Category Archives: HS

Exercise: Seeing – MS, HS, A

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Exercise: Seeing

What does the word “see” or “seeing” mean in each of these phrases?

“It is such a clear night, I can see a lot of stars”
“See that you keep these in the correct order”
“Seeing is believing”
“See, I told you so!!”
“When you mention summer, I see the beach and sand in my mind”
“He always sees the best in people”
“You are just not willing to see it my way!”
“Don’t worry, I have enough money to see me through”
“Why do you only see her faults?”
“Seeing as you are already up, can you please pour me a glass of water?”
“I see what you mean. I hadn’t thought of it like that”
“The last 10 years have seen a sweeping revolution in IT support.”
“I want to see how she handles this on her own.”
“I’ll see to that”
“Please see the guests to the door”

Below are some possible ways of understanding the use of the word ‘see’. Can you match the meanings below with the phrases above?

(a) observe

(b) imagine

(d) consider the fact that

(e) understand

(f) perceive

(g) accompany

(h) comprehend

(i) gain insight

(j) recognize

(k) pay attention

(l) take care of

(m) visualize

(n) experience

(o) __________________

Return to look at Bereshit 16:13 – the word ‘see’ is used 4 times – which senses of ‘see’ could be meant on each of these occasions? How do different meanings of ‘see’ change how we understand the passage?

Exercise: What counts as a miracle? – MS, HS, A

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Exercise: What counts as a miracle?

For the items listed below decide which word best describes it:

Miracle – Miraculous – Awesome – Lucky – Ordinary

1. As I was walking home I was thinking “wouldn’t it be great to have money to buy an ice-cream” – and then I saw a dollar coin in the gutter.
2. In the storm, a bolt of lightning came down and split the tree in half.
3. I fell off my bike speeding down the hill, but came out of it without even a scratch.
4. When the house down the street caught fire, I prayed that everyone would get out of the fire safely and they did.
5. I wake up every morning feeling fresh and ready to start the day.
6. When the forest fire was out of control, the wind turned and the rain came and put it out.
7. The fortune teller told my sister that she would meet someone and fall in love and she did.
8. God created the world in seven days.
9. Jonah was swallowed by a whale/big fish and survived. (Is this the same as no.8?)
10. I prayed that something bad would happen to the boy at school who is always teasing me, and then he broke his arm. (How does your answer here compare to your answer to no. 4?)
11. A standard 747 airplane weighs more than 910,000lbs when it is loaded, and yet it can still get off the ground!

Discussion Plan: Seeing and Hearing – MS, HS, A

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Discussion Plan: Seeing and Hearing

In each case, make sure to explain your answers / responses.

Are there times you are heard but not seen?
Are there times you are seen but not heard?
Can you look at someone but not see them?
Can you see someone without looking at them?
Can you hear what someone says but not listen to them?
Do you expect friends to see you better than other people? In what ways?
Is there a difference between the way parents see you and the way teachers see you?
Is there a difference between the way parents see you and the way your friends see you?
Do you think all your friends see you the same way? If not, what accounts for the difference?
Could a stranger see you better than your friends do?
Could someone who disagrees with you see your point better than people who agree with you?
When we respond to what we hear, do we do it the same way as we respond to what we see?
Could you see something and respond as if you had heard it? What would this mean?
Could you hear something and respond as if you had seen it? What would this mean?

image source: shutterstock

Return to the questions above – try re-asking them about seeing and hearing God. (e.g.; Are there times when God is heard but not seen? Could you hear what God says but not listen to God? Does it make a difference if you see God as a parent or as a friend? Do you expect God to see you better than other people? In what ways?)

