Zionist Poster

Here is a poster from the Israel Museum that depicts the fantasy most Zionists had of the land of Israel before their arrival. Read More

Hanukkah Customs around the World

Did you know that Yemenite Jews might wear blue every day of Hanukkah? Did you know that the original latkes contained cheese? Here are some links for both my students and their parents on Hanukkah Customs from all over the world.

Rabbi David Golinkin on "Hanukkah Exotica" (Fascinating for its explanations of both familiar and unfamiliar customs, this article might be a bit challenging for some readers)
A Megillah for Hanukkah? (another article)
Italian Candy for Hanukkah (a recipe)
"Around the World in Eight Days"
Hanukkah Lamps from the 18th through 20th Centuries
Images from the Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Considering Consumerism during Hanukkah

My eighth graders and I, during the past few weeks, have been studying Jewish responses to consumerism. We've been looking into the ways in which we can balance our enjoyment of the physical world with our desires to be modest and moderate in our behavior, care for the planet, and respect the human workers whose work produces goods.

Last week we examined a cultural phenomenon called Freeganism. Freegans are individuals critical of today's consumer culture who take care of their fundamental needs by using society's "left overs." Some of these practices are ones considered "normal" by our culture--like reclaiming furniture left on the curb like buying used clothing. However, the movement's counter-cultural nature becomes readily obvious when you hear that they eat from the garbage of high-end grocery stores and restaurants and do their best to find rent-free living situations.

"It's not how much or how little you have that makes you great or small, but how much or how little you are with what you have."

- Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
(Horeb, vol. 1, pg 46)

On the one hand, Freeganism is an extreme example of the mitzvah "Bal Tashchit"--"Do Not Destroy." The Rabbis of antiquity extended this Torah mitzvah, which refers to fruit-bearing trees on the land of one's enemies, to also include any usable, salvageable materials (clothing, pottery vessels, building materials, etc.) or consumables (food, especially) that might be carelessly discarded. On the other hand, the practices of Freeganism also challenge other Jewish laws and values. I'll write more on this later, but will leave readers (yes, you!) with some links to learn more.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-freegan11sep11,0,2162976.story?coll=la-home-center

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/21/garden/21freegan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin/
http://www.freegan.info/
http://www.freegan.org.uk/ukfreegans/
http://www.ourmaninside.com/blog/files/category-freeganism.php

Early Zionism Review Quiz

The following is a quiz I gave my sixth grade students this week... How much do you know about Early Zionism? Answers and further learning can be linked to at the bottom of the entry.

Round One:

1. What was Theodore Herzl’s job?
2. True or false: The First Aliyyah began in 1870. (Skip round two if you can name the correct year.)
3. “Hatikvah” means…?
4. What is an oleh?
5. Kibbutzim were founded on the principles of what political and economic philosophy?
6. Translate the following phrase: “Am Yisrael Hai.”
7. What was the name of the ideal held by the people of the Second and Third Aliyyot?
8. What is a halutz?
9. Name one modern country from which First Aliyyah immigrants came.
10. Name a place outside of Israel where a Jewish state was proposed.
11. What recurring event motivated most of the immigrants to Israel from 1880 to 1910?
12. Define Zionism.

Round Two:

1. Finish the sentence: “Im Tirzu Ein Zo …”
2. Name two (other) modern countries from which Second and Third Aliyyah immigrants came.
3. What is the difference between Eretz Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael?
4. In which European country were the early Zionist Congresses held? (Skip round three if you can name the city.)
5. Why did the Zionists stop their investigation of the Uganda plan?
6. Why did Theodore Herzl become a Zionist (two reasons)?

Round Three:

1. In 1900, which country held political control of the land of Israel?
2. What was the name of the major Zionist group representing all the different Zionists in Europe?
3. Name a French soldier who was tried for a crime he did not commit simply because he was Jewish.
4. Is there still a World Zionist Organization that holds a World Zionist Congress?
5. Which modern Israeli city came first: Petah Tiqvah or Tel Aviv?

Round Four (Final):

· Who donated the money that kept the early olim from Eastern Europe from giving up their new farms and homes?

For Answer Key and Further Learning Click Here.

Sixth Grade Penpals

Sixth Graders: The pen pal letter has been sent. If you would like to know about the students with whom we are corresponding, read the following article and the home page of the organization (the second link):

Giving English New Meaning
AHAVA

---

Dear Israeli Friends,

Shalom from the United States!

