This year’s bar and bat mitzvah cohort at Temple Chai was challenged by Rabbi Bonnie Koppell to choose topics and then craft Ten Commandments related to their choice.
The rabbi explains, “On Shabbat one of the members of the clergy sits with the group and studies Torah. When it was my turn the Torah dealt with the Ten Commandments, and I had the privilege of proposing this project to them.”
The students took the charge very seriously, she says, and even helped each other to focus on appropriate and meaningful topics. What was especially heartwarming – and “the very best thing for a teacher to hear,” the rabbi says – is that the students actually asked if they could stay in class longer, so that they could complete the commandments to their satisfaction.”
Here are the “thou shalts” from youngsters with (mostly) serious ideas of how to care about others and improve themselves and the world they live in.
10 Commandments for Animals
By Shai Maron and Eric Hollander
1. Feed your animal twice a day 2. Respect your pet 3. Don’t play with wild animals 4. Help an animal in need 5. Don’t torment an animal 6. Don’t make animals suffer 7. Give animals treats/rewards for doing good 8. Walk your dog, tarantula and lizards, depending on your pet 9. Adopt a pet in need 10. Pets are family
10 Commandments of Good Manners
By Julia Schulman, Seth Stein and Alyssa Unell
1. Chew with your mouth closed 2. Don’t smack your lips 3. Say please and thank you 4. Don’t barge in on someone while they are getting changed 5. Be nice 6. Don’t blow your nose on your shirt 7. Don’t be gross 8. Use napkins 9. Respect your elders 10. Open doors for people
10 Commandments of School
By Jory Weiss, Isaac Weiss and Brooke Weiss
1. Be prepared every day, have your supplies ready 2. Respect thy teachers – listen and pay attention 3. Raise thy hand 4. Eat only during thy lunch 5. Do not disturb thy class 6. Ask before leaving thy classroom 7. Be on time 8. Be open to other people’s thoughts 9. Don’t use other people’s property without permission 10. No bullying!
Shavuot: June 4-5, 2014
Shavuot is the third of the Biblical pilgrimage or harvest festivals (the other two are Sukkot and Pesach). It commemorates G-d giving the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai more than 3,300 years ago. The word shavuot means “weeks,” and the holiday marks the completion of the seven-week counting of the Omer between Passover and Shavuot. Traditions on Shavuot include all-night study of the Torah on the first night and hearing the Ten Commandments in synagogue. It’s also traditional to eat dairy meals. The thought behind this custom is that the Jewish people had just received the Laws of Kashrut and had not yet had time to apply them to their animal slaughter. Sages have compared the holiday to a wedding between G-d and the Jewish people, with each renewing vows: G-d re-gives the Torah and swears eternal devotion to the Jews, and the Jews pledge everlasting loyalty to G-d.
With acknowledgment to chabad.org
