Reflection on Mrs. Kutliroff's Talk

After hearing Mrs. Kutliroff's moving talk yesterday about her journey to becoming an observant, committed Jew, I'd like for each of you to respond in the comments section below with your thoughts:  Which specific idea or story that she spoke about made the biggest impression on you, and why? Which aspect of her struggles or challenges in becoming Orthodox do you identify with the most, and why?  Finally, what is one question you would want to ask Mrs. Kutliroff that you might not have thought of yesterday, or didn't have the time to ask?

I will be sharing this blog with Mrs. Kutliroff (!) so that she can see your comments and questions, so please make sure that you complete this assignment tonight, October 28th, so that she'll be able to reply in a timely fashion.

Finally, here is a link to a PBS segment about the practice of Tahara, featuring none other than my own grandmother, Mrs. Nancy Klein :).
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2004/02/06/february-6-2004-jewish-burial-practices/1794/

Interviews

After spending a significant period of time studying the Rambam's 13 Principles of Belief, and delving into the basics of what we need to know about G-d, our next step will be to see how those ideas translate into the personal beliefs and lives of real Jewish people, on an individual level.

Assignment: 

* Choose 3 sincerely religious Jewish people whom you personally know about and respect, and write a one paragraph biography for each.  These could be people you know-friends, relatives, rabbis, teachers, advisors, etc-or even people you merely know of, but have admiration for, due to their qualities of devotion, sincerity, commitment to Torah, or strength of character.

*Then choose 1 of those people to interview, either in person or in print, regarding what they believe about G-d, why they believe in G-d, and how their belief in G-d affects their life.

*You must write between 6-10 questions to ask in your interview.  Questions should be “open-ended” and avoid  yes/no or other one word answers.  The goal is to elicit their ideas about faith in God in a way that may prove to be inspiring and enlightening for us all.  

*Your biographies and questions must be prepared by the end of class today.  They should be shared with me in a Google Doc titled "[your name] Biographies and Questions". Your interview should be completed and posted in a comment below before class on Wednesday, October 22, either in written format or via a working link to an audio or video recording.

*Finally, reply to at least 2 classmates' interviews in the comments section.

סוכות Videos

To prepare for חג הסוכות, which begins Wednesday evening, I'd like each of you to find and share a video that pertains to a major theme or aspect of the holiday.  Watch it, and then copy it into a comment below, along with a short description of the main ideas.  Then watch and enjoy your classmates' videos.

חג שמח!!