Chicago Jewish Academy - Memoirs Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

Page 29 text:

NIENIUIRS TALMUD CLASS The Talmud class IS an sessnon and the Rabbu begins with has nn troductory remarks on the sublect to be expounded He then ex plalns and lnterprets all the lntru cacles and dafficult phrases which arlse IH the blatt of Gemorah studued Questuons may be asked and dlscussnons h ld as to the modern appllcatlon of the law Out of a frlendly atmosphere such as this come the future profes snonal leaders and learned laymen :sh tradutuonal lore GIRLS CHUMOSH CLASS In thus plcture we have a gurls Chumosh class It IS apparent that the enthusiasm and slncerlty for re celvmg lnstructuon from the teacher us as typical of the g ls ID their quest for a good Jewish education as with the boys These gurls who will some dav become the mothers or our people are nnstructed un the laws of our Torah and guided In the Jewlsh conceptions concern :ng famlly relatlonshnps and re luglon In the home Twenty five I l 1 Q Q A A ,Y ll I d I ur l , ' - U 11 . . e of our community, steeped in Jew- . . . , . . if . . - , ,

Page 28 text:

Tanach Mishnah Agadah and selected sugyos MEMOIRS 11 ' JEWISH STUDIES ln the Academy every boy and gurl ns offered a thorough and well balanced secondary Jewish edu cation an the fundamental courses of study The first period nn the schedule of morning classes beginning at 900 AM and lasting tlll 'IO 30 AM IS devoted to the study of Talmud As the class advances the students are Introduced nn turn to the commentaries of Rash: Tos fos and other Meforshlm There IS a Preparatory Class and five classes an Talmud Upon promotion from the highest shauur m the Academy the student contmues an has Talmudlc studies ot the Hebrew Theological College The second period U030 11001 as known CHAZOROH the study period for the Talmud students durmg which they review the days shalur The boys meet an the Parlor and an small groups lnvestugate all peculiarities of the lesson and with the and of their teachers all the difficulties that arlse are clarified This individual guidance and supervised studv IS of great benefit to all students The third period UT 00 to T2 00l as devoted to the intensive studv of Torah and Nach and Shulchon Aruch There three periods are followed by the study of Hebrew In all of its aspects as a llvnng Talmud Tefllah btzlbur the ancient tradition of communal prayer ln the synagogue IS an Important part of the daily school program The students who themselves conduct the services an a dignified manner are thus trained to participate nn the order of the prayers Not only do thev learn to feel at home the synagogue but they also ac quure the essential shul know ledge which all laymen should possess Each morning and after noon services are held In the syn agogue On Rosh Choclesh and other minor holidays when school as an session, services are also conducted The earnestness of prayer us great lt mspures and stumulates the students to hope that their prayers will be an swered language The. school day begins with the morning services m the synagogue conducted by the boys which trams them for synagogue and participation leadership IH the traditional manner of baale batim SYNAGOGUE Twenty four D J 7-7 ' ' ' : - : ' as n u I ' I . . , I . . . , , , . . , , . . . , - , I 1 1 I ' ' H . ,, . . . . . ' : : , . . . . . . , , The girls, organized into their own classes, are taught ' I ' I ll I II I , A . . . . , , ' ' ll ' ll II ' I ' Il ' l I . I. . . ' ll . ll I , ' u ' Il ll - I - ,

Page 30 text:

