, we were given food to put in bags that were sealed in a box and shipped off. Everyone participated by putting food

NUMBERS in the bag and then sealing it. When I did this, I felt connected both to the people volunteering with me and the people who would be receiving the food that we made. By making their offerings, the Chieftains of the tribes were showing gratitude towards God. They wanted to build a good relationship with God and encourage God to notice them and approve of what they were doing. I can also relate to this idea of offering a collective gift in gratitude. When I was in elementary school, my class would get a gift for the teacher at the end of every school year. Everyone would pitch in with the same amount, and if someone wasn’t able to afford it, another person would cover their share. We did this because we were showing gratitude to the teachers for teaching us and taking care of us for the year. In making this offering of gratitude, the action connected all of us to each other, and allowed us to give back and express kindness to someone who had given us so much. Now that I am becoming a Bar Mitzvah, some things that I learned from my Torah portion that I would like to incorporate into my daily life and my Jewish life are the patience that Moses and Aaron must have had while taking the census of the land.

CONTRIBUTOR:

FREDDY MURAD

My Torah portion is Parshat Naso, which describes instructions and laws for living in society, with a focus on ritual purity. Some of these instructions seem relevant to today’s society, while others seem quite strange. In one part of my Torah portion, the people conduct a census of the Gershonites, Merarites, and Koathites between the ages of thirty and fifty. The census recorded the number of people in each family and their ages, and was

This would be good in my daily life because I am not very patient when it comes to things like waiting for my dad or waiting for technology. This would also help as I deepen my Jewish studies, because if I am learning something new in a different language, I will need to be patient and practice to get it right. I also feel that my Torah portion has provided me an important lesson about expressing gratitude as the Chieftains did.

"ONE CAN FEEL MORE CONNECTED TO GOD AND TO THOSE AROUND GOD BY TAKING PART IN THE SAME ACTION OF GIVING." I would incorporate this practice into my daily life by showing how happy my parents make me and appreciating how much they do for me. I would incorporate this into my prayer practice, which is an opportunity to say that I appreciate all that God does through prayer.

primarily used for military strength and for taxation revenue; if you were over the age of 25, you were able to be in the military. The census was, and continues to be, an important tool in government, because it helps us maintain accurate numbers of our community, thereby helping us estimate how much of something we might need or what kind of human resources are available. In reading about this biblical census while a census was also being conducted in my own country, I felt a

NUMBERS connection to the text, as if we were continuing the legacy by continuing to value the process of counting every person. In addition to the census, one theme of my Torah Portion that I found interesting was around guilt and responsibility; when you do something wrong, you have to apologize to the person, confess the wrong that you’ve done, pay back any damages, and make right what they did wrong. Throughout my Torah portion, there are instructions for individuals who do things they weren't supposed to do, and there can be very strange consequences. While some of the processes for determining whether someone is responsible for their actions seemed unusual to me, the Torah is clear: if you do something bad, you must face the consequences and apologize or make right what you did. For example, the text says, “When men or women individually commit any wrong toward a fellow human being, thus breaking faith with the Eternal, and they realize their guilt, they shall confess the wrong that they have done. They shall make restitution in the principal amount and add one fifth to it, giving it to the one who was wronged.” I find that interesting because a lot of people do this now. For example, if I were to break your car, it would be my responsibility to pay you back or help you get it fixed. I was also interested that in my Torah portion, the text tells us that if someone causes damage to a dead person’s item, he or she still has to pay someone back someone who is related to that person. In addition, if you are paying someone back for damage you caused, you must add one fifth to the original value. You do this to show not only that you want to make that person whole, but also to show you are really sorry, that you feel bad. I have seen this concept used today in

basketball. If you foul someone, they get to shoot foul shots, which are additional opportunities to score. This rule in basketball is a way for the player guilty of fouling to show their remorse and for the player who was fouled to become whole again. The concept of apologizing for wrongdoing in the text also resonated with the way I have seen social interactions play out. One time, I saw one of my peers being mean to another kid. Afterward, the one who behaved poorly felt bad and regretted what he did. While he apologized, he recognized that the other kid was still upset and that he wouldn't forget this or forgive him for what he did. He realized then that his words were not enough, and that he needed to express his remorse through genuine actions. We all know that if you hurt someone’s feelings, you should apologize, but this Torah portion highlights that apologizing is not enough. Rather you need to make it right and give back 20% more. It's not enough to apologize when you cause harm to someone, rather you need to also go out of your way for them; you could help them, or be extra nice to them. Now that I am becoming a Bar Mitzvah I look forward to making a difference in the Jewish community. Since I started reading my Torah portion and working on this speech, the world has changed. We now have a new set of rules and laws to live by since the quarantine. I now see why the laws and rules that were talked about in my Torah portion to keep the people safe were so important.

