This year STaRS will begin after the High Holy Days due to the early dates. Since we will not have a chance to teach, parents, our true teachers, can discuss the importance of t’shuvah, repentance. A new school year is a time to begin afresh, with time before to reflect on the previous year. A master Jewish teacher, Joel Lurie Grishaver (who visited CST in 2004) outlined in his school lesson on T’shuvah, two important skills you need to become a good person. The first is the ability to admit that you may have made a mistake and acknowledge it both to yourself and to the person you have wronged. The second is to be willing to change your behavior so that you do not repeat your mistake.

In Judaism it is called t’shuvah.

T’shuvah comes from the Hebrew word “shuv”, meaning to turn. Some see the Hebrew root as have a meaning that is not quite the same as the word “repentance”. “To turn” can be viewed as returning to as person that you hurt and then apologize. This important act will allow you to begin your friendship again. Your work is now to try to make the changes that make you a better “you”. These are your turning points. What story about yourself can you use to teach your child? Here is one that Grishaver quotes. It is from Pesikta Rabbati, written by the Rabbis around 845 CE.

A king and queen had a daughter who did something wrong, and then ran away from home out of embarrassment. Her friends told her, “Return home. Return to your parents.” The daughter said, “I cannot. I just can’t.” Then her parents sent her a message: “Return as far as you can and we will meet you the rest of the way.” God and Israel are like these parents and this daughter. God says to us, “Come back to Me (make t’shuvah), and I will come back to you.” (Pesikta Rabbati 184b–185a) Consider sharing your t’shuvah stories and make a collection that you can review each Rosh Hashanah.

L’Shana Tova

I was reading through some of the proverbs in Perkei A’vot, Sayings of our Ancestors, and found the following:

“Let your house be a meeting place for the wise, sit at their feet always, and drink in their words with thirst”—Yosei ben Yoezer.

How appropriate for our House of Learning, our Beit Midrash.

STaRS, our religious school, is a modern day meeting place where we learn from the wise. Who are the wise? They are our teachers who spend much time preparing for their classes. They are also our parents who are teaching their children daily and even the students themselves who open up with ideas we did not imagine.

Who is sitting at their feet? Those who see they have much to learn and view Jewish education as a lifelong process. This year we have many opportunities for parents and teachers to expand their knowledge Jewishly. The Lifelong Learning Committee, chaired by Melissa Kort, has been working hard to offer a wide variety of rich programming for the New Year, 5771. From book authors to scholars to the next level of the Shalom Hartman course, there are many programs to choose from. STaRS will also have its regular family programs as well as some new classes. One of our parents, Shoshana Leibowitz, will be offering two classes, “A Taste of Trope” and “Shabbat at Home—Blessings and Songs”.

Why is it important to learn by “drinking in their [the wise ones’] words with thirst”? Perhaps we can soak up their teaching better when we have our mouths open in wonder waiting to feel quenched. To me, it is about our attitude toward education. How much more enjoyment we have when we are eagerly awaiting these opportunities to hear, discuss, debate and digest. Our teachers develop lessons that are presented in ways to captivate and make the learning experiential.

Please join us for a year of learning ready and eager to take advantage of our “wise ones”. As Winston Churchill said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference”.

Kavod, respect or honor, is a Jewish value that is an important part of our school. Each year we honor our teachers for their dedication to our children. It is the obligation of parents to teach their children. It is stated in the Shema “and you shall teach [Torah] diligently to your children”. Maimonides said that it not just an obligation of parents but it is a mitzvah for teachers to teach any student. In essence teachers take on the parent role and become a part of the family. They make their students into relatives treating them as if they were their own children, loving them as if they were family. We thank our teachers for this wonderful mitzvah and we honor them by listing their names in The Voice. When you see them please thank them for all they do for our children.

Susie Miller, music; Denise Harrison, kindergarten; Barbara Whitaker, first grade; Meryl Fischer, second grade; Norman Eisley, third grade; Gal Cohen-Sandler, fourth grade; Avi Starr-Glass, fifth grade; Marcia Gladstone, sixth grade and B’nei Mitzvah tutor; Sherry Fink, seventh grade and Madrikhim Coordinator; Elly Cohen, B’nei Mitzvah Tutor; Margo Miller, B’nei Mitzvah Tutor; Leira Satlof, B’nei Mitzvah Coordinator. We also wish to thank Dorothy Schwartzberg, who volunteered in third grade; Yvonne Alexander, STaRS Assistant; Sherry Weinberg, Shomer; Molly Gordon, Saturday Assistant. Kol HaKavod for your assistance with educating our children!

