Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. Teacher s Guide

Transcription

1 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays Teacher s Guide JOel Lurie Grishaver Torah Aura Productions

2 Copyright 2011 Torah Aura Productions. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Torah Aura Productions, 4423 Fruitland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA (800) BE-Torah (800) (323) fax (323) Visit the Torah Aura website at

3 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Introduction iii EXPERIENCING THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS Mostly, the Jewish holidays have been taught by having students learn about them and then being told their meaning. This book is designed to turn that around. It is designed to empower students to learn about the Jewish holidays by either celebrating them, or by rehearsing their celebration. It doesn t center on getting students to remember the vocabulary of the holidays. Instead it takes holiday experiences and empowers students to reflect on the requisite actions and make meaning. This is a curriculum of doing. The vision of this curriculum is facilitating the actual celebration of the Jewish holidays, not to be a preparation for those holidays. Knowing about the holidays doesn t particularly help you to celebrate them. Information can provide context. It can provide definition, but it doesn t generate the experience or the mastery of the actions. Judaism is a religion of mitzvot, actions. In Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, and Jewish English, we make Shabbat, Passover, and most other celebrations. This is a curriculum of making and developing proficiency at making. These actions are recorded with a layer of documentation, the development of a portfolio of the Jewish year, and then underscored with reflective practice. Not only do we do, but we take time to ask How did it feel? and Having done it, what does it now mean to you? This is experiencing and reflecting. It is not a curriculum about Jewish life, but a curriculum of Jewish living. Experiencing the Jewish holidays has three goals: a. To experience the actions, tastes, words, and symbols of each celebration. b. To invite students to reflect on the experiences and their meanings. c. To empower families to actively celebrate these Jewish opportunities. ACTION ADVENTURE Aristotle said, For the things we have to learn first before we can do them, we learn them best by doing them. Experiential education is learning through actual doing and then reflection on that which was experienced in the doing. John Dewey makes it clear that while experience is the trigger, reflection is the active ingredient. Dewey said, A non-educative experience is an experience where a person has not done any reflection Most famously he said, Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is not a preparation for life, but is life itself. In the Talmud we find a Jewish testimonial experiential learning. The Jewish tradition is big on having children experiment with behaviors they will inherit as responsibilities as adult. We are big on try a little bit of the horseradish. Here are a few examples. a. From the age of nine, children should begin by fasting a partial day on Yom Kippur. Fasting all day will become a responsibility at thirteen. b. While it takes a group of ten people who are older than thirteen to have a prayer service, groups of children are allowed to go through the service. This exemption is l shem hinukh (for educational purposes).

4 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Introduction iv c. Traditional Jewish men wear a small tallit under their shirts. While the obligation begins at Bar Mitzvah, the tradition suggests that a boy should begin wearing them as soon as he is toilet trained. We learn how to observe, by doing. Doing is the best kind of learning. FAMILY CONTEXT Traditional holiday curricula emphasize nomenclature. We teach the vocabulary of celebration. Unfortunately, in most cases, this terminology will never make it from short term memory into long term memory. This learning will not build a child s Jewish identity unless the information is perceived by the learner to be important. It needs to be in a living context. The best way to make sure that this happens, that knowledge and understanding of the Jewish holidays remains and becomes participation, is when the Jewish holidays are significant in the live of their families. We can work with the student. We can do exciting things. We can create experiences and discuss reactions. We can do everything that it is possible to do in a classroom, but the transformation from learning about to living dramatically changes when the family is involved Our best shot at family transformation is through active involvement of the entire family. We want to make family celebration of the holidays accessible, meaningful, and fun. We want to empower families to make the cycle of the Jewish year part of their way of living. This means that our client can t be just the child alone, but the whole family. TOOLS This curriculum is not about knowledge and not about attitude, but about change. It seeks to help the school form partnerships with the home and together enrich their Jewish life. That means we are looking for a number of different teachable moments. Ideally: a. We create experiences and reflection for students. b. We teach their parents parallel material on their level and from their perspective. c. We create family learning opportunities were students and parents experience and reflect together d. We evolve a synagogue culture that encourages and enables family practice. What this means is that this curriculum, in its ideal form, is bigger than the classroom, more than we can expect a single teacher to manage. Ideally it additionally involves a teacher for parents (perhaps once a month), it involves family education programming, and it involves the resources and support to invite and enable success at family participation in the Jewish year. If you are a classroom teacher, your focus is on the student material. In the best of all Jewish Educational universes you are working with an adult educator (maybe a rabbi), a family educator, and a synagogue committee that deals with welcoming families and engaging them in synagogue activities. If you are a whole school congregational educator, we are creating a cluster of resources that allow the school to create a dynamic, exciting, and transformative program. Here are the pieces: Student Text: This book defines the mastery of the Jewish holidays as the completion of a set of experiences. Tied to these experiences are a layer of documentation (a portfolio of the Jewish year) and a layer of reflection on these experiences. Matched with those holiday opportunities that can be

5 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Introduction v completed in the classroom are additional opportunities that are to be completed by the family at home. Teacher s Guide: A resource that includes (a) background information on the holidays, (b) advice on how to actualize the experience that are prompted by the text, (c) handouts and photocopy masters for certain activities, and (c) additional resources that allow teachers to customize and modify the activities. Parent Text: A parallel (classroom) resource for parents that: (a) parallels the learning done by students, (b) deepens the material and brings it to an adult level, (c) provides a resource for understanding the impact of the holidays on family processes, and (d) provides the basic resources for celebrating the holidays (blessings, recipes, etc.) Parent Text Teacher s Guide: This is the resource for the teacher that emphasizes creating parallel experiences and reflection for the parents on an adult level. Family Resources: A combination of print and online materials that (a) explain and clarify the family activities that surround the holiday celebrations, (b) that enable the completion of family opportunities, and that (c) facilitate the actual celebration of the holidays. Family Education Programs: This is a collection of family program that allow for the creation of holiday learning opportunities that emphasize experience and reflection. These programs remember that the most powerful pieces are that conversations that are created between parents and children. THE STUDENT CLASSROOM OPPORTUNITIES The core to each holiday is a set of actions that we call holiday opportunities. These actions represent the core behaviors for each of these celebrations and are often mitzvot. The methodology involves planning class sessions around projects and events that allow student to check-off: their opportunities. There are additional family opportunities that carrot parents into involving the family in holiday celebrations. The entire system is built around earning a sticker for each holiday that are earned by accomplishing enough. Here is an example: at the end of the Book of Esther, Mordechai prescribes four actions for the Jewish people (to practice to eternity) (a) Celebrating, (b) Hearing the Megillah, (c) Sending gifts to friends and family, and (d) Sending gifts to the poor. These are the four mitzvot of Purim. Our list of Purim Opportunities includes: Make a Purim Mask Examine a Megillah Make a Gragger Act out the Story of Purim Bake Hamantashen and Send Shelah Manot Use Purim as Tzedakah Opportunity At the same time we offer the following family opportunities: Make Purim Costumes Go to Purim Services Send Shelah Manot (food gifts to friends). Give Family Matanot l Ev yonim (gifts to the poor).

6 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Introduction vi In the technology of Behavioral Objectives there are primary objectives (these are the end goal of the objective) and there are enabling objectives (these are the behaviors that have to be mastered in order to begin accomplishing the primary objectives). In our list of opportunities, some are primary and some are enabling. We have Shelah Manot (gifts to friends) and Matanot L Ev yonim (gifts to the poor ) directly present in both sets of opportunities. The remainder of the opportunities lead up to either a meaningful hearing of the megillah or the general sense of the joy of celebration. OPPORTUNITIES The hardest decision a teacher has to make is determining how many opportunities have to be completed in order to complete the holiday study. Here is what should go into your thinking: a. This unit is designed for three minute session. Six opportunities can be checked-off by all students who attend all three classes. There are six student opportunities to be completed. b. Not all students will attend all three sessions. c. Family opportunities are not five minute affairs. They are designed to get the families to actually celebrate the opportunity. d. A family education program will be provided for each holiday. In each case one or two opportunities can be completed. e. Not all families will attend. In a very good class, 6 is a safe number. In an ordinary class 4 or 5 is safer. In a class with excellent parental participation, 7 might be an option. You will need to decide: (1) the time frame for this holiday, (2) what will be accomplished in a family education program (if you will have one for this holiday), and (3) the probable attendance. Knowing that you want 80 to 90 percent of your students to succeed (with a little bit of a stretch) you will set your number. PLAN AHEAD You should plan at least a whole holiday at once. You should consider all of the activities and know what resources and materials you will need. Family education events and events in the whole school calendar should also be part of the planning. The upside, this will be exciting, fun teaching. The downside, there will be a good deal of preparation for each lesson.

7 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 1 ROSH HA-SHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR ROSH HA-SHANAH OPPORTUNITIES Greet your class with L Shanah Tovah Eat apples/hallah and honey with a brakhah or two Blow a shofar Make a Rosh ha-shanah card YOM KIPPUR OPPORTUNITIES Practice saying I m sorry Make an Al Het list ROSH HA-SHANAH FAMILY OPPORTUNITIES Send out Rosh ha-shanah cards Light the candles, say the Kiddush, bless a round Hallah to welcome Rosh ha-shanah Go to family (or regular) services YOM KIPPUR FAMILY OPPORTUNITIES Say I am Sorry to one another Fast for part of the day Light Yizkor candles Go to family (or regular) services TIMING This chapter covers two holidays (Rosh ha-shanah and Yom Kippur) and is designed for three class sessions and perhaps a family education event. Below is the way we imagine the sessions laid out. You may adjust this plan based on the realities of your school calendar and your classroom calendar. The responsibility of adjusting and adapting this material is yours. SESSION 1 SESSION 2 SESSION 3 a. Introduction of Rosh ha-shanah b. Work on saying L Shanah Tovah c. Eat apples/hallah with honey and say the correct brakhah a. Blow the shofar b. Make a Rosh ha-shanah card a. Introduce Yom Kippur b. Practice saying I m sorry c. Make an Al Het list

8 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 2 PREPARATION FOR EACH ACTIVITY Here are the things other than your student books and your teacher s guide that you will need to gather or arrange for each of your class Activities. OPPORTUNITY 1: GREET YOUR CLASS WITH L SHANAH TOVAH You will need a set of Jewish calendars or photocopies of Elul and Tishrei of the current year. These are used to introduce Rosh ha-shanah. OPPORTUNITY 2: ROSH HA-SHANAH FOOD You will need materials for three stations: (a) pomegranates, (b) apples and honey and (c) round hallah and honey. Each station should have the food(s) prepared to eat. The pomegranate should be sectioned, and access should be given to the seeds. The apples should be cut into wedges, and the honey should be in a dish. Napkins are a good idea. The hallah should be ripped or cut into pieces, and the honey should be in a dish for dipping. You will need to create a background sheet for each station. It would be good to have a parent volunteer or a madrikh/ah for each station to manage the food and lead the brakhah. OPPORTUNITY 3: BLOW THE SHOFAR A shofar sounder who knows how to play each of the shofar calls. A shofar that each student will have a chance to try. A camera (or cell phone camera) that will allow you to photograph each student sounding the shofar. The more shofrot the merrier. A way of reproducing the photographs so that students can paste them into their books. OPPORTUNITY 4: MAKE A ROSH HA-SHANAH CARD A collection of Rosh ha-shanah cards that students can examine and use for ideas. A sample homemade card to give students an idea of the outcome. Sketching materials (paper and pencils). A camera and a way to reproduce images. OPPORTUNITY 5: PRACTICE SAYING I M SORRY. Calendar materials from opportunity 1. Background music for the Four Steps to Repentance dance OPPORTUNITY 6: MAKE AN AL HET LIST Newsprint, markers and tape or blue tack. If you need it, music (or recording) for V al Kulum, the chorus to Al Het. OVERVIEW Rosh ha-shanah is the Jewish New Year. It has two layers of celebration. One layer is tied to hopes and wishes for the coming year. The other begins the introspection and reflection on the quality of one s behavior. The two are related. The first is wishing that God grants us a good year. The second is

9 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 3 an attempt to transform ourselves into the best people we can be, believing that will create a positive year. These two layers are both look toward what would bring the best possible future. SAY L SHANAH TOVAH Most Jewish holidays have their own greetings. The one for Rosh ha-shanah is L Shanah Tovah (Tikateivu), (May you be inscribed) for a good year. Another option is Shanah Tovah u Mitukah, a good and sweet new year. These are often shortened to L Shanah Tovah. People also use the Yiddish Gut Yontif (happy holiday). Not using the English Happy New Year makes you part of the club. It is an identity issue. When you greet someone with L Shanah Tovah (or any Hebrew greeting) you become an insider. You automatically know something and are part of the group. It becomes an act of Jewish identification. ROSH HA-SHANAH FOODS Honey is the quintessential Rosh ha-shanah food. It is a simple wish: sweetness in the New Year. We dip a round hallah and apples into the honey. The hallah is round because the circle shows the cyclic nature of the year. It says we have come around again. The apple was probably chosen because of its availability in Europe. Once the apple became the default Rosh ha-shanah fruit, lots of explanations connecting it to Jewish tradition emerged. The important part of both hallah and honey and apples and honey is the honey. Honey is the dream of the future. The other Rosh ha-shanah food is the pomegranate. It is a Rosh ha-shanah treat for two reasons. First is the symbolism of the truth that they contain 613 seeds. Six hundred and thirteen is also the number of mitzvot, opportunities, found in the Torah. This makes the pomegranates a wish for a year of mitzvot. The other reason involves the blessing of newness. There is a blessing called Sheheheyanu that celebrates every new event or any event that is new in the New Year. Pomegranates start to ripen in September in the Northern Hemisphere and so are new in the market around Rosh ha-shanah. By eating one we get a chance to say the newness brakhah at the beginning of the year. SHOFAR The shofar is the primary symbol of Rosh ha-shanah. One of the names the Torah gives Rosh ha- Shanah is Yom Teru ah (the day of shofar blasts). The shofar is seen as a wake-up call. Like an alarm clock, it calls us to wake up from our numbness, examine our behavior, and do the inner work necessary to improve our behavior. The shofar is the voice of t shuvah (repentance). The shofar was an ancient announcing tool. It was made from the horn of a ram or any animal (except for a cow) whose horn can be hollowed out. Long ibex horns are also popular. The Bible moves it from giving a battle call (Joshua used it in the conquest of Jericho) to giving a spiritual wake-up call. Maimonides describes its sounds this way: Wake up from your (moral) sleep. You are asleep. Get up from your slumber. You are in a deep sleep. Search for your behavior. Become the best person you can. Remember God, the One Who created you. (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance 3:4) There are four shofar calls: Teki ah, a single call; Shevarim, a moan made up of three tones; Teru ah, nine staccato calls considered to be a voicing of alarm; and Teki ah Gedolah (the great call), held as long as possible. It is considered to be a voicing of all three calls at once. The mitzvah for Rosh ha-shanah is hearing the voice of the shofar. Knowing the sounds of the shofar makes one a participant rather than an outsider. When I go to a baseball or football game I understand what is going on. In cricket or rugby I am an outsider. I have no idea of the rules, so the action on the field makes no sense to me. Knowing the sounds to expect from the shofar makes one an insider and deepens the impact of the hearing.

10 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 4 ROSH HA-SHANAH CARDS Rosh ha-shanah cards are new in Jewish tradition. According to Jenna Weissman Joselit, they are a form of American folk art born in the early 1880s (The Wonders of America). They are a way of expressing good wishes for the coming year. Greeting another person is actually considered a Jewish opportunity. This is based on a verse in the book of Ruth in which Boaz actively greets the men of his town. We are taught by the Rabbis to be like Boaz. This makes Rosh ha-shanah cards the fulfillment of the mitzvah of greeting, of your wishing a good future for each recipient. YOM KIPPUR Yom Kippur is the focal point in the Jewish year. We have spent the month of Elul blowing the shofar daily and preparing ourselves to face Yom Kippur. Then, on the first of Tishrei, we have Rosh ha- Shanah, the Jewish New Year. The next ten days are the Ten Days of Repentance. Then, culminating the whole process, comes Yom Kippur, the Day of At-one-ment. The Yom Kippur process involves inner reflection on our own behavior, fixing that behavior, and reconciling with others and with God. Judaism is a redemptive religion. It centers on making the world a better place. Yom Kippur is the focal moment in the Jewish year when we work on changing ourselves. It is when we work on being the best individuals and best communities that we can we be and when we ask God to be our partner in the process. Yom Kippur is for the most part an intellectual process. It is not an easy holiday for children to celebrate or to understand. Neither fasting nor long prayers are easily accessible. We can, however, draw on children s life experience of making mistakes and then saying I am sorry. SAYING I M SORRY The Rabbinic tradition makes it clear that God does not forgive sins between people unless they have first apologized. In order to do t shuvah (repentance), apologizing is a necessary skill. My friend Harlene Appleman describes the High Holidays as learning to say I m sorry. We use rehearsing that process as the central focus of our work on Yom Kippur. AL HET Al Het means for the sin, and it is an important prayer in the High Holiday liturgy. It is the one for which we stand, read a list of sins, and hit our chest with a fist after each one. Jews believe that sins are opportunities to improve the way we act. Missing the mark is the usual explanation. This is a prayer we can do in a psychomotor manner, teaching the behavior of doing the prayer and moving toward an understanding of t shuvah.