"THE TORAH IS CLEAR: IF YOU DO SOMETHING BAD, YOU MUST FACE THE CONSEQUENCES AND APOLOGIZE OR MAKE RIGHT WHAT YOU DID." 74

NUMBERS

B’HAALOT’CHA CONTRIBUTOR:

ANNA FALCONE

My Torah portion, B'haalot'cha, contains instructions for the Levite priests on how to make offerings in the Tent of Meeting. This was a purification ritual where the Levite priests washed their clothes and sprinkled their bodies with the waters of purification. Once purified, the Levites had access to the holiest space, and were exclusively permitted to make offerings and connect to God in this special ceremony. The Torah portion also describes some of the Israelites’ challenges as they traveled through the wilderness. In exploring my Torah portion, I was struck by the fact that not everyone was able to be a priest with access to the sanctuary and to God. Rather, one could only be a Levite if his relatives were Levites. I do not feel that the Levites should have been the only ones to be close to God. I find this to be unfair. Just because someone isn't born into a certain family shouldn’t mean that their professional options should be restricted. I think everyone who wanted to be a priest should have had the chance to take part in the ceremony. We should all have an equal chance to try something we aspire to do. Even today, I have witnessed that not everyone has access to the same opportunities. For example, I have been fortunate enough to go to sleepaway camp every year, attend a public school with incredible resources, and have parents with flexible work schedules. At the same time, many families cannot afford to send their kids to sleepaway camps, some schools do not have the same funding as my school and struggle to offer the same resources, and some parents have to work long hours just to provide for their families.

The Levites had certain roles only because of who their families were, and unfortunately, there are still some people who are born into families with greater or fewer opportunities than others. I feel incredibly grateful for my sleepaway camp experience, and I have always known that it is a privilege to be able to go every summer. I am beyond heartbroken and disappointed that my friends and I will not be able to return to our summer home this year. In the midst of camp being cancelled, I realized how much of a privilege it truly is to feel the pure happiness that I feel whenever I’m at camp. While I was unable to attend camp this summer, I recognize that there are many children who are unable to ever have this opportunity. Like the Levites in my Torah portion, due to circumstances beyond one’s control, some families have access while others do not. As a way to address this, my camp started an organization called “Project Morry,” a camp experience for those who could not otherwise afford it. Many camps raise money for this camp so that it can offer an high-end experience while still being of no cost to its participants. The goal is to provide a special summer experience for children who might have greater daily challenges. The Levite priests were given great opportunities because of their families. That was thousands of years ago, yet today, some people still have more opportunities than others because of the families they were born into. It’s not fair for these people. Everyone deserves the same opportunities.

NUMBERS

It doesn’t matter where you come from, who your family is or what the color of your skin is, each person has a unique gift and everyone can make a difference. We just all need a chance. Now that I’m becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I would like to further involve myself with the issues our society faces. I’ve known that there are these disparities in the world, but in the past few months, I’ve thought more deeply about it. Since October, I actually have been raising money for my mitzvah project, which I would like to describe to you. I’ve had the idea in my head for a few years now that I was going to raise money for my cousin’s organization, the Spencer Reid Foundation. This year, I’m raising money to donate to the school my cousin Spencer attended for the early years of his life because of his compromised immune system. The money will help this school further develop into an even more incredible experience. In addition, I am looking forward to volunteering at Project Morry in a few years. During that time, I will be spending time with the campers and having the opportunity to bond with them. I know it will be a very rewarding experience that I deeply look forward to. As much as it will be meaningful for me, it will make an impact in another person’s life. I’m very excited to finally get involved, and make a difference for myself and those around me.

"WE SHOULD ALL HAVE AN EQUAL CHANCE TO TRY SOMETHING WE ASPIRE TO DO."

