Stand-Alone Lessons and Activities

Jewish Values: Kavod – Honor


Kavod () – Honor:

Engage students in one or more of the following activities to explore the Jewish value of Kavod – Honor:

Have each group also find a text to go with the photograph (you might want to print out some selections related to this theme from the “Sample Texts” page here). Discuss: 

What can we do in our own lives to reflect the value of honor?

  • In small groups, have students come up with real or plausible scenarios that reflect the value of kavod. Have students role-play their scenes for the rest of the class and discuss them. Each group could present two scenes—one showing how the value was upheld and one showing how it wasn’t.
  • Have students take photographs in school, at home, or in the community that reflect the value of kavod, or have them create and photograph a series of “tableaux”—staged scenes—that depict the value.  Share and discuss.  
    • What was challenging about this assignment?  
    • How does your photograph reflect kavod?  Is it possible to capture this value fully in a photograph?
    • What is similar or different among the various photographs students took?
    • What title would you give your photograph?  Why?


PHOTOS

 

 

Honorable Discharge, Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel, 1992

Look at the expression on this man’s face. How would you describe it—fear, sadness, confusion, joy? He has just arrived in Israel from the former Soviet Union. Under communism, Soviet Jews were not allowed to practice their religion openly and were often denied the right to immigrate to the U.S. or Israel. But after Gorbachev (the Soviet president) opened the doors to emigration in 1989, hundreds of thousands of Jews from the former Soviet Union fl‰ocked to Israel, with the help of Jews around the world.

These immigrants often arrived with very little and faced many challenges in their new homes. But the man in this picture has brought something very precious with him: the military medals he wears with pride. They serve as a reminder of his previous life, of the risks he took Œfighting for his country.

Here is what the photographer, Zion Ozeri, has to say about this picture: “I call it honorable discharge. He was obviously discharged from the Russian army. And many Jews, by the way, either sacriŒficed their lives or fought heroically during World War II…. I always look for the image that would defiŒne the moment, so to speak. So I sort of saw it in his face…. You see the ‰flag, you see El-Al, and that look.”

 

Sample Texts:

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Gray hair is a crown of glory;
It is attained by the way of righteousness.
– Proverbs (Mishlei) 16:31


 

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Bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth and lead us with upright pride to our Land.
– from shacharit (the morning service)


 

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Assuredly, a time is coming—declares the Lord—when it shall no more be said, “As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt,” but rather, “As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites out of the northland, and out of all the lands to which He had banished them.” For I will bring them back to their land, which I gave to their fathers.
– Jeremiah (Yirmiyahu) 16:14-15


 

 

Basic Training, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1996

These men and women are cadets in the U.S. Air Force. Every day, they get up at the crack of dawn and go through the challenges and rigors of basic training. But these cadets are also Jews. So once a week, on Friday night, they get together for a couple of hours at the synagogue on their base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for services, a piece of cake, and a much-needed break from their training. If you look behind them, you can see the Ten Commandments on the synagogue wall. The left-hand column begins with the sixth commandment: “Lo tirtzach” (Thou shall not murder).

 

Sample Texts:

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The law of the land is the law.
– Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim 28a


 

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Do not stand idly by the blood of you neighbor.
– Leviticus (Vayikra) 19:16


 

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When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. 
Are trees of the Œfield human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?

– Deuteronomy (Devarim) 20:19


 

 

Headstone, Cimpina, Romania, 2000

“It’s a community where I photographed one couple—that’s all that’s left [of the Jewish community]. They still have one synagogue that nobody visits.” This is what the photographer, Zion Ozeri, has to say about the town of Cimpina, Romania, where he took this picture. When he went with the couple to the town’s Jewish cemetery, he found it overgrown and in disrepair. There was a thriving Jewish community here, but after the Holocaust, there was no one left to tend to the gravestones. 

Notice the decorations on this headstone. You can see a Magen David and what seems to be a kind of menorah in the middle. Next to it are two hands. In ancient times, when the priests, or Cohanim, blessed the people, this is how they held their hands. Descendents of the Cohanim still make this sign when they symbolically bless the congregation in synagogues today. Its use on this tombstone probably means the person buried there was a Cohen. You can Œfind this motif on the headstones of Cohanim everywhere in the world—South America, Europe, Israel, and elsewhere.

 

Sample Texts:

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A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven;
A time for being born and a time for dying,
A time for planting and a time for uprooting the planted;
A time for slaying and a time for healing,
A time for tearing down and a time for building up;
A time for weeping and a time for laughing,
A time for wailing and a time for dancing;
A time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
A time for embracing and a time for shunning embraces;
A time for seeking and a time for losing,
A time for keeping and a time for discarding;
A time for ripping and a time for sewing,
A time for silence and a time for speaking;
A time for loving and a time for hating;
A time for war and a time for peace.
– Ecclesiastes (Kohelet) 3:1-8


 

We rejoice over a birth and mourn over a death. But we should not. For when a man is born, who knows what he will do or how he will end? But when a man dies, we may rejoice—if he left a good name and this world is in peace.
– Midrash Tanhuma


 

 

Kabbalat Shabbat, Cold Spring, New York, 2008

The Sabbath candles have been lit. The women and girls cover their eyes as they recite the blessing over the ‰flames. For millennia, this is how the weekly Sabbath has been heralded in Jewish communities across the globe. According to the rabbis of the Talmud, there are two reasons for lighting Sabbath candles—one practical and one spiritual. The practical reason, which they called shalom bayit or “tranquility in the home,” has to do with the fact that Jewish law prohibits the kindling of lights during the Sabbath. So rather than having people stumble around in the dark on Friday night, it made sense to light a ‰flame before the Sabbath began. The spiritual reason is called oneg Shabbat or “Sabbath joy.” The lights we kindle simply add to the feelings of celebration, warmth, and peace that typify the Jewish Sabbath.