11 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 5 OPPORTUNITY 1: GREET YOUR CLASS WITH L SHANAH TOVAH BIG IDEAS Rosh ha-shanah is in the heart of a time period devoted to becoming the best person we can be. L Shanah Tovah (for a good year) is the wish/prayer/greeting we have for others on Rosh ha- Shanah. 1. Introducing Rosh ha-shanah 2. Reflection on Beginning the New Year 3. Greeting with L Shanah Tovah 4. Reflection on a Good Year students reflect on preparation for the New Year. students shake hands with everyone in the class. students reflect on their hopes for the New Year. 1. Calendar search. Divide the class into hevrutot. A hevruta is two students learning together and is a traditional way of learning. This book will recommend a lot of study and doing in small groups. 2. Pass out the page from a Jewish calendar that includes Rosh ha-shanah. It would be good to have a Jewish calendar for every student. We will be using them all year. If you cannot get bulk calendars, run off enough copies of the month (September or October) for half your class. Give one to each pair of students. 3. Ask them to figure out the following: a. What is the Hebrew date of Rosh ha-shanah? (1 st of Tishrei) b. What Hebrew month comes before Rosh ha-shanah? (Elul) c. What is the Hebrew date of Yom Kippur? (10 th of Tishrei) d. What are the ten days from Rosh ha-shanah to Yom Kippur called? (The Ten Days of Repentance) 4. Go over the answers. End with This part of the year is designed to help us be the best people we can be. 5. Ask students to open their books to page 4 and complete the reflection box. One way I can get my heart and mind ready for Rosh ha-shanah is Good answers would be things like, By thinking about my behavior. This book is set up with a pairing of actions and reflections. Our calendar work was the starting action. This sentence completion is the reflection. 6. Do not go over the answers now. We will share reflections on pages 4 and 5 at the end of the lesson. You will want to share that with your class so that they don t feel their work won t be considered. 7. Go over the greeting L shanah Tovah. Describe it as being much like a blessing as a greeting.

12 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 6 8. Ask the class to stand up and shake hands with everyone in the class and wish them L Shanah Tovah. When completed, ask them to fill in the reflection box at the bottom of page 7. What would have to happen for your new year to be the best? 9. Share answers to the boxes on page 6 and Check off the Greet Your Class box on page 3. OPPORTUNITY 2: ROSH HA-SHANAH FOOD BIG IDEAS The special foods that are eaten on Rosh ha-shanah carry the message of renewal. Eating Stations: Pomegranate, apples and honey, round hallah and honey students have blessed, eaten, and explained the three foods. students have reflected on this experience. 1. Three stations are set up in the classroom. Class is divided in thirds. a. Pomegranates b. Apples and honey c. Round hallah and honey On each station there should be a description of the items and the blessing(s). 2. It would be good to have an adult or madrikh/ah at each station. They should help students: a. describe the food and the symbol. b. say the correct brakhah. c. eat the food. Students should then rotate to the next station and later the third station. 3. Have students fill in the reflection question on page 7. What is the sweetest thing in your life?. 4. Share the answers from the reflection box. 5. Check off the Eating box on page 3.

13 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 7 OPPORTUNITY 3: BLOWING THE SHOFAR BIG IDEAS The job of the shofar is to wake up our souls. 1. Practicing the shofar calls 2. Blowing the shofar and taking a photo 3. Reading Maimonides and reflecting on the shofar s sound students can sing the shofar calls. students take a photo while trying to blow the shofar. students read Maimonides reflection on the sound of and the attempt to blow the shofar. 1. Start the class with someone blowing the shofar. You will probably want to find someone who does it well to help you out. You will want to call out the following shofar blasts before the person who is sounding the shofar blows them. Turn to page 9 for the brakhah.. Barukh Attah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam Asher Kidshanu b Mitzvotav v Tzivanu l Shmo a Kol Shofar. Praised are You, Eternal our God, Ruler of the Cosmos Who made us holy with the mitzvot and made it a mitzvah for us to hear the shofar. Teki ah is one long call. Shevarim is three notes put together. Teru ah is nine quick notes. Teki ah Gedolah is a really long call that comes at the end. Teki ah Shvarim Teru ah Teki ah Teki ah Shvarim Teru ah Teki ah Teki ah Shvarim Teru ah Teki ah Teki ah Shvarim Teki ah Teki ah Shvarim Teki ah Teki ah Shvarim Teki ah Teki ah Teru ah Teki ah Teki ah Teru ah Teki ah Teki ah Teru ah Teki ah Teki ah G dolah. 2. Have the class: a. master the sounds of the shofar. b. say the brakhah over hearing the shofar. c. respond with their voices to the set of shofar calls that the shofar sounder used.

14 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 8 3. Read the Maimonides text on page 8. Rehearse the answer to the two written questions on the page. The shofar says, Awake, sleepers, from your sleep! Arise, slumberers, from your slumbers! Look at your deeds. Return in repentance. Remember your Creator! (Hilkhot T shuvah, chapter 3). a. How can a soul be asleep? One can be alive and numb. One can do things one knows are wrong but still not stop the action. b. How does one wake up a soul? By remembering God. By thinking about one s actions and making a careful effort to change. 4. Do two things at once. a. One by one have the students try to blow shofar and take a picture of them doing so. b. Have the rest of the class fill in the reflection boxes on pages Share student reflections. 6. Check off the Hearing the shofar box on page 3. OPPORTUNITY 4: MAKING A ROSH HA-SHANAH CARD BIG IDEAS Rosh ha-shanah cards are a kind of blessing or wish for the New Year. 1. Examine Rosh ha-shanah cards 2. Make a Sketch 3. Execute Cards 4. Photograph, Reflection, and Check-off students create and photograph a Rosh ha-shanah card. students make a wish for the coming year. 1. Examine Rosh ha-shanah cards. Bring in a collection of Rosh ha-shanah cards (or images of Rosh ha-shanah cards). Work in small groups and have each group examine several cards. Make a list of the images and texts that are on the cards. a. You can have the cards passed from group to group after they have been examined. b. You should have the groups share their lists with the class. 2. Make a Sketch. Here are a number of different ways of making greeting cards. Show your class the options they have in making their cards. Discuss some of the words and symbols they will want to include. Have them use pages as a resource. Choose a design and then have students make a sketch of the card they will create. Here you will want to make sure that they have written L shanah Tovah correctly. a. Make two pop-up Rosh ha-shanah cards one to send (or take) home and one to send to a resident at a Jewish senior center. Directions for making really fun pop-ups can be found at Martha Stewart also has great ideas for card-making:

15 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 9 b. Make apple print Rosh ha-shanah cards You will need an apple cut in halves for each student Forks Tray or plate for paint Washable paints (red, yellow and green are good colors to use) White construction paper Glitter (optional) Markers or crayons Fold your construction paper into half or quarters, depending on what size cards you want. Squeeze some paint onto the plates. Make your fork into a handle for the apple (your stamper) by stabbing into the rounded side of the apple. Holding the handle (fork), dip the cut side of the apple into the color. The apple should be fully covered, but not dripping with paint. Stamp the shape of the apple onto your paper. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle some glitter onto your paper (optional). Once the paint has dried, inscribe a greeting ( L Shanah Tovah or Happy New Year ) on the inside of the card. c. Make L Shanah Tovah cards in the shape of shofarot. Fold construction paper in half and cut the shape of a shofar, making sure to leave one side so that the card folds. Have students decorate the card. You might consider photocopying L Shanah Tova and having the students glue it to their card. You can also write it on the board for students to copy. d. Three-Dimensional Design. You will need any color construction paper or cardboard, scissors, glue, colored tissue paper. Fold your cardboard in half to form a card any size you want. Draw a picture of any Rosh Hashana symbol on the cover to fill most of the space. Tear colored tissue paper into small pieces, scrunch them up and stick in your Rosh ha- Shanah design. Make sure the pieces are stuck closely together. Choose a greeting to write either on the cover or on the inside and add your own special message. 3. Execute Cards. 4. Photograph, Reflect, and Check-off. As students finish, photograph their cards and have them write their reflections on page 11. Share these at the end of the class session. Paste in the photographs and have students check off the Rosh ha-shanah Card box on page 3.

16 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 10 OPPORTUNITY 5: PRACTICE SAYING I M SORRY BIG IDEAS T shuvah is a major Jewish skill that allows a person to continue working on becoming the best she or he can be. Saying I m sorry is central to the t shuvah process. 1. Review the Ten Days of Repentance. 2. Go over the Four Steps of Repentance. Work out the dance. 3. Do a speed dating practice of saying I m sorry. 4. Write and share t shuvah reflection. Check box. students can define the purpose of the ten days from Rosh ha-shanah to Yom Kippur. students create a dance to explain the Four Steps of Repentance. students reflect on the difficulty of saying I m sorry. 1. Review the Ten Days of Repentance. Take out the calendars used for the first opportunity and review the Ten Days of Repentance. Establish that they run from Rosh ha-shanah to Yom Kippur. Define t shuvah as the way we turn our behavior around and become better people. 2. Go over the Four Steps of Repentance. Work out the dance. Break the class into groups of about six. Have them study the Four Steps to Repentance and then create a dance that represents the four steps. Have each group present its dance to the class. After each performance have them demonstrate their four major moves. a. Admitting that you have done wrong. Confession is the first step in t shuvah. It begins by recognizing that you have done wrong. b. Saying you are sorry. The next two steps involve fixing what you broke. The first is the spiritual connection that requires apologies both to the other person and to God. c. Fixing what you broke or hurt. I am sorry is not enough. It doesn t work without a commitment to change. d. Do the work needed to change so that you never repeat that mistake. 3. Do speed dating practice of saying I m sorry. Speed dating is a process in which a room is divided into two groups. Partners are created matching one member from each group. The pairs have a conversation; then a partner from group one moves on to the next member of group two. The process is continued several times. Each time the students should use a case from the box on page Write and share t shuvah reflection. The hardest part of saying I m sorry is. 5. Check off the t shuvah box.

17 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 11 OPPORTUNITY 6: MAKING AN AL HET LIST BIG IDEAS Al Het is a prayer that leads to self-evaluation of our behavior. Understanding it as missing the mark comes from the metaphor of an arrow. 1. Introduce Yom Kippur as a Jewish holiday that is a day-long fast 2. Introduce Al Het 3. Perform Al Het as a class 4. Discuss Al Het 5. Write an Original Al Het 6. Sing Al Het Chorus 7. Check off the Al Het box students design their own repentance holiday and connect it with Yom Kippur. students participate in performing the Al Het. students create their own Al Het. 1. Introduce Yom Kippur as a Jewish holiday that is a day-long fast. a. Break the class into groups of four to six. Give each group a marker and a sheet of newsprint. Ask each group to create a new Jewish holiday that works on making you a better person. Each holiday needs: o a name o a major custom or activity o a saying b. Give the groups time to work. Have them outline their answers on the sheet of newsprint. Rotate among the groups and encourage their work. c. Have the groups hang their sheets of newsprint on the wall (unless you are not allowed to do so). Have groups use their sheets of newsprint to report on their holiday to the class. d. Transition to the Al Het activity by connecting these original holidays to Yom Kippur. Emphasize the relationship between the customs they created and the customs that take place on Yom Kippur: o wearing white o fasting o spending a lot of time in synagogue praying and studying 2. Introduce Al Het. Stand up and demonstrate the hitting-the-chest action of the Al Het (warn your students not to hit themselves too hard). 3. Perform Al Het as a class Invite students to stand up and recite the six lines from the Al Het that are found on page 15. a. Explain that they should hit their chests every time they say We have missed the mark (English for Al Het). b. Sing the V al kulam found at the bottom of the page.

18 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays Discuss Al Het. Sit the class down and discuss the prayer. Among your questions should be: What did hitting the chest add to the words? The physical makes the words more personal. Why do you think the Al Het says We have missed the mark rather than I have missed the mark? Because all Jewish prayers say we. Which one of these ways of missing the mark meant the most to you? All of these answers are personal. While there is traditional background to fill in, we are interested in hearing student thoughts (and perhaps yours at the end). 5. Write an Original Al Het. Point out the two blank missing the mark phrases. Invite students to write their own. After a few minutes, begin a process of sharing the original items. Invite the class to repeat each item and hit their chests. 6. Sing the Al Het Chorus:. When all who want to share have finished, sing v al kulam again. 7. Check the Al Het box on page 5.

19 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Sukkot 1 SUKKOT SUKKOT OPPORTUNITIES Dwelling in a sukkah and saying the brakhah Making a sukkah decoration Shaking the etrog and lulav and saying the brakhah Ushpizin, inviting Jews from the past into the sukkah FAMILY SUKKOT OPPORTUNITIES Building a sukkah Sleeping in the sukkah Going to Sukkot services Celebrating Hosha nah Rabbah Celebrating Shmini Atzeret TIMING This holiday would best be celebrated with two sessions. Depending on the calendar and timing, you may be lucky to have one. SESSION 1 SESSION 2 a. Dwelling in a sukkah and saying the brakhah b. Making a sukkah decoration a. Shaking the etrog and lulav and saying the brakhah b. Ushpizin, inviting Jews from the past into the sukkah c. Hoshanah Rabbah/Shemini Atzeret PREPARATION FOR EACH ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 1: DWELLING IN A SUKKAH AND SAYING THE BRAKHAH Food for a snack in the sukkah Permission to use the sukkah OPPORTUNITY 2: MAKING A SUKKAH DECORATION Model of sample decoration Appropriate art supplies (see page ) Camera and means of reproduction of images OPPORTUNITY 3: SHAKING THE ETROG AND LULAV AND SAYING THE BRAKHAH One or more sets of etrog and lulav Camera and means of reproduction of images OPPORTUNITY 4: USHPIZIN, INVITING JEWS FROM THE PAST INTO THE SUKKAH Use of the sukkah (if possible) Newsprint and markers

20 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Sukkot 2 OVERVIEW SUKKOT A sukkah is a booth. On Sukkot we build and dwell in booths. Sukkot is the next of the Tishrei holidays. It takes place on the fifteenth of Tishrei, five days after Yom Kippur. This is the time of the full moon. Sukkot is a holiday with stories and with concrete objects. It is far more accessible that the High Holidays. Sukkot has two basic mitzvot: (a) dwelling in the sukkah and (b) shaking the etrog and the lulav. While the explanations may be a little abstract, the actual doings are concrete and have clear rules. There are some others, like Hallel and Yizkor, but we don t have to dwell on those. SUKKAH HISTORY Sukkot tells a number of stories. The first is the story of the forty years in the wilderness between Egypt and Israel. We remember that we spent a lot of years camped out in sukkot as we slowly became a nation. It is a time of manna falling from the sky and pillars of smoke and fire leading us on our journey. It is the story of the struggle to follow a God whose laws are both rewarding and difficult. The second story moves us into the land of Israel. We are now farmers. Sukkot is a harvest time, and we remember camping out in sukkot on the edge of our fields in order to gather in the bounty of the harvest more quickly. This is the time of tithes and leaving the corners of our fields for the widow, the poor, and the orphan. It is the universe of the story of Ruth (even though that is a Shavuot story). The third story is the story of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Bible remembers that every Jew used to go up to Jerusalem for all three harvest festivals. While we were sharing our harvests with God and the poor, many of us had to camp out in sukkot because there were nowhere near enough hotel rooms in those days. The forth story is more abstract. The Talmud tells us that the maximum dimensions for a sukkah match those of the entrance to the Temple. The nature of the sukkah matches that of the Tabernacle, Israel s portable sanctuary in the wilderness. Just before winter comes, we move out of our homes into a portable holy space one open to the environment and make a connection to God s world before we are driven inside. SUKKAH RULES There are very specific rules for building a sukkah. These are included not as a text to study but as a resource, in case your class or one of your class families would like to build a sukkah. It would be cool if your class had a sukkah space it could use, really eat in, maybe even sleep in. Perhaps you or your educator could talk a family into building a home sukkah your class could use. ETROG AND LULAV The use of the etrog and the lulav is a biblical command. We are commanded to shake them together in all six directions. The question is why. We are given no clear explanation for this activity. We know we have to do it, but we don t know why we do it. This leads to a lot of theories. One connects the elements in the etrog and lulav to body parts, another to kinds of Torah students. Probably the simplest explanation is that it serves as a reminder that God is everywhere.

21 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Sukkot 3 USHPIZIN Ushpizin is an Aramaic word that means guest. Each night of Sukkot we invite different guests from Jewish history to visit us in the sukkah. The Zohar explains that the sukkah generates such an intense concentration of spiritual energy that the divine presence actually manifests itself. During Sukkot the souls of the seven shepherds of Israel Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and King David actually leave the Garden of Eden to bask in the divine light of the earthly Sukkot (Zohar Emor 103a). The above text sees only men as holy leaders. Since this original formulation, women have been added to the formula. These include Sarah, Rebekkah, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Hannah, and Esther. HOSHANAH RABAH/SHEMINI ATZERET Hoshana Rabbah is the seventh day of Sukkot. Odds are that your students (and perhaps you) don t have much connection to this holiday. The same is true of Shmini Atzeret, an independent holiday that comes the after Sukkot. OPPORTUNITY 1: DWELLING IN A SUKKAH AND SAYING THE BRAKHAH BIG IDEAS The central practice of Sukkot is dwelling in a sukkah. 1. Visiting the sukkah 2. Eating something in the sukkah 3. Saying the brakhah 4. Reflecting on being in the sukkah students experience dwelling in the sukkah. students say the dwell in sukkah brakhah. students reflect on this experience. 1. Visiting the Sukkah: The timing of your class sessions and Sukkot will affect when you complete this first opportunity. You really need to do this in a sukkah. Without much more introduction than Let s go to the sukkah, move your class into the sukkah. Have them take their Experiencing the Jewish Holidays with them. Have them sit in the sukkah. Discuss the experience of being in the sukkah. Ask things like What can you learn from being in here? What sukkah memories do you have? Do you feel more inside or more outside in the sukkah? 2. Eat Something. To fulfill the mitzvah of Leishev b Sukkah, you need to eat something in the sukkah. Eat a snack and say the appropriate blessing. 3. Say the Brakhah over being in the sukkah. You will find it at the top of page 20 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. Collect needles or leaves from the sukkah to put in the box on page Reflection on Being in the Sukkah. Have students fill in the reflection boxes on page 21. Share answers with the class. Check the Dwelling in the Sukkah box on page 19.