CONTRIBUTOR:

JORDAN ROTH

My Torah portion, B’haalot’cha, describes the holiday of Passover and a second Passover (Pesach Sheni) that occurs a month after. The Second Passover is an opportunity to observe Passover for people who were not able to attend Passover in its appointed time. The Torah portion describes some reasons why people are not able to attend Passover; they can be sick, or they can be on a long trip and are therefore unable to physically be there. Second Passover occurs a month after Passover, allowing for a second chance to observe the holiday. My Torah portion also describes certain activities related to the Tent of Meeting, including the construction of the Menorah and the roles of community leadership of Moses and Aaron. Before reading my Torah portion, I had never heard of Second Passover and did not know what it meant. As I learned about it, I found it really interesting that our ancestors made a way for people to celebrate a holiday at a later time in case they missed it. It especially resonated with my experience celebrating Passover last year when, like some Israelites in my Torah portion, we were unable to gather for Passover due to the pandemic. Instead of celebrating Second Passover a month later, we had to celebrate the holiday in a new way: on Zoom. Not everyone was able to gather all together in person but we were able to adapt so that we could still be together remotely. It was like a Second Passover in that it was an adaptation in the way we usually observe the holiday. One of the takeaways from my Torah portion is that things do not always happen as planned, and sometimes we have to make contingencies and adapt to an evolving situation. This theme resonated with me, not only because that has been a

NUMBERS

major lesson throughout the pandemic, but also because it is an important reminder in life. It is funny to me that the Torah portion I am tasked with explaining focuses on making a new plan for when things don’t go the way you expected. This requires flexibility, which is often difficult for me, as I am a very rigid person. I like to know when and how everything is going to happen days and weeks in advance of when things are supposed to. I'm a planner! I would have hated being unable to have a normal Passover due to circumstances beyond my control. This pandemic has been very hard for me for this reason. I had a hard time adjusting to home schooling, not knowing what each day was going to bring, and not having the freedom to just do what we want when we want. When my Torah portion explained Second Passover, it reminded me of how necessary it is to be able to make changes to the plan. It was a reminder that we do not always have a choice in the matter, that we do not always have control. The result of this can sometimes be negative and sometimes positive. Another example of having to adapt and change in my own life occurred around my food allergies. I have had severe allergies my whole life, and this has impacted the way I live. My world was thrown for a loop when I - along with my parents - decided to take steps for me to build a tolerance to my most severe allergies: peanuts and sesame. In one day, I had to change my entire mindset, from strict avoidance of peanut and sesame products to now actually eating them, on purpose! At first, this was mind-blowing and really caused me to be confused. All of the planning and navigating I had done for the first 11 years of my life now had to shift. While I didn't just jump to fully eating sesame and peanut products overnight, as it took time to build my tolerance up, the process still taught me about change and flexibility. Do I love

peanut and sesame products? No. I know it's weird that I don't love peanut M&Ms, and that my dad would eat my entire jar if I didn't need them, but I have now learned to accept this change in the way I approach food. In my Torah portion, those who missed Passover had to adapt their ritual and think differently about the way they would observe the holiday. My journey with my food allergies has caused me to adapt as well, and shift my perspective and behavior around the foods that I eat. In conclusion, my Torah portion helped me learn about how the Israelites used to live, and I hope to learn more about this later on. It also showed me that though the story reflected a very different time, the messages about adapting to change and being flexible resonate with my life today. I am very proud to become a Bar Mitzvah. It was a long journey but I am finally here.

"THINGS DO NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN AS PLANNED, AND SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO MAKE CONTINGENCIES AND ADAPT TO AN EVOLVING SITUATION."

NUMBERS

SH'LACH L'CHA CONTRIBUTOR:

JOSH BERGER

In my Torah portion, Sh'lach L’cha, Moses sent one representative from each tribe to spy on Canaan. When the spies came back, they said the land and the people were stronger than them, and they didn’t think they could take over the land. The Israelites were complaining and were asking to go back to Egypt, which made God very angry. God spoke to Moses and threatened to kill the people, but Moses intervened, preventing God from such an act. Instead, God punished the Israelites by not letting them enter the land of Canaan. Instead, God only let Joshua, Caleb and their children enter the land. In reading my Torah portion, I could relate to God’s anger toward the Israelites; they were being ungrateful and complaining that they should go back to Egypt. At the same time, however, I felt that God’s punishment seemed harsh; I don’t think the Israelites fully understood what was happening and should not have been held responsible. I found the relationship between God and Moses interesting. I was intrigued by the choice that Moses made to challenge God and defend the people, and the decision God made to prevent Moses and the Israelites from entering the land. I was also impressed that Moses sent the spies to explore the land ahead of the group. My Torah portion repeatedly portrays aspects of Moses’ leadership - his ability to lead the Israelites and help them. What was most powerful to me in this Torah portion was Moses’ leadership. Moses made difficult decisions for the Israelites