Our theme this year was building kehilah and we had many sessions and programs that promoted kehilah. From the family programs such as the Tallit Workshop to the school program at the Contemporary Jewish Museum we got to know each other better and found Jewish commonality in learning, prayer and tikkun olam. We also had two sessions where we met as Community In Conversation, interacting and sharing ideas. Please continue during the summer to meet at CST for services and programs which cement our bonds.

Many of us talk about Jewish culture or being “culturally Jewish.” The dictionary has a definition of culture that applies: “a style of social and artistic expression peculiar to a class or society.” I read one explanation that stated “if learning is the heart of Judaism, [then] culture is its soul.”

We recognize that there are not many opportunities to be involved in the greater Jewish cultural world in Sonoma County. Many of our families have not experienced the richness and learning that comes from Jewish related art, museums, theatre and professional music, to name some areas. Therefore, we applied for and received a grant from the Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE) to augment STaRS with some programs.

In February our 6th and 7th grades, with their parents and teachers, traveled by chartered bus to The Jewish Theatre in San Francisco for the production “Fabrik: The story of M. Rabinowitz.” A successful Jewish businessman in Norway, Fabrik stridently spoke out against Nazi anti-Semitism during the 1930s. The performance was creatively presented using puppets with the actors. The class then met with the cast for a discussion.

We also had a visiting musician, Fran Avni, at STaRS. Fran, who lived in Israel for many years, has over a dozen albums with a wide variety of Jewish music. She engaged children and parents with her music. In April we will be traveling by bus to visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. The families will tour the exhibit called “As it is Written: Project 304,805.” It is the writing of a Torah with a Soferet (female scribe), and the number refers to the number of letters in a Torah. The trip will conclude with an art activity directly relating to the exhibit. Our theme for the year, Kehillah (Jewish community), is an essential part of culture. Culture makes the community, and the community would be bereft without the richness of our culture.

STaRS is dedicated to helping families raise Jewish children. Since parents are the role models for Jewish identity, we have developed programs that bring parents and children together to learn. The students see their parents interested in their Jewish education while they, as a family, explore ways to bring Judaism into their homes.

The First grade program focused on “Making Bedtime a Jewish Time”. The students and their parents learned about the Shema and why it is said at bedtime; they then designed a pillowcase which were printed with the words of the Shema. While the children were read a story by their teacher, Barbara Whitaker, Rabbi George met with the parents to discuss ways to make the specialness of bedtime a time for prayer. Judging from the evaluations they completed, families were very enthusiastic about the workshop. Some said that as a result of the session they are going say recite the shema with their children at night.

The Second graders were very excited to have their family program on “Welcoming Shabbat”. We talked about different ways to make the day separate and special. Susie Miller, our music teacher, led the families in singing songs that they can use at their Shabbat dinner. The parents met with Rabbi George and learned that they had “permission” to make it their own and decide what they can do as a family. Meryl Fischer, their teacher, led discussions and Shabbat activities. We ended with the children making candlesticks and then practicing the Shabbat blessings while they lit candles, said the blessing over the grape juice and recited the motzi.

Sixth grade families met to gain a better understanding of the B’nei Mitzvah year. It was not only a time to learn together through text study but also a chance to get to know the other families. Marcia Gladstone, Rabbi George and Leira led the program which included activities such as a Jewish B’nei Mitzvah–related vocabulary scavenger hunt. The parents wrote on their evaluations comments such as “The process seemed overwhelming but this helped to break it apart into manageable pieces!” and “Thanks so much. It was really fun/delightful/educational”.

We are having at least one program for each grade and the feedback from other programs has been very positive. Parents are really thinking about ways to make their children, and their whole family, live a life that instills Jewish traditions in new ways. It is the parents who are the real Jewish educators.

This year our theme, kehillah, is a strand that runs through our curriculum. Being a community is inherent to Judaism. One of the most important areas for community is in prayer.

