One of the biggest challenges I have when working with B'nai Mitzvah students is helping them with the Community Service Project requirement. At Congregation Beth Israel, we ask students to complete 18 hours of community service during the year before the date of their ceremony ... to some kids, this is easy, while it feels impossible to others.
I encourage families to start working on this requirement early, since this is only 1.5 hours a month if you start a year ahead of time ... but this doesn't always work. Other challenges include kids who have huge ideas about what they want to do, but no idea how to accomplish it (they always have great intentions) ... but the problems I find hardest to explain to 12-year olds is the impact of collection projects.
Many kids want to set up a collection bin and then donate items to their favorite charity ... because this can seem more like facilitating someone else's mitzvah (which is also an important thing to do), we really try to encourage our kids to do something hands-on, with the direct beneficiaries whenever possible.
Another challenge when working with kids is the difficulty of getting them to understand the possible negative effects of collection/giving projects. I loved this article about responsible giving programs ... hope you enjoy it, too. : )
http://www.good.is/post/buy-one-give-one-businesses-like-toms-can-make-real-difference/
Friday, June 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
How Cool Would This Be in the US? Israel is Leading the Way ...
When I visited Israel in November of 2010, I was fortunate to see a place called, "A Better Place," in Tel Aviv. The company behind this is developing battery-operated cars that can drive into something like a Jiffy Lube which mechanically takes out the dying battery and replaces it with a freshly-charged battery. How cool would that be? : )
Israel is now taking the technology to Denmark ... check it out here:
http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/03/better-place-denmark-electric/
Israel is now taking the technology to Denmark ... check it out here:
http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/03/better-place-denmark-electric/
Who Says Walking Down the Aisle Can't Be Fun? : )
A friend shared this YouTube link with me ... it is an Israeli couple walking down the aisle ... notice the (unorthodox) entrance which transitions to a traditional Jewish ceremony under the chuppah. Looks like this was a really fun wedding! : )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D-FeYXyYs4&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D-FeYXyYs4&feature=player_embedded
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Sharing Lessons Learned (and Taught) by One of My Teachers ...
One of my teachers in rabbinical school was Rabbi Paul Kipnes (he writes a great blog which can be found here: http://rabbipaul.blogspot.com/) . He recently posted the following on his blog ... which I liked so much, I decided to share here. : )
Rabbi Kipnes shares "18 Lessons from 18 Years as a Rabbi" ... here it is:
As I celebrate my 18th year since I was ordained Rabbi, I take stock of lessons learned along the way:
1. Jewish spirituality without social justice can become narcissism.
2. Social justice without Jewish spirituality might feel good but might not compel future activism.
3. The role of the rabbi is to passionately comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
4. The role of the rabbi is to quietly point in a direction and then get out of the way.
5. A healthy, organic Jewish community is not afraid to experiment.
6. A healthy, organic Jewish community is not afraid of failure, because failure is inevitable when experimenting and innovating.
7. People who really feel warmly welcomed when they walk through the doors of the synagogue will be more likely to come back to celebrate and learn.
8. People who answer the telephones are more important than the person standing up on the bimah; a community feels warm and welcoming when the receptionist and bookkeeper exude that warmth.
9. Dysfunction comes easily; warm, respectful partnerships between clergy and lay leaders require patience, vulnerability, and openness.
10. Judaism has many things to say about every thing; no issue it was or is too controversial, personal, or political to escape the moral lens of Torah and Jewish tradition.
11. How a rabbi teaches is as important as what a rabbi teaches. Difficult lessons and controversial teachings are more easily heard when alternative perspectives are respected.
12. God exists. God loves. God cares.
13. The lights can be on, but if we close our eyes, we think it is dark.
14. Jewish music has the power to touch hearts and souls more deeply than any sermon.
15. Torah teachings and Jewish music, when combined artfully, have the potential to transform lives and touch eternity.
16. Fear not social media or technology; like the printing press, telephone, and two stone tablets from the mountaintop, they are merely tools for spreading Torah teachings.
17. Israel is at once ancient and modern, historic and mythic, spiritual and bricks-and-mortar. Walking its streets and alleys transforms the soul.
18. A community that takes care of its rabbi and his family ensures that the rabbi has deep sources of strength and love to care for the community.
Rabbi Kipnes shares "18 Lessons from 18 Years as a Rabbi" ... here it is:
As I celebrate my 18th year since I was ordained Rabbi, I take stock of lessons learned along the way:
1. Jewish spirituality without social justice can become narcissism.
2. Social justice without Jewish spirituality might feel good but might not compel future activism.
3. The role of the rabbi is to passionately comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
4. The role of the rabbi is to quietly point in a direction and then get out of the way.
5. A healthy, organic Jewish community is not afraid to experiment.
6. A healthy, organic Jewish community is not afraid of failure, because failure is inevitable when experimenting and innovating.
7. People who really feel warmly welcomed when they walk through the doors of the synagogue will be more likely to come back to celebrate and learn.
8. People who answer the telephones are more important than the person standing up on the bimah; a community feels warm and welcoming when the receptionist and bookkeeper exude that warmth.
9. Dysfunction comes easily; warm, respectful partnerships between clergy and lay leaders require patience, vulnerability, and openness.
10. Judaism has many things to say about every thing; no issue it was or is too controversial, personal, or political to escape the moral lens of Torah and Jewish tradition.
11. How a rabbi teaches is as important as what a rabbi teaches. Difficult lessons and controversial teachings are more easily heard when alternative perspectives are respected.
12. God exists. God loves. God cares.
13. The lights can be on, but if we close our eyes, we think it is dark.
14. Jewish music has the power to touch hearts and souls more deeply than any sermon.
15. Torah teachings and Jewish music, when combined artfully, have the potential to transform lives and touch eternity.
16. Fear not social media or technology; like the printing press, telephone, and two stone tablets from the mountaintop, they are merely tools for spreading Torah teachings.
17. Israel is at once ancient and modern, historic and mythic, spiritual and bricks-and-mortar. Walking its streets and alleys transforms the soul.
18. A community that takes care of its rabbi and his family ensures that the rabbi has deep sources of strength and love to care for the community.
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