Vayeira (Bereshit 18:9-15) בְּרֵאשִׁית

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Bereshit 18: 9-15	בְּרֵאשִׁית
1 And God appeared to him [Avraham], in the plains of Mamre, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent when the day was hot.	א וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְהוָה, בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא; וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב פֶּתַח–הָאֹהֶל, כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם.
2 And he lifted his eyes and saw, behold, three men were standing beside him, and he saw and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and bowed down to the ground,	ב וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו, וַיַּרְא, וְהִנֵּה שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים, נִצָּבִים עָלָיו; וַיַּרְא, וַיָּרָץ לִקְרָאתָם מִפֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל, וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ, אָרְצָה.
3 And said, “My lords, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass on from beside your servant	ג וַיֹּאמַר: אֲדֹנָי, אִם–נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ—אַל–נָא תַעֲבֹר, מֵעַל עַבְדֶּךָ.
4 Please – let a little water be taken, and wash your feet, and lean back under the tree.	ד יֻקַּח–נָא מְעַט–מַיִם, וְרַחֲצוּ רַגְלֵיכֶם; וְהִשָּׁעֲנוּ, תַּחַת הָעֵץ.
5 And I will fetch a little bread, to sustain your hearts; after that you will go on, because you have passed by your servant.” And they said, “So you will do, as you have spoken.”	ה וְאֶקְחָה פַת–לֶחֶם וְסַעֲדוּ לִבְּכֶם, אַחַר תַּעֲבֹרוּ—כִּי–עַל–כֵּן עֲבַרְתֶּם, עַל–עַבְדְּכֶם; וַיֹּאמְרוּ, כֵּן תַּעֲשֶׂה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ.
…	…
9 And they said to him: ‘Where is Sarah your wife?’ And he said: ‘Here, in the tent.’	ט וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו, אַיֵּה שָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ; וַיֹּאמֶר, הִנֵּה בָאֹהֶל.
10 And he said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and behold – there will be a son, to Sarah, your wife.” And Sarah heard from the entrance of the tent, behind him.	י וַיֹּאמֶר, שׁוֹב אָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ כָּעֵת חַיָּה, וְהִנֵּה–בֵן, לְשָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ; וְשָׂרָה שֹׁמַעַת פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל, וְהוּא אַחֲרָיו.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, coming on in years. Sarah had ceased the [biological] stage of childbearing for women.	יא וְאַבְרָהָם וְשָׂרָה זְקֵנִים, בָּאִים בַּיָּמִים; חָדַל לִהְיוֹת לְשָׂרָה, אֹרַח כַּנָּשִׁים.
12 And Sarah laughed, within herself, saying: ‘After I am old –will I have pleasure? And, my master is old.’	יב וַתִּצְחַק שָׂרָה, בְּקִרְבָּהּ לֵאמֹר: אַחֲרֵי בְלֹתִי הָיְתָה–לִּי עֶדְנָה, וַאדֹנִי זָקֵן.
13 And God said to Avraham: ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying: Shall I really bear a child – I, who am old?”	יג וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, אֶל–אַבְרָהָם: לָמָּה זֶּה צָחֲקָה שָׂרָה לֵאמֹר, הַאַף אֻמְנָם אֵלֵד—וַאֲנִי זָקַנְתִּי.
14 Is there anything too wonderous for God? At the appointed time, I will return to you, and at that time, Sarah will have a son.”	יד הֲיִפָּלֵא מֵיְהוָה, דָּבָר; לַמּוֹעֵד אָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ, כָּעֵת חַיָּה—וּלְשָׂרָה בֵן.
15 Then Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was ‘yireh’ (afraid, in awe, overwhelmed). And He said, “No, but you laughed.”	טו וַתְּכַחֵשׁ שָׂרָה לֵאמֹר לֹא צָחַקְתִּי, כִּי יָרֵאָה; וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא, כִּי צָחָקְתְּ.
16 And the men arose from there, and they looked upon Sodom, and Abraham went with them to escort them,	טז וַיָּקֻמוּ מִשָּׁם הָאֲנָשִׁים, וַיַּשְׁקִפוּ עַל–פְּנֵי סְדֹם; וְאַבְרָהָם—הֹלֵךְ עִמָּם, לְשַׁלְּחָם.

Leading Idea: The Experience of Laughter

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Leading Idea: The Experience of Laughter

In this text Sarah laughs be-kirba (בְּקִרְבָּהּ). What kind of laughter is this? The laughter is a ‘close’ laughter, translated variously as laughing ‘to herself’, ‘within herself’ or ‘at herself’. For Samson Raphael Hirsch it is “the natural, involuntary laughter which we can hardly keep back at the sight of some absurdity” (Hirsch, 1963, p. 352). The question is whether Sarah’s laughter is one of sheer incredulity or of irony, or something else. Two things happen later that further complicate things.

(i) She denies laughing (18:15). Why does she do this? What might this say about her laughter? (is she embarrassed? Is she in denial? Is it possible she was so amazed she was unaware of laughing? Or maybe, if she had worked to suppress her laughter, she now wanted to assert that she hadn’t really laughed because she had consciously controlled herself from doing so, keeping her laughter within.)

(ii) She speaks about laughter (21:7). When she gives birth to Yitzak a few verses later she says: “ God has made laughter of me, everyone who hears will laugh”. Here too the passage is open to different readings – is she saying that, in giving birth in old age, God has made her into a laughing stock and everyone will laugh at her (Hirsch), or that God has brought laugher to her and that everyone who hears will laugh with her in joy (Rashi)?

Those who read Sarah as fearing laughter tend to read her earlier reaction in the tent as a negative laughter, while those who read it as joy see her earlier laughter as incredulity or disbelief when told good but improbable news.
Sarah is not the only one who laughs. One verse earlier (Bereshit 17:17) Avraham ‘falls on his face and laughs’ when he is told he will have a child by Sarah. If Sarah’s laughter is inward, Abrahams laughter seems to be blatantly outward.

Several discussion plans and exercises explore the nature of laughter:

(i) One looks at how we laugh (where it happens in our body, the control we have over it, inward and outward laughter). This provides different resources for reflecting on how Sarah might have laughed be-kirba (בְּקִרְבָּהּ).

(ii) One looks at emotions that lie behind laughter and causes of laughter (insecurity, joy, embarrassment, etc). This looks at what Sarah might have been feeling as she laughed.

