In The Beginning

This is a short, blog friendly version of my opening classes...

Breishit

1 class - Introduction to school and class / One main rule: respect (for self, others, teacher, G-d). Teachers must be respectful too. I try. Let me know how I'm doing. I'll let you know how you're doing. Expectations. Curriculum. Home work. Quizzes. tests. Grades. Progress reports: negative, but surprise! - positive too. Give out info card asking how students best learn, what their background is in Chumash, etc. Much of what we complain about in life is in our hands, depends on our attitude more than on externals. Not to brag, but ever notice teachers don't have to go to the bathroom as often as kids do? No food in class, it's class, not a birthday party.

1 class - Introduction: Ramban/Netziv overview of book inside. Ramban - theme of needing to earn and maintain. Netziv - the book of the yesharim- straight, the lessons of the righteousness of the Avot.



Intro Q - If stories are for children why does the Torah start with stories? Why is Breishit most people's favorite section of the Torah?

Ramban VS Rashi on why Torah begins with world's creation. Rashi - idea that Israel belongs to us, G-d created the world and gives what he wants to who he wants. Ramban - expands this concept. Develops theme of entire book being about people getting and then losing what they were given if they don't continue to deserve it. This lesson is why Breishit starts the Torah with all these stories.

1 class - Creation of World: Age of world/evolution, meaning of 7 days. Lubavitcher Rebbe on days being longer. Traditional view that day always means the same day as we know it. Rashbam on what came first (day came first. because erev came first and erev is the process of day turning into night)

1 Class - What was created on the seventh day? Nothing? Wrong - Shabbat. A study of the VaYechulu text.

2 classes - Ramban on Yesh MeiAyin - G-d created a general something out of nothing and from that something created everything else. Overview of what was created on each day (students should know by heart the paragraph's which can be remembered by these names: Ohr, Rakiah, Desha, Meorot, Daggim, Addam, Shabbat). Key Rashis and Chazals re the sun VS moon moral (via Shemen HaTov regarding shared leadership), idea of havdalla, etc.

2 classes - two descriptions of man's creation: Lonely Man of Faith as well as other approaches. Rabbi Soloveitchik's idea that one narative presents man as social and communal and the other as existential/alone.

Briefly noted - man and woman - Lo Tov Heyot. Rabbi Hirsh: Heyot, means all that exists in the world, this heyot/existence is not good if man remains alone, eizer kenegdo: Rav Hirsch - a parallel side, like a coin blank on one side, not worth half but valueless.


1 class - The Eitz HaDaat Story - symbolism of snake as yetzer Hara - Ohr haChayim on tactics of Yetzer haRa: tries to get you to go to extreme, thus the snake says - didn't G-d say you can't eat from ANY tree. Chava's reaction verifies what Chazal say that if the yetzer hara doesn't fully get though it penetrates a bit, as she adds "this one you can't eat OR TOUCH). Idea of slipping slowly from 100 to 99, etc, never from 100 straight to 0. Rambam on good and bad as opposed to true VS false, what changes after the apple is the introduction of subjectivity - this compares well to time of Mashiach and orlah that will be reomoved, meaning we'll be able to choose but a cloudiness wil be gone and we'll see the truth more clearly.

Briefly noted -The curse of the snake and why it's a curse (It can eat with no work. That's a curse, getting what you need with no effort - like the man who goes to heaven and gets everything he wants until he gets sick of it and complains and is told he's not in heaven.)

1 class - Kayin and Hevel; what was the argument about, - Nechama Leibowitz's three approaches via medrash: they argued over a woman (according to the medrash the only woman in the world, chava), or they divided land and objects and one wanted to evict from land while the other wanted to rescind objects), or they argued over whose half of the world would house the Bet HaMikdash. These form the paradigm of all war: women, money, religion.

Briefly noted - Shatnez - according to the Medrash is based on Kayin and Hevel, the wool of the animals of one's korban, the flax of the offering of the other, the first argument of mankind.


1 class - a word about the generations, the strange angelic creatures. Loose ends tied up. Review for a test.