Spirituality for Teenagers

By Marcus J Freed

What is spirituality? In a world where teenagers are bombarded with different messages over what is meaningful, where they are being told to join various social networking websites, when there are parental pressures to have a barmitzvah or a batmitzvah, and when puberty is beckoning, the idea of spiritual choice can be confusing!

The Ten Commandments of Moses: The Eighth Commandment

“You shall not steal.”
…Just as G-d gave humans life, body and spirit, He gave humans the earth and all that is on it.
As soon as a human being has legitimately acquired some “thing,” [. . .] it becomes an inanimate part of himself, just as his body is part of himself. In this commandment, God expects us to respect a person’s property, because of the human spirit who owns it. - Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Rabbi Stewart Vogel

By Judith Berinstein

The Ten Commandments of Moses: The Ninth Commandment

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor”
The human word, the word of a being created in the image and likeness of G-d, also exhibits enormous creative and constructuve potential. At the same time, however, it harbors great power to damage and destroy.

Not surprisingly, it is written in Proverbs 18:21 that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

By Judith Berinstein

The Ten Commandments of Moses: The Tenth Commandment

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife,
thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, nor his field,
nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass,
nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

Our sages used to say, “The heart controls those who are wicked, but the upright control their heart.”

By Judith Berinstein

Hopes and Dreams

By Marcus Freed

Hopes and Dreams will raise questions about the State of Israel and what it actually is. Should we have in the Diaspora an idealized image of Israel when the "real" Israel is vivid and full of tensions?

The Ten Commandments of Moses: The Seventh Commandment

You shall not commit adultery
“Our principal sources look upon love and sex as a divine blessing… and they saw that these are some of man’s most potent, yet most vulnerable, facets…just as they can give pleasure, they are also susceptible to bringing on terrible storms.” - Raquel Hodara

By Judith Berinstein

Israel At Sixty: Celebrating Independence

By Muki Jankelowicz

“The Land of Israel, was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books...” This project explores some of the history, themes and texts of Israel’s Independence, offering the mature learner an opportunity to grapple with some of the intellectual themes and ideas of Jewish independence.

Purim: Fear and Feasting

By Marcus J Freed

Life can be challenging at the best of times and one of the most frequent emotions described in Jewish literature is the word “fear”. There are two main Hebrew words that are used to describe this feeling – yirah and pahad. In Megillat Esther pahad appears three times…. In this project let’s look at the meaning of fearing and the opposite, feasting.

Tu B’Shvat: A Blue and White and Green Festival

By Muki Jankelowitz

"If you have a sapling in your hand and are told that the Messiah has arrived - plant the sapling and then go to greet him.”(Avoth DeRabbi Nathan' b' ch.31)

Tu B’Shvat gives us the opportunity to connect with some of the big contemporary themes, such as Environment and Zionism.

Chanukah: Lighting More Than Candles...

By Muki Jankelowitz

The aim of this project is to move beyond candles, spinning tops and latkes and to offer adults an opportunity to grapple with some of the intellectual themes and ideas which Chanukah presents.