Although we can pray alone, our worship is based on communal prayer. Traditional Jews pray together daily, even three times a day. Long ago it was established that the size of the prayer community must be at least ten, a minyan. You can still pray together when the number is less than ten but in traditional communities certain prayers are not said. One example is the Bar’chu, the prayer that we say at our STaRS Shabbat service. It is described as “The Call to Pray” or an invitation. It is a call and response where the prayer leader asks a question and the congregation answers together. In answering they become a community. The same is true for saying Kaddish, the prayer we say to remember someone who has died. It also requires a minyan.

What is it about praying together that is important and why the number ten for a minyan? Here are some reasons I have heard: Singing together is a stirring experience and lifts my prayers as well as my spirit: group prayer gives my thoughts structure and guides me in prayer that I likely would not do on my own; the set liturgy and the time I set aside to attend services makes me look at my life more deeply on a regular basis; I feel the support of others and the connection to other Jews by praying communally.

And the number 10? It is explained in a Midrash, a story. Abraham pleaded with God to not destroy Sodom. He argued that there were righteous people living in Sodom and they should not be punished. God agreed not to destroy the city if there were 50 righteous citizens. But 50 could not be found. So Abraham tried smaller numbers and finally stopped at ten. Not even ten lived in Sodom. Jews have used ten ever since as the minyan, the smallest size that represents a righteous community.

New this year at STaRS are mid-week services. We are now having 4th, 5th and 6th grades come together monthly at 5:30 PM for a ma’ariv (evening) service. Rabbi George leads the session and the classes lead some of the prayers or summarize the Torah reading for the week, the parasha. Please feel free to join us and be a part of our prayer and STaRS kehillah.

For many, and especially for children, art is an entry into learning that intuitively engages them. Although the arts traditionally include music, drama and dance I will be focusing on the visual arts as exemplified by the Torah quilt. Last school year our theme was The Year of Our Torah. Some of the areas we studied were blessings, Torah stories, and Hebrew words relating to the Torah such as Eitz Hayim, the Tree of Life. We also wrote a letter in the Torah, learned what a sofer (scribe) does and wrote our own prayers. As a culmination of our year the children designed a quilt wall hanging.

Art is a medium where many children can more easily express themselves. They engage in their own way of interpreting Torah through a Jewish lens that they have been developing at STaRS and at home. For example, they studied Bereisheet, Genesis, where God creates the world. Because people are made b’tzelem Elohim (in the image of God), we have the capacity to create, too. The square made by Kindergarten shows their view of creation expressed with joy. The art project was made collectively. Children in each class worked together to design a square that incorporated many different ideas and drawings. It was then interpreted by Marcia Gladstone who also designed and assembled it into one piece of art. The quilt built community, kehillah (our theme for this year), in the classroom and school. Like the Israelites building the tabernacle in the wilderness, we, too, through the process of working together toward a common goal of creating the quilt, built new connections and enhanced existing relationships.

Art is also an avenue for expression, The children had ideas of what they meant when they created it and the viewer will see other themes, too. Many artists do not name their works so that we, the viewers, may be forced to interpret art in the way we perceive it. This is definitely true for the Torah quilt. I have heard many different interpretations of the images in the squares already and invite you to spend some time with your own imaginings. I think you will find their work to be multi-faceted and very engaging. Yasher Koach to the children, their teachers, and especially to Marcia Gladstone. Perhaps we believe that “Conscientious teachers of small children are destined to sit on the right hand of God.” Pesikta Kahana.

This month we will dedicate and place our new Torah in the Ark replete with the speciallymade adornments. Nearly all the congregation, by personally writing a letter, had a part in its creation.

Last December, when writing about Hanukkah, I referred to the Jewish tradition, hidur mitzvah, the beautifying of a mitzvah. It is a loving and spiritual way to increase the holiness of observing mitzvot. This tradition is outlined in detail in Torah (Exodus 35-37) when the Ark was being built by the Israelites in the Wilderness. Specifically, Bezalel, was singled out by Adonai, “[God] has endowed him with a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft…”

Bezalel, along with others, designed and directed the project of creating the most beautiful tabernacle and its various components. So famous was Bezalel that, in 1906, in what was then Palestine, Jewish settlers established an art and design school and named it “Bezalel”. Now, over 100 years later, it is a leading art institute.