We are very excited to learn about you and to tell you about ourselves. We have many questions about you and your lives in Israel, but we'll start with a description of our class. We are students at Congregation Etz Chayim, a liberal synagogue in Palo Alto, California. Palo Alto is near San Francisco. We go to "regular" school for about seven hours a day, five days a week (Monday through Friday). What is it like to go to school six days a week?

We do our Jewish learning here. On Wednesdays, we come to the synagogue after school for two more hours of Jewish Studies and Hebrew learning. We also come here at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays and stay here until noon.

One of the nice and unusual things about Etz Chayim is that we have some shared customs and also allow people to follow their own traditions. At our synagogue, men and women sit and pray together, without any separation. We all welcome non-Jews into our services and community. However, some of us sit for the Shema, while others stand. We are interested to know how many of you go to synagogue and what types of synagogues you attend.

Most of us are eleven years old. Many of us have already traveled to other countries including Israel. Some of our favorite vacation spots are Los Angeles, Hawaii, Mexico and Greece. A few of us are planning to visit Israel this summer. Do you have any recommendations for where we should go and what we should do? What are your favorite places in Israel? And have any of you traveled outside of Israel?

When we are not busy at school or the synagogue, we like to "chillax"—chill out and relax. A bunch of us like sports; American football, soccer, baseball, gymnastics, skateboarding, and snowboarding are popular with us. Some of us like to doodle and draw, others like to play video games and surf the internet. All of us like to hang out and chat with our friends!

We are really excited that Hanukkah is almost here. Many of us like spending Shabbat and holidays with our families and friends. What are your favorite Jewish holidays?

We can't wait to hear back from you!

Best wishes,

Kitah Vav

Michael Becky Aaron D. Aaron H. Josh Hannah Maya Frieda Eli Rex Harrison Andy Matt
Rachel Tatiana Ellie Andi Lisanna Jack Talia

Isabel Sasha Alex Ilan Sophie

and their teachers, Rachel and Noya

Cool Israel Puzzle

israeltexttwist.swf (application/x-shockwave-flash Object)

Israel Baseball League

A request was made for me to link to the Israel Baseball League. Here it is:

israelbaseballleague.com: Entry

Additional Maps of Interest

Here is a wonderful map showing the locations of major Jewish settlements in the Land of Israel during the period we are currently studying, 1881-1914. (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/yishuv.html)

Other maps of interest include:

• Ancient Israel during the period of the Judges and Kings of Israel.
• Palestine, as defined by the British Mandate (early 20th Century), which we will cover soon.
• You can also find a history of Israel /Palestine through maps covering ancient Canaan through the present day.

Another Map of Palestine from 1876

Here's the companion to the previous map, one that covers the middle and most of the southern region of Modern Israel. Note the position of Jerusalem and that it is also shown with it's Arabic name, El Kuds. Yafo (Jaffa) is also on the map, but Tel Aviv had not yet been founded. Other modern Israeli cities that were established before 1876 are Arad (in the Negev), Bethlehem, Ashkelon, and Ashdod. Gaza City, now considered part of the Palestinian state, was also already in existence.

Click the link below for a larger image:
Southern Palestine Map

Map of Palestine from 1876

This gorgeous map was drawn by a man named Ridgaway, a couple decades before Herzl gathered the early Zionists together in Switzerland. Although it is called "Middle Palestine," it actually covers what is today northern Israel, the easternmost part of Jordan, southern Lebanon, and maybe a tiny corner of Syria. You might want to compare the map with a contemporary one of the same region.

Things to note on the map are the place names (mostly in Anglicized Arabic), the as-yet undefined borders of the Arab nations as well as Israel, all of which only became separate nations in the 20th Century. Modern Israeli cities which had already been established by 1876 (and appear on the map), include Tzfat (Safed) and Kaysariyya (Caesaria).

