Israel Museum: Middle Ages

On October 22, 2018, the best Jewish History class, Kitat Kinneret, went to the Israel Museum. Shortly after most of us arrived by bus, we were shown the model of the Old City of Jerusalem. Afterwards, we walked inside the museum to look at the different customs relating to Life Cycles. Those Life Cycles were Birth, Marriage, and Death. For Birth, we looked at the double seat from Germany used during a circumcision. The seating was arranged where on the right side the baby was held by his godfather and the left seat was reserved for Elijah. For Marriage, we looked at a Huppah Stone from Germany that was used to break the glass at a wedding. For Death, we talked about a Chevra Kadisha. Chevra Kadisha was an organization of men and women that would sit with the deceased Jews until they are properly buried. Then, we roamed over to glance at another exhibit, which was the Illuminated Manuscripts. These manuscripts were extremely fascinating to look at. It was interesting to think of how old they were and how they were still in such good condition.

Once we finished viewing the manuscripts, we went over to each of the four different synagogues. This was my favorite part of the Israel Musuem tiyul. The first synagogue we learned about was the Horb Synagogue. The Horb Synagogue was from Germany and made out of wood covered in paintings and scriptures. The next synagogue we were taught about was one that was originally located in India. The Kadavumbagam synagogue had beautiful wooden carvings on the ark, which held a Sephardic torah. The third synagogue we looked at was the Vittorio Veneto Synagogue from Italy. This synagogue was the most elegant and decorative out of the four. The Tzedek ve-Shalom Synagogue was the last and my favorite synagogue that we went in. The fourth synagogue was initially located in Suriname, formally known as Dutch Guiana. This synagogue was very simplistic with little decoration and actually had sand on the floor for acoustic reasons. Although, the synagogues were all unique in their own way, they each had an ark for the torah and Hebrew scripture. That showed how every synagogue is connected even in all the different parts of the world.

What was the most interesting thing you saw from Jewish life around the world?

The double seat used for circumcisions

Horb Synagogue from Germany

Kadavumbagam Synagogue from India

Vittorio Veneto Synagogue from Italy 

Learning about the Tzedek ve-Shalom Synagogue from Suriname

Oral Law Aaron

I chose the commandment on line 11 if Leviticus 19 which says, “You shall not steal;you shall not deal deceitfully or falsely with one another...”  because this commandment seems to be dealing with issues of loyalty and trust because how can you trust someone when they deal deceitfully and falsely? How can you consider someone loyal when they steal from you? So this commandment helps keeps trust and loyalty amongst the people which are two things that I value most in people.

There is supposed to be a photo of someone stealing something that isn’t theirs it doesn’t express the mitzvah, but it does express what not to do. And if you know what not to do then you should know what the right thing to do is.

Oral law assignment - Dani

         I chose the commandment, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself" because I believe that you should always treat your peers as you wish to be treated. I interpret this mitzvah as, do not try to hurt others or get pay back for something that has happened, treat everyone one with respect. I try to fulfill this mitzvah in my daily life, especially at Heller, even though it may be hard at times. It is human instinct to want to hurt others the way they hurt you, but I am working on forgiveness. This can be a guideline for me as a Jew in the modern world because the world is still filled with anti-semitism and if I follow this commandment I can attempt to rise above that.

        I choose this particular picture because I believe everyone that I am surrounded with in it, is the perfect representation of this commandment. All four of the girls that I am pictured with are the nicest most caring people I have met and they treat everyone around them with respect. They have the ability to forgive quickly but still receive respect because they treat everyone else in the same way. They are the perfect representations of this mitzvah and the perfect model of how I strive to treat others and myself in the future

Oral Law Cecelia

The Mitzvah I chose is Leviticus 19.17 "You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart. Reprove your kinsman but incur no guilt because of him". This line explains you can be mad at someone but you cannot actually hate them. You may be mad at someone and not be on good terms with them in the moment but you always know these problems will be resolved and you will be friends with them again. When faced with a conflict like this the best path to take is to speak with them and be mature and civil about the situation. Talking with someone about an issue is always better than it escalating because of a simple miscommunication.

My photo is of our class of Fall 2018. The photo is from the beginning of the semester when we went to Jerusalem for Shabbat. This was a time when we did not know each other very well but we have come quite far compared to where we are today. There might be disagreements and little fights between all of us, but in our hearts we all love each other and are so happy we are here together. At the end of the day we will always be a קהילה קדושה, kehilla kedosha, a holy community. By the end of this four months we will all consider each other even more than just a community, we will see the people around us as family.

Cody's Oral Law

The Mitzvah that I relate the most to is Leviticus 19:33-34."When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wring him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one if your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the Lord am your God." I interpret this Mitzvah as simply be kind to people no matter who they are. Whether they are native to your land, or from the other side of the world, it shouldn't matter because we are all humans, and should be treated as such. Throughout my day I make it a point to ask people how they are doing. Whether I know them or not, I try to be kind. If they need help with something then I try my best to help them, and especially being in Israel where I don't speak the language, I still strive to do the best that I can. I think that if I follow this Mitzvah everyday, then I will be lead to so many amazing people all with their own unique stories that I can share with others as we work to make the whole world a loving and united Kehillah.

This picture is showing people of different cultures and races coming together as a team and interacting with each other peacefully regardless of their differences. I believe that this picture represents this particular Mitzvah really well, because it shows people setting aside their differences and excepting each other for who they are and not judging them by how they look.

Oral Law Assignment - Ally

“You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind.” (Leviticus 19.14)

I chose this mitzvah because my entire life I have been around people with disabilities and I believe they should be treated with the same respect as someone without disabilities. I interpret this mitzvah as one should not take advantage of a person with disabilities or mistreat someone with disabilities. I fulfill this mitzvah on a daily basis by recognizing people with special needs and figuring out a way to help them. This can be used as a guideline for myself in the modern world because I know not to discriminate or belittle disabled people.

This picture is of me and my Aunt Pam. My Aunt Pam is mentally and physically disabled. This picture is from a couple of years ago when we were hanging out and I was helping her with her reading. This mitzvah really resonates with me because I hate when people treat my Aunt Pam as if she isn’t on the same level as them. I am extremely close with my aunt and I think about her all the time. She is one of the people I look up to the most in my life because she has always continued to be positive even when life has been so horrible to her. Somehow, she admirably continues to keep an uplifting spirit.

Oral law max

I chose the law stating that you shall not comit avodah zara. That you are to pray and believe in the one god and to not turn to other beliefs and their gods for they are not real and will not help you. I practice this by praying to the one god and do not turn to others for assistance in my life. This mitzvah can be a guideline by giving us one being to turn to, to not question our loyalty to differnt beings and who you shall pray to for help.

This clipart represents that there is not toleration for the belief in false beings. The mutliple colors in the words represent multiple beings while the cross shows that this isnt allowed and wont be tolerated.