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J-Teen Theme Ideas for 2016-2017
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J-Teen Theme Ideas for 2016-2017
Kavannah or Intention

א' המרבה וא' הממעיט ובלבד שיכוין לבו בתחנוניו כי טוב מעט בכוונה מהרבות בהם שלא בכוונה.

One should direct one's heart toward heaven in one's prayers, for a small amount of prayer with kavanah, or intention, is greater than a lot of prayer without kavanah.

In the context of J-Teen, what could prayer mean? How is intention present in our work?
The Power of Action

(טו) שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה תוֹרָתְךָ קְבַע. אֱמֹר מְעַט וַעֲשֵׂה הַרְבֵּה...

Shammai says: Make your Torah permanent: say little and do much...

What does he mean by making Torah permanent? How does "doing" make Torah permanent?
The Necessity of Proper Sustenance

אם אין קמח, אין תורה .אם אין תורה, אין קמח.

If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour. (17)

What is Torah (broadly)? What is the relationship between sustenance and "Torah"?
The Importance of Justice
(כ) צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־ה' אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ (ס)

Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you

Piddyon Shvuyim: Redeeming Captives The Greatest Mitzvah

(י) פִּדְיוֹן שְׁבוּיִים קוֹדֵם לְפַרְנָסַת עֲנִיִּים וְלִכְסוּתָן. וְאֵין לְךָ מִצְוָה גְּדוֹלָה כְּפִדְיוֹן שְׁבוּיִים שֶׁהַשָּׁבוּי הֲרֵי הוּא בִּכְלַל הָרְעֵבִים וְהַצְּמֵאִים וַעֲרוּמִּים וְעוֹמֵד בְּסַכָּנַת נְפָשׁוֹת.

Redeeming captives takes precedence over feeding and clothing the poor. And there is no commandment as great as redeeming captives, for a captive is among the hungry, thirsty, naked, and is in mortal danger.

כָּל רֶגַע שֶׁמְּאַחֵר לִפְדּוֹת הַשְּׁבוּיִים, הֵיכָא דְּאֶפְשָׁר לְהַקְדִּים, הָוֵי כְּאִלוּ שׁוֹפֵךְ דָּמִים.

Every moment that one delays redeeming captives, where it is possible to do it sooner, it is as if one is spilling blood.

How does our work reflect pidyon shvuyyim? To what lengths can we realistically go to fulfill this mitzvah? If there are limits, how do we augment them?