Before we begin to analyze the film, which I hope you enjoyed. I'd like to start with a story, a personal story, that highlights for me the importance of engaging with young children and theological questions. This happened many years ago, when our oldest daughter who was at the time she was five years old. I would go over with her, the Parashat [inaudible] , the weekly portion. We started with the beginning, with the opening Pasha, the opening chapters of Genesis. I told her what I thought with the straightforward story of Cain and Abel. I told her the story in a way that I thought was clear, that I thought would be understood and after I go through this whole story, she looks at me she says, "Abba, I have a problem with this story." Now, as soon as a five year old says that they have a problem with the story, the problem doesn't remain their problem but rather it becomes my problem. So, she says the following, "Abba, you said that Abel brought a very important gift to God, is that correct?" So, I said, "Absolutely, that's what I said." She said, "And Abba you also said that Cain brought a less good present to God, is that correct?" I said, "Absolutely." I said, "What's the problem?" She said, "Abba, there's a real problem here." I said, "What's the problem?" She said, "The following is the problem, Abba. If Cain brought a gift which wasn't so great and Abel brought a great gift, then how come in the end of the story, Abel is the one who gets killed and Cain is the one who remains alive? Abba, explain it to me." So, I started to stammer and I said, "Okay, well, what do you think of that?" She looks at me and says, "Abba, don't play that game. I know that game. You've been playing that game with me for many, for a long time. "So, I said, "So, go and ask your mother." She said, "You also told me that when you don't have an answer." Then I said, "Okay, I really don't have an answer. Have you discuss this with your ganenet, with your kindergarten teacher." She looks at me and she says, "Sure, Abba. I asked my ganenet the same question." I said, "Great, what did she answer?" She said, "My ganenet said, we don't have time for those kind of questions in our kindergarten." Now, the reason that I share that story is, several fold. One is, that I believe young children are capable of and want to discuss theological issues. Two, I want to share with you, the way I totally mishandled this educational opportunity, and not only did I mishandle it, but the ganenet also mishandled it. That's a critical lesson for me that I'd like to share with you as well. Therefore, when we think about theological questions, children are capable, curious, and able to ask very penetrating and important theological questions. The question that my daughter, [inaudible] was asking is the classical philosophical question that theologians throughout the ages have wrestled with. The fact that I wasn't able to respond to her, is something that I need to work on, is something that I'd like to share with you as well. In line of viewing this video that I hope that you enjoyed, I'd like you to think about, what strikes you about the way that children speak about God. When I saw this video, I said to myself, "Wow, these children are really very curious. They're asking so many different types of questions in such a candid, open, and curious way." That, I find to be very striking and important. Two, what topics do the children raise in theological conversation? Well, there's a wide range and that's the beauty of this. They relate to the more immediate questions, understandings, et cetera. But they also relate to the larger questions. There's one young child there, who deals with food because that's obviously very important to him. But that's legitimate, that's wonderful. But here we see the range of questions and the enthusiasm and the curiosity that surfaces. What questions remain unanswered? Well, we have several different questions that remain unanswered, because those are questions that don't have immediate answers and that's perfectly legitimate. That's something that I'd like to share and re-emphasize over and over again. A very legitimate answer to a question can be, "I do not know the answer to this question." I always cite that, perhaps one of the greatest pedagogues in Jewish history, Rashi. At the end of Parashat Toledot, there is a verse there which raises a question. It's not important what the question is, but Rashi says, "There is clearly an issue here in the text that I don't understand." Then he says the following. He says, "I don't know what this verse is teaching us." Now, we know very clearly that Rashi does not explain every verse in the Torah. So, Rashi could've just skipped over this verse but yet he doesn't. Rather than skipping over this verse, he says, "I don't know what this means." There is a very clear and critical educational message that a very legitimate and important response to questions is, I don't know what this means. That doesn't absolve me from continuing to explore, but in other words what it does do is, it legitimizes the possibility that I don't know now, but I will continue to think, I will continue to search for different answers over the course of time. Therefore, when we say what questions remain unanswered, some questions will remain unanswered and that's perfectly legitimate. How might do you use this video in a teaching setting? Well, I'd like to challenge you to think. Are these the questions that you heard these children asking in the video. Are those questions that your children ask? Would you share this video with your students in order to help them understand that these are legitimate and very important questions? Would you be prepared to share this with other teachers, with parents in order to encourage them to pursue a line of theological questioning and exploration in order to make the biblical texts? That's much more meaningful and relevant for their students. What I'd like to ask you to do now is, I'd like you to take a few minutes and review the following text, Genesis 18:1-15. Take a look at this story and try to understand what are some of the critical ideas, questions, concepts that surface for you as you look at this text on the one hand as an adult reader, just for your own understanding. Then take another look at the text and try to think about, where are some of the educational issues, questions and ideas that surfers for you as a teacher that will be teaching this text at some point in time. So, enjoy the text and we will continue with an analysis of this in the next section of this lesson. Thank you.