Our new Torah will be decorated with a breastplate, a yad and finials (rimonim) for the ahtzay chayim, the wooden tops of the Torah. They were made especially for our Torah and the rimonim will tinkle lightly as the Torah is carried through the sanctuary. The march around the synagogue with the Torah, called the hakafah, puts our Torah front and center of this joyful celebration of our sacred text. Congregants join in the singing and the custom of touching the Torah with the prayer book or tallit. Some of the children are tuned into the sounds of the celebration — the singing, the chiming of the rimonin — while others remember the beauty of the silver ornaments or walking with the Torah around the sanctuary.

STaRS children have also expressed their creative “divine spirit”. Under the direction of their teachers and especially Marcia Gladstone, they created art that defines what Torah means to them. Their work is brought together as a large quilt that will be displayed. The children learned about the part of Torah they were to design and then worked individually as well as a whole class to choose which ideas and sketches will be their quilt patch. Marcia taught them how to dye the silk and then transferred their designs using their cut shapes from the fabric. The result is not just beautiful but shows the delightful spirit of our children.

Rabbi Jonathan E. Blake stated that Hidur mitzvah helps us “to see that thoughtfulness and creativity applied to Jewish observance fill our lives with splendor, inspiration, and love for our tradition.” It also helps children (and adults) to learn and remember.

Judaism is essentially a communal religion. We come together to worship on Shabbat and the holidays, to pray as one community, to share with each other in times of sorrow and joy as well as to eat and schmooze. In Torah the story is about us becoming a nation, Am Yisrael (the Jewish people), and our collective history that belongs to each of us.

One of our main goals at STaRS is to foster community for our children, their families and for our faculty. This year our school-wide theme is Kehillah, Jewish community. Rabbi George introduced this topic at a workshop for parents at the first day of school. After all, Jewish learning is a communal activity and we value learning from each other, sharing ideas, and hearing what our sages have said.

The Torah gives many examples of the Israelites becoming the Jewish people. One story is about the building of the tabernacle in the desert. When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, they built a tabernacle (portable temple) called a Mishkan.

Moses spoke to them and told them what God commanded: those who were so moved shall donate gifts of beautiful yarns, fine linens, animal skins, precious stones and woods along with gold, silver and copper. These, and many other valuables, were gathered and women and men who had the skills “and everyone whose spirit moved them” brought donations.

Thus they built the Tabernacle, the ark and the various adornments. When the Mishkan was completed the Torah states that all the pieces were put together so that it became “one”. Rabbi Mordecai Yosef, of Izbica, Poland, thought it was puzzling that Kehillah (Jewish Community) and the Holidays the Torah would say that the Mishkan, a building, became “one”. Perhaps the oneness was not about the building but about those who constructed it and how they worked together. According to Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, in “The Book of Jewish Miracles”, all of the Israelites were busily working as a team. Even though each contributed just one part, everyone felt as important as another. When the mishkan was finished they saw that their individual tasks fit seamlessly together. It was one perfect construction, as if just one person had made it. They realized that they depended on each other to make the tabernacle and every task was just as important to the whole. That is what made this Mishkan truly “one”.

All of us have to work to make our school like the Mishkan, a place where individuals work collectively to make one special place. It can be a real Kehillah where we feel a part of a community and care for each other. Then we can say the Shema: that God is One, that we are all connected.

Being Jewish is more than a religion and a culture. For most of us, being Jewish is integral to being part of the Jewish community, the kehillah. So many of our rituals and practices are based on communal activities, from the emphasis on Jewish study to worshipping together in a minyan, a group of ten or more. In the coming year, we will focus on the concept of kehillah.

Our STARS teachers and madrikhim are committed to making their classrooms a kehillah where we care about one another. We are all classmates and respect and care about each other. Our school exists within the larger community of our synagogue. At each Bar and Bat Mitzvah a member of the Board presents a gift to the student emphasizing that the entire CST community has shared in their Jewish upbringing. It takes a kehillah to raise a Jewish child.

There are many ways we make our place a caring community. The Communities in Conversation (CIC) program fosters the sharing and openness that is the basis for a vibrant kehillah. STaRS will also have some CIC sessions so parents can discuss what is meaningful to them.

Sometimes it is small changes that bring people together. This year STaRS is considering having a café on Saturday afternoons where coffee and a nosh will be available. If you are interested in helping make this happen, please call/email the STaRS office. Another way to build kehillah is by volunteering. Not only does this make you a part of the program but it brings people together to work on a shared activity. For this new year, 5770, set a goal to be an active member of our Jewish community.

