Torah: A Description Of All Jewish Learning
Continued from Page L-1
us closer to God. Our tradition
teaches that God gave the Torah to
our ancestors at Mt. Sinai. But,
there is a mystical teaching that
every, one of us, every Jew who
would ever live was there standing
at Mt. Sinai.
When we study Torah, we held
ourselves to understand what it
must have felt like to be taught at
Mt. Sinai. By studying, we reach
back into our past and feel closer to
God. And, when we add our own
thoughts and words our own
questions and answers to the
millions of words of Torah study
which have already been written, we
continue the tradition of Torah and
give the next generation even more
to learn.
That is the most important point
of all. Torah study isn't just learning
what someone else said — it is just
as important for us to add our own
thoughts.
Judaism encourages everyone,
especially young people, to ask
questions. Think about the Pesach
seder. You probably asked the four
questions once. Jews shouldn't ask
questions only on Pesach night
when they are young and when the
questions to ask are in the book.
We should always be asking our
own questions.
Every question is a good
question as long as the person who
asks is trying to learn. Your
questions and your answers about
Torah stories and Jewish tradition
are as important as those of your
parents or your teachers. So, when
you study, ask questions, express
your ideas and help make the Torah
even more important by continuing
the tradition of explanation and
commentary.
When we study Torah, we
become closer to fellow Jews,
closer to God, and we have the
chance to express our own ideas.
That is why Torah is so imporant to
us.
So after (or before) you dance
with the Torah on Simchat Torah,
make sure you take a few special
minutes to appreciate our most
special gift. As our rabbis taught,
you should then take some time
each day and every day to learn a
little bit more.
Dance with the Torah, but study
Torah as well.
ize lisiv A Special Addition To The House
Each month in this space,
L'Chayim will present a Yiddish
lesson entitled, "Du Redst Yiddish?
(Do You Speak Yiddish?)," whose
aim is to encourage further study of
Yiddish. The lesson will include a
brief story utilizing the Yiddish
words to be studied, a vocabulary
list with English translations and a
family activity which involves using
the new words. Two books which
may be helpful for beginning
Yiddish students are Yiddish for
Beginners by Dr. Joffen and Der
Yiddisher Lerer by Goldin.
Weinreich's English-Yiddish
Dictionary also may be useful. At
the conclusion of each lesson will
be a suggested list of books for
persons who wish to further their
knowledge.
The lessons were prepared by
Mary Koretz of Oak Park. She has
taught both children's and adult
classes in Yiddish at the Workmen's
Circle.
Following is this month's
lesson:
My shyer was the most pious
-man I ever knew. He was even
more frum than most very
observant Orthodox Jews. Tsum
beishpil he never derkent his first
aynikl as being legitimate veil her
parents had been married by a
Conservative rabbi, rather than an
Orthodox one.
eChagall
THE JEWISH NEWS
27676 Franklin Road
Southfield, Michigan 48034
October 13, 1989
Associate Publisher Arthur M. Horwitz
Jewish Experiences for Families
Adviser Harlene W. Appelman
L-2
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1989
Yeder year he built a very large
sukkah. In it he placed a tish, a
benkl and a candlestick. He used it
as a place to layenen his Bible by
candlelight.
Er was the father of mine
yinglech and one baseball playing
maydl, all of whom were only two
years apart in age. Consequently,
he enjoyed the elent and quiet of
the sukkah. It was the one tseit of
the year that he had a room all to
himself. The sukkah served as a
sort of non-family tsimer.
One year a shochin, who was
fed up with the sounds of babies
vaynen, children quarreling or
shpiln, reported my father-in-law to
the police. She hot bashuldikt that
he had oysgeboyt an addition to
his hoyz without approval fun the
local authorities.
A policeman hot ongekumen,
who wasn't Jewish and had kayn
mol seen a sukkah. He was
farvundert at the sight of the man
with the long, untrimmed bord,
reading the Bible by candlelight.
And in such modne surroundings.
In a quiet shtime, he asked about
the sukkah. My father-in-law hot
derklert the religious significance of
the building and farzichert the
offizer az it would come down after
the holiday.
The officer iz geven
uncomfortable vegn having
interrupted a religious practice and
zich anshuldikt. In making out his
report, he found that he didn't know
vie azoy to spell sukkah. He
handed my husband's father the
report and asked that he assist him.
My father-in-law did so. He hot
gevisn how to write English but he
wrote it in Hebrew. Thus, he
reaffirmed that to him, Hebrew was
the one emeser language.
Vocabulary
shyer ,
from
father-in-law
pious
tsum beishpil
—for example
derkent
recognized
aynikl
grandchild
veil
because
yeder
every
tish
table
benkl
chair
layenen
read
er
he
yinglech
boys
maydl
girl
elent
solitude
tseit
time
tsimer
room
shochin
neighbor
vaynen
crying
shpiln
playing
hot bashuldikt ....charged (blamed)
Sukkot Sums
oysgeboyt
hoyz
fun
hot ongekumen
kaynmol
farvundert
bord
modne
shtime
hot derklert
farzichert
az
iz geven
vegn
zich anshuldikt
vie azoy
hot gevisn
emeser
built
house
from
arrived
never
astonished
beard
strange
voice
explained
assured
that
was
about
apologized
how
knew
true
(And Some More!)
1. How many names do we have
for the holiday of Sukkot?
11.What is the minimum height of
a kosher sukkah?
2. What are the three names?
12. What is the maximum height
of a kosher sukkah?
3. How many days do Jews in
Israel celebrate this holiday?
4. How many days do Jews
outside of Israel celebrate this
holiday?
5. How many days of Sukkot are
called yom toy?
6. How many days are called chol
hamoed?
7. What is the difference between
yom toy and chol hamoed?
8. How many special mitzvot do
we have on Sukkot?
13. How many species do we take
for the arba minim?
14. What are the arba minim?
15. How many of each species is
taken?
16. How many leaves in each
cluster on a hadas branch?
17.What is the minimum length of
a kosher lulav?
18. In how many directions do we
wave the arba minim?
9. What are the special mitzvot of
Sukkot?
19. How many times do we go
around the shul while saying
hoshanot?
10. What is the minimum number
of walls a sukkah must have
to be kosher?
20. How many hakafot do we have
on Simchat Torah?
Puzzle by Flo Ziffer
ANSWERS ON PAGE L-8