Torah Scholars and Interpreters in Anafim

Anafim began the third theme of the year this past week, Hashavat Aveidah (returning lost objects) by examining the biblical verses which command that one not hide from the responsibility of returning objects to the owner. Anafim had quite the task ahead of them as they thought through how the biblical verses could help them figure out to what to in real live situations! Each child illustrated a comic strip that seemed to follow the instructions of the Torah.

Yet, as the Anafimers shared their personal stories of losing things (or their parents’ stories), question about how to return objects arose. Anafimers asked: “What if the original owner died?”, “What if a person waited ten years to return an object but the owner never claimed it?”, “How exactly can one care for an object like an i-pad or a wallet?” With these questions on the Anafimers’ minds, the Anafimers brainstormed ways that they could figure out the details that the Torah leaves unanswered. Anafimers decided that in the coming weeks we will use the resources of Jewish books, the early Rabbis teachings, our family and friends, and our own brains to guide us through figuring out how we can live up to the Torah instructions not to hide from the responsibility of returning lost objects!