Soup Kitchen, New York City, USA, 1992 © Zion Ozeri
1) How does this photograph make you feel?
2) What do you think about the role of a soup kitchen in a community?
3) What other title and caption or midrash might you suggest for this image?
(ב) שִׁמְעוֹן הַצַּדִּיק הָיָה מִשְּׁיָרֵי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד, עַל הַתּוֹרָה וְעַל הָעֲבוֹדָה וְעַל גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים:
(2) Shimon the Righteous was one of the last of the men of the great assembly. He used to say: the world stands upon three things: the Torah, service, and the practice of acts of lovingkindness.
Understanding:
The Great Assembly was an important component of Jewish religious leadership in ancient times, and played a key role in passing down ideas from earlier in Jewish history.
1) What do you think it means for the world to "stand on" certain things?
2) "Service" in this Mishnah is often understand as a reference to the services in the Temple in Jerusalem many years ago, but that no longer applies to our world. "Torah" and "acts of loving kindness" might be easier to understand. Can you think of an example of each of these that is still important today?
3) If you had to choose three thing that uphold your world, what would they be?
Reflecting:
Help build a digital scrapbook by adding your own image or Midrash, with a caption, here, in response to these questions:
1) What do they ideas or actions that are core to your world look like?
2) What would you most want to inspire others to prioritize in their beliefs and actions?