22 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Sukkot 4 What did it feel like to be in the sukkah? What did you think about in the sukkah? OPPORTUNITY 2: MAKE A SUKKAH DECORATION BIG IDEAS There are at least four stories that explain why we dwell in the sukkah. Embodying a story in an art project reinforces its impact. 1. Break into groups for the art project. 2. Groups read their stories 3. Groups create their decorations 4. Groups share their decorations 5. Groups photograph their decorations and check the decoration box students can tell all four stories about the reason we dwell in the sukkah. Students create a sukkah decoration expressing one story. 1. Break into groups for the art project. Begin by dividing your class into groups of two, three, or four. These groups will work on an art project together. You can make the choice between building groups for new relationships or letting extant friends work together. You know whom to separate and whom to partner. 2. Groups read their stories. Working in small groups, students read the paragraph on pages that has been assigned to them. 3. Groups create their decorations. Show the group a model of the decorations they will be creating. Here are four different ways of creating decorations: Pictures, paper chains, blessings chains, mobiles, recycled Shanah Tovah cards, fruits, vegetables, gourds, stalks of wheat can all be used for decoration. In class, make decorations for home or synagogue sukkot. a. Stuffed oranges. Oranges stuffed with cloves make the sukkah smell like autumn. Using wooden skewers, poke holes in the oranges and stuff whole cloves in the holes. b. Papier-mâché fruit. Make papier-mâché fruit to hang in the sukkah. You can do papiermâché easily with strips of newsprint and glue or starch. Form fruit shapes out of paper. Place a strip of newsprint on the form and, using a paintbrush or fingers, paint the strip of paper onto your shape with glue or starch. When dry, paint the fruit, add embellishments, and attach string. Hang the fruit in the sukkah. c. Illuminated fruit. Draw the outline of a favorite fruit. Help students sketch in the Hebrew letters that spell the name of the fruit in Hebrew, or your students names. Color and highlight the outlines of the Hebrew letters with gold or silver paint. Cut out about ¼ outside the shape of the fruit.

23 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Sukkot 5 d. Nature collage. Use fallen leaves, grass, and/or dried flowers. Glue nature onto your paper, then brush varnish or clear glue over the surface of the leaves and petals for a glossy effect. Give the groups time to work and create. 4. Groups share their decorations. When groups are finished, have them show their decorations to the rest of the class. Make sure they tell their stories in the process. 5. Groups photograph their decorations and check the decoration box. Shoot photographs of the groups and their decorations. Have students check the Sukkot Decoration box on page Page 24: Sukkah rules: This page is a resource in case (a) your class wants to build its own sukkah (cool) or (b) one of the families in your class wants to build a sukkah (very cool). OPPORTUNITY 3: SHAKING THE ETROG AND LULAV AND SAYING THE BRAKHAH BIG IDEAS The shaking of etrog and lulav is the other major biblical mitzvah for Sukkot. The etrog and lulav are primarily an experience; all the good explanations are highly metaphoric. 1. Show an etrog and a lulav 2. Practice shaking the etrog and lulav 3. Actually shake (and photograph the shaking of) the etrog and lulav 4. Reflect on shaking the etrog and lulav students have shaken, reflected on, and photographed the etrog and lulav. 1. Show an etrog and a lulav. Have the etrog and lulav sitting out in the room when students enter. Allow them to play with them. Answer questions about them. 2. Practice shaking the etrog and lulav. Have students stand and pantomime holding an etrog and a lulav. As the teacher reads the directions for shaking and blessing the lulav and etrog on page 26, have students pantomime the actions while joining in the brakhot. 3. Actually shake (and photograph the shaking of) the etrog and lulav. 4. Reflect on shaking the etrog and lulav. Have students fill out and then share the reflection box on page 27. What did it feel like when you shook the lulav? What did you think of when you shook the lulav? 5. Check off the etrog and lulav box on page 19.

24 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Sukkot 6 OPPORTUNITY 4: USHPIZIN, INVITING JEWS FROM THE PAST INTO THE SUKKAH BIG IDEAS Ushpizin lets us connect our present to the past. By inviting famous Jews into our sukkah, we connect our private space with the history of the Jewish people. Ushpizin can give us a chance to define our Jewish heroes. 1. Define Ushpizin 2. Interview Your Guests 3. Individual Brainstorming New Guests 4. Voting in Groups to Create Lists of Seven New Guests 5. Voting as a Class to Isolate Seven New Guests 6. Interview the New Guests students use Ushpizin as a chance to define their Jewish heroes. students use communication skills to reach consensus on guests. students use their imaginations to interact with their guests. This activity would best be done in the sukkah. Determine whether you can fit this activity into the sukkah schedule (about half an hour). 1. Define Ushpizin. Define Ushpizin as an Aramaic word that means guest. Explain that there is a tradition to invite imaginary guests to the sukkah every night of Sukkot. NOTE: While the tradition originated with inviting the seven shepherds (Abraham through David), we have followed the fairly standard modern custom of adding seven matching women with no distinction between the two lists. 2. Interview your guests. Set up two chairs facing each other. Define one chair as that of the guest and the other chair as that of the person asking questions. Explain that various students are going to take the parts of the guests we invite into the sukkah and that other students who want to ask questions of that guest will sit in the other chair. If a student wants to give an answer or ask a question, he or she just taps the person in the chair and takes his or her place. Use this technique for some or all of the fourteen guests that are traditionally invited into the sukkah. You can use the following introductions for each of the guests. a. Abraham: Abraham was the first Jew. He was the first one to believe in One God. Abraham spent his life serving the One God and trying to teach others about the One God. Abraham argued with God about the destruction of Sodom. He was married to Sarah and had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. b. Sarah: Sarah was the first Jewess. She, too, followed and served the One God. The midrash teaches that she taught about the One God as Abraham s partner and equal. She was the mother of Abraham s son Isaac. c. Isaac: Isaac was one of Abraham s two sons. The connection to God was passed from Abraham to Isaac. Isaac never left the Land of Israel and had one wife, Rebekkah. She had two sons, Jacob and Esau.

25 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Sukkot 7 d. Rebekkah: Jacob and Esau were the sons that Rebekkah and Isaac had. While Isaac favored Esau, Rebekkah was behind Jacob. With her help Jacob stole his father s blessing and went on to shape the family s relationship with God. e. Jacob: Jacob and Esau were twins, Jacob younger by minutes. After stealing the blessing that should have gone to Esau, Jacob fled the family and went back to the old country. There he went to work for his uncle Laban and married Laban s two daughters, Leah and Rachel. With their help he fathered thirteen children. He had two life-changing experiences. On his way out of the Land of Israel he saw a ladder with angels on it. Later he wrestled with an angel and had his name changed to Israel. f. Rachel: Rachel was the younger daughter who thought she was going to marry Jacob when her father switched brides and substituted Leah, her older sister. Jacob then married Leah and worked for fourteen years to pay for his two wives. Rachel had a hard time getting pregnant but gave birth to two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. She died giving birth to Benjamin. g. Leah: Leah was not a bad wife. She just wasn t the love of Jacob s life the way that Rachel was. She gave him lots of children and was responsible for contributing significantly to the growth of the Jewish people. Even though it was hard being number two, Leah hung in there as a good wife and mother. h. Joseph: Joseph was Jacob s favorite son. Jacob gave him the coat of many colors. His brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt. His master threw him in jail, and he was taken out to interpret Pharaoh s dreams. Because he was successful, he became the leader of Egypt under Pharaoh. He used his power to feed the world during a famine and to save his family. i. Moses: Moses mother floated him on the Nile River to save his life. Moses was found and adopted by Pharaoh s daughter. When he grew up he tried to help his people and murdered an Egyptian. Moses fled to Midian and saw the burning bush. He went back to Egypt, representing God and negotiating to set the Jewish people free. He brought the plagues and took Israel from Egypt. He divided the Red Sea, received the Ten Commandments, and led the people in the wilderness for forty years. j. Miriam: Miriam was Moses older sister. She was the one who watched him when he was floating in the bulrushes and made the connection to allow his real mother to become his nurse. When the Jews left Egypt, Miriam led the women in song and dance on the banks of the Red Sea. She became part of Moses leadership team, along with their brother Aaron. She died in the wilderness. k. Aaron: Aaron was Moses and Miriam s brother. When Moses had to speak to Pharaoh, he worried about his stutter. When Israel left Egypt Aaron became the head of the Israelite religion. He was the High Priest. He was also famous as a peace maker. With Moses and Miriam he became part of Israel s leadership team. Aaron, too, died in the wilderness. l. Hannah: Hannah was one of two wives of a Jew named Elkanah. She had no children; her co-wife had many. Hannah felt really bad. In the middle of the night she went near the Tabernacle. It was Israel s place of worship in those days. She cried out to God, and Eli, the High Priest, saw her and thought she was drunk. She explained that she was just praying. He hoped that her prayers would come true. She became pregnant and gave birth to Samuel, a future leader of Israel.

26 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Sukkot 8 m. David: David was a King of Israel. He was picked by Samuel to become the replacement for the first King of Israel, Saul. David defeated the giant Goliath and then worked for Saul for a while. Eventually he had to run away and became an outlaw. n. Esther: Esther was a woman who saved the Jewish people. She was chosen by King Ahashuarus to be his queen and hid her Jewishness when she agreed. The story involves a wicked man named Haman who wanted to kill all the Jews. Her uncle Mordechai talked her into going to the king and telling her story. Esther went. Ahashuarus responded. Haman was defeated, and the Jewish people were saved. You will want to facilitate these discussions by asking starting questions, giving hints, and enabling the process. 3. Individual brainstorming new guests. Have students open their books to page 28 and fill in a list of seven famous Jewish people they would like to invite into the sukkah. Make it clear that these Jews can be living or dead. Be prepared to help students come up with the names for people they know about without knowing their actual names. If your students have trouble with names, let them choose categories like one of the Maccabees. 4. Vote in groups to create lists of seven new guests. Form groups of four to six and have them vote to pick seven people from the individual lists to be the seven that the group invites into the sukkah. To help them work, it would be best to give each group a sheet of newsprint and a marker. Do not tell them how they are to create the list of seven. Let them develop their own process. 5. Voting as a class to isolate seven new guests. Assign the class the job of taking the group lists and creating a class list. Stay out of it. Let your class work out both a process and a set of solutions. 6. Interview the new guests. Repeat the process with the two chairs, one student playing the guest and the other playing the interviewer. Help students with guiding questions as necessary. The material on Hoshanah Rabbah/Shemini Atzeret is just for background information. There is no experience that goes with it. 7. Check the Ushpizin box on page 19.

27 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Simhat Torah 1 SIMHAT TORAH SIMHAT TORAH OPPORTUNITIES Make a Mobius strip and compare it to the Torah Write the Shema in Torah script Study some Torah Design a Simhat Torah Flag Join your class in a Torah aliyah FAMILY SIMHAT TORAH OPPORTUNITIES Find (or buy) the family Bible and open it together Attend Simhat Torah services TIMING Simhat Torah is set up for two sessions. These many need to run after the holiday. SESSION 1 SESSION 2 a. Make a Mobius strip and compare it to the Torah b. Write the Shema in Torah script c. Study some Torah a. Design a Simhat Torah flag b. Join your class in a Torah aliyah PREPARATION FOR EACH ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 1: MAKE A MOBIUS STRIP AND COMPARE IT TO THE TORAH Strips of adding machine paper, pencils, and glue sticks A pre-made Mobius strip as a model and prop Copies of the Torah and Post-It notes or consecration Torah scrolls with English text OPPORTUNITY 2: WRITE THE SHEMA IN TORAH SCRIPT Photocopies of the text of the Torah and a parallel passage in the siddur. Chisel-tipped markers (as wide as possible) Model of Torah script alphabet: Scratch paper YouTube Video: Hebrew Calligraphy: Writing of Aleph. Turkey quill on calfskin parchment. OPPORTUNITY 3: STUDY SOME TORAH Each student needs only a copy of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. OPPORTUNITY 4: DESIGN A SIMHAT TORAH FLAG Blank Simhat Torah flags Sample Simhat Torah flags graphics

28 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Simhat Torah 2 Copies of Torah texts (see appendix page ) Pencils and papers for designing Art supplies for execution OPPORTUNITY 5: JOIN YOUR CLASS IN A TORAH ALIYAH Access to a sefer Torah Siddurim or other sources for the Torah blessings Photographic and reproduction materials OVERVIEW SIMHAT TORAH Simhat Torah is a slightly confusing holiday. The what is clear. It is the day we finish reading the Torah and start again at the beginning. It is a celebration of Torah whose name means Happy Torah. The why is more complicated. Simhat Torah is not in the Torah or the Talmud. Neither is the rotation of Torah portions. It is found in the Zohar and the Midrash. That suggests that the holiday was initiated in the middle ages. Sukkot is seven days long inside Israel, eight for all but Reform outside of Israel. Following Sukkot (on the eighth day inside and outside of Israel) is a holiday called Shmini Atzeret (the eighth day). The holiday is mentioned in the Torah but doesn t have much of a practice base except for beginning prayers for rain. In Israel (and for Reform Jews) Shmini Atzeret and Simhat Torah are on the same day. TORAH SCRIPT According to Jewish law, the Torah must be handwritten on parchment with a quill and a special ink. The person who does this is a sofer (scribe) who follows precise laws on the methods and practice of creating a sefer Torah (Torah scroll). To learn more about this see Eric Ray s Sofer: The Story of a Torah Scroll (Torah Aura Productions). The Torah is written in a square script that is slightly more formal and complicated than most ordinary Hebrew fonts. We are going to give students a chance to copy Torah script from a model. The secret to this writing is to use a chisel-tip marker. The chisel tip allows you to create thick and thin lines within a letter. Hebrew letters are mainly horizontal strokes. A letter is three thicknesses of the pen. For a good print version of a Torah calligraphy letter look at The Jewish Catalog (JPS). This is the brakhah that is said over writing in Torah script.. Barukh ha-melamed et yadi l sapper et ha-otiyot. Blessed is the One Who has taught my hand to scribe the letters! TORAH Torah has a lot of meanings. It comes from a root that means teaching or instruction. Most simply, Torah can be (just) the Five Books of Moses. In a larger context, it can stand for all of Jewish learning. Torah is also a process. One can live Torah, study Torah, and be Torah. On Simhat Torah we finish the Torah scroll, but we celebrate the entire process of Jewish learning.

29 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Simhat Torah 3 FLAG The practice of children marching around with flags is an old (not ancient) part of the Simhat Torah celebration. Once upon a time it was done with apples and candles on top of a wooden pole; now softer poles have replaced the wooden dowel. The roots of this tradition may be in the flags that the tribes of Israel flew as they marched through the wilderness with the Tabernacle in the middle. This gave way to the idea of Degal Yisrael, the flag of Israel, meaning the symbol of Israel, not the flag of the State of Israel. ALIYAH The Hebrew word aliyah means going up. It is used to mean moving to Israel. Y ridah (going down) is used for leaving the Land of Israel. Aliyah is also used for Torah honors. One is called up to the Torah. While there are many Torah aliyot, having an aliyah usually means being called up to say the brakhot before and after the Torah reading. Originally an aliyah meant reading the Torah as well as saying the brakhot. OPPORTUNITY 1: MAKE A MOBIUS STRIP AND COMPARE IT TO THE TORAH BIG IDEAS The Torah tells a never-ending story that we begin again as soon as we have finished the previous telling. It is also a never-ending source of wisdom. 1. Make a Mobius strip and run a pencil around it to show that it has only one side. 2. Compare the Mobius strip to the way we read Torah. 3. Read the last words and then the first words in the Torah. students have made a Mobius strip and compared it to the Torah. students have read the last words and the first words in the Torah. 1. Meet the Mobius strip: Show your class a Mobius strip and ask the question, How many sides does this strip of paper have? EXPECT the answer Two. Some student could surprise you with prior knowledge that there is only one. a. Introduce the strip of paper as a Mobius strip and explain that because of the way things work, it has only one side. b. Have every student make a Mobius strip. Pre-cut strips of adding-machine paper will make this easy and fast. Give directions: Take the piece of paper. Put in a single twist. Then glue the ends together. You may want to model this before you let them start. c. Have everyone run a pencil from a starting point till it reaches that same point. d. Establish that the Mobius strip has only one side (because the pencil line covers all of the paper). 2. Discussion: How is the Mobius strip like the Torah? Ask this question and expect all kinds of answers, such as It is a long strip of paper, etc. In this case we are looking for a single answer: It has no beginning or end. Don t be surprised if many students want to give you that answer.

30 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Simhat Torah 4 3. Description of Simhat Torah. Ask students what they know about Simhat Torah. It is possible that your students have previously studied Simhat Torah or participated in its celebration. It is possible that they know little about the holiday. Play this by ear. You want to establish: a. That this is the day that we finish reading the Torah and start again without a pause. b. Simhat Torah means Happy Torah. c. It is a time we dance with the Torah and march around the synagogue. d. It is really fun. 4. Reading of the last and first passages in the Torah. You are going to ask groups of students to read together the first and last words in the Torah and report on what each says. You need one of two resources: English copies of the Torah and 1 x 1 Post-It notes. Before you give the group work, you are going to have students find the first and last pages of the Torah text and put a Post-It note on each. Consecration Torot (about 6 ) with English text. a. Divide the class into groups. Each group should have one copy of the Torah. b. Have the groups read the last paragraph of the Torah and then turn back to the beginning and read the first paragraph. c. Discuss the connection between the last portion and the first. The easiest answer is that the Torah ends with a death and begins with a birth. Expect other answers. 5. Check the box Make a Mobius Strip on page 31. OPPORTUNITY 2: WRITE THE SHEMA IN TORAH SCRIPT BIG IDEAS The sefer Torah (Torah scroll) is made holy through following a precise series of rules. Torah scrolls must be produced by hand, one at a time, by a person who is a sofer (scribe). 1. YouTube Video, Hebrew Calligraphy: Writing of Aleph. Turkey quill on calfskin parchment. 2. Look at a page of Torah. Compare it to a page from the siddur. 3. Lesson in Torah calligraphy. 4. Write the Shema in Torah script. students have compared the Hebrew from a column of Torah to the Hebrew from a column of siddur (prayerbook). Students have written the Shema in Hebrew in Torah script. 1. Show the YouTube video Hebrew Calligraphy: Writing of Aleph. Turkey quill on calfskin parchment. 2. Look at a page of Torah. Compare it to a page from the siddur. Your rabbi or educator may help you open the Torah to the Shema.

