Getting Angry at God

In class, we conducted "faith interviews," and one of the questions was, "If God is good, how can God permit evil in the world?" Lots of views were presented during our discussion. In shul, the rabbi gave a powerful sermon that was directly connected to this discussion. He encouraged us to get angry at God when bad things happen, and not to dismiss bad things as having no connection to God. He suggested that this would ultimately help us develop a closer relationship with God in our lives. When do you get angry at God? Does expressing this anger help you feel close to God, either at that time or later on?

Is Kavanah Key?

The sofer told us that in order to write a Torah scroll properly, you need to have the proper intention/concentration ("kavanah"). Judaism also says that when we pray, we are supposed to have kavanah. But we are supposed to pray three times a day, and we don't always feel in the mood. Is it more important to pray anyway, or is it better to wait to pray until you really have full kavanah? When do you find you have kavanah, and when not?

Morality at the Movie Theater

I heard something this weekend that reminded me of the "moral scenarios" from our Shabbat dinner. My film-obsessed friend went to the movies over the weekend, but after her movie ended she decided to sneak into another theater in the builiding to watch another one. But - she got caught. The people made her leave, but they were also very rude and obnoxious, and she felt like they treated her inappropriately. She decided to file a complaint with the manager about how they treated her, and the manager ended up giving her more free tickets!

What would you do - give them away, throw them out, or use them?

Looking Ahead

I have been practicing haftarah with some students (all sound great!) and I know that everyone is excited about their bat/bar mitzvahs. Some students have said they will continue with the Hebrew high school program after their b'nei mitzvah, while others will not be able to. Whether you will continue at PJC or not, what area of Jewish learning would you like to continue as 'Jewish adults', either in a formal setting or on your own, once Hebrew School is officially over?