Neviim & Ktuvim

Goal: Chanichim should see why Avimelech is such a terrible leader and what negative leadership traits we learn from him, and what happens when no one appropriate steps up to fill a leadership role.

Goal: Through the story of Gidon, the chanichim will discuss the issues of:

When its acceptable for a leader to step down.

Striking a balance as a leader between helping the community and taking time for yourself.

Goal: The chanichim should understand why Pilgesh B’Givah was such a horrible event – because it happened in a Jewish town by Jewish people, and how absence of leadership in Am Israel at this time allowed this to happen.

Goals:

The chanichim should understand the different stages of the Shoftim cycle and how it differs from the system of Melucha-Galut.

The chanichim should understand the general structure of Sefer Shoftim and how it is in a downhill spiral.

Intro: In our last shiur we saw how Am Israel failed to fulfill their mission by Yehoshua and left a lot of the land unconquered. Then the Malach came to them in the beginning of Perek Bet to yell at them for not fulfilling their job, and not taking initiative to conquer the rest of the land.

Now we move onto a 2nd problem which is a direct consequence of Bnei

Israel not taking initiative to conquer the land. There are now many, many avodah zara worshipping members of the 7 nations hanging out around Jewish towns in Eretz

Israel.  They start influencing Bnei

Israel to do Avodah Zara as well.

(Feel free to get into a discussion here about peer pressure, when are we influenced by our environments and when not, how do you balance being in an environment where people around you have different values {public school, secular college, a rougher chevra}  and maintaining your values and individuality…etc).

Goals:

The chanichim will discuss what leadership characteristics we can see in Gidon, and why he was chosen to be the Shofet.

The chanichim will discuss why Gidon refused at first to accept the leadership of being a shofet, and if this is an appropriate response. They will discuss the questions: How does one balance being humble with stepping up to be a leader? How does one go from doubting oneself as a leader to realizing their potential?