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.

November 6, 2020:

This Sunday the students enjoyed seeing Rabbi Wise who joined us at Ohr Chadash. 

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 Vayera 

It was three days after his Brit Milah and Avraham was still recovering. Avraham always loved to do the Mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim – having guests, so he sat by the entrance of his tent looking for passing travelers. Hashem didn’t want to trouble Avraham with guests while he was sick, so Hashem made the sun very hot that day. Hashem saw how sad Avraham was not having any guests so He sent three melachim – angels disguised as people to visit Avraham .  Each of these three melachim had a special mission. One was sent to heal Avraham and save Lot. The second was sent to tell Sarah that she would have a baby and the third malach was sent to destroy the city of Sodom.

When Avraham saw the three strangers coming, he ran to greet them. From Avraham we learn how a person acts when they truly love doing the mitzvot. Avraham served them his finest food. He had Yishmoel help to teach him the mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim. The malach then blessed Sarah to have a baby. When she heard this news, she  began to laugh. 

After the melachim left, Hashem told Avraham that He was going to destroy the cities of Sodom and Amorah because they were wicked. Avraham asked Hashem not to destroy these cities if there were at least 10 Tzadikim – righteous people living there. When the melachim arrived in Sodom, no one would invite them in. Lot invited them in and fed them. The people of the city surrounded his house and demanded Lot give them his guests. The melachim made all of these wicked people become blind. They told Lot to run away because they were going to destroy the city and he was instructed not to look back. Lot, his wife and two daughters ran from Sodom, but Lot’s wife turned back to look. She turned into a pillar of salt, but Lot and his daughters escaped. Later on, each daughter had a son. One started the nation of Moav and the other started the nation of Amon. 

After a year passed, Sarah had a son. They called him Yitzchok which means laughter. Avraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 when they gave birth to Yitzchok. Yitzchok had his Brit Milah when he was 8 days old. As they grew older, Yishmoel often did things which set a bad example or were dangerous. This caused Sarah to advise Avraham to send Hagar and Yishmoel away. Hashem told Avraham to listen to his wife, Sarah. Sadly, Avraham sent them away into the desert. Yishmoel had a fever so Hagar had to carry him. When the water ran out, Hagar left her son under some bushes and cried. Hashem told her not to worry because he would someday become a great nation. They lifted their eyes and saw a well full of water so they drank. 

One day Hashem told Avraham to take Yitzchok and bring him as a sacrifice on a certain mountain. (The mountain was Mt. Moriah, the future site of the Beit HaMikdosh – Temple.) Avraham woke up early in the morning and took Yitzchok, some wood, some fire and a knife. When they arrived at the mountain, Yitzchok asked, “Where is the animal for the sacrifice?” Avraham responded, “Hashem will show us a sacrifice, my son.” Avraham built the altar and tied up his son. Avraham was just about to sacrifice his son, when Hashem called to him, “Avraham, Avraham! Don’t touch the boy!” Avraham then noticed a ram caught in the bushes. He sacrificed it instead. We remind Hashem of the good deeds of our forefathers by blowing the Shofar – a ram’s horn on Rosh Hashanah.

Level 1 Questions and Answers

1a. How did Avraham approach the strangers who were standing nearby?

1b. Who were those strangers?

2. What Bracha did the malach give to Sarah?

3. What important Mitzvah do we learn from Avraham’s inviting the melachim to eat and drink?

4. What were the names of the cities whose people did bad things to other people?

5. What did Hashem do to those cities?

6a. Who was saved from Sodom?

6b. What did Lot’s wife do wrong?

6c. How was Lot’s wife punished?

7. What was the name of Sarah’s baby?

8. How old were Avraham and Sarah when Yitzchok was born?

9. How old was Yitzchok when he had his Brit Milah?

10. What difficult thing did Hashem tell Avraham to do to Yitzchok?

11. What did Avraham bring as an offering in place of Yitzchok?

12. What do we use that comes from a ram? When do we use it?

1a. Avraham ran (to greet and invite them). 1b. Three angels (melachim) 2. She would have a baby 3. Hachnasat Orchim – inviting guests 4. Sodom and Amorah 5. Hashem destroyed them 6a. Lot, his wife and two daughters 6b. She turned back and gazed at the destruction and suffering of others 6c. She turned into a pillar of salt. 7. Yitzchok 8. Avraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old 9. eight days old 10. To offer Yitzchok as a sacrifice to Hashem 11. A ram 12. The Shofar (a ram’s horn) on Rosh Hashanah.

Level 2 Questions and Answers

1. What were the missions of each of the three melachim?

2. In whose merit did Avraham ask Hashem to save the people of Sodom and Amorah? 

3. What nations were descended from Lot and his daughters?

4. What does the name Yitzchok mean?

5. Why did Sarah want to send Hagar and Yishmoel away?

6. At what location did the Akeidah take place?

1. To heal Avraham and to save Lot, destroy Sodom, inform Sarah that she will have a son. 2. The righteous who live there 3. Amon and Moav 4. Laughter 5. Because Yishmoel was demonstrating evil behaviour and would be a bad influence on Yitzchok 6. Eretz HaMoriayah, Yerushalyim (the sight of the Beit HaMikdosh)

• 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)