“The House That Love Built” (PAGES 16-18)
L E S S O N P L A N B Y M A R I LY N Z . F I N E
In this lesson, students will explore the significance of sukkot, the
shelters which, the Torah tells us, were mandated in order to remind
Jews of God’s providence during the 40 years in the desert. This
concept, combined with that of Imitatio Dei (imitating God), will help us
understand why it is important for members of the Jewish community
to help provide shelter for others.
k We are expected to strive to emulate God in our
own actions; by helping to provide shelter for
others, we imitate God.
k By working to provide shelter for Jews and nonJews alike, we can promote peace and understanding in our communities.
KEY QUOTES AND QUESTIONS
“ ‘For us,’ says Elaine Chetrit, who coordinated the
B’nai Israel volunteers, ‘building Annette’s house was
a chance to put God’s words into action.’ ”
What did Elaine mean by “God’s words”?
In what way does Habitat for Humanity represent a way to
put these words into action?
“But during the six months it took to build her house,
Annette and the synagogue members also built an
enduring friendship. She worked side by side with
the temple youth group, ...met nursery school students and their parents, ...and she wore the special
T-shirt that a group of older teens designed to raise
money for the project.”
How did this project help foster understanding between
Annette and the synagogue members?
We are told what Annette learned and how she came to
feel about the synagogue group. What lessons do you think
the synagogue members might have learned about Annette
and other people like her?
Refer to the quote from the arvit prayer in the Jewish text
section. In what way do the projects in the article enable
participants to build “shelters of peace”?
MOTIVATION AND DEVELOPMENT
1. Begin class by asking students to plan for a threenight camping trip. Instruct students to draft a list
of items they would need to take with them for such
an activity and then have students share their lists
with the class. Now ask students to draft a list of
what they think the Israelites might have needed for
their 40 years in the desert.
How do the two sets of lists compare?
What items are similar?
How did the Israelites obtain their supplies?
(God provided for them: manna for food, pillar of fire for guidance, clouds for shelter and protection, a well for water, etc.)
With this background, refer to the texts from
Vayikra and Shemot and the accompanying commentaries. Discuss how the cloud served as a shelter
for the Jewish People; then relate the concept of
God’s shelter to the rationale that the Torah provides
in Vayikra for the commandment to dwell in sukkot.
2. Next, study the text from Shabbat 133b and shift
the class discussion to the concept of Imitatio Dei by
asking whether it is possible for people to be God-like
in their actions, and if so, how? Discuss some
instances taught in our tradition, such as the midrash
that God visited Avraham when he was recovering
from circumcision, and we, likewise, are commanded to visit the sick, or the fact that God provided the
Israelites in the desert with clothing (see Devarim
8:4), and we, too, must help ensure that people have
the clothes that they need. Relate this idea to ways in
which we can help provide shelter for those who need
it, as God did in the desert. Study also the text from
the arvit liturgy and discuss the image of God that it
portrays.
How does this image relate to the concept of emulating
God?
3. Read about Sukkot in April on page 18. Ask
students to consider why the program is called
Sukkot in April. What is the connection between
such volunteer programs and Imitatio Dei?
Encourage students to think of a personal project
that they can undertake to “imitate God” as discussed in the Shabbat 133b text.
4. How can the lessons of other Jewish holidays be
translated and transferred to other projects and different times of the year? (e.g., Pesach in November—
a hunger project based on the idea of “all who are
hungry come and eat,” or H.anukkah in May—a
human-rights and freedom campaign.)
BABAGANEWZ TEACHERS’ GUIDE TISHREI 5763
CONCEPTS AND OBJECTIVES
k One reason that we are commanded to build and
dwell in sukkot is to remind us that God provided
us with shelter for 40 years in the desert.
13
JEWISH TEXTS
When we praise God for what God does, what does this
imply that we should try to do?
Vayikra 23:42–43
You shall dwell in booths for seven days...so that your
generations will know that I caused the Children of
Israel to dwell in booths when I took them from the
land of Egypt.
Rashi on Vayikra 23:43
“That I caused [the Children of Israel to dwell] in
sukkot”—[this refers to] the Clouds of Glory.
“This is my God and I will glorify God.” The word
“glorify” implies that [we should] be like God. Just as
God is gracious and compassionate, you also should
be gracious and compassionate.
How is imitating God a means of glorifying God?
What types of behaviors do you think constitute ways in
which we can imitate God?
What is Rashi’s difficulty with the text in the original verse?
(Why does it say that God caused the people to dwell in
sukkot?)
How does the Sukkot in April project imitate God?
What do you think is the purpose of the Jews’ remembering
that God provided them with shelter in the desert?
Shemot 13:21
And God walked before them by day in a pillar of
cloud to show them (lan’h.otam) the way...
Note: The pillar of cloud mentioned in this verse
refers to the Clouds of Glory.
Or Hah. ayim on Shemot 13:21
It says “to show them the way,” but this also may be
understood to mean “to make the way easy for them”
( from the root word ,j,w,n) since insomuch as the
days were hot, God spread over them a pillar of cloud
so that the sun would not strike them.
According to Or Hah.ayim, what was the purpose of the
cloud?
How can we tell from the texts that God was actively
involved in providing the people with shelter?
BABAGANEWZ TEACHERS’ GUIDE TISHREI 5763
Shabbat 133b
What, according to the Biblical text, is the purpose of building and dwelling in sukkot?
How does Rashi’s comment sharpen your understanding of
the sukkot?
14
How does Sukkot in April help build shelters of peace?
Arvit Liturgy—Hashkiveinu
...And spread over us Your shelter of peace. Praised
are You, God, Who spreads the shelter of peace upon
us, upon all Israel, and upon Jerusalem.
What do you think is meant by a “shelter of peace”?
FOLLOW-UP AND ENRICHMENT
1. Instruct students to find out more about Sukkot in
April, Habitat for Humanity, or other volunteer
projects to help the homeless. Conduct a publicity/
fund-raising campaign and/or organize a group from
your school or congregation to participate in one of
these projects. Recommend that students consult
Generation Fix: Young Ideas for a Better World by
Elizabeth Rusch, available to purchase from Baba
Bookz, for ideas.
2. Consult texts advocating social action, such as
Micah 6:8, and discuss or create artistic renderings
of them.
RELATED WEBSITES/ADDITIONAL
SOURCES
Habitat for Humanity International
www.habitat.org
Sukkot in April
www.templemicah.org/socialaction.html
54 Ways You Can Help the Homeless
www.earthsystems.org/ways/list.html
VOCABULARY FOR YOUR STUDENTS
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