and was there to help them along the way. Moreover, he always defended the Israelites and had their back, even against God. Moses’ models of leadership resonate with moments in my own life. For example, on sports teams leaders are always passionate about the game and their team, and work hard to have the backs of their teammates. On my lacrosse team, there isn’t just one leader. All of us are leaders and, like Moses, we all have each other’s backs when we are playing. A couple of weeks ago, we were competing in a big tournament. Before the game, all of us were nervous. When we started, we were quickly down 4-0. This tournament meant a lot to us, we had been waiting for this game for a while. As a team, we helped motivate each other and stay focused. We then made a big comeback to win the game. Together, we all pushed ourselves and our teammates. In addition, a leader tries to keep his people out of trouble. A while ago, my friend got into a fight with players from our rival team. Whoever was on the field at that time had his back. Without fighting, we helped by defending him against the other team while, at the same time, calming our teammate down so this would not happen again. Like Moses who helped refocus the Israelites on their journey, we did this for our friend, too. This Torah portion has taught me it's important to stand up for what you believe in and what feels right. I have learned that it is equally important to do this with respect and honor for one another.

NUMBERS

"IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN AND WHAT FEELS RIGHT... IT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO DO THIS WITH RESPECT AND HONOR FOR ONE ANOTHER."

PINHAS CONTRIBUTOR:

ASHER HIRSCH

My Torah portion from the Book of Numbers, Pinchas, describes God telling the Israelites how to make sacrifices. God tells them specifically how to sacrifice the animals, in what quantities, and with specific instructions on how to do so. For example, God tells the Israelites to sacrifice two yearling lambs on Shabbat and describes how much flour and oil to use to make the offering. God told the Israelites to make these sacrifices as a way to maintain a close relationship with God. God doesn’t just tell the Israelites to sacrifice animals but offers specific details about their preparation. God offers the Israelites a kind of recipe; when I cook, I find it important to follow a recipe, because if the recipe changes, the food will taste different. God gives the Israelites the same recipe every time so that the ritual is the same and it is passed down through the generations. This gives the ritual special meaning and provides us with traditions. Today, we no longer engage with the ritual of sacrifice. We treat animals with kindness and would never kill them as a means of sacrifice. Even with the animals that we raise for food and then kill, we try to do so humanely. However, we still find other ways to feel closer to God, such as prayer and the celebration of rituals and holidays. These expressions of connecting to God

can also change throughout our lives, as we have different experiences and different needs. For example, in our house, we were always very busy running around on Friday nights, so we didn’t have the time to stop and celebrate Shabbat. But during the pandemic, everything appeared to slow down and we had time to enjoy our dinners together. My mom had the time to bake challah and we would enjoy a homemade family Shabbat dinner. This made me realize that observing Shabbat with my family is one way that I can feel closer to God. This Torah portion also signifies the importance of marking time. In my life today, many events represent the demarcation of months and seasons, just as Rosh Chodesh did in my Torah portion. Opening Day, which takes place on April 1st, is a big day for me because it’s the first day of baseball season. Even my own sports seasons change from hockey in winter to baseball in the spring and bring changes to my life as I put away my ice skates and grab my baseball mitt. In school, we have four academic quarters, where we get grades to tell us how we performed and how we can improve next time. This is like my Torah portion because God’s instructions demonstrate how to celebrate various holidays differently.

