Year 9 World Religions Learning

At a recent interfaith event attended by members of the Religious Education Department at NSW State Parliament House, Rabbi Zalman from the organisation Together For Humanity said, “We need more options other than to tolerate or hate.” As he spoke these words, I felt the significance of these very deeply. As an educator, I know the power of education. Educare (Latin) means to “bring out” or “nourish”, “to draw out”, “to make manifest”. What is it that we as educators are drawing out of the students? What do we hope that they come to know and understand? What are we wanting to illuminate for them, and what will they be illuminated by?

In Religious Education in Year 9 we focus on learning about some of the Religions of the World. This term we have been learning about the oldest of the monotheistic faiths, Judaism. Judaism is an ancient religion that Christianity emerged from through the teachings of Jesus, himself a Jewish man. We hope to illuminate and draw out of the students an awareness of the different ways that human beings have approached and answered questions of meaning and purpose in life. We hope to illuminate the many varied and unique ways that cultures practice their traditions and express their spiritualties and to promote dialogue through understanding. We know that through dialogue and understanding, we can begin to create more options for humanity so that we can work through questions about what seemingly divides us and more significantly, to realise and discover our common shared humanity. We want there to be a range of options to help heal our world! And as an educator, I am confident that the answers are not necessarily the ones that I have. I am confident that the students in their, and through their education, they arrive at these themselves, and educate us about their world in turn!

In Term 3, our focus will be learning about Islam and the way it ties in and connects with Judaism and Christianity in a shared worldview and understanding of the belief in One God, as well as rituals and beliefs specific to its own faith. In Term 4 we will end the year with a study of women in Religion; a multifaith approach to the question of what spirituality and faith is to women, and how they have and continue to form and shape it and give expression to it through their active roles and participation in faith traditions.

For a taster of the learning we do in Religious Education, please read the response written by Pascale Otton in her Year 9 exam on Judaism and the significance of the festival of Passover for contemporary society. I think you will agree with me that she has thought deeply about the question, was well prepared for the task and shows a level of insight that we can all learn from! Well done Pascale on the beautifully written piece, especially as it was done under examination conditions!

Dynielle Whitney
Head of Religious Education

In our modern world, we still see people who are oppressed and without freedom. How do we overcome such challenges? Jewish people are able to look to their past to seek the answers of their future. Passover is a festival celebrating the freedom and autonomy of Jewish People and the formation of the Jewish Nation. This powerful story of hope and resilience still echoes in the hearts of people today. Jewish people can use this example from their past as a model for the future.

Passover is celebrated over 8 days, during which no leavened products are eaten. However, the main celebration is the seder on the first night. On the seder, special foods are eaten symbolically to help tell the story of Passover. For example, green vegetables called karpas are dipped in salty water to symbolise the tears shed by people enslaved in Egypt. The maror is bitter herbs eaten to represent the bitterness of life in slavery, and the charoset is a thick mixture of nuts and apples which remembers the cement the people had to mix as part of their labour in slavery. These symbolic foods enhance the story told at the Passover Seder.

Although Passover has ancient origins, it is still the most celebrated Jewish festival today. This is because the connection to their past provides Jewish people with hope, unity and identity. The exodus of their people from slavery is a powerful story of hope, courage and resilience which resonates with Jewish People today, providing them with a sense of hope. The celebration of Passover unites people, as they come together to commemorate their history. Through remembering their ancestors, Jewish people are reminded of where they came from, to help provide a strong sense of identity.

Passover is also important to preserve Judaism. Through the annual celebrations, these principles of Judaism are not lost to history, instead they are shared with the next generations, who will remember the story.

Finally, Passover is an important festival as it provides Jewish people with answers for the future. Through remembering the pain of their slavery, they know not to enslave others. Through remembering their oppression, they avoid oppressing others. And through remembering their hopes, they know to remain hopeful. So, while the festival has ancient origins, it still has enduring significance today.

Our modern world can be scary. The future can be scary. But in looking forward we must look to history, so we can learn. The story of Passover can serve as a model for the future. It provides Jewish people with a sense of certainty in an uncertain world, a sense of hope in hopeless times and that is why Passover is such a significant ritual in Judaism today.