Ki Tissa

Big Idea:

• Some phrases from the Torah have become well-known, even to people who don't know their origin

Important Questions:

• What words and phrases stand out for you when reading this parasha?  (i.e. 31:16-17; 32:9; 33:3; 33:5; 33:19; 34:6-7; 34:9; 34:20)
• Why do you think you know these words and phrases?

Learning Activities:

• Listen to this rendition of Adonai, Adonai, El rachum v'chanun and read the English translation of the words.  Why do you think this is part of the Yom Kippur service?
• Why, in your opinion, are these same words part of a traditional Bat Mitzvah observance in the Italian tradition?
• Read this article about Selichot in Jerusalem.  How does it relate to what we have been learning about?
• How does a teen understand this parasha?  Here is a d'var Torah from a young person
• What does it mean to "make Shabbat?"  Here is a short article you may want to read, from the Chief Rabbi Emeritus of the Great Synagogue in Sidney, Australia
• I had never heard of David Kronemyer, and may never again, but in his blog he asks some interesting questions about the idea of Jews being am k'she oref - a stiff-necked people.

...exactly when did God find out the Jews were stiff-necked? Did he know it before the Golden Calf incident, or is he attributing this characteristic to them on the basis of the Golden Calf incident? While the text is unclear on this point, I think God’s use of the term “behold” at 32:9 means he just now is finding out. This raises the question, though, of whether God would have made the Jews his Chosen People, if he had known they were stiff-necked, before designating them as such.

What do you think?


Assessment:

• Which of the ideas you studied in this parasha is most meaningful to you personally?  Be prepared to support your choice in a discussion
• Create a visual representation of one of the segments in this week's parasha that expresses your feelings about it.
• Write a short reflection of your reaction to this week's parasha