A larger image can be found here:
Blue Letter Bible

Maimonides' Thirteen Attributes of God

In Maimonides' commentary to the Mishnah (ch. 10 of Sanhedrin), he offers 13 principles which he believed sum up the things that all Jews should believe. They are (in a much abbreviated form of my own):

1. There is a Creator who is perfect and put into motion all that exists.
2. God is One.
3. God has no body and cannot be affected by any physical force.
4. God is Eternal.
5. A Jew must worship God exclusively and no foreign or false gods.
6. God communicates with humanity through prophecy.
7. The prophecy of Moses is the greatest there is and ever will be.
8. The Torah comes from God.
9. The Torah cannot be changed.
10. God knows and sees all.
11. God rewards and punishes people.
12. The Messiah and the messianic era will arrive, some day.
13. God will resurrect the dead.

There are many excellent translations of the Thirteen available on the web. Many of them are based on a summarized version used in many siddurim called "Ani Ma'amin" ("I believe"), which is recited daily as a prayer by some communities. (Of course, we already learned that "Yigdal" is a summary of the attributes, too.) "Adon Olam" also reflects Rambam's beliefs. There is a very good translation of Maimonides' own words, as they appear in his commentary, here.

These Attributes, or Principles of Faith, were controversial from the very first time they appeared. Many people argue that there is no "test" of belief for Judaism at all; others argue the specific details of the principles with Rambam. If you are interested in these controversies it might be helpful to look at these articles in the Jewish Encyclopedia and at MyJewishLearning.com.

Seventh Grade Etz Chayim students should read the list of Rambam's 13 Attributes and add to the comments section here a sentence that says one thing that they believe and that they feel could apply to all Jews. Students may also share a response to Maimonides' Attributes. Please be aware that all posts are being reviewed by Rabbi Rachel, so they will not appear immediately. The only non-students whose comments will be posted are those of parents from this class.

Maimonides for Seventh Graders

The Jewish Virtual Library has a great article on Rambam. Students missing class on October 24 should read the article (here). There is also an interesting article in the Jewish Encyclopedia on Articles of Faith. Pay particular attention to the Thirteen Articles of Faith of Maimonides.

Rabbi Rochel's Favorite Ladino Song

"Cuando El Rey Nimrod" ("When the King Nimrod...") is a Ladino song about the birth of Abraham. Follow this link to see the lyrics and listen to the song. If you want to read a short explanation of the song and its unusual themes, read the Wikipedia entry. It's my favorite Ladino song. I first heard it sung by the amazing Jewish band Divahn about five or six years ago. You can listen to the song and others like it at CD Baby.

Material for Sixth Graders Missing October 24 Lesson

I know that there are many kids missing class today due to Science Camp. If you've missed class, read this article over: Zionism without Zion. It's about the Uganda proposal presented to early Zionists by Herzl. Enjoy!

"The Sticker Song" Lyrics Revisited

Since the link to the lyrics didn't seem to work, I am posting the following translation, which I got from the Israel Center San Francisco website.

The Sticker Song

haDag Nachash

Translated by Dan Rice

A Whole Generation Demands Peace

Let Tsahal Win

A Strong Nation Makes Peace

Let Tsahal Play Hardball

No Peace With Arabs

Don't Give Them Guns

Combat is the Most, Bro

Draft Everybody Exempt Everybody

There's No Despair in the World

The Territories Are Here

Na Nach Nachman me-Uman [religious chant]

NO FEAR - Mashiach Is Here

No Arabs, No Bombings

The Supreme Court Endangers Jews!

The Nation is With the Golan

The People are for Transfer

Driving Test in Yirka

Friend, We Miss You

The Holy One Blessed Be He, We are Voting for You

Direct Elections Are Evil

The Holy One Blessed Be He, We are Zealots for You

Death to Zealots...

How much evil

Can you swallow?

Father have mercy

Father have mercy

My name is Nachman and I stut- stut- stutter

How much evil

Can you swallow?

Father have mercy

Father have mercy

Blessed Be God that I breathe, and so,

A Religious State, There Goes The State

Whoever Was Born Won

Long Live King Messiah

I Feel Safe With Sharon's Peace

Hebron Always Forever

And Whoever Wasn't Born Lost

Hebron Forefathers Peace Transfer

Kahane Was Right

CNN Lies, We Need a Strong Leader

Bravo for Peace!

Thanks For the Security!

We Have No Children to Spare for Unnecessary Wars

The Left Helps the Arabs

Bibi is Good for the Jews, Oslo Criminals to Justice!

We're Here They're There

Brothers Don't Desert

Uprooting of Settlements Divides the Nation

Death to Traitors!

Let the Animals Live

Death to Values!

