STATION 1 — SHALOM

Read 20:8-11 and discuss the following questions with your group: • According to this text, why is the seventh day a holy day? • How are we instructed to keep the day holy? • Without the previous six days, could the seventh day be as holy? Why or why not? • What is special about days 1-6?

Pick someone to read aloud these facts about : • The Friday night Shabbat service begins with Kabbalat Shabbat. • Kabbalat Shabbat is a collection of Psalms and an additional poem called Lekhah Dodi. • There are six Psalms, which are said to correspond to the days of the week (Sunday – Friday), and Lekhah Dodi is said to correspond to Shabbat.

Now, each person should take a Days of the Week worksheet. Use the worksheet to think about the past week and write down notes. For each day, consider the following: • What were the highlights? • What were the important events? • How did you feel?

Using this information, make a piece of art to illustrate your week. It could be a poem, a collage, a picture— whatever you want. Share your work of art with classmates before next Shabbat and with your families at Friday night dinner.

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STATION 2 — BO’AKHEM

Read Bereishit 18:1-8 and discuss the following questions with your group: • What did Abraham and Sarah do to make their guests feel welcome? • What are the responsibilities of a host? • What things have you done as a host to make a guest feel more welcome?

As a group, dream up and design a tikkun olam (social action) project related to the theme of hospitality. Consider what you can do as a group to make someone feel more comfortable and more at home. Some examples are helping set up a Shabbat meal or Pesach Seder for those who are hungry, helping deliver food with Meals on Wheels, and visiting the elderly at a nursing home to help them feel more comfortable and happy in their own homes. Get creative!

Write up a proposal with steps and goals. Come up with an interesting way to advertise your group’s idea. Write a commercial or jingle, make a billboard, or compose a song. At the end of class, after all 4 groups have presented their ideas, hold a class-wide vote to pick a project to pursue as a class sometime this year.

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STATION 3 — BARKHUNI

Read the text from Talmud Bavli Shabbat 119b and discuss the following questions with your group: • Describe a home that would receive the blessing of the good angel. • Describe a home that would receive the words of the bad angel. • What do you think is important to have in a home to show that it is ready for Shabbat? • If you could write a blessing for your home, what would you say in the blessing?

Now get ready to make a new art object to display in your house. It’s called a Birkat Habayit (Blessing for the Home), which asks for a blessing of protection for the house. Take a look at the examples for inspiration.

Then, create a lovely border around the index card. On the inside of the card write out a blessing that says what you would like to bless your home with. Take it home to hang up and to remember your special message each time you walk past your beautiful Birkat Habayit.

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STATION 4 — TZEITKHEM

Read the concluding berakhah of and discuss the following questions with your group: • What is the difference between holy and ordinary? • How do we differentiate between the two? • Why is it important to differentiate between the two? • What are other things we differentiate between in our lives? • Give some examples in which it is better not to differentiate.

Read a bit about Havdalah. • Havdalah is a ceremony that marks the end of Shabbat (or a holiday) and the transition from a holy time to a non-holy time. • At the conclusion of Shabbat, Havdalah includes the recitation of several biblical passages and blessings over wine, spices, a special candle for Havdalah, and acknowledging separation between holy and ordinary time. • There are also many Havdalah customs that have evolved throughout the centuries. Here are a few: o Dipping wine or grape juice from the Havdalah cup to your eyes and into your pockets. o Not working on Saturday night. o Laughing at each other, which is considered a blessing for a good week.

As a group, write a song, poem, or rap to present at Havdalah to highlight the things you have discussed. Consider what you would want to bring from Shabbat into the rest of the week, how your Shabbat experience will influence the coming week, and what you look forward to. At the end of class, share your group’s creation with the rest of the class.

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