NUMBERS

God wants the Israelites to succeed in the sacrifices by giving them the chance to do the offerings better each time. My Bar Mitzvah falls upon a special holiday in the Jewish religion, which is why I am having my Bar Mitzvah on a Sunday and not on Shabbat. Today is Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. My Torah portion describes a special sacrificial ritual for Rosh Chodesh, requiring two bulls of the herd, one ram, and seven yearling lambs. In our lives today, we still celebrate new beginnings, although the cycle of the moon, a key factor in tracking time and harvests, is much less important. Now, just as during the time of my Torah portion, Rosh Chodesh is a very special day. It is the start of the new moon cycle, a time for us to begin our rituals again. Before I began preparing for my Rosh Chodesh Bar Mitzvah, I had never heard of this holiday. I enjoyed learning about this ancient ritual of celebrating the first day of every month in my Torah portion, not merely by studying my Torah portion but by experiencing a Rosh Chodesh celebration as part of my Bar Mitzvah. Even though we don’t sacrifice anymore, we still read special parts of the Torah as well as recite special prayers. Also, we sing special songs on this holy day. My knowledge about Rosh Chodesh and my ability to take on new rituals today, such as wearing a tallit, make me feel more connected to rituals of Jewish tradition, and give me a sense of ownership over my Judaism. As I become a Bar Mitzvah, I am becoming more curious about Judaism and other Jewish rituals. In the future, I would like to return to Israel and learn about how they celebrate Judaism differently than we do in the United States. Becoming a Bar Mitzvah has also inspired me to learn about Jews living throughout the world and visit other countries. I wish to gain an understanding of how they celebrate Judaism differently. After we can travel freely again, I would like to visit other countries and learn more about Judaism around the world.

"WE STILL FIND WAYS TO FEEL CLOSER TO GOD, SUCH AS PRAYER AND THE CELEBRATION OF RITUALS AND HOLIDAYS. THESE EXPRESSIONS OF CONNECTING TO GOD CAN CHANGE THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES, AS WE HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES AND DIFFERENT NEEDS."

DEUTERONOMY

KI TEITZEI CONTRIBUTOR:

COLE BERLENT

My Torah portion, Ki Teitzei, focuses on Moses, the leader of the Israelites. He has led them toward the land of Israel, which they are now about to enter, but Moses will not join them. Moses knows that he is about to die, and so, before he does, he makes several speeches to the people. He talks to them about the past and the future of the Israelite nation, focusing on the Israelites’ covenant with God, and describing the laws that the Israelites should follow. I think that Moses works hard to emphasize all of God’s laws and instructions because he knows he won’t be there to help them. He also knows that having laws and instructions can help the people thrive in their new environment. After studying my Torah portion, I could understand how the Israelites might feel positively or negatively about having so many laws to follow. On one hand, it is nice to have some sort of instruction, so you know what your goal is and you have a purpose, so you know what you need to do and how to do it. I have experienced this in school, when I can refer back to my schedule, so I know what I need to do and where to go. Following a schedule can help structure your time and keep you focused on a certain task until you are able to complete it. Without a schedule, I would be lost. It would be significantly more difficult to learn all the different subjects, or to know how to organize my lessons. Similarly, the Israelites could benefit from a set structure, since they are headed into the unknown and could easily get lost or not know what to do. Instructions can also provide you with an

understanding of certain activities or things. For example, in hockey, or in sports in general, instructions help participants understand how to play. The rules of the game clearly state what you can and cannot do. These rules help everyone stay on the same page. In my Torah portion, the Israelites are building a society, working together as a team, and so having instructions that everyone follows could help all the people know how to interact with one another. Rules can also keep you safe and prevent you from getting hurt. For example, in soccer, you can’t just trip someone without getting a yellow card or getting penalized. Similarly, in our society there are laws about hurting another person, and one cannot do this without a legal consequence. Moses not only provides structure for the Israelites, but laws and rules for behavior as well. I believe Moses repeated the importance of these laws to the Israelites so that their new society in the Promised Land could be built on safety and understanding. While I have seen the benefits of structure and rules, I also know that it can get frustrating to be told what to do 24/7, and not have the freedom to make whatever choice you want. For example, at camp, you can’t always do the activity that you want to do, and you have to follow the schedule, You can’t just go anywhere or anytime you want, you can’t wander off, and you need a counselor with you. This can be frustrating because someone else is making the decision for you, and you don’t have control. While Moses is

DEUTERONOMY

"RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS CAN BE BOTH CHALLENGING AND GOOD, BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU TO FOLLOW THEM."

NITZAVIM CONTRIBUTOR:

SARAH FERNBACH

My Torah portion is in the book of Deuteronomy and is called Nitzavim. It shows Moses reminding the Israelites how they are expected to conduct their lives once they enter the Promised Land. He explains to them the ideals of the Torah’s Ten Commandments. They have been wandering in the desert for 40 years and need to be reminded of God’s expectations. Moses explains that God is now making a covenant with them, fulfilling the promise that was once made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This covenant is an agreement to worship only one God, Adonai.

bringing order and instructions to the Israelites so that they can build a civilization that can help keep them safe and healthy, they still push back and act out during their time in the wilderness. Nevertheless, Moses knows it is in their best interest to have this structure, and to follow God’s laws. For this reason, he continues to implore them to listen and obey. This Torah portion has taught me that rules and instructions can be both challenging and good, but most of the time it would be good for you to follow them. Now that I am becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I want to listen more- I appreciate the value of rules and why one shouldn’t break them.

