Teaching Judaism with Joy?

What does it mean when something is "fun"?  You laughed?  You didn't think about homework, credit cards, or global warming for an hour?  You created a memory or had an experience that will last a lifetime?

What does "joy" mean?  Is it the same as fun?  Different?  How so?

I often hear people talk about religious school at synagogue not being any "fun" and how the kids or parents or whoever want it to be more "fun".  Or that if we do an activity where maybe the play a game or get up and move around while learning something Jewish, that is that is more "fun".

But I don't think that is what the kids or whoever mean.  It may be "fun" but it is really "joy" that they are looking for or experiencing.  A sense that the Jewish experience they are have or material they are learning is having an inspiring, uplifting, and lasting impact on them - that's what they are calling "fun" but it is really more than that.

As we prepare here at NSJC for a new school year, we are working hard to put the "Joy" back in th "Teaching Judaism".  In big ways and small, you'll be seeing how that plays out.

Register your kids today for Jewish Learning at NSJC, Teaching Judaism with Joy: