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8th Grade NOLA Trip:

 

 Congregation Rodeph Sholom

8th Grade #NOLA Trip

Shabbat Morning Text Study: Parashat Yitro

Exodus 20: 8-10

Translation Original
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God: you shall not do any work - you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements. [JPS translation. Edited for gender neutrality]
זָכוֹר אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, לְקַדְּשׁוֹ. שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד, וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל-מְלַאכְתֶּךָ. וְיוֹם, הַשְּׁבִיעִי--שַׁבָּת, לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ: לֹא-תַעֲשֶׂה כָל-מְלָאכָה אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ, עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ וּבְהֶמְתֶּךָ, וְגֵרְךָ, אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ. כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת-יָמִים עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֶת-הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת-הָאָרֶץ, אֶת-הַיָּם וְאֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר-בָּם, וַיָּנַח, בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי; עַל-כֵּן, בֵּרַךְ יְהוָה אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת--וַיְקַדְּשֵׁהוּ

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. Why are we commanded to rest from work on the 7th day? Why is this important?
2. To whom does this command apply?
3. Do we allow others to rest today? How are we in violation of this commandment? How can we improve?

4) What do we need in our lives in order to have complete rest?

 

Exodus 16:16-20

Translation Original
16 This is what the LORD has commanded, "Gather of it every person as much as they should eat; you shall take an omer a piece according to the number of persons each of you has in your tent." 17 The children of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18 When they measured it with an omer, one who had gathered much had no excess, and one who had gathered little had no lack; every person gathered as much as they should eat. 19 Moses said to them, "Let no person leave any of it until morning." 20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. [translation by www.kingjbible.com] ׃ 16 זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה לִקְטוּ מִמֶּנּוּ אִישׁ לְפִי אָכְלֹו עֹמֶר לַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת מִסְפַּר נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם אִישׁ לַאֲשֶׁר בְּאָהֳלֹו תִּקָּחוּ׃ 17 וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־כֵן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּלְקְטוּ הַמַּרְבֶּה וְהַמַּמְעִיט׃ 18 וַיָּמֹדּוּ בָעֹמֶר וְלֹא הֶעְדִּיף הַמַּרְבֶּה וְהַמַּמְעִיט לֹא הֶחְסִיר אִישׁ לְפִי־אָכְלֹו לָקָטוּ׃ 19 וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֲלֵהֶם אִישׁ אַל־יֹותֵר מִמֶּנּוּ עַד־בֹּקֶר׃ 20 וְלֹא־שָׁמְעוּ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּותִרוּ אֲנָשִׁים מִמֶּנּוּ עַד־בֹּקֶר וַיָּרֻם תֹּולָעִים וַיִּבְאַשׁ וַיִּקְצֹף עֲלֵהֶם מֹשֶׁה׃

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. Why did some people gather much and some little? How else could the manna have been distributed?
2. What are we supposed to learn from this passage?
3. With 'food mountains' (http://ow.ly/5EtqK) in the West, how can we apply the message in this text to our current consumption of food?

Avot d'Rabbi Natan 1:11

Translation Original
Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: “Even Adam did not taste food until he had performed work, as it is said, ‘Adonai God took the human and placed him in the garden of Eden to till it and preserve it’ (Gen. 2:15). Only then do we read, ‘From every tree of the Garden you may eat’ (Gen. 2:16).” [This text was compiled by Rabbis J. Rolando Matalon, Marcelo Bronstein and Felicia Sol of Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in New York, NY, for Rabbi Matalon’s teaching on the American Jewish World Service Rabbinical Student Delegation. Their work was based on and inspired by The Dignity of Difference by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.] רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר אף אדם הראשון לא טעם כלום עד שעשה מלאכה שנאמר ויניחהו בגן עדן לעבדה ולשמרה וגו' מכל עץ הגן אכול תאכל (בראשית ב' ט"ו וט"ז

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. Why did Adam have to work before he could eat? How can we put that value into our everyday lives?
2. Does everyone in the world receive food in proportion to the work that they do? What might this text teach us about our responsibility towards those people?
3. What does Adam's command to "preserve it" teach us about our relationship to the earth and the food we eat?

Created By

Rabbi Sari Laufer
Congregation Rodeph Sholom