GOD MADE A PROMISE

Our Kitah Dalet students continue to study the text of Noah, and we are quite surprised to find so many basic mitzvot hidden in the Torah.  We talked about the commandment to care for all of GOD's creations, and we see first hand Noah caring for all of the animals, seeds, and plants, as well as for his family.  We also learn GOD holds us accountable for all that happens to his creations, and even today we are responsible for the natural resources GOD created that cannot be replaced.  As we read through the text, we found the promise GOD made with man, and we talked about the importance of keeping our word.  We talked about GOD being remorseful when destroying the world, and questioning his decision to destroy all of his creations. Finally, we talked about GOD'S promise to never destroy the world again through a flood.  We talked about the Hebrew word for promise, Brit, and how we will see this word again when we talk about the first Jewish men, Abraham  and Isaac.  

When talking about GOD's promise, students were asked to think about agreeing to do something, and then changing their minds.  We also talked about trust, and honoring their commitments.  Students created rainbows at the table, and made promises they agreed to honor.  Stop in and read their Brit, and remind them of their commitments.  

In our Tuesday afternoon rotation, we started to struggle with the idea of saving a life, or being kind to animals. We opened the discussion with the problem of saving a human or saving an animal.  We then debated what we have to do to respect the life of people and keep an animal from suffering.  Some students struggled with their decisions, and we talked about finding goodness in our struggles.  The Torah always wants us to think, and we are often faced with dilemmas that make us question what is right and what is wrong. Struggles make us work and that is just what we are doing in Kitah Dalet.