"Educate a child according to his way, and even when he grows old; he will not depart form it"
Neshama Center, of the Roaring Fork Valley, is dedicated to presenting our Jewish heritage in a way that enriches every adult and child in a warm and accepting atmosphere. Our goal is to teach Jewish tradition in a way that is intelligent, inspiring, and relevant to the life of every student. All classes are offered to our valley residents in either on-on-one or small group classes.
Bar / Bat Mitzvah
Our B'nai Mitzvah program designed to guide students and families through their own learning and growth abilities. The program includes Torah, Prayers, Mitzvah's, and tradition. Once completed, they can lead the congregation in worship in there Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and in their congregations throughout the year. The program is based on personal tutoring and is individualized to each family's needs and preferences. Long distance learning via Skype and Zoom is available. We can take your family to celebrate your Bar and Bat Mitzvah in Israel as well.
Testimonials
My Torah portion is Vayikra. It is all about allowing people to ask for forgiveness through sacrifice. The word sacrifice in Hebrew is Corban and it means to get closer to hashem or someone you care about in your life. From my perspective, sacrifice is not only sacrificing animals or things, it is also giving my time to help other people. Sacrifice releases the guilt and regret that you withhold with you. Sacrifice is not only for mistakes that you make, it is also a way the we show our appreciation to hashem for the life that we live and the good in this world.
What I learned from all of these Torah portions is that we should help, respect, and honor each other and continue the tradition that our family teaches us.
I would like to use quote from my Torah Portion to emphasize the reason for blessing the food before and after we eat. "Man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord does man live".
This quote highlights that we bless the food that we eat not only to thank the food itself but to be grateful for the energy and life it gives to us. One interpretation to help understand this is that food has two "sides": the physical side and the spiritual side; like the manna that is the food that came from heaven for the people who traveled in the desert for 40 years until they entered into the land of Israel. Now that we live in Israel, instead of manna we have the 7 species.
According to Jewish mysticism the 7 species each have special qualities that can relate to us as humans. Here are the 7 species and the qualities they each embody: Grapes = happiness, holiness and truth within us. Honey comes from the dates and it makes you healthy, strong and to believe in yourself. Oil = harmony, light and peace. Fig = knowledge and wisdom. Pomegranate = mitzvahs, relationships. Barley = physical side of each one of us. Wheat = spiritual and faith in each one of us. All qualities of these 7 species can be compared to human beings, like it says in the Torah "kee ha adam hoo etz hasade". "The man is like a tree in the field".