Kesher Walk on the Fells (Mini Retreat)

Learning from Yaakov, we find out that peace can't only exist if you keep it only in your home, in your community. Rather it is outside of your house where you find true peace, true God.

This Sunday, Kesher families came together for another community fun day at the Middlesex Fells. It was a surprisingly nice, though chilly day. We played around the parachute “getting to know you” games.

The parachute games were so much fun that we had a hard time putting the parachute aside! Therefore, we decided to learn the Torah portion under it. We all huddled together under the “tent” and listened to Rafi speak in the voice of Jacob.

Jacob told us how he was thrown out of the comfort of his house, the only place he thought God dwelled in. Outside of his house, where he had stones instead of pillows to sleep on, Jacob realized that God actually can exist, not only within. As it is written, “Jacob woke up from his sleep, he said, Surely there is God in this place and I did not know. He was awestruck and said, How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!” בראשית 28:16-17

After our Torah study, we went for a really nice walk along the trail and up the hills of the Fells. We ended the hike with hot cocoa, which was a wonderful treat for everyone.

Pursuing Peace רודף שלום

Anafim kids sing the lyrics they wrote at Shira: “Seek peace an pursue it”

This week, we began our unit on Rodef Shalom – pursuing peace. We began by taking a look at what Shalom can mean beyond the simple absence of conflict. Shorashim and Nitzanim both spend some time thinking about what gives them a sense of peacefulness. Anafim have already begun looking at some famous peace-makers, both Jewish and otherwise, and producing raps about shalom.  Shorashim thought about how the energy invested in conflict could be used to build something positive in it’s place – something that we might call ‘Shalom’. Yarden gave a beautiful explanation of the prophetic verse from Micah: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares”. It would be like, explained Yarden, taking a lego spaceship covered in guns, and turning it into a beautiful city.

The centre of this unit is an exploration of the concept of “Shalom Bayit” – domestic peace. The classical Jewish perspective on Shalom is that it is a phenomenon that is essentially continuous between contexts – the making of peace between family members is essentially comparable to the making of peace between nations. For our kids, it is in the context of our homes that they first learn how to create and support Shalom.

Of course it is not enough that we stop at our own front door, or that of our communities. Peace is about wholeness (the root of the word Shalom). We cannot enjoy peace if it requires us to cut ourselves of from the suffering of others.

Chizkiahu said: great is peace, for of all other commandments it is written [“if you see ….then” “if it happens that…then”]. These mean, if the opportunity occurs then you are required to perform the mitzvah, but if not, you are not required to do so. Of peace however, what is said? “Seek peace and pursue it”, meaning: Seek it where you are and pursue it elsewhere. (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9)

Clues on the missing teacher

Kita Dalet manage to take a snap shot of the teacher they're after, she didn't notice, and they can add another bit of information in Ivrit to her file

Kita Delet were busy spying this week, the case had a serial number and each detective received a Kesher teacher on their target.  No one was left unwatched. Any clue they could gather on the teacher was reported in Ivrit, teachers were spotted and followed after for their activity, their idleness at any given time.
The case was solved with great success, all teachers were captured on camera going about with their suspicious activities, the reports were handed in and it seems that most teachers were actually teaching while they were followed.
The kids had a great time and we feel some of them might have a great future as detectives.