Credit: Mohammed Moussa, Mount Moses, CC BY-SA 3.0
ביום הזה. בְּרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ; לֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לִכְתֹּב אֶלָּא בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, מַהוּ בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה? שֶׁיִּהְיוּ דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה חֲדָשִׁים עָלֶיךָ כְּאִלּוּ הַיּוֹם נְתָנָם (ברכות ס"ג):
ביום הזה THE SAME (lit., this) DAY — on the day of the New Moon. It ought not to write ביום הזה, but ביום ההוא, “on that day”; what, then, is the force of the words “on this day”? Since they refer to the day when the Israelites came to Sinai to receive the Torah they imply that the commands of the Torah should be to you each day as something new (not antiquated and something of which you have become tired), as though He had only given them to you for the first time on the day in question.
How might we make Torah new and exciting in this moment? What might we do to also make the experience warm and familiar? What unique elements do we want to introduce, and what components do we want to preserve?
Questions? Email hello@sefaria.org anytime
More tutorials may be found on our Educators Page, or our Remote Learning Page
1) The Torah was on Tablets
- Think about how your congregants can experience Torah this Shavuot. Computers? iPads? Are you making sheets, or asking them to build an experience? What are the important elements?
- Search Torah by theme with our new topics pages
- Search Torah by text
- Empower your learners to discover and explore
2) The Revelation at Sinai was a multimedia experience
- What are the different ways of reaching people in this moment?
- Embed audio or video into sheets
- Include images of familiar faces or places
- Draw from the archives or create new media
- You can't be everywhere all the time...but media can expand your presence
- Sefaria pairs well with email, WhatsApp, Zoom, Facebook, texts, etc.
3) We All Stood Together at Sinai
- What virtual gathering places are possible that provide a sense of togetherness or shared purpose?
- Sheets and groups are easy to share and easy to find
- Group and brand materials to create or add to virtual spaces
5) Each Constituency Has Different Needs
- How might you adapt materials to reach different audiences?
- Sheets on Sefaria are digital, adaptable, and can be used to reach all age groups
- Consider different technologies based on skill and flexibility
6) Invite your congregation into the conversation
- Sefaria sheets can be collaborative
- Young congregants can add artwork, older ones can add reflections or even texts
- Create space for everyone to share
7) Sefaria's resources are (still) here to help you prepare
- Share and receive - rabbis need each other at this difficult time!
- Our new web pages feature makes it even easier to find modern materials
8) Shavuot on Sefaria
- This new group of sheets provides guided learning experiences that can be used as is or adapted for your needs