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CHAPTER EIGHT:Closing The Circle In Jewish Life Cycle: Rituals, Culture
And Us
Activities - Concluding Exercices
11. Summing Up a Life
(Up to one hour)
- Whip round the group to list some of the stages of the Jewish life
cycle examined in this programme.
- Divide the group up into sub-groups, according to the number of stages.
Each group receives one stage and should make a list of words or phrases
representing anything significant that they remember about the stage
in question. The list can include specific objects, rituals, values,
attitudes, or anything else of relevance.
- Each group presents their list, using it to jog the collective memory
of the whole group. The elements from each list and the review should
all be written up collectively on poster board or large sheets of paper.
- In pairs or small groups, participants should find and note those
items appearing on more than one list.
- As one group again, draw up a new list of the common elements and
discuss them all, using the following guidelines:
- Are they significant elements of a cultural system, or are
they marginal – even random?
This question opens a discussion about the elements of the Jewish
cultural system and allows the facilitator to suggest some of the
points mentioned in the closing chapter, above.
Explore whether the Jewish life cycle has a coherent core and what
that might comprise, suggesting ideas if the group does not bring
them up:
- Ask how important G-d is in the list.
- Is G-d the central element?
- Is G-d one central element?
- Is He Marginal?
- What about the idea of community?
- Introduce the excerpt from Kohelet.
- Does it shed any light on the Jewish attitude to life and
life cycle?
- What, if any, relevance does Kohelet have to the system?
- Finally, ask whether a person who has passed through the different
stages of the Jewish life cycle and has participated in the rituals
surrounding the various stages has gained something from the process.
If so, what?
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