31 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Simhat Torah 5 Form groups of two to four and ask the groups to compare the texts and see the similarities and the differences. There are two possibilities: Either your students have begun to learn Hebrew or they have not. This will be much easier if they know some Hebrew letters. 3. Lesson in Torah calligraphy. Your best resource here is the article on scribal arts in the first volume of The Jewish Catalogue. You will want to do the following: a. Open your books to page 34. b. Establish that you write Hebrew from right to left. The shin on the first pair of lines is the starting point. c. Use a sheet of scrap paper to practice using the chisel tip to create wide horizontal lines and short vertical letters. The secret to making the letters the right size is that they are three horizontal strokes high: one for the top bar, the second for the middle of the letter, and the bottom for another horizontal stroke. A bet is a perfect example. d. Tell students to write three words on each of the lines. 4. Writing the Shema in Torah script. Give students time to work. Hover like a mother hen. When they are done, let students show off their work. Check the Write the Shema box on page 31. OPPORTUNITY 3: STUDY SOME TORAH BIG IDEAS Talmud Torah is a major, if not the major, Jewish value. Jewish learning is designed to happen with friends. People are created in God s image. 1. Define Talmud Torah and hevruta. 2. Break into hevrutot and study a piece of Torah. 3. Reflection 4. Share insights students can describe the relationship between friendship and Jewish learning. students have written and shared their own verses for Shabbat 113b. students can connect their study to the idea that people are created in God s image. 1. Define Talmud Torah and hevruta. Write Talmud Torah and hevruta on the board. Work with your class to define these terms. Talmud Torah learning Torah is the name of a mitzvah. Jews have an obligation to study Torah and make it part of their lives. 2. Break into hevrutot and study a piece of Torah. The text we are interested in is in the middle of the page, just above the boxes. It begins Just as God is kind This piece of Torah (Jewish learning) is from the Talmud. Ask students to work in pairs to answer the reflection question. 3. Reflection: What is the Big Idea here? We are looking for answers like We are created in God s image or We should be like God. Your students may find other insights and more elegant ways of expressing this.

32 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Simhat Torah 6 4. Share insights. Then have each student write his or her own version of the text, in the box on the left. Have partners exchange their answers by having each student copy his or her answer into the hevruta s book. Go around the room. Invite students to share their hevruta s answer. OPPORTUNITY 4: DESIGN A SIMHAT TORAH FLAG BIG IDEAS Creating a Simhat Torah flag can express our relationship with the Torah. 1. Examine examples of Simhat Torah flag art and study Torah quotes. 2. List images found in sample art and quotations. 3. Design Simhat Torah flag 4. Create flag and reflect on flags 5. Share, explain, and photograph Flags students have studied, designed, and created Simhat Torah flags. students have reflected on and explained their Simhat Torah flags. 1. Examine examples of Simhat Torah flag art. Go to Google Images and search Simhat Torah flags. You will find all kinds: commercial, historical, made by kids, etc. Make a collection of graphic images for students to study. Study Torah quotes. On the last page of the Simhat Torah guide (Simhat Torah page 9) you will find a collection of Torah quotes that you can copy and pass out to groups to study. a. Break the class into study groups (consisting of two to six students). b. Give each groups a collection of texts and flag graphics. Ask them to create a list of Torah images. NOTE FOR TEACHERS: One image you will frequently find on Torah flags (and also on the ark and Torah implements) is a pair of lions facing each other (often with the Ten Commandments in between). From ancient times to the present, the Lion of Judah has been one of the most popular symbols of the Jewish people. The Bible mentions the lions that roamed the deserts and mountains of the regions more than 150 times by six different names. Both the tribes of Dan and Judah are compared to lions, although it is Judah whose name ultimately became inextricably linked with this symbol (David, a descendant of Judah, is identified with the lion, as is the Davidic monarchy and the Messiah who will spring from this royal house). The writings of the Sages often draw moralistic analogies between the lion and the righteous individuals. For these and other reasons, the lion is heavily represented in Jewish ceremonial art. (Jewish Heritage online magazine, The Lion in Jewish Art ) 2. List images found in sample art and quotations. Gather the Torah images found by the groups in the texts and graphic examples. It could be good to have these written on the board. The other option is to have student groups write them on newsprint with markers and then have them hung around the room and presented to the class.

33 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Simhat Torah 7 3. Design a Simhat Torah flag. Give students paper and pencils. Have them draft a copy of their flag concept. Let them share their ideas with their hevruta partners. Let them give each other feedback and suggestions. 4. Create flags and reflect on them. Students should create their own Simhat Torah flags based on their sketches. One-sided flags (with a blank side) can be found at Teachers should think about a variety of art resources: crayons, markers, glitter, glue, glitter glue. 5. Share, explain, and photograph flags. Have students show their flags to the class and explain their meaning. Take a photo of each student with his or her flag while the student is explaining. OPPORTUNITY 5: JOIN YOUR CLASS IN A TORAH ALIYAH BIG IDEAS Being called to the Torah is an honor. The Torah connects us to the full history of the Jewish people. 1. Research aliyah 2. Practice brakhot 3. Set up class around sefer Torah 4. Photograph 5. Reflect and share Students have participated in a real or mock Torah aliyah and reflected upon the situation. 1. Research aliyah. Break the class into groups of two to six. Ask each group to read the text on page 36 and then develop an aliyah poster. Give each group a sheet of newsprint, pencils, and markers. Have each group share their poster. 2. Practice brakhot. Pass out siddurim (prayerbooks) or give your students other access to the text of the Torah brakhot. Rehearse the blessing with your class. They may have had some exposure to these blessings, or you may need to teach them from scratch. 3. Set up class around a sefer Torah. Either take your class to the sanctuary or bring a sefer Torah to your room. Undress the Torah and describe the items you remove. These should include: a. Crown or rimonim. These go over the atzei hayyim, wooden handles (trees of life). The crown (keter) comes from the idea in the Talmud about the Crown of Torah or perhaps from the golden band that the High Priest wore. The rimonim (pomegranates) are the individual crowns for individual wooden rollers. They come from the bells sewn into the hems of the High Priest s garments. b. Me il, the mantle or cover. This had to do with (1) the modesty of the priests and (2) the ability to cover the Torah when other things are done at the bimah while the Torah is out. It is like covering the hallah until it is its turn. c. The hagurah, the Torah binder, keeps the Torah from unrolling when it is put away. d. The hoshen is the breastplate. It, too, has its origin in the clothes that the High Priest used to wear.

34 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Simhat Torah 8 e. The yad, the pointer, is a hand that is used to follow along in the text because you can t touch the Torah with an actual finger. Gather your class around the Torah. It is tradition to have adults fly a tallit or two over the kids heads when they have an aliyah. You can do this. Have your class say the blessing before reading the Torah. Have someone read a few verses from the Torah. Then lead your class in the closing blessing. 4. Photograph. While this ceremony is taking place, take photographs. You will pick the best one to duplicate for all the class. 5. Reflect and share. Have students fill in the reflection box at the bottom of the page. When I looked in the Torah I thought. Share reflections. Have your class check the aliyah box on page 31. You may also want to give permission to put on the Simhat Torah stamp.

35 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Simhat Torah 9 TORAH QUOTES WORKSHEET 1. The Torah speaks in a language all people understand. (Talmud) 2. The Torah has seventy faces. (Midrash) 3. It is a Tree of Life. (Proverbs 3:18) 4. The Torah is Light. (Proverbs 6:23) 5. The Torah cannot be learned unless it is learned among friends. (Talmud) 6. The Torah is like a good friend. (Talmud, Yevamot) 7. The Torah shines light on those who study it. (Midrash) 8. The more Torah, the more life. (Pirke Avot) 9. The Torah is deeper than the sea. (Midrash) 10. The Torah is a deep sea, and people can draw water from it. (Yosef Hurwitz)

36 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 1 EREV SHABBAT EREV SHABBAT OPPORTUNITIES Give Two Reasons for Shabbat Light and Bless Shabbat Candles Decorate a Cup and Make Kiddush with It Braid, Bake, and say the Blessing over a Hallah FAMILY EREV SHABBAT OPPORTUNITIES Have a Shabbat Dinner Have a Special Shabbat Bedtime TIMING We have squeezed Shabbat into two tightly packed sessions. If your annual calendar allows it, expand it to three. SESSION 1 SESSION 2 a. Welcome to Shabbat b. Shabbat Candles c. Two Reasons for Shabbat d. Kiddush Cup e. Kiddush and Kiddush Cup Photographs a. About Hallah b. Baking Hallah c. Yom Shabbat PREPARATION FOR EACH ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 1: TWO REASONS FOR SHABBAT Experiencing the Jewish Holidays Items for a Shabbat table: tzedakah box and coins, candles and candlesticks, kiddush cup and grape juice, two hallot and cover. OPPORTUNITY 2: LIGHT AND BLESS SHABBAT CANDLES Experiencing the Jewish Holidays Beeswax honeycomb sheets and wicks (go to Candlesticks (or material to make candlesticks) Camera and reproduction equipment OPPORTUNITY 3: DECORATE A CUP AND MAKE KIDDUSH WITH IT Cups, glue, and colored tissue paper Experiencing the Jewish Holidays Camera and reproduction equipment

37 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 2 OPPORTUNITY 4: BRAID, BAKE AND SAY THE BLESSING OVER HALLAH Access to kitchen Ingredients (page 47 of Experiencing the Jewish Holiday (or shorten the process with pre made dough) OVERVIEW Without question, Shabbat is the most important holiday in the Jewish year. Some (who don t really know) will argue for Yom Kippur or Passover because they come once a year. But because it happens every week, Shabbat is the most important holiday in the Jewish year. Shabbat expresses a number of important Jewish themes: The creation of the world (Creation) The exodus from Egypt (Redemption) The giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai (Revelation) The coming of the Messiah (Redemption) Basically, we cover the entire year of Jewish themes one day a week. Add to that rest and renewal, and Shabbat becomes a pretty impressive experience. If you read The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man by Abraham Joshua Heschel (1951), you get a deeper understanding. We already know that God worked for six days to create the world and then rested on the seventh day. The seventh day, Shabbat, is part of the creation. We, too, work for six days, shaping and molding the earth into things we want and need. On Shabbat we leave the world alone and experience creation. Shabbat is a holiday that leaves space alone and work in the realm of time. Shabbat is a sanctuary in time. EREV SHABBAT Shabbat, like every other Jewish day, begins at night. We separate Shabbat from the rest of the week by lighting candles and making kiddush. This is part of what my friend Ron Wolfson calls the Shabbat seder, an order of blessings, songs, and family moments that begins Shabbat. It includes: Preparation for Shabbat (including giving tzedakah) Lighting candles Shalom Aleikhem Family blessings Kiddush Washing hands Ha-Motzi over the hallah The Shabbat meal Shabbat songs Birkat ha-mazon (grace after eating) For the purposes of this book, we have edited this process down to the three major elements of the table service: candles, kiddush, and hallah. TWO REASONS FOR SHABBAT In the Torah there are two versions of the Ten Commandments. In one version Shabbat is connected to creation; in the other, it is connected to the exodus. It is easy to connect creation and Shabbat. On Shabbat we are like Eve and Adam in the garden. We experience the world rather than trying to change

38 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 3 it. The exodus is harder to connect to Shabbat. According to a midrash (Exodus Rabbah 1:28), Moses talks Pharaoh into giving the Jews Shabbat as a day off. (Given rest, they would work harder.) It is clear that Shabbat was the first taste of liberation in Egypt. This duality is continued in the custom of lighting two candles for welcoming Shabbat. The kiddush picks up this duality (as does Lekha Dodi). In the kiddush we are told that Shabbat is a remembrance of both the creation and the exodus. In Lekha Dodi one verse begins Shamor (keep) v Zakor (and remember) (the Shabbat). Keep and remember are code words for the two descriptions of Shabbat in the two versions of the Ten Commandments. SHABBAT CANDLES To light Shabbat candles you need a trick. If you light Shabbat candles once Shabbat has begun, you are violating Shabbat. Lighting a fire is considered an act of work, and it violates the You shall do no work on the Shabbat rule in the Torah. If you light candles before Shabbat, then Shabbat begins with your lighting, so it is too late to bless them. So the Rabbis created a legal fiction. First you light the candles. It is not Shabbat; you are fine. Then you hide your eyes. Finally you move your hands and reveal the light. The blessing is said over the light that you have just revealed. That way, whenever you light candles (before the deadline), Shabbat begins. KIDDUSH One can say kiddush four times. Pairs of these times count as one. Kiddush was originally engineered for the Shabbat table at home, but it is said in synagogue at the end of the evening service. The public kiddush done in shul was added to cover the homeless and those who could not afford wine for Shabbat. It was a democratization of Shabbat. If you have said Amen in the synagogue kiddush, you have fulfilled your obligation to say the kiddush, but you still get to do it for yourself at home. The same is true of the Shabbat lunch kiddush. There is a requirement to have three meals during Shabbat. (Breakfast doesn t count). The third meal happens late in the day of Shabbat and can include a brakhah over wine, but there is no distinct kiddush. Kiddush also involves a legal fiction. It is actually a blessing over time. It celebrates the sacred nature of the Shabbat day. Because brakhot are supposed to be said over tangible things, we use wine, grape juice, or anything other than water as the focus for blessing the day. We, like many North American Jews, shorten the kiddush to one sentence that is actually the blessing over wine. Feel free to expand the kiddush you are teaching. The full Friday night kiddush consists of three parts. The introduction: Va-yakhulu (Genesis 2:1 3) The blessing over wine: Borei Pri ha-gafen The blessing over the Shabbat day: M kadesh et ha-shabbat KIDDUSH CUP A kiddush cup needs to be a cup. There is a minimum amount of liquid it is supposed to hold, but other than that, it is just a cup. The cup must hold a revi it of liquid. The exact measurement of a revi it is disputed, with estimates and as small as 3.07 and as high as 5.46 fluid ounces. What kicks in is a principle called hiddur mitzvah, the beautification of the mitzvah. Simply explained, one is supposed to do every mitzvah (that is both a commandment and a connection to God) in the

39 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 4 most beautiful way possible. This has led to kiddush cups made out of precious materials with all kinds of decorations. THE HALLAH Hallah tells two stories. The first is the story of the manna that fell nightly to feed Israel in the wilderness. The families-of-israel were told to collect twice as much manna on Friday because none would fall on Shabbat. The two hallot traditionally used on Shabbat represent the double portion of manna. The name hallah comes from a dough sacrifice in the Temple. A portion of the dough was taken from the loaf and burned. While we no longer have a Temple, we can still do this mitzvah as a remembrance. It doesn t count as the real thing, but it does keep the memory of the mitzvah alive. When the dough is ready to be shaped into loaves, say the following brakhah:. Barukh Attah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam Asher Kiddshanu b Mitzvotav v Tzivanu L Hafrish Hallah. Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Cosmos, Who has made us holy with God s mitzvot and made it a mitzvah for us to take from the hallah. Immediately after saying the brakhah, pinch off a piece of dough approximately the size of an olive or one ounce, and say: harei zeh hallah (this is hallah). Put it on the side of the oven pan and have it burn during the baking. OPPORTUNITY 1: TWO REASONS FOR SHABBAT BIG IDEAS On Shabbat we are like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. On Shabbat we are like the Jewish slaves in Egypt who were suddenly given a Shabbat of rest. 1. Shabbat Table 2. Examining Shabbat Kiddush 3. Acting Out the Two Locations students explain why Shabbat starts at night. students isolate the two reasons for Shabbat in the kiddush. students act out the two Shabbat moments in history. 1. Shabbat Table: Have a card table or a desk set up as a Shabbat dinner table. On it should be: a. White tablecloth b. Tzedakah box and some coins c. Shabbat candles and candlesticks d. Kiddush cup filled with grape juice

40 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 5 e. Two hallot with a cover (and perhaps salt) Improvise where necessary. Once class begins, gather your class around the table. Without introduction, go through a [out see copy] Do not say anything about this table as the class enters. Once you are ready, begin the class by jumping straight into a Shabbat table service with no introduction. You have a choice to do the edited, complete, or somewhere-in between table service. a. The edited table service is candle lighting, one-line kiddush, and ha-motzi. Do the actions connected to each item. b. The complete table service includes giving tzedakah, lighting candles, Shalom Aleikhem, family blessings, kiddush, washing hands, and Ha-Motzi over the hallah. If you need technical background on how to do each of these actions, fast-forward through this teacher s guide to get the dance steps. Discuss what has just taken place. Some students will recognize it as a Shabbat table service. Some students will be amazed by something totally new. Some students will recognize individual steps, but not the totality. Explain that this is the way Jews welcome Shabbat on Friday night and state, We are going to experience mastering the major parts. 2. Examining Shabbat kiddush. Break the class into hevrutot, pairs. Assign the pairs to read page 41, Two Reasons for Shabbat. Explain that it contains an introduction and then the Friday night kiddush. Introduce kiddush as the blessing over the holiness of Shabbat that uses a glass of wine. (Kiddush is not actually the blessing over wine.) Tell them that the page asks you to find the two reasons for Shabbat hidden in the kiddush. Give them time to work. Go over the answers. a. REMEMBRANCE of the work of creation b. REMEMBERING the exodus from Egypt Make sure that the terms work of creation (creating the universe) and exodus from Egypt (freedom from Egyptian slavery) are understood. 3. Act out the two locations. Divide the class in half. Tell the class that each half is going to act out one of the two moments that Shabbat remembers. Assign creation to one group and Egypt to the other. Explain that groups can use their bodies and words, but no props (and no furniture). Make it clear that the creation group is to give a tour of the garden of Eden on the first Shabbat. Each person is to show off one thing in the garden. The other group is to create a discussion that takes place right after Moses talks Pharaoh into giving the Jews a day off a week and letting them celebrate Shabbat (Exodus Rabbah 1:28). This drama activity is the reflection on this experience. Now check the Two Reasons box on page 39.