“How good and pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together.” Psalms 133:1

A recent parasha, Torah portion, has the theme of blessings (and curses). The non-Jewish prophet, Balaam, praises the Israelites with the words “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel! Like palm-groves that stretch out, Like gardens beside the water…” It can be difficult to change our way of thinking. How often do we take the time to step back and appreciate, “count our blessings”?

Judaism is rich with specific blessings that give us the chance to stop, appreciate and be thankful for the ordinary as well as the beautiful. From the schecheyanu to the prayer for blessing our children, we have many opportunities to look inwardly, at those around us, and at our world and then express our appreciation. At STARS Shabbat dinners our families often say a blessing for their children and a few private words to them about something their child did that week that made their parents very proud.

As a congregation we all share in the education of our children. From the dues we pay to help support our school to our collective pride at each Bar/Bat Mitzvah, we are their extended family. The STARS teachers, especially, view our children as blessings. This view makes them especially aware of each child as an important part of their class community. We are appreciative of the teachers and see them, too, as a blessing.

On our last Saturday, May 2, the building overflowed with activity as well as a palpable sense of community. Parents came with their children and all were engaged in different ways: listening or participating in singing led by our music teacher, Susie Miller; involved in the Chairs auction which raised $1,230 for the STARS scholarship fund; or schmoozing and noshing.

In addition, we held a parent learning session, led by Meredith Cahn, our Rabbinic Intern. The topic was on ways to be Jewish during the summer and beyond. Here are some of the suggestions:

1. Shomrei Torah is open all summer long — don’t be a stranger

2. Practice Jewish rituals at home — light Shabbat candles and include blessing your children, say the bedtime Shema with your child; include a prayer when you awaken (traditionally the Modeh Ani); use a tzedakah box

3. Invest life with Jewish meaning — talk as a family about tzedakah; choose where to give; schedule Tikkun olam projects and talk about this Jewish value.

4. Do specific Jewish activities — Jewish film festival, movie nights at home, reading lists, the Jewish museum in the city, etc.

In May and June many families celebrate Mother’s Day and/or Father’s Day. Although they are not in the Jewish calendar as holidays, the honor and respect of parents, and those who take on the role of parents, are of the utmost importance.

In Torah, the Ten Commandments are found in Exodus and include the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and your mother.” The commandments are repeated in Leviticus, although slightly different, and it says, “You shall each revere your mother and your father.” The first four commandments deal with the people’s relationship to God; the next six deal with each person’s relationship to others, the basics of human society. According to the sages, the fifth commandment is the transition between the two categories. Tradition views honoring one’s parents as one aspect of the honor due to God. Parents are working with God in the miracle of creation when a child is born. They then mold their children through education. Therefore they are deserving of honor and reverence.

One other area worthy of mention is that one text states father first and the other mother. It is clear that the order does not matter and, notably, the mother is equal in honor and reverence. Notable also is the window in Shalom Hall that shows a family with the inscription “kavod av v’em,” honor father and mother. It is part of our Shabbat service called the Ten Obligations without Measure.

Honor and reverence can be difficult to maintain. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel grappled with this with his daughter. He realized that in order for his daughter to grow up wanting to revere him he would need to live a life worthy of her reverence. Heschel wrote, “My message to parents is: Every day ask yourselves the question: What is there about me that deserves the reverence of my child?”

Clearly, the obligation is twoway; we need to both honor our parents and be worthy of the honoring that our children are commanded to perform.

Torah is living Judaism and Pesach is a perfect example. The holiday is based on the events of Exodus; yet we are told to remember that we were once slaves in Egypt and think of ourselves as being set free. At the Seder we re-enact parts of the Exodus story as living Judaism.

Each year we attend a Seder and follow the order of the service. Even though it is the same holiday, it is never the same from one year to the next. We may be with some different guests, the questions asked can be different and we bring new perspectives on the relevancy of the themes of freedom, being a stranger or the plagues. What makes the Seder come alive is our ability to see the themes and other aspects of the Seder as symbols or concepts that relate to our current 21st century lives.

