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Thoughts to Nosh OnNovember 2007From the Desk of Rabbi Sharff"Upon three things the world stands: The study of Torah, serving God through worship, and performing acts of loving-kindness" (Pirkei Avot 1:2). All three elements are part of our core curriculum of our Religious School, but it was with particular pleasure that on Sunday October 14th we were able to bring the central idea of acts of loving-kindness to life at our first annual Kurn Religious School Mitzvah Day. This day was based on parashat Lech Lecha where our students followed in the footsteps of our ancestors Abraham and Sarah as they experienced what it means to be a "stranger in a strange land." They did this by engaging in a number of activities designed to raise awareness about the basic necessities needed by refugees and wanderers in order to survive their sojourns in the wilderness. Included in the day were discussions about Abraham and Sarah, but that was only the beginning. Our students also helped prepared table decorations for the TIHAN (Tucson Interfaith HIV and AIDS) luncheon co-sponsored by Temple Emanu-El. Our students also learned about the ongoing plight of Ethiopian Jews with Rabbi Cohon, and they also made pictures to help decorate the new center for Las Familias. They decorated the door for our own Rabbi’s Pantry to help those who are indigent and in need. Then to make the day extra special, our students learned about the importance of water through a series of amazing activities. We could not have had such a successful experience without the help of a tremendous number of volunteers. I would especially like to thank Patti Sorkow, Alexandra Lee Delgado and Sharon Roffman for helping to organize and coordinate the entire morning. We also could not have done it without the parents, grandparents, and congregational members who circulated with the classes as well as those who helped facilitate the activities including Joaquim Delgado (courtesy of Tucson Water), Dr. Steve and Ruth Dickstein, Rachel Daijches, Heather McLaughlin, Martin Heilbraun, Ruth Reiter, Mieko S. Iventosch, Bess Ecelbarger, April Bauer, Jeff and Adriana Kaufman, Lori Brown, Regina Koch-Mart and Cliff Mart, Beth Simmons, Maxine Coz, Joann Cohen, and Yetta Dritch, Liz Bradshaw, Bonnie Golden, Vivian Binder, Elisha Reynolds as well as our eighth graders who served as teaching assistants for the morning, and our amazing maintenance crew who worked to support not one event but two. We would also like to thank Howard and Linda Zveitel for purchasing the supplies and preparing the Rabbi’s Pantry for paint and organization. On Sunday October 14th, we brought mitzvot to life in a very special and real way. Now we just need to keep the momentum going, as our students will hopefully continue to engage in acts of loving-kindness throughout their lives. By doing so, they will indeed be keeping in the tradition handed down to us by Abraham and Sarah. Rabbi Ben Sharff |
