Edot: B'nai Mitzvah Prep Session 3

The families of our 5th and 6th grade Edot and Shira: The Musical! students met for the third and final B'nai Mitzvah Prep workshop yesterday. The fifth grade families came during first session; sixth grade families during second session. The three BM workshops have proven to be a wonderful opportunity for families of students in the same grade level to meet and get to know each other better, forming what we hope will be a vital part of our Isaiah community through the Bar/Bat Mitzvah process and after.

The focus of this final BM workshop for the fifth grade families was on prayer. The families were divided into three groups based on the students' birthdays, and these groups rotated through three "K" stations - Keva, Kavanna, and Kehila. Rabbi Greninger led the Keva station in which the participants learned that the word "keva" means "fixed" in Hebrew. We do certain prayers in a certain order every time we pray together. I led the Kavanna station, explaining how even though we are given specific words to say in each prayer and must say them in a specific order, the Talmud states that "One who prays must aim his/her heart at heaven" (Brachot 31a) and "Don't make your prayers fixed!" (Avot 2:13) The Hebrew word "kavanna" means "aim" or "intention." We should not simply repeat the words of the prayers but should, instead, use the words to help us connect directly to God and to our Jewish community. The third station was led by Alex, our Shira: The Musical!" teacher and Josh, my satellite teacher. "Kehilla" means "community" and it is through prayer that Jews build connections and relationships - a sense of community. To remind the participants in this station about the importance of Kehilla in Jewish prayer, Alex and Josh led everyone in working together to create and then untie a "human knot." Near the end of the session, Rabbi Greninger briefly explained to the parents details of the new Hebrew program we are inaugurating at Isaiah in the fall, while Alex and Josh and Ira (our 7th grade and youth group coordinator) led more community-building activities for the students out on the lawn.

Rabbi Greninger introducing the prayer focus of the workshop to the fifth grade families

As always, food for the body is provided along with the "food for the mind"


Part of the "Kavanna" station involved writing a personal blessing using the "Blessing Formula" in the Siddur Journal which each fifth grader received as a gift during the second workshop in the series

Josh and Ira preparing the fifth graders for one of the community-building games; from the looks of things, we have a very enthusiastic and strong community in the making!

As soon as the fifth grade families moved into the Sanctuary for tefilla (prayer service), sixth grade families took their places in the Social Hall. The focus for this final sixth grade workshop was on the Torah, Haftarah, and Mitzvah Project which are all central to becoming a bar or bat mitzvah. As part of the introduction to the workshop, Rabbi Miller showed a clip from President Obama's comments at the URJ Biennial in which he acknowledged the centrality of the Torah to the Jewish People, and shared the common response of our Biblical forefathers when called upon by God: "Hineni" ("I am here.") This is the response we make when we are becoming b'nai mitzvah. Rabbi Graetz then led a discussion about the Torah - what is it? Where does it come from? Who wrote it? What does the word "Torah" mean? and how do we relate to it in the 21st century? The families were then divided into five groups representing the five Books of Moses (a/k/a The Torah). Each group was composed of families whose sixth grader was assigned to read from the Torah portion in the group's Book during his/her Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony. Erin (Shira:The Musical!) teacher led the "Genesis" group; I led the "Exodus" group; Rabbi Miller led the "Leviticus" group; Rabbi Greninger led the "Numbers" group; and Rabbi Graetz led the "Deuteronomy" group. Each family in each group read a summary of the Torah portion they had been assigned and shared who the main characters in their "parsha" (Torah portion) were, what the major events in the parsha were, and what the themes (the big ideas) of the parsha were with the entire group. Finally, each group discussed what the major themes of the entire book were. Following a brief break, a representative from each group shared the theme(s) of their group's Torah book, and Rabbi Graetz then introduced the three major parts of the Hebrew Bible - Torah, Nevee'eem (Prophets), and Writings - and shared the history of the Haftarah - readings from the Prophets which accompany readings of the Torah portion of the week. Families were informed that Isaiah b'nai mitzvahs have two options - reading from the traditional Hafatarah selection or talking about their b'nai mitzvah project, which carries forth the prophetic idea. No matter which option is chosen, every bar and bat mitzvah candidate is encouraged to do a mitzvah project. We then conducted a "Mitzvah Fair" during which families were given a "Mitzvah Project Scavenger Hunt" form, and were instructed to walk around the Oneg Room adjacent to the Social Hall and read informational posters which had been hung on the walls, describing various charity and social service organizations. As they read the posters, families worked together to answer questions on their scavenger hunt forms. Rabbi Miller then wrapped up the workshop by asking the families to share any ideas the Mitzvah Fair had generated, and encouraging everyone to start working on the projects over the summer. Finally, Ira and four seventh graders shared what an incredible year the sixth graders were in store for next year, both in class and as part of the Anachnu youth group, which is made up of seventh and eighth graders.