Homework September 9th, 2009

1) B'derekh Alef, page 2

Abraham & Sarah Dilemmas II - Due Thursday 5/21

1) You are recovering from illness and there are 3 needy wanderers near your home. Do you put aside your needs to help them? Why? What is the mitzvah that you would be fulfillign if you do?


2) You believe that a judge has handed down an unfair sentence to an accused criminal. Do you let it go or do you protest? Why? What argument do you make to convince him to change his mind?

3) You have been ordered to expel members of your family from your home. How do you react? What do you snd them out with?

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Read Genesis ch. 18-22
To what stories about Abraham and Sarah are these scenarios parallel? Write/summarize them as Part II of your assignment.

Moral Dilemmas Facing Avraham & Sarah - due Thursday 5/7

1) You are "ordered" to leave your home and head out to another (foreign) land.
a) Do you obey? What do you do?
b) What are the possessions that you pack up and take with you, knowing that you have
"limited baggage?" (This question is not about "survival supplies;" it is about knowing that you are leaving this place forever and never coming back...so, what would you take with you?)

2) You are traveling through a foreign country and fear that your spouse will be killed so that your spouse will be kidnapped and taken as a "mate" for the local leader.
What do you do in order to protect yourself and prevent what you anticipate is likely to happen to you?

3) You and your spouse are unable to have children. You fear that if you do not take action, your family line will end with you.
a) What options, if any, do you have to have children (imagine that no technology exists to
help you)?
b) What choice do you make for your family?

Yom HaZikaron Assignment - due Monday 4/28

This assignment is for the students in 7B.

1) Write a few sentences describing what Yom HaZikaron is.
2) Why does it fall the day immediately before Yom HaAtzma'ut? What is the connection between the two days? Why does this organization fo the calendar make sense?
3) Please make a list of all the State of Israel's wars and the number of casualties Israel suffered in each war.

Chumash Study: Being Created in God's Image

As a follow up to today's class, I am posting the questions here on the blog. At eh bottom of the post, I have placed the URL for mechon-mamre, Breishit, chapter 1. Just clock on the 2 at the top of the page for chapter 2.

Read Breishit 1:24-28 and 2:7-9; 15-24
Questions:
1) What does being created "in the image of God (v.27)" mean to you?

2) Read the commentaries for v. 27. How do they add to your understanding of what being created in God's image means? How?

3) Does Creation make man and woman equal? (read and compare 1:28 and the Adam-Eve creation story carefully for this question).

4) Should the fact that we are all created in God's image affect how we treat oen another? How so?

5) Besides human relationships, what other responsibilities are given to human beings in these texts?
http://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0101.htm

Rambam Homework from March 23rd

7A - Reading halakhot 11-14, complete Rambam's ladder of tz'dakah handout for Thursday.

Rambam-Tz'dakah, Laws 5 & 6 questions

This was the assignment from Monday and Tuesday this week.

Read Halakhot/Paragrpahs 5 & 6 and answer the following 4 questions

Halakhah 5 questions:
1) If you are walking along the street and a poor person asks you for some spare change, but you don’t have any or don’t feel comfortable pulling your wallet out in front of him, what should you do? Is this also an example of giving? How so?

2) How does Rambam describe the condition of a poor person in this halakhah?

3) We talked about the idea of “being sensitive” in our study of halakhah 4 last week. Does Rambam’s teaching here help to clarify the sensitivity that he is trying to teach us?

Halakhah 6 Question:
1) Why do you think Rambam believes the reward for the “fundraiser” or “collector” should be and is greater than the reward for the giver? What does the fundraiser or collector do to deserve this honor?

Rambam Halakhot 3 & 4 Questions

For Halakhah 3:
1) What does this halakha say about a person who ignores the poor?
2) How is what Rambam says in this halakha different from what he says in halakhah 2(bet - start about half way through the paragraph)
3) What is the purpose of the verses/phrases that are in italics (hint: they are quotes from the Bible)

For halakhah 4:
1) What does Rambam say about how one SHOULD or SHOULD NOT give tz'dakah?
2) What sensitivity is Rambam trying to get us to feel and develop in this teaching?

Updated Homework Information

There are four recent assignments that must be turned in as soon as possible by each of you (or one for a group, where applicable)

1) Parashat K'doshim Questions - there are three of them - see postings below from Feb. 5 & 12

2) Rambam Halakha 1 Question: Answer in a paragraph:
What it is about tz'dakah giving that caused Rambam to say that the fulfillment of this mitzvah requires the most care of any of the mitzvot?

3) The 4 Mitzvot of Purim (this was done in class)
Read through chapter 9 of the the Book of Esther and list the verse number for the 3 mitzvot of Purim that are explcitly listed there. The 4th one, related to the Megillah, is not there explicitly. So, as #4, what is the 4th mitzvah related to the megillah?

4) Rambam Halakhah 2 Questions: (this was in class today)
a. What does it mean to become "impoverished throught the giving of tz'dakah?"
b. Is anyone exempt from giving tz'dakah?
c. What does the halakha say about the impact of refusing/failing to give tz'dakah has on one's reputation?

Rambam's First Law of Tz'dakah Follow-Up Question

This assignment will be due Friday, February 27th.
I expect you to bring in a neatly written or typed complete paragraph answering the following question(s):

What is it about the giving of tz'dakah that leads Rambam to say that it is THE ONE MITZVAH/ COMMANDMENT that requires the MOST CARE in fulfilling it?

Please be thoughtful in your thinking and writing.
This is not a group homework assignment. Each student must complete his/her own work.

GREAT JEWISH WOMEN PROJECT

Assignment Question: What is/was GREAT JEWISH WOMAN X'S contribution to the greater Jewish world/greater world community?

