Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Studies Primary

**Weekly Torah Portion:**

Parashat Lekh Lekha Breishet 12:1 – 17:27.

In this week’s parashah, God calls Avram to leave his homeland of and the city of Ur and travel to the land of Canaan, to establish a great nation and to enter into the ברית / brit covenant with God. At the age of 75, Avram leaves with his wife Sarai and nephew Lot. Avram and Sarai experience difficulty creating their family, so with the aid of their maidservant Hagar, Avram has a son Ishmael, followed by Sarai’s son Isaac. To symbolise the change in their relationship with God, Avram and Sarai’s names change to Avraham and Sarah.

Family Discussion: לך לך **– Lech Lecha – Journeys**

This parashah begins with an epic journey and the words – לך לך lekh lekha, which can mean a journey ‘to oneself’ as well as ‘for oneself’. What is the different between a ‘journey to oneself’ and a ‘journey for oneself’
What important journey have you experienced in your life? What made it significant?
Do you have to go someplace to experience a journey?
Do all journeys need a destination?

Herzl A Dream That Came True: Play @ Emanuel School

This week students in Years 5 and 6 were treated to a dramatic performance of the life and work of Theadore Hertzl. The play is generously supported by the World Zionist Organisation, the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) and is produced by the Orna Porat Theatre for Children and Youth. Actor Amichai Pardo gave an energetic and interactive performance that engaged the audience and brought students to the stage to take part in the show. The play followed Herzl through his early life in Vienna, his experiences of the Dreyfus Affair in France which shaped vision and determination to build a homeland and country for the Jewish people. This dream, summarised by his famous saying ‘אם תרצו אין זו אגדה‘ – ‘if you will it, it is not dream’ drove Herzl to meet world leaders and engage Jewish communities and the World Zionist Congress to work towards the building of a Jewish national homeland. Herzl was a both a dreamer and builder who died before he was able to see his dream come to life. The play concluded by addressing the students as ‘little Herzls’ and to be both dreamers and builders shaping the State of Israel into the future.