This scene takes place at Surprise Lake Camp, a Jewish summer camp outside of New York City. Ozeri calls this photograph Kabbalat Shabbat, which means, literally, “welcoming the Sabbath.” Kabbalat Shabbat is also the name of the prayer service traditionally recited on Friday evenings. The Kabbalat Shabbat service, which includes selections from the book of Psalms, as well as the beautiful liturgical poem “Lecha Dodi” was introduced in the 16th century by a group of mystics living in the city of Tzfat, Israel. The mystics would gather on the edge of town dressed in white and sing songs of praise to greet the Sabbath bride.

 

Sample Texts:

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Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God: you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements.
– Exodus (Shemot) 20:8-10


 

The Holy One lends every person an extra soul on the eve of the Sabbath, and withdraws it at the close of the Sabbath.
– Babylonian Talmud, Beitza 16a


 

He who feels in his heart a genuine tie with the life of his people cannot possibly conceive of the existence of the Jewish people apart from “Queen Sabbath.” We can say without exaggeration that more than Israel preserved the Sabbath, the Sabbath preserved Israel.
– Ahad Ha’am, Al Parashat Derahim


 



 

Blessed is the match consumed in kindling ‰flame.
Blessed is the ‰flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart.
Blessed is the heart with strength to stop its beating for honor’s sake.
Blessed is the match consumed in kindling ‰flame.
– Hannah Senesh


 

 

Summer Camp, Tumwater, Washington, 2002

It’s time for morning services at Camp Solomon Schechter, in Tumwater, Washington. As the Torah is raised, the kids point with their fiŒngers, symbolically kissing the Torah and lending their support to the Magbiah, who lifts up the scroll.

Founded Œfifty years ago, Camp Solomon Schechter in Tumwater, Washington, “provides Jewish youth, families, and adults from the U.S. and Canada with a Jewish, active, and fun camping and retreat experience year-round in the PacifiŒc Northwest.” In addition to hosting a summer camp for kids of all ages, the site is used by Jewish organizations throughout the year for retreats, meetings, and other community events.

 

Sample Texts:

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Rabbi Yose taught:
Whoever honors Torah will himself be honored by others;
Whoever dishonors Torah will himself be dishonored by others.
– Pirkei Avot 4:8


 

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A person should see to it that the body is kept healthy and strong in order that they may be upright to know G-d. For it is impossible to understand and comprehend wisdom when one is hungry and ailing or if one’s limbs ache.
– Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot, 3:3



 

Holocaust Survivor with His Grandchildren, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2002

Here we see a Holocaust survivor surrounded by his grandchildren. He lives in Buenos Aires, where he writes and lectures about the Holocaust. The photographer, Zion Ozeri, explains why he took this picture: “I was concerned about taking a meaningful photograph of him. I could have taken his photograph sitting alone in a chair but I decided that his dignity would shine through more if he was surrounded by his grandchildren. Holocaust survivors lost so much family and they didn’t think they would have any future. This is showing that they do have a future.”

 

Sample Texts:

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You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
– Leviticus (Vayikra) 19:32


 

When two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, God is the electricity that surges between them.
– Martin Buber



 

 

Scribe, Marseille, France, 2006

This sofer (scribe) in Marseille, France, is writing a Torah scroll. A kosher Torah scroll must be written by hand by a trained scribe, using quill pens, special ink, and parchment made from animal skin. The scribe cannot simply write the Torah from memory; he must carefully copy every word from an existing Torah. It can take as long as one year to write a single Torah scroll.

Marseille is the second largest city in France, and it’s home to the third largest Jewish community on the European continent. Jews lived there as early as the 6th century. During the Middle Ages, Jewish merchants settled in the lower part of the city near the port, trading with Jews and Christians from around the Mediterranean region. The Jews were granted the status of citizens and in the 14th century even given special consideration—for example, they were exempted from having to sweep in front of their houses on Saturday and from having to carry a lantern after curfew on Jewish holidays. In the 15th – 17th centuries, however, the Jews of Marseille faced a number of persecutions. The Jewish population dropped considerably by the 18th century but began to grow again in the 19th century. During the Holocaust, the city was in the unoccupied part of France. Jews from other parts of Europe and North Africa took refuge there and helped rebuild the community after the war. Since the Holocaust, the Jewish community of Marseille has continued to grow, with the arrival of many Jewish immigrants from North Africa.

 

Sample Texts:

Have a beautiful scroll of the Law prepared, copied by an able scribe with fiŒne ink and Œfine calamus; and wrapped in beautiful silk.
– Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 133b


 

The Torah and all its commandments in their minutest details, as expressed in thought and deed, for a great and mighty Divine poem, a poem of confiŒdent trust and love. Every commandment and law has a unique musical quality that the congregation of Israel perceives and appreciates. It evokes the blossoms of reverent joy and song within us. It is for us to remove the warts from the ears of our sons, “the thorns and thistles that surround the noble fl‰ower,” so that the waves of song will echo in their hearts as well, uplifting their souls with the same natural exaltation that is common to all in whom the spirit of Judaism is properly developed.
– Abraham Isaac Kook, quoted in Banner of Jerusalem by Jacob B. Agus

 

 

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