Eve Shalen, Talmud and Middle School

This talmudic proverb was the backdrop for some very interesting conversations on Tuesday. We started class by hearing Eve Shalen tell of an experience she had in 8th grade:

Eve's experience is one that we discussed, and particularly turned our thoughts to whether we have ever felt as if "often being accepted by others is far more satisfying than being accepted by oneself."

We continued our learning about human behavior by turning our thoughts to several talmudic quotes about treating others. First, we shared on butcher paper whether we agreed or disagreed, and then continued class with a discussion about our thoughts. Of course, we also paused for a picture!

We spent a good amount of time discussing the talmudic quote, "It is easy to make an enemy; harder to make a friend." Students shared that being mean, or not being an upstander, can sometimes be easier than standing up for a friend, or reaching out to make a new one.

We finished with a quick "check-in," going around and sharing something happening in our life, and said shavua tov—until next week!