The Seder plate has foods that are symbols of the story. You may wish to “shake up” your table by adding some new foods:

Potatoes

The Religious Action Center (RAC) of the Reform Movement suggests using a potato, which is placed next to the parsley, as a reminder of the amazing exodus of Jews from Ethiopia to Israel. When they arrived in Israel they were so malnourished that the doctors fed them just potatoes and rice until their systems could take more food.

Commemorate this at your Seder by dipping cooked pieces of potatoes in salt water and having someone read a brief description of Operation Solomon or this explanation.

Oranges

Many families have begun adding an orange to the Seder plate as a way of acknowledging the role of women in Jewish life. Another new tradition is to have each guest take a segment of the orange and acknowledge those who have been marginalized including lesbian and gay community members as well as widows.

Miriam’s Cup

This new tradition honors Miriam’s important role in the deliverance from slavery as well as her help throughout the journey in Sinai. Place an empty cup next to Elijah’s and have each guest pour in a bit of their water, symbolizing Miriam’s life-giving well that followed the wandering Israelites. This custom symbolically recognizes that women are equally integral to the continued survival of the Jewish community. With a social action lens, we see the pouring of each person’s water as a symbol of everyone’s individual responsibility to respond to issues of social injustice, and that together we can make a positive difference. (from RAC Pesach: A Season for Justice).

Your Own Symbol

Discuss with your family what freedoms we have that we are thankful for and then choose a food or object that will symbolize this freedom and add to the Seder plate.

New symbols challenge the Seder attendees to ask questions. The Four Questions are really suggestions. It is the asking of questions that shows intellectual curiosity. One idea is to go around the table asking everyone to share a personal question about Pesach or the Exodus. After that, reply to a few by pooling everyone’s collective knowledge.

Avivah Zornberg, noted Torah scholar who will be visiting CST on April 27, stated that “Torah is a living text, endlessly relevant to the present, not just the past”. Challenge yourself and others to look for relevance and come to hear Dr. Zornberg guide us on April 27. Hag Pesach Sameach.

What a beautiful and holy time it was on February 1st, when our school participated in writing our new Torah! The children were excited and a little awed by the experience as they were escorted to the hand washing station to say the b’racha. Next they solemnly waited on the bima for their turn with our sofer, Rabbi Menachem Youlus.

Parents glowed and were even tearful as their child stood with Rabbi Menachem and carefully held the quill to write their letter. Thanks to their teachers, they were well prepared. They were asked to think of a special wish or prayer. Many quietly or silently chanted the shema and most had already thought of their personal request. Rabbi Menachem commented on how “in the moment” they were and some told him their wishes. One student said “I prayed for an end to cancer,” another “I hope that my brother and I are nicer to each other.” Several prayed for a puppy but included another prayer (as per their teachers’ coaching!) which mentioned an end to problems in the world such as “no more hunger,” “an end to war,” “people of all races getting along,” “peace in Israel,” and many more that were never said aloud.

Each child became a “sofer” while writing. They had the intentionality and focus that is required of a sofer and for that brief time they performed the 613th mitzvah. When I previously asked the children what they think Torah is, some said that it is the stories of our ancestors and others mentioned the connection through the generations.

Before the program began, Rabbi George told a midrash (story) to the parents and children. God was looking for a people that would be willing to take God’s laws and follow them. When Adonai asked the Israelites what they would do to guarantee their part of the agreement, they offered their children as guarantors. This tale teaches two essential truths: that our children are our future and that it is our responsibility to make sure the Torah is passed — l’dor v’dor — from one generation to the next. STaRS students and families clearly understand.

On February 1, and again on April 1, Rabbi Menachem Youlus will work with each of the STaRS students to write a letter in the Torah that we are creating. Rabbi Youlus is a scribe, sofer, who is an artist and has learned the rules that must be followed to make certain that the Torah is holy.

In preparation, our students will be learning about Torah and what a sofer does. The Hebrew name for a scribe is Sofer S’TaM. The word S’TaM is an acronym made from the first letters of the three most important parchments that a sofer writes. The first is the S (samech) = Sefer Torah. This is the Torah scroll that we read in synagogue. The next letter, T (tav) = Tefillin. These are small leather boxes worn by some observant Jews while praying. Inside the boxes are handwritten parchments that include the shema. The last letter, M (mem)= Mezuzah. Inside each mezuzah is a parchment, written by a sofer, that contains part of the Shema.