41 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 6 OPPORTUNITY 2: LIGHT AND BLESS SHABBAT CANDLES BIG IDEAS We light and bless at least two candles to start Shabbat. These stand for the creation and Egypt experiences. There is a correct way to light Shabbat candles to keep from breaking the rules of Shabbat. 1. Discuss Shabbat Candles 2. Mime the Candle-Lighting Procedure 3. Compare the Shabbat Candle Ritual to other Blessings 4. Make Candles 5. Photograph and Reflect on Lighting 6. Check the Light and Bless Box students can perform the traditional candle-lighting ritual. students have documented and reflected on the candle-lighting experience. 1. Discuss Shabbat candles. Put the following things on the blackboard: Wine Bread Rainbow Ask How do we bless each of these? Answers: Do not expect your students to know all of these. We say the blessing, then drink the wine.. Barukh Attah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam Borei Pri ha-gafen. Praised are You, Eternal our God, Ruler of the cosmos, the One-Who-Creates fruit of the vine. We say the blessing, maybe dip the bread in salt, then eat the bread.. Barukh Attah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam ha-motzi Lehem Min ha-aretz. Praised are You, Eternal our God, Ruler of the cosmos, the One-Who-sends forth bread from the earth. We see a rainbow and then respond with a blessing.. Barukh Attah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam Zokher ha-brit v Ne eman bi Vrito, v Kayam b Ma amaro. Praised are You, Eternal our God, Ruler of the cosmos, Who remembers the covenant and faithful in His covenant and keeps going in His words.

42 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 7 Only case in the rainbow do we say the blessing after the experience. In the other cases we use the blessing to prepare ourselves for the experience. Discuss the difference. Point out that we are prepared for all the other experiences, especially when we are preparing to do a mitzvah. The rainbow is different because it suddenly appears to us, and we respond. 2. Mime the candle-lighting procedure. Break into hevrutot (pairs) and designate one of the pair A and the other B. Have A read the directions on page 43 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays while B pantomimes the actions. Then reverse the process. 3. Compare the Shabbat candle ritual to other blessings. The candle blessing has moved from what should be a wine or bread blessing that is said first to a rainbow blessing that is said afterwards. Why? a. One cannot work on Shabbat. Lighting a fire is the one kind of work specifically mentioned in the Torah. b. If we bless first (creating Shabbat) and then light, we are breaking Shabbat with work. c. We light first (before Shabbat) and then suddenly come upon the flames (like a rainbow), and then we bless the light of the flames and create Shabbat with no violation. 4. Make candles. This is an optional activity. The easiest way to do this quickly without out mess is to cut a rectangle of honeycomb beeswax (available through Torah Aura Productions (www. torahaura.com), place a wick at one end, and then roll the candle. (You need two.) Practice this before doing it with your class; this will enable you to size the rectangles and get a feel for how to warm the wax with your fingers to keep it from cracking as you roll. 5. Photograph and reflect on lighting. Have students fill in the reflection question on page 23 while you photograph each student with his/her candles doing the steps of the blessing. Process the pictures and have students share their reflections. 6. Check the Light and Bless box on page OPTIONAL PROJECT: Make candlesticks. These projects come from Ruth Sharon, Arts and Crafts the Year Round (New York: United Synagogue Commission on Jewish Education, 1965). a. Glue a number (2 4) wood spools together and glue them to a wooden base. Glue a bottle cap to the top to hold the candle. Decorate. b. Use clay to shape candlesticks. You will be better with self-hardening clay unless your school has a kiln. Use a paper clip to decorate the surface of the clay. c. Small Pyrex bowls or whiskey glasses can be turned upside down and decorated, and a bottle cap or washer can be glued to it to place the candle in.

43 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 8 OPPORTUNITY 3: DECORATE A CUP AND MAKE KIDDUSH WITH IT BIG IDEAS Kiddush is another way of starting Shabbat. Kiddush cups are supposed to be beautiful. 1. Discuss Kiddush 2. Practice Kiddush 3. Make a Kiddush Cup 4. Reflect on and Record Making Kiddush students can explain what kiddush does. students make a kiddush cup. students practice, record, and reflect on making kiddush. 1. Discuss kiddush. Ask two questions: What is the purpose of Kiddush? Do we need a special cup to make Kiddush? Have students take a guess at answering the questions. Then ask students to read the two short paragraphs on page 44 and find the answers to the questions. Kiddush uses wine as a way of saying that the Shabbat day is holy. Just as those who light candles change the week into Shabbat, those who make kiddush change the week into Shabbat. Traditionally women were at home and lit candles. A man living alone was supposed to light candles. Each household was to begin Shabbat with lighting and blessing candles. Those who went to synagogue (usually men) started Shabbat with the communal kiddush, then said kiddush again for the family. Anything that holds liquid will work for kiddush, but the tradition of hiddur mitzvah (beautification of the mitzvah) was to use a special cup that was as pretty as possible. 2. Practice kiddush: Use the text at the bottom of the page to practice the kiddush. It is the wine blessing only and is about the right length if your students do not read Hebrew well. If you want to do a full kiddush, you will find a handout to copy on Erev Shabbat page 10 of this teacher s guide. 3. Make a kiddush cup. Bring to class one cup or plastic glass for each student to use as a base. Have them cut or tear small pieces of colored tissue paper and glue them to the cup using fingers or paintbrushes. This will end up looking something like a stained-glass window. You will want to make sure they leave a small lip at the top for drinking. Bringing an example to class would be good. If you want to have them finish it with a coat of shellac, do this after the pictures are taken. 4. Reflect on and record making kiddush. Take photographs of each student pretending to make kiddush with his/her cup. Show off the cup well. While this is happening have them answer the reflection question. When everyone is done, share the answers to the reflection question. 5. Check the Decorate a Kiddush Cup and Make Kiddush with It box. 6. Save the kiddush cups. Usually the expectation is to do an art project and then send it home. In this case it would be good to save the kiddush cups for the havdalah unit.

44 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 9 OPPORTUNITY 4: BRAID, BAKE AND SAY THE BLESSING OVER HALLAH BIG IDEAS Hallah tells three stories: (1) A double portion of manna fell before Shabbat, and (2) in the Temple they used to have a hallah sacrifice. Hallah is the taste of Shabbat. 1. Start dough 2. Report on hallah stories 3. Finish baking 4. Photograph, Bless, Eat, and Reflect on Hallah students can explain the symbolism of hallah. students have made and tasted their own hallot. students have reflected on their hallah experience. 1. Start dough: If you have enough time, mix and knead the dough and set it aside to rise for an hour. 2. Reports on hallah stories. Divide the class into three groups. Give each a bulleted paragraph on page 46. Have them make their hallah memory into a human sculpture (with one person to explain). 3. Punch down the dough and turn out your hallot. Shape or braid the hallot. For more information on braiding, go to The name hallah comes from a dough sacrifice in the Temple. A portion of the dough was taken from the loaf and burned. While we no longer have a Temple, we can still do this mitzvah as a remembrance. It doesn t count as the real thing, but it does keep the memory of the mitzvah alive. When the dough is ready to be shaped into loaves, say the following brakhah:. Barukh Attah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam Asher Kiddshanu b Mitzvotav v Tzivanu L Hafrish Hallah. Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Cosmos, Who has made us holy with God s mitzvot and made it a mitzvah for us to take from the hallah. Immediately after saying the brakhah, pinch off a piece of dough approximately the size of an olive or one ounce, and say: harei zeh hallah (this is hallah). Put it on the side of the oven pan and have it burn during the baking. 4. Let hallah dough rise for 1 hour and then bake the hallot according to the recipe. 5. Photographing, blessing, eating and reflecting on hallah. Take a picture of the whole class holding their hallot. Have copies made. Next break, bless, and eat the hallah. If dipping in salt is part of the tradition of your synagogue (ask the director of education), do that as well. Give students time to write their reflections and then share reflections as a class. 6. Check the Hallah box on page 39.

45 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 10 Kiddush Blessed be You, ADONAI.1 our God, Ruler-of-the-Cosmos.2 The ONE-Who-Creates the fruit of the vine..3 BLESSED are You, the Eternal.4 our God, Ruler-of-the-Cosmos.5 The ONE-Who-Made us HOLY through the mitzvot.6 and the ONE-Who-is pleased with us..7 And the ONE-Who-gave us the holy Shabbat.8 with love and satisfaction.9 as a remembrance of the work of CREATION..10 Because this is a day of BEGINNING.11 for a HOLY TIME.12 remembering the EXODUS from Egypt..13 Because You chose us.14 and separated us from all other peoples.15 For You have called to us.16 and set us apart to serve You.17 and intentionally separated Shabbat with love.18 as our inheritance..19 Blessed be You, ADONAI.20 The ONE-Who-Makes Shabbat HOLY..21 Kol Haneshamah (Reconstructionist Siddur) replaces lines

46 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Havdalah 1 HAVDALAH HAVDALAH OPPORTUNITIES Review and perform the brakhah over wine (grape juice) Make a container for b samim and learn its brakhah Make a Havdalah candle and learn its brakhah Understand the concept of Havdalah Participate in a Havdalah service FAMILY HAVDALAH OPPORTUNITIES Read an Elijah story Make or attend a Havdalah service TIMING Once again, for the second Shabbat unit we are over-packing a two-session unit. You may be able to find a third week, or you may delay this unit until after the winter break and easily find three sessions between Hanukkah and Tu B Shvat. SESSION 1 SESSION 2 a. Introduce Havdalah b. Review the brakhah over wine c. Make a spice container and rehearse the brakhah d. Make a Havdalah candle and practice the brakhah a. Learn the meaning of Havdalah b. Hold a Havdalah service PREPARATION FOR EACH ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 1: REVIEW AND PERFORM THE BRAKHAH OVER WINE (GRAPE JUICE). Grape juice and cups for wine, perhaps the kiddush cups made in the Erev Shabbat lesson Paper and pencils OPPORTUNITY 2: MAKE A CONTAINER FOR B SAMIM AND LEARN ITS BRAKHAH. Pick a way of making a b samim container and gather the materials (see the suggestions below) Have a selection of spices to use OPPORTUNITY 3: MAKE A HAVDALAH CANDLE AND LEARN ITS BRAKHAH Bring either wax or candles to class Have hot water to soften the wax OPPORTUNITY 4: UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF HAVDALAH Sets of eight cards (on page 10 of the Havdalah guide) Sheets of newsprint, some tape, some markers

47 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Havdalah 2 OPPORTUNITY 5: PARTICIPATE IN A HAVDALAH SERVICE All the elements of Havdalah: kiddush cup, spice box, candle (ideally you have saved all the ones that your students have made) Text of the Havdalah service, pages OVERVIEW Havdalah is both a magical and a mystical experience. It is magical because it is done in the dark by candlelight and involves difference senses. It is mystical because its whole focus is to connect to the messiah, the redemption, and the future. The service itself is simple. It is basically an echo of the start of Shabbat. It uses a braided candle (instead of two candles), wine, and spices rather than hallah. In a sense we end by unmaking it; putting out the candle is the last action. WINE When we say a blessing over a sacred occasion we use wine. It is hard to say a blessing over a moment because you can t hold a moment in your hand. The Jewish tradition uses wine or grape juice (or just about anything else except for water) as a way of saying a brakhah over time. That is true of the Friday night kiddush, and it is also true of the glass of wine used at Havdalah. In a traditional prayer book you usually find a footnote saying Do not drink from the wine until after the final blessing (ha-mavdil be Kodesh). That is because the entire Havdalah service really takes place within the arc of the kiddush that both begins and ends the service. The other blessings fit in between as part of a progression. SPICES Legend teaches that on Shabbat each Jew receives a neshamah y teirah (an extra soul). This extra soul is considered to be a partial experience of the world to come. Once again, a soul is an abstraction. The concrete smells of the spices serve as tangible manifestations of the extra soul. Most spice boxes are made to look like towers. Towers were often the bank vaults of ancient times. Spice and the soul it represents are considered treasures that need to be protected. HAVDALAH CANDLE The Havdalah candle must have at least three wicks whose flames burn together. This is described by the tradition as an avekh (a torch). The midrash connects this image to the vision of Adam and Eve using a torch to light the way as they left the garden after the first Shabbat ended on the first Saturday night. The response to the candle is to curl one s fingers and either look at the flicker of the flames in your fingernails or watch the shadow of the fingers across the palm. The fingernail idea is that the original Adam was protected by a shell of fingernails everywhere until he ate the fruit. The shadows say we can tell the difference between dark and light. HA-MAVDIL The final brakhah of the Havdalah service, the one that finishes the kiddush, deals with distinctions. It runs a list of contrasts: a. between holiness and the ordinary b. between light and dark c. between Israel and the nations d. between the seventh day and the six days of creation

48 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Havdalah 3 It is too easy to simplify this list as good and bad. That is not its intent. Dark is not bad; it is just an absence of light. Ordinary is not bad; it just isn t unique. Israel isn t better than the other nations (any more than Shabbat is better than any other day); it just has a unique relationship with God. That is not saying that other nations do not have their own unique relationships with God. These are not this is better than that but rather these are different from those. Ultimately this blessing says that now that we are going back to the week, we will remember that Shabbat (and its hope for the future) is different. ELIJAH Elijah is the one person who never died. The Torah tells us that he flew up to heaven in a fiery chariot. As he is still alive, we have the notion that Elijah is coming back. There are many folktales about the people he has punished or rewarded on his return, and about his returning in order to announce the coming of the messiah (messianic age). Elijah is connected to Havdalah. We sing a song to him welcoming his presence. The idea is simple. Shabbat is a foretaste of the world to come. It is a sample of messianic times. We always hope that Shabbat will not end and that the messiah will come. If that is the case, Elijah will show up and announce the change. We hope he is present and makes his announcement at the end of Shabbat, beginning the time that is all Shabbat. SHAVU A TOV Just about every Jewish event has its own greeting. The greeting for Havdalah is Shavu a Tov, a good week. Shabbat is over; may things be good till the next Shabbat. OPPORTUNITY 1: REVIEW AND PERFORM THE BRAKHAH OVER WINE (GRAPE JUICE) BIG IDEAS The blessing over wine in the Havdalah service is a blessing over time. The Havdalah cup is filled to overflowing. 1. Review the blessing over wine. 2. Practice the blessing over wine. 3. Document and reflect on the blessing over wine. students can perform the blessing over wine. students document and reflect their performance of the blessing over wine. students share their reflection. 1. Review the blessing over wine. Ask the question, How is a blessed glass of wine like a time machine? We are not talking about being drunk! We are asking the question When we bless a glass of wine, where does it take us? Take answers. If necessary, remind the class: When we say the kiddush on Friday night it takes us to slavery in Egypt and to the garden of Eden. a. Break into small groups. Have students look at pages Introduce the pages as the core of the service that ends Shabbat and begins the week. This is the Havdalah service.

49 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Havdalah 4 b. Have student groups read the service and try to find where this glass of wine takes one. There may be a number of good answers, like into the new week. But the answer we are looking for is It takes us forward to the time when Elijah returns and announces the messiah. This is going to take some explanation. Elijah the prophet who did not die. We invite him to every Passover seder, every circumcision (you may not want to go into this), and every Havdalah service. He will come and announce the messiah. Messiah traditionally a descendant of King David who will emerge and lead people to perfect the world and make it an ideal place. He will help to create a Messianic Age. Messianic Age many Jews do not believe that a single person will lead the world to become the best it can be. Rather they believe that working together, many people will help to create a Messianic Age. At the end of Shabbat we connect via the Havdalah service to this best possible Jewish future. c. Learn the Song Eliyahu ha-navi on the bottom of page Practice the blessing over wine. Use your kiddush cups if you have saved them; otherwise, use other cups of grape juice. Sing the brakhah over wine (page 53) and then drink the juice. 3. Document and reflect on the blessing over wine. a. Refill the glasses of wine to the very top (overflowing). b. Demonstrate the pinky dip. It is a folk tradition to dip one s pinky finger into the blessed wine and then put it behind one s ears, then redip and place it on the eyes, and then redip and place it in one s pockets. This symbolizes hearing the holy, seeing the holy, and having a plentiful week (the practical inserted into the holy). Have students perform this tradition and use it to hit the target on page 53 with a drop of wine. The tradition starts with Psalms 19.9, The command of the Eternal is clear, enlightening the eyes. NOTE: While we are using this custom here, it is usually done at the end of the ceremony, after the Havdalah candle has been extinguished in the wine. c. Photograph students practicing kiddush. d. During the photography, have students complete the reflection question. I think the kiddush cup is filled to overflowing because. The traditional answer (and we are not expecting this answer to be the right answer) is that We want our blessings to overflow. e. Share reflections and check the Perform the Brakhah over Wine box on page 51. We will be adding pieces of the Havdalah service until we can perform the whole thing.