How much evil

Can you swallow

Father have mercy

Father have mercy

My name is Nachman and I stut- stut- stutter

How much evil

Can you swallow

Father have mercy

Father have mercy

Blessed Be God That I Breathe, and so

Wipe Out, Kill, Deport, Exile,

Exterminate, Extradite, Death Penalty NO FEAR!

Destroy, Eradicate, Overthrow, Mop Up

Everything for You, Friend!

Zionism before Herzl

Timeline of Zionism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This timeline shows how Herzl, though called the Father of Zionism, was not the first Zionist. Check out the entries on Hovevei Zion, Eliezer ben Yehuda, and Dr. Leon Pinsker.

Many of these early Zionists wrote pamphlets to convince Jewish that it was necessary to create a Jewish homeland. One of these was Pinsker's Auto-Emancipation. It's a long document, but is an excellent example of the types of arguments popular with these early supporters of a Jewish state. Check it out here.

More on the Dreyfus Affair and Cartoons

The following article from the New York Times is about art, artists, and the Dreyfus Affair. It specifically mentions the "Museum of Horrors" cartoons (like the one we examined in class, depicting Alfred Dreyfus as one head of the Jewish hydra). Did you know that Monet supported Dreyfus and Degas used the Affair to turn his back on close Jewish friends?
NEW YORK; In France's Dreyfus Affair, The Artists, Too, Asked, 'Which Side Are You On? - New York Times

On this next web page, read the text, then click on Media and Archives links (right side of page) to see more cartoons, including another Museum of Horrors cartoon showing Dreyfus as an inhuman beast. http://www.dreyfus.culture.fr/en/the-french-and-the-dreyfus-affair/jews-in-france/Anti-semitism-at-the-turn-of-the-century.htm?#m98

The same www.dreyfus.culture.fr site has a wealth of images, letters, and historical writings about the Affair. This next link depicts a board game produced by Dreyfus supporters (known in French as Dreyfusards) which ends with truth emerging from a well.
http://www.dreyfus.culture.fr/en/pedagogie/media-pedago-58-doc-Dreyfusard_board_game.htm

Dreyfusards also created a calendar for 1899 showing Dreyfus' wife, his supporters, images of his prison on Devil's Island, and Justice. "Revision" is the French term that refers to the demand that Dreyfus be given a retrial.

Finally, the website has a section discussing what happened after the Dreyfus Affair, both to Dreyfus himself and to French and European society.

Baggy, Saggy, and Illegal?

According to The Week Daily, "Towns in at least eight states are considering or have already enacted laws against wearing baggy pants low enough to expose underwear."

Should a fashion trend be illegal?

Who should determine the standard for these local dress codes? The only other fashion statement I can remember drawing attention from lawmakers is the displaying of gang "colors," which never spread through the larger youth community the way ultra low-riding pants have. Unlike colors, which revealed the wearers gang sympathy or affiliation, baggies are worn by young people of all races and economic backgrounds. If anything, I find it to be a sign of disaffected youth, sticking it to "the man" (who is probably still imagined as a middle-aged white guy) by refusing to conform to social expectations about dress.

While the notion of criminalizing baggies is absurd to me (at least one of the towns mentioned in the article is only considering a "symbolic" ban), I definitely think that Judaism has something to say on the topic. The Jewish value of modesty definitely comes into play. I do not want to see other people's underwear in public. A parallel trend that is a pet peeve of mine is the wearing by women and girls of ultra-low-riding pants, which often reveal not only underwear, but also what should be covered by them. (My husband calls them "Jr. Plumbers" due to the display of butt crack.) Similarly, I once sent a 13-year-old girl home from religious school for wearing pants that laced up the sides. I am going to go out on a limb and say that lace-up pants imply the undoing of the laces, and teenage girls (or any other women) should not be wearing what amounts to a sexual invitation--particularly at a synagogue.

Secondly, Judaism emphasizes continually that one should emulate only the best examples of behavior. Although it is not always at the highest level of awareness, there is an understanding that baggies are a reminder of prison culture, where belts have been often been banned due to their potential use as a weapon. And imitating violent criminals is definitely not something the rabbis had in mind.

