Ohr Chadash Religious School, located in Queens, New York, is an example of a new model of supplementary Jewish education.

Comprised of a consortium of three Conservative synagogues in eastern Queens, Ohr Chadash combines classroom learning with experiential programming including ongoing opportunities throughout the year for parent, grandparent and guardian education as well as outstanding Shabbat experiences for young people.

October 22, 2020: This Sunday we welcomed the students back to Ohr Chadash after our Succot break. The children enthusiastically learned with each of their teachers and we look forward to seeing everyone again this Sunday. The students enjoyed seeing Rabbi Kogan who joined us at Ohr Chadash. He went to each group, and sharing with the children inspirational words of Torah.

The four groups are the Kochavim (our youngest division), Chalutzim (our middle division), Giborim (our remote learners) and the Chaverim (our oldest division). 

The Giborim (Remote learners) should click the zoom link below. They will remain in the same zoom link throughout the day.

Join Zoom Meeting. https://zoom.us/j/95127876348

Meeting ID: 951 2787 6348

Below is a grid for Sunday’s classes.

Please remember to have your child bring a healthy snack and a water bottle to Hebrew school. We will have snack at the beginning of period 3 at 11:00 am. 

Each week we’ll include a Parsha summary and a section of questions and answers related to the week’s Torah portion. As part of the opening assembly, we’ll ask the students the questions below to test their knowledge on the Parsha. Please print this section out and review with your children over Shabbat.

Parshat Noach

In the ten generations from Adam until Noach, the people forgot Hashem and became more and more evil.  One of their actions that was especially evil was stealing. Hashem decided to destroy mankind with a Mabul – flood. Hashem decided to save Noach and his family because he was the only Tzadik. He told Noach to build a Teivah – an ark, to survive the Mabul. (It took a long time to build the Teivah. When people asked, Noach explained that Hashem was destroying the world because they were bad. The people just laughed at Noach and threatened him.) 

In the Torah, there is another person who was saved in a Teivah. But this person was a baby when he was saved. His Teivah floated him down a river. Can you guess who it is? Moshe!

The Torah calls Noach, “Righteous in his generation.”  Some people say this means he was so righteous that the evil people of his generation could not influence him to be bad.  Others say,  he was only righteous compared to the evil people of his generation.  If Noach had lived in Avraham’s generation, Noach would not be considered special. (Which opinion do you agree with more?)

Noach had three sons: Shem, Cham and Yefet. They helped Noach build the Teivah. The entire Teivah was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubit high. (A cubit is the length from your elbow to your fingertips.) The Teivah had three stories: The top story was for people. The middle was for the animals. The bottom was for the garbage.

When Noach was 600 years old, Hashem brought the Mabul. Two of every non-kosher animal and seven of every kosher animal came into the Teivah. 

It rained for 40 days and 40 nights until the tops of the mountain were covered. Only eight people were left: Noach and his wife, Sheim and his wife, Cham and his wife and Yefet and his wife. The water began to evaporate, but it took  many months. Noach sent a raven to see if there was dry land  but the raven came back. After a week, Noach sent a dove. The dove came back with an olive branch in its mouth. The next week, the dove did not return. As thanks, Noach brought a sacrifice to Hashem. Hashem showed Noah and his family a rainbow and promised never to destroy the world with water again. Noach planted grape vines and crushed the grapes into wine. He became so drunk that he fell down in his tent. Cham and his son Canaan saw Noach. They ran to  tell their brothers. Sheim and Yefet came to help their father. They walked into his tent backwards so as not to disgrace him. Noach blessed Sheim and Yefet, and he cursed Cham and Canaan.

After a few generations, the people began to multiply. They became evil and decided to rebel against Hashem. To protect themselves from Hashem’s punishment, they started building a great tower. Hashem saw their evil and decided to confuse their languages and scatter them throughout  the world. 

Ten generations after Noach,  we are introduced to Avram. Avram did a lot of thinking and figured that there must be one G-d. Avram married Sarai, the daughter of Haran. The Midrash tells us that Avram’s father, Terach, had an idol shop. Avram smashed all the idols and made it look as if they had been fighting. Terech took Avram to King Nimrod who decided to throw Avram into a fiery furnace. Avram’s brother Haran watched and waited. “If Avram is saved, then I will be on his side. If Avram is burnt up, then I will be on their side,” Haran thought. Avram was thrown in and survived. His clothes did not even smell like fire! “I am with Avram!” declared Haran. Haran was thrown in as well, but unlike his brother, he died in the fiery furnace. Avram and Sarai then decided to take care of Haran’s son,  Lot. 

Parsha Questions Level 1

1. Who was described as a “completely righteous man in his generation?
2. Name the sons of Noach.
3. What is the Hebrew word for flood?
4. What is the Hebrew name for Noach’s Ark?
5. Why did Hashem punish the people of Noach’s generation?
6. Why did Hashem save Noach and his family?
7. How many of each animal were brought into the Ark?
8. How old was Noach when the flood began?
9. How long did the flood rains last?
10. What promise did Hashem make regarding the rainbow?
11. What was the tower of Bavel?
12. How many generations were there from Adam until Noach and from Noach until Avraham?

Answers

1. Noach
2. Sheim Cham and Yefet
3. Mabul
4. Teivah
5. They were corrupt (mainly theft)
6. Noach was a Tzadik
7. 2 of each Non-Kosher, 7 pairs of each Kosher animal
8. 600 years old
9. 40 days and nights
10. The rainbow will be a sign that Hashem remembers His promise not to bring another flood to destroy the world.
11. A tower built by the people in order to rebel against Hashem.
12. 10, 10

Level 2 Questions

1. What were the measurements of the Teivah?
2. A. How many stories (levels) did the Teivah have?
2. B. What was at each level?
3. Which people were saved from the Mabul? Be specific.
4. In which other narrative of the Torah, is there a story about a Teivah?
5. Two sons of Noach showed respect for their father; one did not. Identify the sons of Noach and tell what they did.
6. How did Hashem punish the people at the Tower of Bavel?

Answers

1. Length: 300 cubits; width: 50 cubits; height: 30 cubits (cubit=18-24 inches)
2. A. 3 B. Upper for humans; middle for animals; lower for waste
3. Noach, Sheim, Cham, Noach and their wives
4. Moshe, in a Teivah, was placed in the (Nile) river.
5. Cham saw his father lying naked in his tent. Cham left him uncovered and went out to tell his brothers. Sheim and Yefet walked into the tent backwards in order not to see the nakedness of their father and covered him.
6. He confused their language and scattered them throughout the land.

• Click Here for a section that remote learners can print out and have ready for Morah Judy’s class.

Rosh Hashanah Trivia Questions and Answers (Click Here)