50 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Havdalah 5 OPPORTUNITY 2: MAKE A CONTAINER FOR B SAMIM AND LEARN ITS BRAKHAH BIG IDEAS We say a brakhah when we smell spices. Smelling spices is part of the closing of Shabbat. 1. Introduce spice boxes 2. Make a spice container 3. Rehearse and photograph the spice brakhah 4. Reflect on smelling the spices students have created a spice box. students can perform the spice brakhah. students have reflected on the spice experience. 1. Introduce spice boxes. First choice: Bring in a collection of spice boxes. Ask your educator to help you find these. Second choice: Google and print a series of images of spice boxes. (Hint:.A lot of secular images will come up, but you want Jewish spice boxes.) Have students examine the series of boxes (or images). Start with a simple question: What are these? You may or may not get the answer spice boxes. Be prepared to answer the question. Explain: Smelling spices and saying a brakhah is the second brakhah in the Havdalah service. Resist explaining what the spices mean unless the class really asks you for it. If you need it, go for the neshamah yiterah (the extra soul). See the teacher notes at the beginning of this chapter of the teacher s guide for explanation. 2. Make a spice container. Pick a way of doing this and make sure you have supplies. a. A bag of spices is a nice, simple way of doing this. Provide students with bags and let them choose the spices for the mixture in their bags. Try places that sell potpourri. b. Poke holes in oranges and insert whole cloves into the holes. These can be done randomly, or one can put designs and shapes on the skin of the orange. If done well, these will last a long time, as the orange dries and the cloves helps to preserve it. c. Fill small salt shakers with spices. Decorate. d. Poke holes in small boxes (try the Container Store) and decorate. 3. Rehearse and photograph the spice brakhah. Have students smell their spice boxes and say the brakhah on page 54 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. Photograph each student and his or her spice box. 4. Reflect on smelling the spices. Fill in the reflection box. When I smell the spices I think about. Share the reflections. 5. Check the Make Container for B samim box.

51 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Havdalah 6 OPPORTUNITY 3: MAKE A HAVDALAH CANDLE AND LEARN ITS BRAKHAH BIG IDEAS The Havdalah candle reminds us of the torch Adam and Eve used to leave the garden of Eden on the first Motzei Shabbat. Havdalah is a hope that the flame will lead us back to Eden. The braiding on the Havdalah candle reminds us of the braids of the hallah and the way that we intertwine our lives with and during Shabbat. 1. Discuss the Adam and Eve story 2. Make a Havdalah candle 3. Light the candle, learn the hand gestures, and say the blessing 4. Document the process and reflect students have made a havdalah candle. students have performed the candle part of the Havdalah service. students document and reflect on their candle activity. 1. Discuss the Adam and Eve story. The Adam and Eve Havdalah story is simple. Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge in the last hour before the first Shabbat. God lets them spend the first Shabbat in the garden. When it came time for Havdalah, Adam and Eve were asked to leave the garden of Eden. To light their way in the darkness they took a torch. Fire was first created for Havdalah. The torch led them out of the garden. We hope that at the end of one Shabbat, when the time is right, our Havdalah candle will lead us back into the garden. Then the world will finally be fixed. Tell this story while holding a lighted Havdalah candle. Ask: What does this story teach us about the Havdalah service> Among the possible answers: a. Shabbat is a way of fixing the world. b. Havdalah acts out the story of Adam and Eve leaving the garden of Eden. c. The candle reminds us of their torch. d. Havdalah takes us back to the Garden of Eden. 2. Make a havdalah candle: There are two easy ways of doing this. Remember, it takes at least three wicks to make a Havdalah candle. a. The dunk-hanukkah-candles-in-hot-water method. Take Hanukkah candles the longer and thinner the candles, the better. Get some tubs of hot water. The hotter the water, the better, but not so hot as to keep kids from putting their hands in. Students should dunk their three or four candles and bend them gently as they soften. Students should be told to be careful; they don t want to break their candles. Candles should be braided. (Under two and over one, if you use four candles.) When done, set the candles aside to cool and harden. b. The roll-honeycombed-beeswax method. Honeycombed beeswax is a thin sheet of wax that can be cut with scissors. It comes in lots of colors. Put a wick in the center and roll three or four thick candles. Students need to work their candles, bending them softly and warming the wax with their hands. Once the wax is soft enough (and be careful, because

52 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Havdalah 7 they will break), they can be braided and turned into a Havdalah candle. The wax and wicks can be found at or at 3. Light the candle, learn the hand gestures, and say the blessing. There are two different sets of gestures that can be done with one s hands during the candle brakhah. One involves curling one s fingers and watching the reflection of the candle s light in one s fingernails. This comes from a story that before they left the garden after the first Havdalah, Adam and Eve were armored in a whole-body suit of fingernail-like material. The second gesture is to watch the shadows of the curved fingers as they play out from the flickering flame across the palm. This shows the distinction between darkness and light. Teach these gestures. a. Light the candles. ALUMINUM FOIL WARNINGS! It is important to wrap shields of aluminum foil around the bases of the candles to catch the dripping wax. (1) The wax is hot and will burn your students. (2) Wax dripped on the floor and furniture is a pain to clean up. Do not skip this step. b. Practice the brakhah together. It is on page 55 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. c. Do the hand gestures. 4. Document the process and reflect. Before you put out the candles, have students hit the target on page 55 with a drop or two of wax. Write reflections and share them. When I look into the flames of the Havdalah candle I think about. 5. Check the Havdalah Candle box. This is on page 51. OPPORTUNITY 4: UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF HAVDALAH BIG IDEAS The opposite of holy is not bad; it is ordinary, mundane. Havdalah is about finding the moments of holiness hidden in the ordinary. 1. Explain the distinction between holy and ordinary 2. Brainstorm lists of holy and ordinary 3. Answer holy and ordinary questions students define holy and ordinary. students sort the items in the brakhah into holy and ordinary. students answer questions about the Havdalah brakhah. 1. Explain the distinction between holy and ordinary. a. Run off sets of the eight blessing item cards and cut them into packets of eight cards. These are at the end of this unit s guide. The eight items are: Holy Other Nations Light Six Days of Creation Israel Ordinary The Seventh Day Darkness

53 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: High Holidays 8 b. Divide the class into groups of six. Give each group a set of cards (Havdalah page 10). Ask the groups to divide the cards into two groups: holy and ordinary. c. Gather the class. Discuss how they decided what is holy and what is ordinary. More or less: holy = special ordinary = usual d. Go over the answers. Have students fill in the correct answers on page 56 of their textbooks. Holy = = = = = = = = = = = = Ordinary Light = = = = = = = = = = = = Darkness Israel= = = = = = = = = = = = Other Nations The Seventh Day = = = = = = = Six Days of Creation 2. Brainstorm lists of holy and ordinary. Go back into groups of six. Give each group a sheet of newsprint and a marker. Have them brainstorm and record addition items for the lists of holy and ordinary. Have groups share and hang their lists. 3. Answer holy and ordinary questions. Break into hevruta pairs. Have students work on answering the three questions at the bottom of the page. Go over the answers. What is the difference between a holy thing and an ordinary thing? A holy thing is something that makes God seem closer. An ordinary thing is just like everything else. Why is the end of Shabbat a good time to talk about distinctions? On Shabbat we are on the edge of lots of things: day and night, holiness and the ordinary, and Shabbat and the week. What is the difference between Israel and the other nations? This question invites the answer We are the chosen people, and they are not. This is not a great answer. It would be better to say, The Jewish people have a special relationship with God that no one else has, and Many nations have their own special relationships with God that we do not have. 4. Check Understand Havdalah on page 51. OPPORTUNITY 5: PARTICIPATE IN A HAVDALAH SERVICE BIG IDEAS The Havdalah service uses all of our senses and is a beautiful experience. 1. Organize the materials 2. Perform the Havdalah service students participate in a full Havdalah service. 1. Set up for Havdalah service. Each student should have (1) a Havdalah candle with an aluminum foil shield around the bottom, (2) a Kiddush cup filled to the top with grade juice, (3) a spice container, and (4) the text of the Havdalah service. 2. Perform Havdalah service. Light the candles. Turn out the lights. Walk through the Havdalah service, reminding students of the tasks and gestures that need to be done. If you are

54 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 9 uncomfortable leading the whole service, you may want to invite a rabbi, educator, cantor, song leader, etc. 3. Check the Make or Practice Havdalah box. The absolute best way of doing this is to gather families on Saturday night and actually make Havdalah.

55 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Erev Shabbat 10 BLESSING ITEM CARDS The Seventh Day Darkness Israel Ordinary Other Nations Six Days of Creation Light Holy

56 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Hanukkah 1 HANUKKAH HANUKKAH OPPORTUNITIES Participate in the story of Hanukkah Demonstrate lighting the hanukkiyah Participate in playing and explain dreidle Make, eat, bless, and enjoy a Hanukkah food Make a mezuzah and practice dedicating a Jewish home FAMILY HANUKKAH OPPORTUNITIES Celebrate eight nights of Hanukkah Attend a Hanukkah service Read a Hanukkah story Put a mezuzah on a door TIMING We are presenting this material in two sessions, though especially if you add to it you may need a third session. SESSION 1 SESSION 2 Participate in the story of Hanukkah Demonstrate lighting the hanukkiyah Participate in playing and explain dreidle Participate in playing and explaining dreidle. Make, eat, bless, and enjoy a Hanukkah food Make a mezuzah and practice dedicating a Jewish home. PREPARATION FOR EACH ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 1: PARTICIPATE IN THE STORY OF HANUKKAH Hanukkiyah and candles Experiencing the Jewish Holidays textbooks (page 62ff) OPPORTUNITY 2: DEMONSTRATE LIGHTING THE HANUKKIYAH Hanukkiyot and candles. (No matches). Ideally every student will have their own, but have extras just the same. Experiencing the Jewish Holidays textbooks (pages 66-7). OPPORTUNITY 3: PARTICIPATE IN PLAYING AND EXPLAIN DREIDLE Dreidle and things to use as gambling items (chocolate, poker chips, etc.) Experiencing the Jewish Holidays textbooks (pages 69).

57 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Hanukkah 2 OPPORTUNITY 4: MAKE, EAT, BLESS, AND ENJOY A HANUKKAH FOOD Cooking Supplies. See the menu on page 71. Experiencing the Jewish Holidays textbooks (pages 71). OPPORTUNITY 5: MAKE A MEZUZAH AND PRACTICE DEDICATING A JEWISH HOME Mezuzah making materials. Choose a way of making a mezuzah from the teacher s guide and gather the supplies. Photographic materials. Experiencing the Jewish Holidays textbooks (pages 72-3). OVERVIEW Hanukkah, a minor Jewish moment, has ballooned into the most significant event in the Jewish idea. It is easy to celebrate, involves fire and presents, and falls during the major celebratory season in Western consciousness. None of this is to say that Hanukkah is unworthy of our attention; rather, like it or not, it becomes a major teaching opportunity. THE HANUKKAH STORY There is the Hanukkah story that everyone knows, and then there is what probably really happened. The simple (popular) story is that the Greeks occupied Israel and tried to make Jews give up Judaism and worship Greek gods. Most Jews gave in, but Mattathias and his son Judah fought back. They formed an army called the Maccabees. They took back the Temple, cleaning and restoring it. They found only enough oil to last for one day. A miracle happened, and the oil lasted eight days, long enough to get new oil. The more complicated version of the story includes these elements: The Greek Empire was divided in half, one side ruled from Syria and the other side ruled from Egypt. Israel was in the middle. The Jewish people had a civil war between a religious faction and a more secular (Greek) faction. Antiochus stopped the civil war by siding with the secular faction. The Jews gathered an army and won independence (for a while). The victory ended with an eight-day holiday of celebration. There are three different memories of why eight days: the famous one about the oil burning, a story about a second celebration of (eight-day-long) Sukkot, and a more military image of eight burning iron spears. HANUKKAH MESSAGES If we met the actual Maccabees, we probably wouldn t like them. Think of them as the worst of the Haredi (ultra Orthodox) Jews in Israel today. Most of us would be on the other side of the civil war, allied with the Jews who were willing to let some Greek culture into their lives. None of that kept the proto-government of Israel from naming the Jewish version of the Greek Olympic games after the Maccabees. The basic truth is that the Maccabees we remember have little connection to who the Maccabees really were, and that is not important. We live with the memory, not the reality. We know that the Rabbis of the Talmud were not happy with the Jews are great military heroes story, and they replaced it with the oil burned for eight nights miracle. American Jews have considered Hanukkah a Jews fight for freedom story. It has regularly been a Jews can be heroes, too story, while Jewish mystics have said The darkest hour is just before the dawn. We are not going to teach the meaning of the Hanukkah story; rather, we are going to open it up for meanings.

58 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Hanukkah 3 HANUKKIYAH A menorah is a seven-branched candelabrum probably based on the seven days of creation. It stood in the Temple. A hanukkiyah is a nine-branched candelabrum, one branch for each night of Hanukkah and one more, called the shamesh (the service candle), used to light the others. The hanukkiyah, which often looks like a menorah, is a unique creation for the holiday. It is a mitzvah to light it nightly. There are a number of rules, but the Talmud underlines the fact that the purpose of the hanukkiyah is to advertise the miracle. DREIDLE/SEVIVON The dreidle is a four-sided top, probably introduced in the late Middle Ages but midrashically rooted in (a) a game played in the time of Ahashuarus and (b) a list of classic enemies of Israel. It is another great reminder of the great miracle. In Israel the dreidle says, Nun, Gimmel, Hey, and Shin, standing for Nes Gadol Hayah Poe (a big miracle happened here). Outside of Israel it becomes Nes Gadol Hayah Sham (a big miracle happened there). HANUKKAH FOODS There are two big Hanukkah foods: latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (jelly donuts). What they have in common is the oil in which they are fried. Oil-fried foods reinforce the story that the oil burned for eight nights. MEZUZAH The mezuzah is a box containing four biblical texts that are hung on the doorposts of the house (Deuteronomy 6.9). This biblical commandment defines a Jewish home. The ceremony for hanging a mezuzah is called Hanukkat ha-bayit (the dedication of a house). What gets underlined here is that Hanukkah, the holiday, means dedication and points the emphasis of the story toward the act of cleaning and rededicating the Temple after the Maccabean victory. OPPORTUNITY 1: PARTICIPATING IN THE STORY OF HANUKKAH BIG IDEA In many ways, the story of Hanukkah is our story. Like Jews in the Maccabean era, we have to choose between Jewish and secular opportunities. Like the Jews in the Maccabean era, American Jews have experiences in which it is difficult to practice Judaism. Some times, like Judah Maccabee, we have to stand up and fight for our rights. There are many different endings to the Hanukkah story. 1. Hanukkah set induction 2. The Hanukkah situation is like our situation 3. American Jews have their own Antiochus moments 4. We are sometimes called upon to be like the Maccabees 5. The endings of the Hanukkah story

59 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Hanukkah 4 students compare the Hannukah experience to their experience. students bring the Hanukkah story to life. students reflect on the Hanukkah story. 1. Hanukkah set induction. Start with a hanukkiyah in the center of the room or on your desk or somewhere where it can be the focus as students enter. After establishing that the hanukkiyah is a hanukkiyah or a Hanukkah menorah (not a menorah), ask What story does this hannukkiyah tell? Collect answers. Hanukkah is probably the one holiday about which students will know a lot because this is the holiday that almost all of them celebrate. Collect information and see this conversation as getting the juices going. Expect: The pop Hanukkah story in which the Jews are innocent and the Greeks are bad. Don t worry about it. We will expand that story. 2. The Hanukkah situation is like our situation. Read or have read the text on the top half of page 62. Point out that the Hanukkah war got started as a conflict between Jews over how Jewish to be. Read the role-play and have it acted out by four, then three students. We are going to do this one publicly as a warm-up for doing the next one in small groups. You are going to have a family debate on the conflict between a basketball game and a synagogue service. In a two-parent family the fair answer would be to have one parent go with each child. We ll bet your students will come up with that answer. By making it a single-parent family we not only give a nod to diversity, but we also force a choice. Point Out: Having to choose between things like sports and going to services is the way that Hanukkah got started. Have students fill in the reflection question. Share answers. 3. American Jews have their own Antiochus moments. Read or have read the text on the top of page 63. Here we learn that the Greeks imposition of their religion (and banning of Judaism) was an attempt to end the chaos that was going on. Break the class into groups of six. Have each of these groups act out the case on the page. Roam the room and monitor the discussions. You are looking to capture some good quotes. Make sure that students know that this case was real. You can learn more about it at org/magazine/winter2005/article4.htmlhttp:// html Share the results of small-group discussions. Have students fill in the reflection boxes. Share these answers. 4. We are sometimes called upon to be like the Maccabees. Move on to page 64. Read or have read the text at the top of the page. This is the moment when Mattathias stood up and fought for his Jewish freedom. Break into groups of six. Have groups act out the case at the bottom of the page. All the groups should be working at once, and you should roam the room collecting good quotes. Share with the entire class the answers that emerged in the group discussions.

60 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Hanukkah 5 Have students reflect and share reflections. Have students fill in and then discuss the reflection question: How is this like the choice that the Maccabees had to make? 5. The endings of the Hanukkah story. Move on to page 65. Divide your class into three groups. Assign each group to create a dramatic presentation of one of the three endings to the Hanukkah story. Allow working time, and then watch the presentations. Point out that each of these different endings comes from a different historical document, all of which were written long after the event. Make it clear that when it comes to memory, we all remember things differently. Allow time for reflection and discussion. We are asking Which ending do you believe is true? (There is something to learn from each ending.) The first ending is from the Talmud. It is the miracle of the oil story, and it suggests that In the midst of darkness there is always light. It has eight days of Hanukkah because the light lasted for eight days. The second ending is from the II Book of Maccabees, a book not made part of the Jewish Bible that says Hanukkah was a second celebration of Sukkot. Hanukkah has eight days because Sukkot has eight days. The important thing here is that Sukkot is when we ask for rain, and missing it could make for a bad year. The last story is from a midrash called Pesikta Rabbati. It says they turned their spears into a hanukkiyah. Eight days for eight spears. Its message is that we turn our victories into a way of celebrating God. 6. Check the Hanukkah Story box on page 63. OPPORTUNITY 2: DEMONSTRATE LIGHTING THE HANUKKAH BIG IDEA The ritual of kindling the hanukkiyah acts out the miracle of the oil story. There are precise rules for how to light the hanukkiyah. The purpose of the hanukkiyah is to advertise the miracle of Hanukkah. 1. Introduce the Hanukkiyah. 2. Practice the blessings and actions. 3. Document the experience. students create a Hanukkah advertisement. Students perform the hanukkiyah ritual. Students document their performance. 1. Introduce the hanukkiyah: Have every student bring in a hanukkiyah and candles. Have extra sets available so that every student or every two students has one. 2. Practice the blessings and actions. Make sure that every student or two has a hanukkiyah and candles. Read the text on page 66 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays and act out each step as you go. Practice the brakhot together and pantomime lighting the candles.

