MISHPACHA!
FAMILY TIME LEARNING
SESSION #4
Use the following steps to guide you through some on-your-own Family Time Learning.
1) Hello From Rabbi Mo
2) Give Me A Break! - Part 1 - Shmitah and Yovel
There is actually an expectation (some would even see it as a law) that every SEVEN years we conserve the LAND and let it rest. Then after seven Sabbatical (Shmitah) years (which is 49 years) there is another year - called Jubilee (or Yovel) that we are expected to do some real crazy things with the stuff we own. Check out this explanation of the Sabbatical and the Jubilee years. It is a video about the Torah portion called Behar (which is from the book of Leviticus).
3) My Sabbatical Year?
Since we are NOT farmers (that garden you have over the spring and summer does not count!) It is difficult for us to imagine what having a Sabbatical year would be like. Still, we all have ‘jobs’ - something that is our main responsibility and focus. What is it for each of you? What would it be like if you took a whole year off from your ‘job’? What if you did not have to worry about making money or getting behind in your work and you had the opportunity to take a Sabbatical year? Considering these questions, here is something for all of you to do:
5) No Work For You!!
Did you know that the most repeated commandment in the Torah is about observing Shabbat!?! Our Sages took this very seriously - they wanted to understand and explain what kind of things were work and what kinds of things were rest. So, they actually made of list of 39 kinds of work!
Here is something to do as a family to learn more about our Sages idea of work:
3) My Sabbatical Year?
Since we are NOT farmers (that garden you have over the spring and summer does not count!) It is difficult for us to imagine what having a Sabbatical year would be like. Still, we all have ‘jobs’ - something that is our main responsibility and focus. What is it for each of you? What would it be like if you took a whole year off from your ‘job’? What if you did not have to worry about making money or getting behind in your work and you had the opportunity to take a Sabbatical year? Considering these questions, here is something for all of you to do:
- Print out a copy of the My Shmitah (Sabbatical) Worksheet for each family member.
- Each person in the family should fill out the My Shmitah (Sabbatical) Worksheet.
- Once you have all completed the work sheet - share your Sabbatical Worksheets with one another.
- How do your worksheets compare with one another?
- On a scale of 1 to 10 - with 1 being EASY and 10 being DIFFICULT - rate how you think it would be to try and do what is on your worksheet.
- How do you think you would feel after the Sabbatical year?
- What do you expect would be similar or different when you returned to ‘work’?
- What would be the benefits for you and your family to have this Sabbatical time?
- How do you think the world would be affected if everyone took Sabbatical time?
4) Give Me a Break! - Part 2 - Shabbat
5) No Work For You!!
Did you know that the most repeated commandment in the Torah is about observing Shabbat!?! Our Sages took this very seriously - they wanted to understand and explain what kind of things were work and what kinds of things were rest. So, they actually made of list of 39 kinds of work!
Here is something to do as a family to learn more about our Sages idea of work:
- Follow this link and look over the list together - making sure that you all try and understand the things on the list.
- Print out this list of the 39 kinds of work
- Cut the 39 kinds of work into 39 ‘flashcards’. (Cut a few blank flashcards, as well)
- Once you have your flashcards:
- Separate the flash cards into two groups - kinds of work that you someone in your family does and kinds of work that no one in your family does.
- Discard the cards of the work that you do not do.
- Pretend you are a group of Sages - which flashcards in this group would you not consider 'work'?
- Each of you Sages take a blank flash card - add another kind of work that you think is missing from the Sages original list.
- From the group of cards that you as a family still do ... which would be the 3 easiest to stop doing for a day.
- From the group of cards that you as a family still do ... which would be the 3 most difficult to stop doing for a day.
Some Questions for Sicha (Discussion):
- Each family member take a turn to finish the following sentence: I think work is ________. Ask one another to explain or talk more about their answers.
- Do you think work is a bad thing? Why?
- Why do you think the Sages went to the trouble of making such a long list?
- Why do you think the Torah and the Sages made such a big deal about Shabbat and not working?
6) Your Shabbat Style
There is a movement today to try and think about how people can make time to conserve or preserve themselves and their families -- it is called the Sabbath Manifesto. Basically, it is a list of 10 things to think about doing to help make some Shabbat time during the week.
There is a movement today to try and think about how people can make time to conserve or preserve themselves and their families -- it is called the Sabbath Manifesto. Basically, it is a list of 10 things to think about doing to help make some Shabbat time during the week.
- Look at the Sabbath Manifesto list together.
- Click the links on the page if you want more information on each item.
- Think and talk about if your family would like to try to make Shabbat together - using the items on this list.
- Pick a day in the coming weeks for your family to try to make Shabbat. Choose what items on the list that you will follow during that day.
- After you take the day - comment on the blog to share your experience.
- Perspective on Shmitah (Sabbatical Year) from chabad.org
- Sabbatical Year - Shmitah
- Shmitah - Economic Justice
- Jubilee - Economic Justice
- Shabbat Basics
- A Jewish Concept of Time
- Observing and Understanding Shabbat Resources from the Union for Reform Judaism
- More about the Sabbath Manifesto
- Shabbat Observance Ideas
- Shabbat as a State of Being