Nitzanim Blog 2026-27

October 11 Family Learning and B. Mitzvah: Bal Tashchit

Every month we’ll be sharing here on the blog about what our age groups are doing at each program! Read on to find out what we were up to at our first program of the year.

Lauren: The Pre-K and Kindergarten group will touch on holidays this year, as well as Gemilut Chasadim. We opened with a story circle with an imagination of the arrival of the Shabbat queen, including a cape and crown for those who wanted to take a turn wearing them, and together we sang Lecha Dodi. The children each painted a set of wooden Shabbat candlesticks to take home. Then we shifted into our theme of the day, Bal Tashchit: caring for the environment, with a snack and story time. Each child made an upcycled bird feeder to take home, along with a bag of birdseed. We took a nature walk and picked up trash as a way to tend to the Earth. Lastly, the children received the kindness pouches to which they will add a heart-shaped stone each time we gather together and learn more about Gemilut Chasadim/Loving Kindness.

Alice: First and second grades started off the day by discussing the Jewish value of Bal Tashchit and how this teaches us to take care of our planet. Students then embarked on their monthly Hebrew letter learning journey & made bird feeders out of recycled materials. We wrapped up our day with our year-long project of making pocket-sized tins full of Jewish values!

Sophie: The 3-4-5 class had a wonderful first session! We took a scavenger-hunt walk through the park, where we came upon two oak stumps being used as storage for a woodpecker pair. One of our students, Ezra, shared his incredible knowledge about Usnea, a genus of lichen. So cool! We discussed the importance of observing the natural world around us so that we know how to protect it. We discussed the three ancient Hebrew laws of the harvest that minimize waste and destruction of valuable resources. We ended our session by designing scout-style badges that represent Bal Taschit. We will continue to design and create these badges as we learn about the many types of Gmilut Chasadim!

America: In my half of the B. Mitzvah time, we started exploring Jewish values with B'tzelem Elohim. What in the world (or our hearts) is a value? What are ways we experience God— a complex word that holds a space for so many versions of some-/every-thing/one and maybe isn’t a belief we all have, and might be all Life or Love, and is personal… So then, what does it mean in everyday practice to think of each person as made in the image of God/the divine? Then we led each other around the land one with eyes closed, the other guiding them toward something beautiful or interesting and then saying: open your eyes and look in the mirror! The person opening their eyes was using their imagination to see a leaf or landscape or lichen as their own reflection.
Brandon: In Sunday’s class, we explored the importance of blessings in Jewish life and how they help us practice everyday gratitude, sharing some of the daily moments we are thankful for along the way. A major focus of our lesson was learning about the Barechu and its role as the call to worship in the service.

Reb Irwin: At the Parent Circle we also learned ancient Jewish agricultural practices and then, working in chevruta (pairs), we looked at the field of our own lives — what we have harvested, what we have forgotten, and what is fruiting in the far corners, for when we need it.

Elul 5786 by Lauren

The Hebrew month of Elul begins in the dark of the new moon on Thursday, August 13, at sundown. My annual touchstone for this month (and the rest of the High Holiday season) is the book This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared by Rabbi Alan Lew z”l. Every year, different passages jump out at me as particularly relevant and meaningful. “Every day, I have to look at a very precise record of what is really important to me, what my priorities really are - a very different matter, in most cases, from what I imagine them to be. The truth of our lives is reflected in everything we do, and if we focus on even one small part of our lives, it brings up the entire truth of it.”

This reflection dovetails well with our preparations for a new year of learning in Nitzanim. My colleagues and I are working hard behind the scenes, and we are eager not just to bring meaningful, timely, and rich Jewish learning to our families, but also to partner with you in creating your family culture. When you leave the woods or the synagogue or the park after our programs, and head home to live out the fulfilling challenge of parenting within the truth of your own life, we hope that the support and Jewish wisdom you receive at Nitzanim can be of real use to you.

This year we’re working with various aspects of Gemilut Hasadim, loosely translated as Lovingkindness. We’re here to come alongside one another in the hardest and most beautiful moments, when we are helping our children grow into ethical, strong, and capable people, and when we are refreshing and updating our own priorities and discovering the truth of our lives again and again, as family and parenting demand. One of the amazing things about our tradition is that it is as fresh and current as it is ancient. And it needs each one of us. In a time when so many are feeling lost and unmoored by modern life, we are so lucky to have each other, and this deep, amazing community we’re building one sweet craft, one heartfelt parent circle, and one B. Mitzvah retreat at a time.

Wishing you a meaningful Elul, and so excited to embark on the next year together,

The Nitzanim Team