Torah Blessings
When do you bless the Torah (in the context of today's lesson)?
Before and after reading from it!
What book of the Torah is Noach found in? Where is this book in the Tanakh?
Noach is in the book of Genesis, the first book of the 5 books of the Torah.
How many books make up the Torah?
Five! They are the books of Genesis, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Exodus, and Numbers.
Tanakh is technically an acronym – T.N.K. Each of those letters stands for one part of the Tanakh. What are those parts?
T - Torah (5 Books of Moses)
N - Nevi'im (The Prophets)
K - Kethuvim (The Writings)
What was the name of the gallery exhibition we visited last Sunday? (It's a four word title)
Lives Eliminated, Dreams Illuminated
True or false: the congregation only participates in the blessing before the Torah reading. The blessing after the Torah reading is recited only by the blesser.
True!
This week's parsha, Noach, is Genesis 6:9-11:32. What are the first and the last lines of this parsha?
Genesis 6:9 - This is the line of Noah.—Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age; Noah walked with God.
Genesis 11:32 - The days of Terah came to 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.
What holiday requires us to recall the story told in the book of Exodus?
Pesach (Passover)! On this holiday, we recall the story of our Exodus from Egypt.
On Yom Kippur (soooo long ago) we read the story of Jonah. Look at the table of contents, find Jonah (what section is it in, and is there a special subheading?), and go to it. Give a dramatic reading of the first few verses!
The Book of Jonah is a part of Nevi'im (Prophets). Jonah is one of the 12 minor prophets. It begins on page 1037!
True or false: the parchment in a Torah scroll is made from the skin of a kosher animal.
True!
The first line of the blessing before the Torah reading is exactly the same text that can be found in a prayer during services? What prayer is this? What does this prayer do?
This is the Bar'chu! The Bar'chu calls the congregation to prayer, getting everyone's attention and setting the right intention for the service.
Noah was not the only human on the ark – what other people were there with him? Look at your Tanakh - Genesis 6:18.
On the ark (besides every animal) was Noah, his three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth), Noah's wife, and the wives of each son.
What is another story from Genesis? Think first before looking at the text!
So many - Creation, Adam and Eve, Patriarchs and Matriarchs, etc
Some examples are Ruth (A Moabite widow remains loyal to her mother-in-law and to Israel, embarking on a new beginning) and Esther (Esther becomes queen of Persia and foils a plot to destroy the Jews, establishing the Purim holiday)
True or False: the holiday of Hanukkah comes from the Torah.
False! It comes from the time of the Hasmonean Dynasty, 2nd century BCE
Look at the Hebrew and English translation of the blessings before and after the Torah. The blessings are not identical. What are the main differences between the two blessings, in your words? Why do you think these differences exist?
A thoughtful answer will earn you points - point out specific, different words!
Genesis 8:6-11!
Go to the final chapter of the final book of the Torah. What chapter and book are you in, and what's happening in that chapter (read it)? Who dies in verse 5?
Deuteronomy 34!
Spoiler alert - Moses, spiritual leader of the Jewish people at our Exodus, dies without ever being allowed to enter the promised land.
Go to page ix, find the Weekly Sabbath Reading associated with Noah (Genesis 6:9-11:32), and go to it! What page is it on, and how does it start!
The Nevi'im reading associated with the Torah reading of Noah is Isaiah 54:1-55:5. Page 734
Psalms is the first book in the section of the Tanakh entitled Kethuvim (writings). Most of the Psalms were written by which Ancient Israelite king?
King David!
You are the Torah blesser and we (the rest of the class) are the congregation. Lead us in the blessings before and after the Torah!
Do your best! Lila decides!
Do you think God was justified in wiping out all humankind with a flood, except for Noah and his family? What do you think about God's promise to never wipe out humankind again?
Thoughtful answers get points - and by thoughtful I mean make a claim supported by the text in front of you. You will only earn the points if you reference a specific part of the text when you give your answer!
The practice of writing stories about biblical figures is called BLANK. Traditionally, BLANK has been used to interpret a story in the Torah, fill in narrative gaps, or help fill in a backstory. (what is blank?)
Midrash
What is the shortest book of the Tanakh?
Obadiah, at just 21 verses! It predicts the downfall of Edom.
What book of the Torah did Lila's Bat Mitzvah Torah portion come from?
It was Genesis!