Just Lost, to be found

Please list name, date, time and location of you know who.

Lost & Found

You are walking along the street, in a parking lot, a mall or another public place and stumble upon each of the following items. What do you do with each of them? ANSWER HONESTLY! Please also answer for each item on their own account, and respond only within your blog. (This is not the time to write, "Same as so and so.")

A quarter?
A hat?
A set of keys?
A 20$ bill?
A necklace?
A photograph?

If you have anything that you would like to add to the list, please add it at the end of your comment. Those who post afterward will have the opportunity to 'find your item' as well.

(The second post this week will be based off of classwork from early this week.)

"Peek-a-boo"

Welcome back from Winter Recess. We are going to be taking the blog to the next level with sharing our thoughts, and delving into ideas more deeply than we have. This being said, I expect FULL PARTICIPATION; you will get more out of the experience, and you will EARN higher marks.

For the first blog posting of 2009, and the first post for the week, you will need your Tanakh. Open up to Leviticus 19:14. What does this verse mean? What does it mean to you? In addition sharing your thoughts, I want each of you to re-write the verse using an analogy.

Bikkur Holim - Visiting the Sick

“Rabbi Akiva taught: Those who do not visit a sick person may just as well spill his blood.” –Talmud, Nedarim 40a

This is a powerful quote; Rabbi Akiva is taking a very harsh stance on Bikkur Holim--visiting the sick. Why do you think he takes this dramatic position? Consider how one feels when sick, and how a visit, a card, or balloon makes the ill feel.

In addition to your opinion, for full marks, find an example of bikkur holim in the Tanakh. We have studied at least one example. Please e-mail your findings to justin.sakofs@adelsoncampus.org. Your responses will be collected and posted by yours truly, and will form the basis for the second post this week.

Second Part to the Infitnite Value of Life.

Below I have posted some 'Questions to Ponder.' Many of you have shared answers to these questions already, so here is your next challenge. RESPOND to another's post, by agreeing or disagreeing with it; however, your opinion is not enough. You must find a source that agrees with you and cite it. One point will be given for any source, but if you have a Jewish source, you will earn two points. (Make sure you mention whose post you are commenting on, in addition to you ideas.

Questions to Ponder: How can a single life be a like a whole world? One answer is that all humans descended from a single person, Adam, so had one person not been created, all of human existence would never have existed. Every human being is created in the image of God, and is as valuable as a world. How does that knowledge change how you treat other people?

Posts will be tallied, on Monday morning.

The infinite importance of every human being

“Whoever takes a single life it is as though he destroyed a whole world, and whoever saves a single life it is as though he saved a whole world.” --Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4:5

This value and quote illustrates something very important to us all, the power of influence one can have. I'll elaborate on this idea on Wednesday, but first it is your turn. Please share your ideas of influence (and its relation to the mishna) AND your understanding of this mishna. Perhaps you have an incident or story which relates to share. This is your forum, so please take advantage of the opportunity.

I will be tabulating your postings on Wednesday morning for credit (as always with the first post of the week.)

Lashon haRa - 2 - Gossip

Can you take back something that you have said about another? Just the same, who is responsible for spreading gossip? The source? or sources? or middlemen/women?

Comment on the Hassidic Tale below, and Norman Rockwell's The Gossip.

“A person went about the community telling lies about the rabbi. Later, he began to feel sorry. He went to the rabbi and begged his forgiveness, saying he would do anything he could to make amends. The rabbi said, "Take a feather pillow, cut it open, and scatter the feathers." The man did this. When he returned, the rabbi said, "Now, go and gather the feathers." The man could not gather all the feathers. The rabbi said to him, "You cannot undo the damage your words have caused any more than you can gather up all the feathers.” –Chasidic tale


Please note, that due to the late posting of this post, comments will be accepted through Monday.