Moses warns them that this covenant will break if they worship other gods. If they do not obey the laws of the Torah, they will receive devastation, plague, and curses in return. However, if the Israelites conduct their lives the way God would like them to, they will be rewarded with life and prosperity instead. Moses says that God is giving them the choice between life and death. He urges them, “Choose life.” God sent Moses to remind the Israelites of the Torah's commandments and laws, because God believed they needed a reminder of the important things in life. I can learn and grow from my Torah portion’s special meaning by taking time to remind myself what I’m grateful for and what I expect of myself. This is just like God’s reminder to the Israelites. If you do not stop to take time and remind yourself of who you

DEUTERONOMY

want to be in the future, what you stand for, and what you are grateful for, you might forget. Especially in today's society, when everyone is always in a rush, is it extremely important to pause and check-in with yourself. Before the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering in the desert, God made sure they did this, too. Studying my Torah portion and its instruction to choose life has also helped me think about the ways in which I hope to live my life in the future. During this pandemic, we now have more time to reflect and slow down. Because we have been staying home for the past few months, we have had lots of extra time to prioritize the important things in life. For example, I can make sure I Facetime with my extended family to keep in touch. I can also use my time to volunteer to help those in need. Earlier this summer, my friends and I volunteered at one of Temple Sinai’s teen programs. We made meal kits with sandwiches, apples, and juice boxes. Even though we have been very focused on keeping ourselves safe from this virus lately, we knew we had to choose “life”, the right decision, as God says, and help others. In conclusion, my Torah portion has inspired me to try to do the right thing

"IF YOU DO NOT STOP TO TAKE TIME AND REMIND YOURSELF OF WHO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE FUTURE, WHAT YOU STAND FOR, AND WHAT YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR, YOU MIGHT FORGET." when given the opportunity. Just as Moses urged the Israelites to choose life over death and make the right choice - to worship only one God - we too must hold true to our values and the things that matter most to us - even when times are difficult.

LET THE WORDS OF TORAH BE SWEET IN OUR MOUTHS AND THE MOUTHS OF YOUR PEOPLE ISRAEL.

OUR AUTHORS, OUR INSPIRATION, OUR FUTURE

REBECCA FABRICANT

SPENCER CYMBLER

JESSICA SISKIND

KAYLA DONNENFELD

JONATHAN FARBER

TYLER LEVINE

EMILY GUILLON

SARAH GUILLON

MARLI JACOBSON

OLIVIA JACOBSON

ZACH KUPPERSMITH

SYDNEY HASSENBEIN

DANNY LEVINE

BENJAMIN RUBIN

RILEY GREEN

MAXWELL GOLD

OLIVER GOLD

REESE MALLIN

MICHAELA MALLIN

ETHAN YEDVAB

ALEX BASS

NEIL REICHMAN

ASHLEY SZERENCSY

MATTHEW WAXMAN

KARA SHINDER

ALEX NEWMAN

SOPHIE PLOTNITZKY

ALEXIS BROOKS

COREY MILLER

ZACH MASHAAL

OUR AUTHORS, OUR INSPIRATION, OUR FUTURE

MAX LIPPMANN

ASHER FRIESS

SPENCER GERSON

JAKE FINE

EMILY RUBEL

MIA STREINER

JORDYN ANMUTH

TYLER OSIT

CHLOE KANE

ZACHARY KANE

RYANN RAPPAPORT

LAYLA GOLDBERG

CORY HERSHKOWITZ

JAKE GREENBERG

KATE POLON

ETHAN BLUMBERG

RILEY LENSON

ASHTON KLAR

FREDDY MURAD

ANNA FALCONE

JORDAN ROTH

JACK GLENNON

JOSH BERGER

GABRIELLE GOLDSTEIN

ASHER HIRSCH

BELLA KOHL

COLE BERLENT

JACK BECKER

SARAH FERNBACH

Temple Sinai of Roslyn COVID TORAH 2021