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L’DOR V’DOR D’VAR TORAH Judaism is the religion we believe in, and for lots of us the way in which we think, act, and live our lives. It gets passed down from generation to generation with its traditions and its importance remaining relevant in every generation. Some of us were taught through our temples, Jewish day schools, camp and our parents, but that’s not how it used to be. The third line of the V’ahavta in English says “You shall teach them diligently unto thy children, when you walkest by the way, when you liest down, and when you risest up.” But what does this mean? This line expresses the importance of Judaism being a 24/7 way of life. Even thousands of years ago there was such a large emphasis on the importance of teaching the generation to come and having them practice their Judaism as it fuses into their daily activities. We are the next generation and the future of Judaism. We have a call to action, and an obligation to our people and the future generations. It has become increasingly harder to engage teens in Jewish Life and have Jewish Community involvement despite all of the options for Jewish teenagers. There is no extreme motivation to have Jewish knowledge or stay involved like there was during times of oppression like the Holocaust. The drive to be knowledgeable does not exist, but the necessity of it still does. Judaism has been around for thousands of years, are we going to be the last generation? Are we going to let the efforts exerted and oppressions endured by the previous generations serve no purpose? We have an immense amount of pride for Judaism, with no shortage of spirit. That is very reassuring when it comes to instilling passion, but what is the good of a generation of Jewish people if they do not practice tradition or abide by any Jewish laws because they don’t know any better. We need to shift ourselves from feeling good about our Judaism to understanding and teaching it to our regions, chapters, and friends. Saying the Shema and Amida while forming a close spiritual connection is one thing but what are we going to do for our kids when we teach it and they ask what it means? When something becomes a way of life, it is continued throughout life even though it can sometimes take a vacation (time off). For example, when a child learns Tzedakah and gets in the practice of giving a little each year, that will grow with them and they will always understand the need. If one does not give when they are young, it is a major task to get them to start or give generously later on. I feel the same way about Judaism as a whole. If the desire to live as an informed Jew is instilled early it will never go away. The major task is getting our generation to understand the need to pass along more to the next generation than just the idea that “we are Jewish.” Just knowing that “we are Jewish” doesn’t materialize into the practice of traditions, observance of holidays, and a strong background of Judaism in general. If we can inspire our generation of young people to practice Judaism and learn more at their own pace, we will have formed the foundation of a lifelong commitment. As my dad has observed, “most people don't wake up to the importance of this until they are parents and if they don't have a start, it is quite a major task to start learning while living busy daily lives.” A large goal of this program, L’dor V’dor, is to setup the next generation of Judaism with a knowledge base that will ensure the life of the Jewish People. It is not our job to teach everybody about Judaism or to have all of the answers, it is our job to show them the path to knowledge. We’re trying to bridge the gap from lack of understanding to the tools and connections to finding the answer. There is no need to reinvent the wheel either when the resources are readily available. The Torah, where we gain our code of ethics and commandments, is a story split into 52 parts called parsheot. After reading a few parsheot you will start to see not only how interesting and enlightening the stories are but you will discover how relatable the stories and morals are to your everyday life. So try printing off this weeks parsha, or finding them in your bar/bat mitzvah chumash, every Thursday night and have a family discussion about it each week. Discuss the 10 commandments, one per night, with your family and then dive into the rest of the ever so many 613 mitzvot, or commandments. We should be teaching how to live our lives Jewishly with everything we do. We should teach how to be thankful for everything that we do as it is a miracle to have the abilities we do as humans. Saying the “Modeh Ani” every morning and being thankful for waking up in the morning is a simple yet powerful Jewish custom. We should all be knowledgeable of the holidays and festivals we celebrate since our ancestors gave up a lot and struggled greatly for us to be able to celebrate. Dissection of prayers, what they mean and how they’re used should be a top priority for meaningful prayer as well. Through these chosen methods each individual will create themselves differently. The sky is the limit because there is so much to learn and so much to gain. Judaism is based around the key aspect of a family unit. We are (for the most part) products of our parents and gain insight like they do. This is important because not every Jewish parent knows what to teach and pass on from Judaism. Can our parents answer our questions directly or at least lead us to the fruit of knowledge which bears the answers to our sacred Jewish learning? Your family should not feel overwhelmed by this process, as they are not alone in this endeavor. Many people have lost what things to pass on as Jewish parents to their kids, so an outside source should fill those breaks in tradition. Just like in old times, a great place to find answers to Jewish questions is a local rabbi. A huge part to gaining an understanding of Judaism is to build for yourself a network of trusted rabbis, individuals, and sources to use for information. In my opinion, there are 4 main sources of learning Judaism outside of the family, also referred to as the gateways to Judaism. There are Jewish day schools, Hillels, synagogues, and Federations. We as high schoolers are right between day schools and Hillels which leaves us a little bit more in the dark than we should be. In order to change the drought of Jewish learning in an average teen's life, we need to change the mindset. Kids cant look at a Bar or Bat Mitzvah as an end of Jewish learning, but instead it should be looked at as a beginning and a true induction to the Jewish religion which has prospered for thousands of years. It should be viewed as an opportunity to grow and a network of friends to fall back on. While the children are growing up, the parents first priority is to create an environment where the kids will desire to learn, study, connect, and improve on their Judaism driving them to find answers for themselves. Schools today, public or private, do not teach everything a kid needs to know for the rest of their lives. What schools do teach is how to find answers for ones self. Some will embark on a much deeper form of learning Judaism through a Yeshiva or a Cheder while others may just be content with instilling the basic traditions into their lives. The thing to remember when making these choices is to know who your trusted sources are so your Jewish learning never dies. 420 BCE, 70 CE, 1492, 1939-1945, 1948, 1967,1973. These and other dates need to resonate in our heads as Jewish people. 420 BCE-Destrcution of the First Temple, 70 CE-Destruction of the Second Temple, 1492-Jews expelled from Spain in the Spanish Inquisition, 39’-45’- The Holocaust. 1948- The Establishment of the State of Israel, 11 minutes later, Harry Truman Recognizes Israel as a country being the first one to do so, 1967- The Head turning Triumphant victory of Israel in the 6 day war, October 1973- The Yom Kippur War Judaism on its own is an unbelievably well put together and tight bonded fraternity and sorority as it offers immediate acceptance and mutual understanding to fellow Jewish people. The methods to attract the kids back into Judaism needs to be as modern and exciting as the times currently are while preserving the sacred tradition that has provided the energy to move us forward. The main point of the program is to raise awareness and shed light on issues of Jewish knowledge and tradition. The hope is to show people the way, let them see the light, and give them the tools to find the answer. The hope is to make visible the necessity to carry on what is being taught. “When you make a problem visible, together we can find a solution." Let’s renew a commitment to lifelong Jewish learning here and now at this Shabbat celebration. Pick one thing you will do either to start this process or to continue it. Share it with your neighbor if you are comfortable. Now think about how you and your family can be a support network in this endeavor. Shabbat Shalom! DATES: 420 BCE (Destrcution of the First Temple) 70 CE (Destruction of the Second Temple) 1400 First known occurances of bar mitzvah ceremony 1492 Jews expelled from Spain in the Spanish Inquisition. 1933- Hitler and The Nazi Party take power in Germany 1939-1945- the holocaust 1945-Germany Surrendurs/Nuremberg Trials 1948- The State of Israel is Established. 11 minutes later, Harry Truman Recognizes Israel as a country being the first one to do so. 1967- The Head turning Triumphant victory of Israel in the 6 day war October 1973- The Yom Kippur War th September 17 1978- The Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel th November 4 , 1995- the Assassination of Yitzchak Rabin