61 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Hanukkah 6 3. Document the experience. Be nice to your smoke protectors. Use one lit hanukkiyah and stage the photographs behind it. Have students write and share their reflections. 4. Check the Demonstrate Lighting the Hanukkiyah box. OPPORTUNITY 3: PARTICIPATE IN THE PLAYING OF AND EXPLAIN DREIDLE BIG IDEA The dreidle tells the story of the miracle. 1. Review the rules for dreidle 2. Unpack the dreidle 3. Invent your own Hanukkah game students have played dreidle. students have invented their own Hanukkah game. 1. Review the rules for dreidle. Break the class into groups of four to six. Give each group a dreidle and something to use for betting: M&Ms, poker chips, etc. Tell them to use the rules on page 69 and have them use the rules to start playing. Let them play long enough for them to get excited about the game. 2. Unpack dreidle. Ask: What is the connection between playing dreidle and celebrating Hanukkah? There are two answers; we teach one on page 68. The letters Nun, Gimmel, Hey, Shin stand for Neis Gadol Hayah Sham, (a big miracle happened there). Ask: What was the miracle? There are actually several answers to the question, including he oil, the victory, and the memory. The other answer is the memory that the Romans and the Maccabees used to play with a four-sided top. 3. Invent your own Hanukkah game. Give each group a sheet of newsprint and a marker. Challenge them to create their own Hanukkah game. Give them working time. Hang their posters and have each group present to the class. In this case the creation of the original game is the reflection on the dreidle experience. OPPORTUNITY 4: MAKE, EAT, BLESS, AND ENJOY A HANUKKAH FOOD BIG IDEA Hanukkah foods make strong memories. Hanukkah stories emphasize the story of the oil. 1. Cook and/or eat latkes 2. Evaluate and document the latke experience. 3. If you are a sufganiyot hard case, do that instead or also 4. Explain the food

62 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Hanukkah 7 students have made/eaten potato latkes. students have documented their latke experience. 1. Cook and/or eat latkes: Latkes involve knives (plastic is possible), hot oil, and other fun things. This is a time to get extra hands to work with every three or four students. Frozen latkes, pre diced potatoes and onions, and other tricks can make this faster and easier (but you do lose something). LATKES 1 MAKES 10 LATKES Ingredients 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 onion, chopped (optional) 2 eggs 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ cup canola oil, or as needed Directions 1. Place ¼ of the potatoes, onion, eggs, salt, flour, and baking powder in the work bowl of a food processor; pulse several times until the vegetables are finely chopped. Add the rest of the potatoes, and pulse again until all the potatoes are finely chopped and the mixture is thoroughly combined. 2. Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Scoop up about one-quarter cup of the potato mixture per latke, and place into the hot oil. Fry the patty until brown and crisp on the bottom, flip it, and cook the other side until brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with the rest of the potato mixture, replenishing the oil as needed. Serve hot. LATKES 2 MAKES 12 LATKES Ingredients 2 cups peeled and shredded potatoes 1 tablespoon grated onion 3 eggs, beaten 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons salt ½ cup canola oil for frying Directions 1. Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible. 2. In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together. 3. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form ¼-inch thick patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot! 2. Evaluate and document the latke experience. Have students explain the connection between the latkes and the story of the oil. Have them document this by putting a drop of oil on page 71.

63 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Hanukkah 8 3. If you are a sufganiyot hard case, do that instead or also. SUFGANIYOT MAKES 18 SUFGANIYOT Ingredients 2 tablespoons white vinegar ⅜ cup milk 2 tablespoons shortening ½ cup white sugar 1 egg ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 1 quart oil for deep frying ½ cup confectioners' sugar for dusting Directions 1. Stir the vinegar into the milk, and let stand for a few minutes until thick. 2. In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture alternating with the vinegar and milk. Roll dough out on a floured surface to one-third inch thickness. Cut into doughnuts using a donut cutter. Let stand for about 10 minutes. 3. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry doughnuts in the hot oil until golden, turning over once. Drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners' sugar while they are still warm, and serve immediately. 4. Check the Latkes box. OPPORTUNITY 5: MAKE A MEZUZAH AND PRACTICE DEDICATING A JEWISH HOME BIG IDEAS Hanging a mezuzah is the way we dedicate a Jewish home. Hanging a mezuzah echoes the way the Macacabees rededicated the Temple after they recaptured it. 1. Study a mezuzah 2. Make a mezuzah 3. Practice hanging and kissing a mezuzah students make a mezuzah. students practice hanging a mezuzah. 1. Study a mezuzah Break the class into three or four groups. Give each group a mezuzah with a klaf (written parchment). Have students examine the mezuzah and klaf and see how many things they can identify. a. Two holes for nails in the case

64 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Hanukkah 9 b. a Shin or Shaddai on the cover. Shaddai is a name of God, and it is also the initials of Shomer Delatot Yisrael (guardian of the doors of Israel). c. A parchment that has been folded d. The Shema and another texts handwritten on one side e. The word Shaddai on the other side Discuss the things that were identified. 2. Make a mezuzah. Have students make a mezuzah. You can find a photocopy master for the klaf. If you do this because of cost, let your students know that the mezuzah will not be kosher. Here are some ways to make a mezuzah. MEZUZAH 1 JEWELRY BOX You will need: Rectangular jewelry boxes (top and bottom) with batting Items for decorating (glitter, paint, buttons, stickers, interesting paper) Glue (strong, appropriate for cardboard) Kosher mezuzah scroll Velcro or double-sided tape Making the Case 1. Decorate the top and sides of the box (both pieces, whatever you see when the two pieces are put together). 2. Place the mezuzah scroll in the jewelry box, making sure the scroll is the right way up. Keep some of the batting inside the box so the scroll won't move around inside. 3. Carefully glue the two sides of the box together. Don't get any glue on the scroll. Let it dry thoroughly. MEZUZAH 2 DOUGH What You'll Need (per student): One recipe flour-salt dough (see below) Foil Floor wax or hair spray Jumbo pencils Poster paints or colored dough Klaf How to Make It: 1. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to a ¼-inch thickness. 2. Wrap foil around the pencil (a wooden spoon handle or anything of a similar diameter works well, too). 3. Shape the dough around the end of the pencil, flattening and smoothing to a long, narrow rectangle and closing off the ends. 4. Decorate by adding thin ribbons of dough or small flattened balls. 5. Remove the pencil. Ask an adult to help you poke holes in the top and bottom so the mezuzah can be attached by nails to a doorframe. Air dry or have an adult help you bake the mezuzah in an 200-degree oven for about 2 hours. Paint or decorate as desired. Have an adult help you "varnish" the mezuzah with floor wax or hair spray. Slip the rolled klaf into the open center of the mezuzah.

65 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Hanukkah 10 SALT DOUGH RECIPE 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup salt 1 cup cold water Directions In a large bowl, mix table salt and flour together. Gradually add ½ cup of water and mix to desired consistency. Knead the dough on a flat surface, adding a few more drops of water as needed (but not making it too moist). Pre-fabricated, ready-to-decorate mezuzot can be purchased at. Mahir Judaica: S&S Worldwide: The Craft Shop: asp?idcategory=&idproduct=1959 Benny's Educational Toys: 4. Practice hanging and kissing a mezuzah. Use the rules on page 73 to have students practice hanging, blessing, and kissing a mezuzah. Do this in groups of two or four. 5. Photograph, reflect, and share. 6. Check the Make a Mezuzah box on page 67.

66 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Tu B Shvat 1 TU B SHVAT TU B SHVAT OPPORTUNITIES Explain why we need trees and need Tu b Shvat. Write a tree poem. Eat from the seven kinds and/or fifteen different fruits. Create a list of human fruits. Plant something. FAMILY TU B SHVAT OPPORTUNITIES Plant something(s) together. Participate in a Tu b Shvat seder. Add some habits to your family lifestyle that protect trees or the environment. Make a PowerPoint presentation of the story of a tree. TIMING We are creating this unit two sessions. It could easily be expanded to three. SESSION 1 Explain why we need trees and need Tu B Shvat. Write a tree poem. Plant something. SESSION 2 Eat from the seven kinds and/or fifteen different fruits. Create a list of human fruits. Water your planting. SESSION 3 Family Tu B Shvat seder PREPARATION FOR EACH ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 1: EXPLAIN WHY WE NEED TREES AND TU B SHVAT Jewish calendars or pages from a Jewish calendar (the month of Shevat). Experiencing the Jewish Holidays OPPORTUNITY 2: WRITE A TREE POEM Experiencing the Jewish Holidays Pencils

67 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Tu B Shvat 2 OPPORTUNITY 3: EAT FROM THE SEVEN KINDS AND/OR FIFTEEN DIFFERENT FRUITS You will need either the seven kinds of produce of the land of Israel (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, dates) or fifteen different fruits. Be creative; e.g., if you can t find a pomegranate, you probably can find pomegranate juice. You will need enough for every student in your class to taste. You will need pages of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays and pencils. You will need the resources to photograph and reproduce this experience. OPPORTUNITY 4: HUMAN FRUITS Giant Post-It notes and markers Experiencing the Jewish Holidays OPPORTUNITY 5: PLANT SOMETHING Involve you class in a planting project. Climate will definitely be an issue. In can be anything from celery seeds inside in paper cups to a tree planted on the synagogue grounds. Photograph and reproduction equipment Pencils and page 83 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays OVERVIEW Tu ( tet + vav) adds up to 15. Tu B Shvat is the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Shvat. It is also the birthday of the trees. Why do trees need a birthday? The Torah says that for the first three years after planting no fruit can be taken from the tree. In the fourth year sacrifices can be taken for the Temple, and in the fifth year the fruit can be enjoyed. Therefore it is important to know how old each tree is. The simplest way of doing that is by picking one date and saying all trees planted before it are one year old. All trees planted after it will be one the following year. The system is used for race horses. Colored ribbons mark the planting year. Tu B shvat became a lot more. The ancient Kabbalists, mystics from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, said trees are a metaphor for people s spiritual growth. They created a Tu B Shvat seder as a way of using trees and their products as a metaphor for growth. In the modern era Zionists used Tu B Shvat as an opportunity to plant trees to renew the land of Israel. Trees were part of the plans for draining the swamps and greening the desert. Planting trees became a major connection between the Diaspora and the Land of Israel. Trees. Trees are a central Jewish image. The Torah is called a tree of life ( eitz hayyim). It is rolled on trees of life ( atzei hayyin). The image of God that is imbedded in people is diagrammed on a chart called the tree of life ( eitz hayyim). All Jewish environmental concerns are filed under a category called bal tash hit (not cutting down fruit trees). It all goes back to the book of Genesis, where the Garden of Eden has both a tree of life and a tree of knowledge. Seven Kinds. Deuteronomy 8:8 lists seven kinds of produce of the land Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and date honey. These seven kinds need to have their first fruits brought to the Temple; they were the things brought to Jerusalem during the pilgrimage festivals. And these constitute the produce of the land of Israel that is eaten and celebrated on Tu B Shvat.

68 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Tu B Shvat 3 Fifteen is an important Jewish number. There were fifteen steps between the lower and upper courtyards in the Temple. God s name and God s throne are made up of fifteen. There are fifteen steps in a Passover seder. There were fifteen Shir ha-ma a lot (songs of ascent) said as part of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Fifteen is the number that connects people to God. The Kabbalists taught that fifteen fruits should be eaten as part of a Tu B Shvat seder. Tu B Shvat seder. Started by the Kabbalists, reinvented by the Zionist Movement, and restarted by ecologically sensitive Jews, the Tu B Shvat seder is a powerful way of making Tu B Shvat into a real holiday. Kiddushin 39b reads: These are the things the fruit of which people eats in this world, while the principle remains for the future world. They are: honoring one s parents, the practice of loving deeds, hospitality to wayfarers, and making peace between man and his neighbor; and the study of the Torah surpasses them all. This quotation teaches that some human actions are considered to be fruits (grown on the tree of life). OPPORTUNITY 1: EXPLAIN WHY WE NEED TREES AND NEED TU B SHVAT BIG IDEA Trees provide people with many of the things they need to live. Jews use trees as a metaphor for many of the things we need to exist. 1. Use calendar to establish that Tu B Shvat is the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. 2. Hevruta learning on the historical layers of Tu B Shvat. Students can explain the need for trees and the need for a Jewish tree holiday. Students have written a tree poem. Students have participated in a planting experience. 1. Use calendar to establish that Tu B Shvat is the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. Use photocopies or take out your Jewish calendars and have groups of students figure out the day of the month of Shevat that is represented by the letter TU. The answer is 15; Tet = 9 and Vav = 6. If you want to point it out, you can teach that the fifteenth day of a Jewish month is always the full moon. Most Jewish holidays are on the full moon. 2. Hevruta learning on the historical layers of Tu B Shvat. Put a time line on the board. At the year 1 write Mishnah. At 1492 write Kabbalists. At 1901 write JNF Zionists begin planting trees in Israel. 20xx write this year. Say: We are going to look at tree learning from the times of the Mishnah, the Kabbalists and the Zionists. Students will not get this historical progression, but it will give a context for these three paragraphs. Break the class into hevrutot (pairs). Assign groups to read the three paragraphs on page 76 and answer the three questions at the bottom of the page. 1. Why do we need to know the age of trees?

69 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Tu B Shvat 4 The Torah says it is important to know. It teaches when (at what age) we share the fruit from the tree that needs to be shared with the poor and the Temple. 2. How are we like trees, and what can we learn from that? This is a chance to make up metaphors e.g., We have our feet on the ground and our head in the clouds. We grow more every year. We only survive with the help of clean air, clean water and a lot of other gifts from God. Comparing ourselves to trees (as the Kabbalists did) can teach us about ourselves. 3. Why do we still need to plant trees? Trees help people live on the earth. 4. Check off the Why we need trees box on page 75. OPPORTUNITY 2: TREE POEM BIG IDEA Judaism believes that each Jew should have a relationship with trees. Poems are a way of expressing our connection to trees. 1. Read quote from Kohalet Rabbah. 2. Write and share tree poem. 3. Answer and share on the reflection question. 4. Check off tree poem. Students create and share a tree poem. Students reflect on their relationship with a tree. 0. We are skipping page 78, but it should be included if you give more than two weeks to Tu B Shvat. 1. Read quote from Kohalet Rabbah on the top of page 79. Place it on the board. Invite students to make comments about the things we have to do to live the lesson of this text on the board around it. Study the whole board with comments together as a class. Talk about our obligations to trees. 2. Write and share tree poem. Invite students to write a tree poem. Explain that they can say anything they want as long as a tree is involved. Invite students to share their tree poems with the class. 3. Answer and share on the reflection question. Have students write their answers to the reflection question and then share them with their hevruta partners. 4. Check off tree poem. OPPORTUNITY 3: EAT FROM THE SEVEN KINDS AND/OR FIFTEEN DIFFERENT FRUITS BIG IDEA Eating fruits with a brakhah connects us to trees, God and possibly the land of Israel. The seven kinds connect us to Israel fifteen fruits connect us to God.

70 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Tu B Shvat 5 1. Decide which items you will include in this task 2. Bless and eat 3. List 4. Document 5. Reflection 6. Check off Students bless, eat and record the provided foods. Students reflect on the purpose of blessings. 1. Decide which items you will include in this task. Lay them out so students have access to each item. Pick up each of the seven or each of the fifteen and ask students to open their textbooks to page 81 and pick the correct brakhah (blessings) for the item. 2. Bless and eat. Have the students open their textbooks to page 81 and choose and say the right brakhah, then have everyone eat the item. 3. List. Have students list the foods they blessed and ate on page Document. Photograph and reproduce photographs of the eat-a-thon. 5. Reflection. Answer and share answers to the reflection question on the bottom of page 81. Why do you think there are different blessings for each kind of food? There are lots of good answers. One good answer is By having to know about each food in order to choose a blessing, Jews are challenged to appreciate the differences in the various things that God created. 6. Check off your eat 7/15 box on page 75. OPPORTUNITY 4: HUMAN FRUIT BIG IDEA Our best behaviors can be seen as fruit from us as a tree. 1. Group work 2. Sharing 3. Check-off Students add to the list of human fruits found in the siddur. 1. Group work. Break the class into groups of four to six students. Charge the groups with studying the text on page 82. Then give each group a giant Post-It note and ask them to add ten more items to this list. 2. Sharing. Have students hang their giant Post-It note and share the items with the class.

71 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Tu B Shvat 6 3. Check off the human fruit box on page 75. OPPORTUNITY 5: PLANT SOMETHING BIG IDEA The true expression of Tu B Shvat is planting something. Planting is a way of contributing to the environment. 1. Discuss the text from Avot de Rabbi Natan 2. Plant something 3. Document 4. Reflect and share 5. Check off Students know why you don t stop planting for the Messiah. Students plant something. 1. Discuss the text from Avot de Rabbi Natan. On the top of page 83 you will find a quotation from Avot de Rabbi Natan that says that if you are planting a tree and the messiah comes, you need to finish planting the tree first. For students to make sense of this, you need to define Messiah: A person who comes to announce that the world is now perfect. Have students read the quote in groups of four and figure out why planting the tree is so important. 2. Plant something. Figure out a way to do this. 3. Document. Photograph the planting and run off copies for students to paste into their books. 4. Reflect and share. Have students fill in their reflection box: What did you remember when you planted? Allow time for the class to share their planting memories. 5. Check off the planting box on page 75.

