In our text this week, Bnei Yisrael (the Jewish People) is gathered in the desert at the bottom of Mt. Sinai, unsure of what’s coming next on their journey after slavery. God speaks to Moshe and tells him that if Bnei Yisrael will keep the brit (two-way promise) with God, then they will be for God a “treasured possession,” a “kingdom of priests,” and a “holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6).
To understand what this means, we started off by asking our students how people make them feel special:
- By noticing something special about my body
- By doing everything I want
- By giving me gifts and money
- By telling me when I’m being good
Why would someone want you to feel special?
- To show that they love you
- Because they care about you and want you to be happy
- To feel connected to you
What does it mean for Bnei Yisrael to be God’s treasured possession?
- I don’t like that God calls them a possession. People aren’t objects. You can’t own them. It’s like they’re in Egypt (enslaved/owned) again!
- I think it’s a compliment. A treasured possession is something you love with all your heart, something you feel proud of.
- It’s kind of like it’s saying Bnei Yisrael are things instead of people, like they’re nothing compared to God, but in a nice way so it’s OK.
What does it mean to be a holy nation? How can we be a holy nation?
- Listen to each other
- Respect each other’s opinions and feelings
- Be nice even to people you don’t know
- Be part of a chain of treating people well—if you treat one person well, then they’ll treat the next person well etc.
After sharing these amazing, insightful ideas, our students had the opportunity to continue engaging with this part of the text in two shulchanot avodah (learning centers): one where they made books about what makes us special, and another where they could set intentions for how this year at Makom Community will be a special and holy one.
Can’t wait to hear what these kiddos will teach us next!