The Week Daily - The Best of the U.S. and International Media

YouTube - Hdag Nahash - "The Sticker Song" הדג נחש - שירת הסטיקר

YouTube - Hadag Nahash - "The Sticker Song" הדג נחש - שירת הסטיקר
This song, which came out a couple of years ago, uses the numerous (about 300 in the song) bumper stickers Israelis display to publicize their opinions. The band, Hadag Nahash, creates a song which challenges the antipathy (bad feelings) individuals in Israeli society have toward one another based on their differences.

You can also find the lyrics here. Every line of the song is a bumper sticker.

This week, I'll hand out this month's issue of Babaganewz to my sixth and seventh graders. It focuses on Shmirat Lashon--guarding one's speech against words which are harmful or false. How can slogans, as in many of the bumper stickers in Shirat Hasticker, create or detract from an atmosphere of respectful disagreement in Israel or here in the US?

NPR : Lost Language of Ladino Revived in Spain

NPR : Lost Language of Ladino Revived in Spain

Wikipedia in Ladino

Lest you think that Ladino is a "dead" language...
Kacha - Wikipedia

When you lose control over your writings...

Today, I went on MyJewishLearning.com to make a list here of all my articles on that site (notice new sidebar). I wrote several articles for them over about two or three years. I loved it and was very proud of my work for them. At one point, the editor changed, she and I had some miscommunications, they changed the lay-out and focus of the site (which I feel is now SO much less attractive and user-friendly), and I stopped writing for them. (Sigh.) I still feel that MJL is one of the best sites to learn something Jewish that isn't filled with a personal or denominational biases.

When I went to the site, I did a bit of a freak-out. I wrote for MJL several articles without a by-line, mostly topical overviews for sections. Several of these now have been significantly altered. I will admit that these additions are mostly for the better. Originally, the topical overviews had a pretty rigid word-limit, which seems to no longer apply. So the extra info is great... but it still feels eerie to read an article in which sentences and paragraphs of your writing are interspersed with that of another person or persons.

More on Keva and Kavanah, Fixed Ritual and Spontaneous Intention

MyJewishLearning.com - Daily Life: Repetition and Spontaneity

After leading tefillah last week, I thought my sixth graders and others might like to learn some more about keva and kavanah.

Israel may OK division of Jerusalem - Yahoo! News

I woke up early this morning, unable to free my mind of a to-do list that kept getting longer and longer during the Tishrei holidays. Laundry that's been piling up since the beginning of Sukkot. Finishing up the curricula I've been writing for my sixth- and eighth-grade students. Continuing to put away wedding gifts and finish thank-you notes. Send gifts purchased in New Zealand, on our honeymoon. Finishing the unpacking from the honeymoon. I think you get the idea. I'm hoping to go back to sleep momentarily, but I turned on the computer to find out that Jerusalem might be divided again--not the Old City, mind you, but a separation of the Palestinian and Jewish neighborhoods into Palestinian- and Jewish-governed areas.

In reality, there really are two Jerusalems already. Once, several classmates and I tried to catch a taxi in the Rehavia neighborhood that would take us to a teacher's house on the Arab side of town. It took us four attempts before we could find a driver to take us.

Still, I don't know how many Israelis and lovers of Israel are ready for this.

Israel may OK division of Jerusalem - Yahoo! News

NPR : The Questions We Must Ask

NPR : The Questions We Must Ask

On Sunday, Sept. 30, I drove to work and listened to a remarkable piece on NPR's Weekend Edition. As part of their "This I Believe" segment, NPR presented a piece by a Jewish educator who argues with her Israeli mother about whether individual rights and the security of a country can be balanced, and where the weight must be placed. It is respectful of two sides of an argument among Israelis and lovers of Israel all-over.

It's also worth looking at the other "This I Believe" segments and asking oneself: "What do I believe?"

Reading Harry Potter in Israel

This Normal Life :: Shabbat without Harry

A little late, but still amazing... Check this out!

The High Holidays and Sukkot: A Teaching Site

NPR: Publicly Funded Hebrew Charter School Opens in Fla.

NPR : Publicly Funded Hebrew Charter School Opens in Fla.

Does a Torah belong at home?

Fla. Synagogue Offers Time-Share Torah

By MATT SEDENSKY Associated Press Writer

Sep 12th, 2007 | PINECREST, Fla. -- Dinner was over by the time the party's honored guest showed up at the table. She didn't speak a word. And she left in the rabbi's arms.

