god in the 21st century: is there a place for the divine in our congregational school settings?

Dr. Leon Weissberg, Jewish Education Commission, So Palm Beach County, FL

God in the 21st Century

Is there a place for the Divine in our Congregational School settings?


About God?

God in the 3rd person God in the 2nd person God in the first person


God is like a ___________

because God ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


God is like ….

-Hallmark Cards

He cares enough to send His very best

-General Electric

He brings good things to life

-Scotch Magic Tape

You can’t see Him, but you know He’s there

-Delta

He’s ready when you are


God is like…

-AllstateYou’re in good hands with Him-Dial SoapAren’t you glad you have Him? Don’t you wish

everybody did?-The Post OfficeNeither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor ice will

keep Him from His appointed destinations.


“Prove to me there is a God”

“The proof is not in the proving that there is a God.”

“The proof is in proving that there isn’t a God!


“Prove to me there is a God

The signs of God are found not in the reports of the change in the natural order of things, but in nature’s orderliness.


“Prove to me there is a God”

God is discovered in the intelligibility of the Universe rather than in its capriciousness.

-Harold M. Shulweis


Rabbi Akiva on God Proof

A min (non-believer) asks Rabbi Akiva to prove that God created the world.

Rabbi Akiva answers, as your cloak points to its weaver, so the world points to its Creator.

His students later ask for the “real” answer!My sons, just as the house bears witness to the builder, and the cloak bears witness to the weaver so does the world bear witness to the Holy Blessed One who created it.”

(Otzar ha’midrashim)


The Most important verse in the Torah:

Shema Braisheet Anochi Hineini ------- ------- -------


The Most important verse in the Torah

“In the beginning, God created the heavens

and the earth.” “At the beginning of God’s creating the

heavens and the earth.” “When God began to create the heavens and

the earth.”


Truth & Faith -

This verse makes everything after it both logically tenable and morally necessary.

If God did not create the world, the rest of the Torah and the whole Jewish vocation become pointless.

Indeed all of life is pointless without God the Creator.

- Dennis Praeger


Does God Exist?

Judaism views the existence of God as a necessary prerequisite for the existence of the universe.

The existence of the universe is sufficient proof of the existence of God. (Dennis Praeger)


The Third Commandment:

You shall not swear falsely (in vain) by the name of the Lord your God; for the Lord will not clear one who swears falsely by His name. Exodus 20:7


Etymology of Hashem

Adon Adoni Adonai Abbreviation The Name Abbreviation


Lesson using the 3rd Commandment

What makes the 3rd commandment important? What is the name to which the 3rd commandment is

referring? Why would this be in the list of the top ten? What would make the use of God’s name in vain? Why would you want to create that type of an aura? If you were to come up with another name for God

what would it be? Write a sentence about God using your new name

for God


Gematria - Numerology

123456789102030405060708090100200300400


THE NAME OF GOD

The Tetragrammaton


=10

=5

=6

=5

26


GOD IS ONE!

If in fact God is one…

and God’s four letter name has a value of 26…

is there a relationship between 1 & 26 in Hebrew?


Kabbalah -

Find the hidden letters

in the letter Aleph that total 26.


Adon Olam

Text: The Lord eternal reigned before the birth of every living

thingWhen all was made as He ordained, then only He was

known as King

Paraphrase: God lived before all things were created. When God finally created the world God became the

ultimate ruler known as the King.


Adon Olam

He who was, He who is, and He who will remain


I AM THAT I AM

What does that mean?


Create With Words

abra k’dabra - (Aramaic)

bara k’daber - (Hebrew)


There are only 2 ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle.

Albert Einstein


YouTUBE Videos

Subliminal & Miri Barbara Steisand’s Avinu Malkeinu


Barbara Streisand & Duhaney Synagogue, Budapest

עם או אדם

לעברו מתששאינו

פתוח לפניועתידיש לו S E ÑO R, DE MI PU E B LO

E S C U C HA NU E S T RA VO Z

C A NT A : B Á RB A RA S T RE IS A ND

)) Audio ((

god in the 21st century: is there a place for the divine in our congregational school settings?

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