If you have chosen a hollywood or other type of celebrity, please include information on more than her "famous" or professional achievements. For the most part, it is those acts that have made them great, not the movies or TV shows they've acted in, clothing they have modeled, or songs they have written.

Due Date: Friday, March 27th. We will make presentations after that date.

Clarification of K'doshim Homework - Due Friday 2/13

The three questions I posted last week for research can all be answered by looking in the parashat K'doshim packet that you all have. Some of you have pink sheets and some white. There are 3 pages, back to back copied (two Hebrew text, one English text).

I want you to read through the text of the parasha, using the questions as a guide to your reading. Answer the questions as you go.

For Question 1, Answer, what is the source of our holiness? I think #2 & 3 are pretty clear.

3 Questions for Parashat K'doshim - Due Thursday, Feb 12th

1) Where does the "holiness" of the Jewish people come from?

2) How many of the Ten Commandments are re-taught in the "Holiness Code?" List the chapter and verse for each one you find.

3) Find examples of other laws given in the Parasha that build the Holiness Code or make us holy (at least five examples).

Homework Posting for Tuesday, January 27th

Three Items (all due Thursday, January 29th):

1) Tz'dakah in the Torah
2) Rambam biography questions (for question 5, one book is a philosophy book, one is a Jewish Law code, the last is a commentary)
3) The Ten Commandments in order

Homework Posting for Thursday, January 22nd

1) Tz'dakah in the Torah questions due neat/typed Monday & Tuesday, depending on when you have class with me.

2) Rambam Biography Questions, also due first class next week:
You can find the answers to these questions either on Wikipedia or the Jewish Virtual Library article on Rambam/Moses Maimonides

A. What years did Maimonides live?
B. What does Rambam stand for?
C. Where did Rambam's life travels take him?
D. What was Rambam's "profession" (HINT: NOT a Rabbi)?
E. What were his 3 most significant books? (one was a commentary, one was a Jewish law encyclopedia, one was a philosophy book)

ENJOY THE SKIING!!!!!
SHABBAT SHALOM!!!!

Test Review Notes Now Posted for You

Hanukkah Unit Review Notes

Lighting the Hanukkiyah
1) Set up the candles – R to L
2) Light the Shamash
3) Recite the blessings (incl. Sheheheyanu on first night)
4) Light the candles – L to R (begin with newest candle)
5) Sing Hanukkah songs
6) RULES FOR SHABBAT
a. NO FIRE IS PERMITTED TO BE LIT ON SHABBAT, SO…
i. Hanukkiyah lit first on Friday night, then Shabbat candles
ii. Havdalah recited first on Saturday night, then Hanukkiyah

Menorah vs. Hanukkiyah
7 branches vs. 8 plus the separated shamash
Mishkan/Beit HaMikdash ONLY vs. Anywhere
Everyday vs. Hanukkah ONLY

FROM THE TALMUD TEXT:

Section A. The mitzvah/requirement for lighting lights on Hanukkah according to the Rabbis of the Mishna:
Basic: Light one light per household each night

Elaborate: Light one per person in the household each night

Really Elaborate:
A) School of Shammai: Light eight lights on the first night and reduce
each night by one from then on
B) School of Hillel: Light one light on the first night and increase by one
each night from then on

The Reasons for the Lighting Systems of the Schools of Shammai and Hillel
Q. What did the Talmud determine as the School of Shammai’s reason for its system?

A. To correspond to the pattern of the sacrifices for the festival of Sukkot (reducing each day)

Q. What did the Talmud determine as the School of Hillel’s reason for its system?

A. Ma’alin b’kodesh v’ein moridin/We increase in holy matters and we do not reduce


Section B. Rules Related to the Hanukkah Lights
Q. Where should you place your Hanukkah lights if you live in a house?

A. Outside, near the main entrance to the house

Q. Where should you place your Hanukkah lights if you live in an apartment on a high floor?

A. By a window which faces out to the public domain.

Q. What do you do about lighting in an “hour of danger?”

A. You may light your lights on a table and that is enough.

Q. What are the two possible explanations for the Rabbinic term sakanah that we discussed in class? Which one is the “classical” understanding?

A. Sakanah could refer to a time or place of anti-Semitism, when it would be dangerous for a Jewish person to be public about his or her practices of Judaism, making it unsafe to light the Hanukkah lights in public view. Sakanah could also refer to it not being safe to light the lights by the front door or window for fire safety reasons. The classical understanding, found even in Rashi’s commentary, is the danger created by anti-Semitism.

Q. What is the purpose of the Hanukkah lights?

A. Pirsumei Nisa/Publicizing the Miracles of Hanukkah

Q. Why do we have a shamash candle?

A. Because we are not permitted to use the light of the Hanukkah lights for anything at all.

Q. What did Jewish communities do for light if they were not allowed to use the light of the Hanukkah lights? For whom was such an arrangement not permitted?

A. Public bonfires. Public figures and wealthy individuals had to have their own separate lights.


Section C. The Two Tellings of the Hanukkah Story

Q. What Rules and Customs of Hanukkah are enacted by the Rabbis of the Talmud besides the lighting of lights?

A. 25 Kislev for eight days, Hallel & Thanksgiving (Al HaNisim) Prayers; no eulogies or fasting

Q. What are the TWO reasons that Hanukkah is 8 days long?

A. The miracle of the oil
Recelebration of Sukkot and Sh’mini Atzeret, which was missed a few months previous.

Hanukkah Test - JANUARY 15th

Don't forget to study the review sheet I distributed today. If you have any questions, I will answer them on Thursday.

Good luck!