(iii) one looks at kinds of laughter (some distinctions to think about include whether the pictures shows people laughing with or at something, laughing as expression of joy, laughing inside or laughing openly, seeking to hide laughter, openly showing laughter, embarrassed laughter, laughing in amazement).

Secondary Sources: Going from, Going to – MS, HS, A

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Secondary Sources: Going from — Going to

“Know from where you came, where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give a judgment and accounting.”
Mishna “Pirke Avot”, ch.3:1

American Slavery

Sethe is a central character in Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved. She is a slave who runs away to find freedom but is eventually caught and made to go back. This description of Sethe’s escape comes from Susan Babbitt in Impossible Dreams. It is a vivid account of the experience of leaving.

Sethe describes her escape from slavery, saying, “I did that. I had help, of course, lots of that, but still it was my doing it; me saying, Go on, and Now.” Nine months pregnant and alone, she struggles through the woods on swollen, blistered, bare feet. She does take conscious control of her life for that short, difficult time… ”
Susan Babbitt in Impossible Dreams

Hagar in Art

Look at this picture –Having read the story of Hagar, is there anything in this interpretation that you find interesting?

“Hagar Leaves the House of Abraham”
Rubens, Peter Paul, 1577-1640,
Flemish Baroque Painter

Image source: http://www.artbible.info/art/large/826.html

Intertextual Sources: Kinds of Laughter

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Intertextual Source Comparisons: Kinds of Laughter

Compare Sara’s laughter with Avraham’s laughter when he is told that Sarah will have a son. Bereshit 17:17
- Do you think it is the same kind of laughter?

Compare Sarah’s laughter with God’s laughter in Tehilim 34:13
- Do you think it is the same kind of laughter?

Compare Sarah;s laughter at 18:12 with Sarah’ comment about laughter when Yitzak is born – Bereshit 21:6
- Do you think this is the same kind of laughter?

Secondary Source: She’s Leaving Home – MS, HS, A

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Secondary Sources: She’s Leaving Home

Play “She’s Leaving Home” by the Beatles. Try analyzing it according to some or all of the following; (i) good reasons for leaving, (i) drawing lines, (iii) rhetorical questions, (iv) running from/running to

She’s Leaving Home Lyrics – The Beatles

Wednesday morning at five o’clock as the day begins
Silently closing her bedroom door
Leaving the note that she hoped would say more
She goes downstairs to the kitchen clutching her handkerchief
Quietly turning the backdoor key
Stepping outside she is free.

She (We gave her most of our lives)
is leaving (Sacrificed most of our lives)
home (We gave her everything money could buy)
She’s leaving home after living alone
For so many years. Bye, bye

Father snores as his wife gets into her dressing gown
Picks up the letter that’s lying there
Standing alone at the top of the stairs
She breaks down and cries to her husband Daddy our baby’s gone
Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly
How could she do this to me.

She (We never thought of ourselves)
is leaving (Never a thought for ourselves)
home (We struggled hard all our lives to get by)
She’s leaving home after living alone
For so many years. Bye, bye

Friday morning at nine o’clock she is far away
Waiting to keep the appointment she made
Meeting a man from the motor trade.

She (What did we do that was wrong)
is having (We didn’t know it was wrong)
fun (Fun is the one thing that money can’t buy)
Something inside that was always denied
For so many years. Bye, bye
She’s leaving home. Bye, bye

Exercise: Recognizing Different Types of Laughter – UPS, MS, HS, A

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Exercise: Recognizing Different Types of Laughter

What kind of laughter do you think each of these pictures shows? What is the difference between them? After looking at the pictures, think about which kind(s) of laugh you think are closest to Sarah’s laugh? Try performing that laugh.

All images are open source from creative commons: https://pixabay.com/

Exercise: She’s Leaving Home – MS, HS, A

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Exercise: She’s Leaving Home

She’s Leaving Home Lyrics – The Beatles

She (We gave her most of our lives)
is leaving (Sacrificed most of our lives)
home (We gave her everything money could buy)
She’s leaving home after living alone
For so many years. Bye, bye

She (We never thought of ourselves)
is leaving (Never a thought for ourselves)
home (We struggled hard all our lives to get by)
She’s leaving home after living alone
For so many years. Bye, bye

Friday morning at nine o’clock she is far away
Waiting to keep the appointment she made
Meeting a man from the motor trade.

You can download the song with permissions from here: https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tah2fx2olu73ubixghz6sumd5xm?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics&u=0#

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Category Archives: HS

Exercise: Seeing – MS, HS, A

Exercise: What counts as a miracle? – MS, HS, A

Discussion Plan: Seeing and Hearing – MS, HS, A

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Vayeira (Bereshit 18:9-15) בְּרֵאשִׁית

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בְּרֵאשִׁית

Leading Idea: The Experience of Laughter

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Secondary Sources: Going from, Going to – MS, HS, A

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Intertextual Sources: Kinds of Laughter

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Secondary Source: She’s Leaving Home – MS, HS, A

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Exercise: Recognizing Different Types of Laughter – UPS, MS, HS, A

Exercise: She’s Leaving Home – MS, HS, A

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