The visitor to this family home was no lady. It was a torah.

Most Jews see the holy scroll only in their synagogue and have rarely held one. But one synagogue in Miami is taking the unprecedented step of allowing congregants to host Judaism's sacred text in their homes in exchange for a donation. They call it a torah time-share.

For a one-time gift of $1,800, members of Temple Israel can sponsor a section of the scroll. Each year, during the week before that section is read at Shabbat services, donors can keep the torah in their home _ an event that has prompted families to host scripture studies, parades and dinner parties.

"When it's brought into a house, it makes the house more holy," said Rabbi Mitch Chefitz, who came up with the idea. "If the torah's in your room, then you have an honored guest."

Chefitz showed up at Sandy Grossman's house this Rosh Hashanah week with the torah in a wheeled black duffel bag. After dinner, while children were dancing the "Macarena" and pounding on a bongo drum, he put it on the dining room table, and everyone's attention shifted.

Chefitz took off the torah's white fabric covering, or dress, as he called it. He sat at the head of the table and began to slowly unroll it.

"She's a she," he explains, "because she wears a dress."

As for its age, the rabbi said you shouldn't ask a lady. But she's about 160 and appears to have originated in Poland. The scroll later was bought by a couple who dedicated it to their only son, William Earnest Jacoby, who died in World War II.

The torah was in need of cleaning and repair _ to patch holes and fix lettering _ so Chefitz came up with the time-share project.

About 40 of the 52 available weekly torah time-shares have been purchased at Temple Israel, a Reform synagogue. Other members have given $18 to sponsor a single letter of the scroll, and all five books have been sponsored for $18,000.

All told, the project raised about $325,000 for the temple, far more than the restoration cost. Still, Chefitz quips, he should have thought about charging annual maintenance fees, just like real time shares.

Chefitz has been at Temple Israel for six years. Before that, he served as the rabbi of the Havurah of South Florida, which serves Jews disconnected from formal synagogue life. Because they had no actual temple, members took turns taking the torah home with them, an experience that led to his idea at Temple Israel.

Temple Israel's program is believed to be the first of its kind. Chefitz said it has since inspired a Tel Aviv temple to start its own.

Last year, Chaim LieberPerson picked the torah up from the temple, put it in the passenger seat of his car and fastened the safety belt. He said he was giddy about taking it home. As a Jewish educator, he is used to handling torahs, but this was different.

"Every time that a torah is opened, I'm like a young child again," he said. "Having it in your home is kind of like having somebody from TV or the movies or someone famous in your home."

LieberPerson and his wife hosted a "Torah Tea Party" for their two children and several dozen others. They decorated torah-shaped cookies, made T-shirts with their Hebrew names on them and paraded around the mango tree in the backyard, singing, playing instruments, and hoisting the scroll.

The family also hosted a more traditional adult study gathering, which Chefitz led. At night, the LieberPersons put the torah in a closet to protect it from two cats and two children.

Like real estate time shares, participants in the torah project can swap weeks. And some, like Randi Trazenfeld, have bought "futures" to ensure their children will have the torah in their home before their bar or bat mitzvah.

Trazenfeld remembers that as a child she'd stand on her chair in temple to just to get a glimpse of the torah on the High Holidays. It was in the distance. She wants her children to have a more intimate experience.

"I can't tell you how emotional it was," Trazenfeld said, "and we're not a religious family at all."

Because Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the Jewish calendar year, the torah was at the end of its five books when it arrived at the Grossmans' home a few days before the holiday. Chefitz, with help from those at the gathering, rolled back through Deuteronomy, Numbers, Leviticus and Exodus, to the start, in Genesis.

As the 120 feet of parchment unfurled, Chevitz gave lessons on its production and its content, discussing the painstaking lettering, the way it is spaced and the stories within. The guests were riveted.

"It suddenly gives you a relationship with something you always hear about," Grossman said.

When the torah was rolled back to the beginning, children took turns holding it, and the rabbi returned it to its bag.

"Time for cake?" he asked.

When Grossman first had the scroll in her home last year, she had a gathering for friends and family. When the guests left, her 12-year-old daughter, Bari Pasternack, ran to the torah and kissed it. She read from it, and she took it to her bedroom with her and chanted prayers.

The mother watched. All her life, Grossman said, she never truly understood the torah. But that night, it came alive.

=========================================================

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