Writing a Sefer Torah is holy work and there are rules to follow to make it kosher. One is that no base metals may be used in making or repairing the texts. These include such metals as iron, steel, copper, brass and bronze. These metals can be used to make weapons and nothing which is used for killing can be used in creating a Torah. Tools made of silver, gold ivory or fine wood are allowed. Even the yad, the pointer for reading from Torah, must follow these rules.

Another example of kosher practice is the parchment. It is made from the skin of a kosher animal. The hide can only be from an animal that was killed for food or died of natural causes. An animal cannot be killed just for its skin.

Just as important is who the sofer is. The sofer must be a person of good character and live a fully Jewish life. For example, the sofer will give tzedakah regularly. Just as important is focusing on the holiness of the work. Before the sofer writes he or she washes their hands and says a blessing. When the children write a letter, they will also wash and say a blessing. This reminds them of the holiness of what they are about to do.

Many people think that you cannot make a mistake when writing. This is not true and the sofer can correct any mistake made in any word except for God’s name.

The Year of Our Torah is a year of learning. Please join us for the many opportunities at CST to deepen our knowledge of Torah.

The month of Cheshvan, roughly the month of November, has been designated Jewish Book Month. The idea of a focus on Jewish books began in 1927 and quickly spread to communities around the country.

Judaism has always emphasized scholarship with Jewish texts as a core component. From Torah to Talmud and other books, we value writings that are ancient as well as new. Synagogue life provides many opportunities for exploring Jewish books: we have had book groups at CST, a book discussion at the Women’s Retreat and numerous authors as speakers. The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) includes book reviews in its magazine “Reform Judaism” and recommends books for individuals and groups on its web site, www.urj.org, and includes links to study and discussion guides. Locally, the San Francisco Bureau of Jewish Education has multiple copies of books for lending to book groups.

A lending library has been part of the STARS program since its inception. Although children are at STARS just a few hours a week, by taking a book home they can continue their Jewish learning and connection. It is a great opportunity for parents to read to their child at bedtime both short stories as well as chapter books. These books can count towards their school reading requirements and also give both the parent and child an opportunity to talk about aspects of Judaism. Another great source of books for children in 4th grade and above is the magazine “Babaganewz.” Called Bababookz, it can be found at www.Babaganewz.com.

Jeanne Plattus, our volunteer library coordinator, is excited about a new program to build our library. It is a Birthday Program where a donation of $18 will be used to buy a book in honor of a child who will select the book from our list and be the first to check it out! We will also insert a donation sticker in the book with his or her name. We are looking for one or two volunteers to chair our Birthday Book Program and Jeanne will help with it as well.

As Ibn Tibbon, a 13th century French scholar said “Your books are your true treasures”. We are known as the People of the Book.

We ended the stars school year back in May with the blowing of the shofar. Perhaps it reminded us of our ancestral connection, or a spiritual link to the Temple. Maybe some of us heard it as a call to learning and a reminder to return. I believe that our teachers certainly heard that message as they are all returning to STaRS this fall.

To have all our faculty return is quite wonderful. They already know many of you and you have done your part to make them feel welcome and appreciated. I know that they are looking forward to this new year of 5769 and I want to introduce them, once again, and let you know their classes.

Susie Miller — Music
Denise Harrison — Kindergarten
Barbara Whitaker — First Grade
Yvonne Cobert — Second Grade
Norman Eisley — Third Grade
Meryl Fischer — Fourth Grade
Avi Starr-Glass — Fifth Grade
Sherry Knazan — Sixth Grade
Marcia Gladstone — Seventh Grade

In addition, Idan Amran and Sherry Fink will be Associate Teachers. Our B’nai Mitzvah staff is: Margo Miller, Elly Cohen and Marsha Gladstone, with Leira Satlof as the B’nai Mitzvah Coordinator. Sherry Knazan will continue as the madrikhim teacher and assist with family education programs. On Wednesdays, Laura Peterson, a member and STaRS parent, will be our shomer. Our School Assistant, Pam McCullen, joined our staff this past April.

The shofar sound can also be heard as a call back to Torah, the basic foundation of Judaism. Our teachers are busy learning ways to make the Year of Our Torah a year for our children to connect and understand that living Torah is living Judaism. Listen to the shofar and ask your children what they hear. This is our year to return to Torah.