MY FAMILY
THE BETA ISRAEL CURRICULUM
HOPE IN JUDAISM
Before exploring the Beta Israel’s unique traditions, students must first understand the centrality of the concept of hope in Jewish teachings, both as it applies to the Beta Israel, and beyond.
Within this context, students should read the quotations below and, after reflection, write an original poem about hope in Judaism from their own perspective (which they should be encouraged to share with class).
| Quotation | Author | Source |
| “As long as there is life, there is hope” | Rabbi Yochanan (second century CE) | Jerusalem Talmud Berachot 9:1 |
| “Hope is the source of all happiness” | Philo of Alexandria (20 BCE) | On Rewards and Punishment II |
| “G-d desires not… sacrifices, but hope” | Anonymous | Midrash Tehillim 40:2 |
| “Even when you are in the midst of great suffering do not give up hope” | Rashi (1040-1105 CE) | Commentary to Pirkei Avot 1:7 |
| “I am a Jew because in every age when the cry of despair is heard, the Jew hopes” | Edmond Fleg (1874-1963) | Why I am a Jew p. 94 |
| “Hope is a conviction, rooted in trust… an ability to soar above the darkness that overshadows the divine” | Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) | Israel and Echo of Eternity p. 94 |
| “It is forbidden for us to lose hope” | Miriam Peretz (b. 1954) | Statement by Israel Prize Laureate |
| “Despair is not a Jewish emotion: ‘od lo avda tikvatenu’: our hope, we say, has never been destroyed” | Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020) | Will we have Jewish Grandchildren? p. 19 |
| “Hope is the narrow bridge across which we must walk if we are to pass from slavery to redemption, from the valley of death to the open spaces of new life” | Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020) | The Chief Rabbi’s Haggadah (essays) p. 96 |
| “Israel is the country whose national anthem, Hatikva, means hope. Israel is the home of hope” | Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020) | Israel – Home of Hope (CD) |
