K-12 Shavu’ot Ceremony

This year, our K-12 שבועות/Shavu’ot ceremony explored the concept of תורה/Torah providing דרכים/derachim – pathways of teachings and values to help guide us in our lives. This concept inspired the many Jewish values signs that cover our campus.

The following were ideas/thoughts shared with/by students in reflecting upon our Jewish Pathways.

Every day that we read the Torah, we say: ”דְּרָכֶיהָ דַּרְכֵי נֹעַם/deracheha darchei noam”, which means “its pathways are pathways of pleasantness”.

However, when we read the Torah, there are some aspects that we may not agree with. Can we follow a law that claims that homosexuality is an abomination or abide by a perspective in which women may not be placed on an equal standing to men? This raises a question: Should we understand the statement the Torah’s “pathways are pathways of pleasantness” as a descriptive statement fully reflecting what is the case?

Or, is it a prescriptive statement, asking us to continuously struggle with the Torah text, to help make and ensure that all “its pathways are pathways of pleasantness” is a reality? Shared Isabella Flax

עבודה/Avodah means divine service. We can engage in divine service in many ways. Divine service can be prayer, such as קבלת שבת/kabbalat shabbat, it can be תקון עולם/ tikkun olam and it can be experiencing the divine within ourselves. Each of us is a unique expression of the image of God. We each express the divine in our own way, perhaps through song, dance, music, poetry or art.

Judaism teaches, בכל דרכיך דעהו/BeChol Derachechah Daeihu, which means “In all your pathways experience and express the divine”. Shared by Jade Reuveni

The 1^st letter of the Torah, ב/Bet in בראשית Bereishit, and the last letter ל/Lamed, in ישראל/Yisrael, spell לב/Lev which is the Hebrew word for heart. This teaches us that the pathways of the תורה/Torah are to be lived through a complete heart filled with loving-kindness.

If everyone expressed loving-kindness in their words, deeds and interactions with others, ultimately everyone would feel better about themselves, their lives and the world.

Friends and family express love and kindness towards each other through their kind words, hugs, kisses and by nurturing, supporting and forgiving each other. What is truly powerful is when we share and experience acts of loving-kindness with others beyond our friends or family. Shared by Gideon Pozniak and Jasper Sellinger

דְּרָכֶיהָ דַּרְכֵי נֹעַם וְכָלנְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם/Deracheha darchei noam ve-chol netivoteha shalom means “Our tradition’s pathways are pathways of pleasantness and its ways are those of shalom”.

What is shalom? The word שלום/shalom means peace and it also means whole or complete. When we bring peace into the world, we are making it whole again. Peace, according to Jewish tradition, is the ultimate purpose of the whole תורה/Torah. We say, וְכָל נְתִיבוֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם/kol netivoteha shalom, “all its ways are ways of peace”. We can increase the peace by reaching out to others, by smiling and by creating new friendships. At home we can be kind to our siblings and our parents and be proactive in helping others by seeking first to understand others and to look for ways in which we can best treat each other. In our words and actions, we can walk along the pathway of peace to make our lives and communities whole. Shared by Romy McCorquodale

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Studies – Primary