MEMOIRS FIJI The Plllar 0 ,I8wlSh Lwmg By DAVID MYERS More than Israel kept the Sabbath It IS the Sab bath that has kept up Israel ThlS brIllIant bIt of phIlosophy by IAsher Gmsbergi epItomIzes the exalted feelIng that the Sabbath has provIded for the Jews sunce Israel became a people The transformatIon whIch the Jews experIenced on lhlS day of Ioyful rest was the IncentIve that gave them the endurance to SUYVIVE the endless attempts of theIr enemIes to annIhIlate them Ahad Ha am and endeared Throughout the generatIons the Splfll of the Sabbath has substItuted for the physIcal comforts of lIfe whIch the greater masses of the JewIsh people lacked The CDIICIPOIIOD of the comIng of the Sabbath and the sanctIty hoverIng over the Jew even after the days departure sustaIned hIm throughout the week of poverty and toIl Thus the Jews devotIon to G d to HIs creatIons and to HIs formed hIm Pncture weekly toIl Torah on the Sabbath day verItably trans almost Into an angel of G d thIs poor destItute Jew ceasIng from hIs at mId afternoon an FrIday enterIng hIs home In hIs bedraggled garments cleansmg hIs body weekly clothes remaIn As the and sImultaneously rIddIng hlmself of hIs burdens As he attIres hImself In hIs finest he feels hImself becomIng Invested wIth a Nes wIth htm untIl the eve of the followIng day Jew now enrIched by a spIrIt of Gdluness re turns from the synagogue he has dIscovered that even hIs home has undergone a marked transformatIon The Sabbath plates are placed symetrIcally upon the table blanketed In whIte The two Chalos and the wIne contaIned In the famIlys most endeared possessIon the gIlded wmecup awaut theIr masters blessIng The freshly lIt candles cast theIr glow upon the wIfe and chIldren who humbled by thIs newly pervadIrg Splfll are awaItIng the comIng home of theIr kIng No wonder then that the Sabbath has been personnfied as a lovely brIde and a gracIous queen The rItual of the dav dIfferentIatIng Shabbos from the rest of the week IS based upon the law of our Torah as developed bv our RabbIs and spIrItual leaders through out the centurIes The Sabbath symbolIzes human equal Ity and dIgnIty These two Ideals may be evInced from the BIblIcal reasons advanced for the observatuon of the Sabbath the creatIon of the world and as a remem brance of the Exodus from Egvpt Man must not lower hImself to the standard of the beast for whom tIme has no meanIng but must endow spIrItual value to tame and especIally to the day In whIch G d rested Then too man must remember the freedom from slavery of the Exodus For on the Sabbath day man In every CGPGCITY IS free to serve hIs Gd When mankInd IS enslaved through polItIcal and socIal condItIons or by the worshIp of materIalIsm Inherent In our technologIcal world these Ideals of personal dIgnIty and freedom are beIng un scrupulously undermIned The Sabbath teaches us that all of mankInd possess these InalIenable rIghts of self worth and equalIty of learnIng for our that dav wIthIn the eIImInated IllIteracy The Sabbath was also a dav people The InstructIon receIved on synagogue or at home practncallv from among the Jews and nurtured the unusual love for learnIng that eventually acquIred for them the name of the people of the book The great hIstorIan Josephus praIsed Moses for succeedIng In the constant InstructIon of hIs people a feat that no other leader In the ancIent world was able to perform Even more so than the rIte of cIrcumcIsIon has the Sabbath served as an everlastmg symbol of the covenant between Gd and Israel Whereas cIrcumcIsIon IS but physIcally Imposed upon the Jew Sabbath observance requIres an Inner and voluntary dedIcatIon to the fellQlOn In whIch he was brought up In the face of ECONOMIC and other dIscrImInatIons Jews preferred to sublect covenant of the Sabbath In the long hIstorv of the Jews In defendIng them selves agaInst antISemItIsm they found strength and solace In theIr tradItIonal observances However In Amer Ica JewIsh practIces Ideals and tradItIons have become lax and have been consIdered optIonal bv Jews who are tryIng to escape from theIr JewIshness They feel that they must throw off theIr shackles and free themselves from all the responsIbIlItIes of JudaIsm ThIs step IS taken In complete Ignorance of JewIsh Ideals and values em bodIed In our tradItIonal PFGCTICGS and observances It IS truly evIdent that wIthout the observance of the Sabbath a Jew cannot fullv benefit from the spIrIt of moralIty and CFSOTIVITY WhICh JudaIsm has to offer The lack of re cognItIon for the value of and the gross neglIgence In the observance of the Sabbath by the malonty of con temporary Jews offers the greatest threat to the contInued BXISJCUCS of Orthodox JudaIsm Turn us to Thee O Lord and let us return renew our days as of old !Lam 5211 When the true value of the Sabbath and the Im portance of ITS observance wIlI be realIzed then thIs PIllar of JewIsh LIfe wIIl varItable support the House of Israel Twenty sur E I - T o 0 o o ,, . . - . . 1 ' I I ,, . . L . . , , , , , , I . . . . . . I I I . . I . I . A . . . . s n l II II ' ' .i I , . - I . . . I . . ' II I ' - II l I I I ' ' . J n n D l U ' I . . . . . . . 1, ,, - ' . ' . . . . ,, . . . . . I ' I hamah Yetairah, an added sublime soul, which ig to themselves to undue suffering, rather than to violate this I . I . . - . I 5 U ' 0 . . , - , . .- . . . . , l Q . . . . . . I . - ' ' II Il ' T I I . . . , . A . . . . , . . . I . . i . . ' . I . . . . . . ,, . ,, - I . 1 I . I , l . . . . I . , . , H H . . . T . - .I ' ' . I v I I . . . - I . - 1 1 I - I , Q ' ll ' ' . Il Il ' ' ' ll ' ' ll ' I I II