by Rabbi Ilana Baden and Rabbi Jody Cook, Tiferet Segel (Faculty)

Tiferet Bet’s theme and inspiration this year is the Book of Psalms, otherwise known as T’hillim.  Many of these 150 works of poetry, which often start with Mizmor L’David (“A Song of David”), are incorporated into our daily liturgy and popular songs.  The words and phrases in the psalms have provided countless generations with a treasure trove of expressions for moments of joy, praise, thanksgiving, struggle, and sadness.

For three weeks now, the chanichim (campers) have been delving into the text and interpreting these beautiful works of poetry through visual art, music, and drama.  Recently, we asked the eidah (unit) to deconstruct some of the t’hillim we have studied and create original psalms that describe their experience in OSRUI and Tiferet.  We were impressed with how the chanichim poured their creative energy into this project, and we are pleased to share some of their psalms with you.

Rabbi Ilana Baden serves as Senior Rabbi at Temple Chai in Long Grove, IL. Rabbi Jody Cook serves as Director of Education at Sinai Temple in Champaign, IL.