A Torah in Noah's Ark

On Sunday, October 7, Noah Gorden (TBS member and 1^st grade student at the Rashi School) was Consecrated along with 80 other young learners at our Erev Simchat Torah and Consecration service. Consecration literally means to set apart as holy; to dedicate and to cause to be revered or honored. 

During the Erev Simchat Torah service we sing and dance, carry flags and march around the synagogue in honor of the Torah, our most precious possession.  The joyous celebration provides the perfect opportunity to consecrate our children, our most precious gift.  TBS and the Gorden Family were celebrating Noah's Jewish learning journey at the Rashi School. 

Our Consecration ceremony affirms and celebrates the Jewish learning journey that our children have embarked upon. On Sunday evening, each Consecrant received a certificate of Consecration, a honey stick (so that Torah may always be sweet), a $250 gift certificate to be used towards tuition at Eisner or Crane Lake Camp, and a mini Torah. Noah, like many of our Consecrants was very excited to receive his mini Torah.

As soon as Noah got home he began building an Aron Kodesh or ark for his Consecration Torah. We were so moved by his process that we asked Noah to share his thoughts behind building an ark for his Torah with you.

Noah's words: 

I am Noah and I built an ark for my baby Torah and it is very special to me. I got this idea by thinking about my Torah. My mom gave me an idea for the sides of my ark and it came out looking like a mosaic. I added the ladder because I think it is cool. Lego guys can use the ladder to get to the top. At the end I added my eternal light. My Torah is special to me because I really have been counting down the days to me getting my baby Torah. It is special because I am Jewish and the Torah belongs to the Jewish people. The end. Thank you for reading my story.

 Thank you to the Gorden Family for sharing Noah’s mini-Torah story with us.

Tips for Surviving Your Older Sibling's Bar Mitzvah by Temple Member Shayna Tribush

Ed. Note: The following essay was written by TBS Member Shayna Tribush for her weekly sharing at the Rashi School. We present it here as a "survivor's guide" for the younger sibling. Much congratulations to Shayna's sibling, Rylan, on the celebration of his becoming Bar Mitzvah, and to the entire Tribush family.

The photo is of another younger sibling at TBS "surviving" the celebration of his older brother's becoming Bar Mitzvah.

I know a family bar mitzvah can be hectic for the younger child, but I can tell you how to get through with style!

• Tip #1: Always have a book on hand. As soon as the family starts bickering open it up and begin reading.
• Tip #2: Stay out of the way and try not to be more of a distraction. This will make sure that you don't get into trouble. Warning for fellow troublemakers, this might be hard.
• Tip #3: Tell the sibling that they are doing a good job even when they are really not. SHHHHHHH!
• Tip #4: When mom says she needs to go to Starbucks, let her go because she really needs it.

Hopefully using these four tips will help you survive this stressful, but insanely fun event.

- Shayna Tribush, Grade 3