72 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 1 PURIM PURIM OPPORTUNITIES Make a Purim mask. Examine a Megillah. Make a gragger. Act out the story of Purim. Bake hamantashen and send shelah manot. Use Purim as a tzedakah opportunity. FAMILY PURIM OPPORTUNITIES Go to a Purim service. Send shelah manot (food gifts to friends). Give family matanot l eviyonim (gifts to the poor). TIMING We are going to squeeze a lot of stuff into two sessions. If you ve got three sessions, decompress the first day. SESSION 1 Make a Purim mask Examine a Megillah Make a gragger Act out the story of Purim SESSION 2 Bake hamantashen and send shelah manot Use Purim as a tzedakah activity PREPARATION FOR EACH ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 1: MAKE A PURIM MASK Paper and pencils Materials for making masks (look below to see possible methods) Experiencing the Jewish Holidays books OPPORTUNITY 2: EXAMINE A MEGILLAH Megillah Photographic materials Experiencing the Jewish Holidays books

73 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 2 OPPORTUNITY 3: MAKE A GRAGGER A collection of graggers and other noisemakers The supplies for making graggers (see below) Experiencing the Jewish Holidays books OPPORTUNITY 4: ACT OUT THE STORY OF PURIM Masks, groggers, reproduced scripts Experiencing the Jewish Holidays books OPPORTUNITY 5: BAKE HAMANTASHEN AND SEND SHELAH MANOT See lists of supplies for hamantashen on page 93 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays Make containers for shelah manot Experiencing the Jewish Holidays books OPPORTUNITY 6: USE PURIM AS A TZEDAKAH ACTIVITY Information on recipients for matanot l eviyonim Dollars and quarters for allocation process Photo reproduction equipment Experiencing the Jewish Holidays books OVERVIEW Purim sometimes feels like the Jewish Halloween, but actually it is closer to the Fourth of July. It is a day when we wear costumes and play games, but at its heart is the celebration of a victory that brought not only freedom but survival to millions of Jews. Purim s celebration is built around four mitzvot. HEARING THE READING OF THE MEGILLAH The Megillah. Megillah means a scroll. When we talk about the Megillah we are talking about the Book of Esther. The Book of Esther is the story of a hidden Jew who steps forward and saves the entire Jewish people. The Book of Esther is famous for not mentioning God. It is the story of how Jews motivated by values (and perhaps God) act on their own and create the equivalent of a miracle. Costumes. The tradition started out as dressing up as characters in the the Megillah. It was very much like dressing up as characters in The Rocky Horror Picture Show; the costumes become an extension of the story. Over the years the costume tradition moved to any Jewish costume, and eventually it has become any costume a second chance for commercial Halloween costumes to be worn. Gragger. A gragger is a noisemaker. In Hebrew it is called a ra ashan. Graggers are used during the reading of the Megillah. Every time that Haman s name is mentioned, as much noise as possible is made. We try to drown out Haman. Through the gragger we try to erase evil. This is not only fun, not only a group-building activity, but also a theological statement: Evil can be defeated. Purim spiel. It is also a tradition to put on plays that both tell the story of the Megillah and make fun of all kinds of things. These funny plays are called Purim spiels.

74 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 3 CELEBRATE THE DAY Purim se udah. The classic way of celebrating Purim is with a formal meal at which fun things happen. This formal meal is a classically Jewish way of celebrating. Purim carnival. Borrowing from other traditions, it has become popular to stage Purim carnivals with booths, games and other kinds of entertainment. The scale of Purim carnivals has a lot to do with the scale of the institution creating them. They range from elephant rides to homemade games. SENDING SHELAH MANOT (FOOD GIFTS) TO FRIENDS AND FAMILIES Shelah manot. Shelah manot is one of the things that Mordechai and Esther commanded. Its rules are simple. One needs to send gifts of at least two different kinds of food to friends and family. These gifts are supposed to be delivered through an intermediary. Hamantashen. The Purim food is a triangular cookie that is supposed to mimic the shape of either Haman s hat or Haman s ears. Hamantashen are frequently included in shelah manot. GIVING GIFTS TO THE POOR Matanot l eviyonim. Matanot l eviyonim means gifts to the poor. This, too, is one of the things Mordechai and Esther command. While it is the least well known of the Purim customs, Jewish have built a tzedakah connection for every Jewish holiday. OPPORTUNITY 1: MAKE A PURIM MASK BIG IDEA The first step toward knowing the story of Purim is knowing the five major characters: King Ahashuerus, Queen Vashti, Esther, Mordechai and Haman. Masks are a good way of promoting acting out. 1. Brainstorming Purim 2. Reflection: Purim memories 3. Making masks 4. Reflect on and document the mask making 5. Checking off this opportunity Students can name the five major characters in the Purim story. Students create a Purim mask. Students document and reflect on their mask. 1. Brainstorming Purim. Break the class into groups of four. Ask each group to brainstorm everything they know about Purim. Have them make a list. Collate the various things they know about Purim on the board. Do not be surprised if there are a lot of memories. Do not be surprised if they remember little or nothing. The amount of memory will depend on their previous participation.

75 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 4 If the students come up with very little, have them flip through the chapter and make a list of the things they find in the chapter. Collate these things and explain any of the things that they need to know about in one or two sentences. 2. Reflection: Purim memories. Have students turn to page 86 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays and fill in the reflection question. Share answers. 3. Making masks. Here is the big task. Making the masks is central to this week and to the next week. There are lots of different ways of doing this. a. The blue-ribbon version of masks are made with plaster bandages (common brand name Plast rcraft, manufactured by Pacon, is cheaper than the medical supply grade) like those used for casts around limbs with broken bones. To learn how to do this, check out Michael Delahunt b. Effective masks can be made out of half of a thin paper plate that is then either put on a stick to hold or strung with an elastic string that will hold it on. The paper plate should have eye holes cut out. Then the rest of the plate can be colored on or covered with glued-on elements. c. Paper bag masks are the easiest project. Again, one cuts out eye holes and then draws or glues on the facial elements. Make sure you leave enough time for clean-up. Collect and store the masks; you will want to use them next week. 4. Reflect on and document the mask making. Have students photograph their masks and fill in the reflection question. 5. Check off this opportunity. Check off the make a mask box on page 85. OPPORTUNITY 2: EXAMINE A MEGILLAH BIG IDEA The Megillah is the key prop for Purim. The rules for writing and caring for a Torah apply to the Megillah. 1. Set induction: the Megillah 2. Unrolling the Megillah 3. Reflection and sharing 4. Document the Megillah event Students have examined a Megillah. Students can describe the nature of a Megillah. 1. Set induction: the Megillah. Break the class into groups of four. Ask them the following question: There are only four things in the Jewish tradition over which you say a brakhah before you do them and then again after you have done them. Can you guess what they are? The Answer: The Torah, the Haftarah, the Megillah and food. Three of these are holy written documents that are read out loud. The fourth, food, is compared to the others, saying all are sources of nourishment.

76 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 5 Conclusion: The Megillah is a lot like a Sefer Torah. 2. Unrolling the Megillah. Take out a megillah and unroll so that each of your students is holding part of it. Direct them to hold onto the parchment and stay away from the lettering. Have them locate any letters and words that they know. If there is art around the lettering, talk about it and try to identify the pictures. You need not unroll the entire Megillah, just enough for everyone in your class to see a section. 3. Reflection and sharing. After the Megillah is rolled up, have students fill out the reflection box. Share reflections. 4. Document the Megillah event. Photograph the entire class with the Megillah. One or two photographs should include everyone for their textbooks. 5. Check off the unroll a Megillah box. OPPORTUNITY 3: MAKE A GRAGGER BIG IDEA The gragger is the noisemaker used during the Megillah reading. The gragger teaches us that together we are stronger than evil. 1. Examine graggers 2. Make a gragger 3. Practice using a gragger 3. Reflect on the hearing of Haman s name. 4. Check off make a gragger box Students have made a gragger. Students can demonstrate the use of a gragger. 1. Examine graggers. Bring in a collection of graggers or other noisemakers. Pass them around the classroom. Ask: What do all of these have in common? Answer: They make noise. Ask: How do we use them on Purim? Answer: We use them to make noise and try to drown out Haman s name. Ask: What lesson do we learn from the gragger? Answer: That together we are stronger than evil. 2. Make a gragger. There are all kinds of ways of making graggers. a. There are wooden gragger kits out there that let students make the kind of old-fashioned graggers that spin around. b. You can fill just about anything with beans or other hard elements that make noise when shaken: cans, boxes, paper plates folded in half and stapled, etc. Decoration is an important part of the process. 3. Practice using a gragger. When all the graggers are finished say Haman, and invite students to use their graggers.

77 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 6 3. Reflect on the hearing of Haman s name. Open the Experiencing the Jewish Holidays books to page 89 and have students fill in the reflection question. Share answers. 4. Check off make a gragger box. Turn to page 85 and check off this activity. OPPORTUNITY 4: ACT OUT THE STORY OF PURIM BIG IDEA Rabbi Harold Schulweiss teaches that every time we ask something of God we should add the words through me e.g., God, give us peace through me. The Purim story is the ultimate through us story. God doesn t act; the people in the story do. The Purim story is an essential part of Jewish literacy. 1. Pass out masks, graggers and scripts. Assign parts. 2. Act out Purim story. 3. Check off act out story. Students have participated in a reading of the Purim story. Students can retell major details of the story. 1. Pass out masks, graggers and scripts. Assign parts. We want the Purim story reading to turn into a major event. Students should read their parts (and act part of them out) wearing their masks. Every time Haman s name is mentioned there should be a lot of noise making, just like during the megillah reading. Bring in props for each character things like a scepter for the king. 2. Act out Purim story. The script for the story of the Book of Esther can be found on Purim pages 9 13 of this guide. Assign parts and have a good time with it. Feel free to change actors for the five major characters as you work through the script. Make everything as dramatic as possible. This might be a good program to do with parents; there are thirteen parts in the play. You can increate the number by multiplying the number of people who play the same part. 3. Check off act out story. Check off the act out the story box on page 85. OPPORTUNITY 5: BAKE HAMANTASHEN AND SEND SHELAH MANOT BIG IDEA Hamantashen are the taste of Purim. Shelah manot builds connections. 1. Read and discuss the text on page Bake hamantashan. 3. Decorate shelah manot containers. 4. Document activity. 5. Check off the bake hamantashen opportunity.

78 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 7 Students make hamantashen. Students fulfill the mitzvah of shelah manot. 1. Read and discuss the text on page 92. We will do this very rarely, but this time the fastest, most efficient way of communicating this material is to just tell it to your students. The number-two way is for them to read it and for the class to discuss it. What is a hamantashen? A triangular Purim cookie. Why triangular? Haman either wore a triangular had or had ears that were triangles. What is shelah manot? Food gifts given to friends and family. What rules apply? There must be at least two kinds of food. 2. Bake hamantashen. Bake hamantashen using a recipe of your own or the one in the book. The one in the book is good for 3 4 dozen hamantashen. Multiply it to fit your class needs. You may want to pre-start the dough so that the process takes less time and is less complicated for students. Each student will need three hamantashen two for shelah manot and one to eat and make crumbs. 3. Decorate shelah manot containers. During a break in the cooking process students should make shelah manot containers. Limit it to two containers per student. Each one should get one hamantashen and one other food that you can bring in for the students to add. You can decorate paper bags or paper plates; you can weave baskets or make any other kind of container that looks pretty. The words Hag Same ah can appear on the containers along with the name of the recipient. 4. Document activity. Tape crumbs from Hamantashen to the target on page Check off the bake hamantashen opportunity. This is on page 85. OPPORTUNITY 6: USE PURIM AS A TZEDAKAH ACTIVITY BIG IDEA Every Jewish celebration comes with a tzedakah obligation. Purim s opportunity is called matanot l eviyonim. Tzedakah is best learned about by practice. 1. Raise or evaluate the money that is available to allocate 2. Collect a list of possible recipients 3. Allocate funs to a given set of possible recipients 4. Document the allocation process 5. Check-off the matanot l eviyonim box Students collect and allocate matanot l eviyonim Students define matanot l eviyonim as gifts to the poor that we are supposed to give on Purim.

79 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 8 1. Raise or evaluate the money that is available to allocate. Tzedakah takes money. That means that (a) you have already money or (b) you need to collect money. In order to do this right you need to evaluate the amount of money you have collected and whether you need to collect more. There are two ways of raising money: (a) You can make a plan with your class (bake sale, etc.) or (b) you can make this a family plan and count on parents to leave you with enough money. 2. Collect a list of possible recipients. Either student by student or family by family the class should collect a list of possible recipients. This material should be stored in the chart on page 94. If you can t get your student to work with parents and do this research at home, then you need to be prepared to download three to five recipient choices and pass them out to small groups to make a choice. 3. Allocate funds to a given set of possible recipients. Take the resources that have been brought in and have small groups choose their top recipient. Then collate the group results and vote again as an entire class. Danny Siegel suggests that this allocation be done with real money, allowing students to get a sense of value by moving actual piles of cash from pile to pile as decisions are made. 4. Document the allocation process. Take a photograph of students during the allocation phase and run it off for student books. 5. Check-off the matanot l eviyonim box on page 85. PURIM STORY The Purim spiel is another way to celebrate and have a good time. It is always fun to make up plays. On Purim we put on a show that tells the story of Mordechai, Esther, King Ahasuerus and Haman. Find a Purim Spiel on the next pages.

80 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 9 THE PURIM SPIEL Scene 1 Megillah Reader 1: Once there was a king named Ahasuerus. He ruled over a very big kingdom. King Ahasuerus gave a party for all his advisors and assistants and his army. At the same time Queen Vashti gave a party for all the important women in the kingdom. Both parties went on for seven days. Scene 2 King Ahasuerus: Send for my queen, Vashti. Tell her to come to me wearing the royal crown. I want to show off her beauty. Queen Vashti: No! No way! King Ahasuerus: Queen Vashti won t come to my party. What should I do? Advisor: This is a bad thing. After this, every wife in the kingdom will refuse to follow orders. Queen Vashti should no longer be queen. King Ahasuerus: Then Vashti is no longer my queen! Take a decree: From now on in my kingdom, wives must show respect to their husbands. Messenger: A decree from Ahasuerus the king. From now on, it is a law that all wives must show respect to their husbands. Megillah Reader 1: Time passed. Soon the king was no longer angry at Vashti. Instead, King Ahasuerus was lonely. King Ahasuerus: I don t have a queen anymore. What should I do? Servant: Look for the most beautiful women in your kingdom. Have all of them brought to your palace in Shushan. Pick the most beautiful one to be your new queen. Messenger: A decree from Ahasuerus the king. The king needs a new queen. All the beautiful women must come to Shushan so that the king can choose a new wife. Megillah Reader 2: In Shushan lived a Jewish man named Mordechai. He had a beautiful cousin named Esther. Both her father

81 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 10 and her mother had died. Mordechai had raised her and acted like her father. Messenger: Esther is a beautiful woman. She must be taken to the king s palace. Mordechai: (In a whisper) Esther, do not tell anyone that you are a Jew. Megillah Reader 1: Esther was taken to the palace. She followed Mordechai s orders. She told no one that she was a Jew. Every day Mordechai would walk by the palace gate to make sure that Esther was okay. Megillah Reader 2: After looking at all the beautiful women, Ahasuerus chose Esther to be his new queen. The king loved Esther more than all the other women. Scene 3 Megillah Reader 1: Two men, Bigtan and Teresh, worked in the palace. They were angry at the king. Megillah Reader 2: One day, when Mordechai was walking by the Palace gate, he heard them talking. Bigtan: I m angry at the king. Teresh: I m angry at him, too. Let s kill him. Megillah Reader 2: Mordechai told Esther, who told the king, who told his guards. The king was saved. Megillah Reader 1: Bigthan and Teresh were hanged. Mordechai s name was written in the king s official book. Scene 4 Megillah Reader 1: King Ahasuerus had a chief advisor named Haman. Messenger: A decree from Ahasuerus the king. Everyone in the palace must bow down to Haman. Megillah Reader 2: But Mordechai refused to bow down. Servant: Why won t you bow down? Why won t you obey the king s command? Mordechai: I am a Jew.

82 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 11 Megillah Reader 1: From that day Haman hated all Jews. He decided to kill them all. Megillah Reader 2: He had his servants throw purim (lots) to pick the day on which all Jews would die. They chose the thirteenth of the month of Adar. Megillah Reader 1: He then went to the king. Scene 5 Haman: There are people who live all over your kingdom. They have their own laws. They don t follow all the king s laws. They should all be killed. I will pay you a thousand pieces of silver if you let me be in charge. King Ahasuerus: Here is my royal ring. Keep your money and do what you want to these people. Messenger: A decree from Ahasuerus the king: On the thirteenth day of the month of Adar every Jew in my kingdom should be killed. King Ahasuerus: Haman, let s have a drink. Megillah Reader 1: When Mordechai heard the king s decree he acted as if someone had died. He put on sackcloth and ashes. He went out on the streets shouting and crying. Megillah Reader 2: Soon all the Jews in the kingdom were fasting, shouting, crying and wearing sackcloth and ashes. Esther s Maid: Your cousin Mordechai is running all over town in sackcloth and ashes. Esther: Take these new clothes to Mordechai. Megillah Reader 2: But Mordechai would not take the new clothes. Mordechai: Haman has made the king order the killing of all Jews. You must go to the king. Esther: I can t go. No one can go to the king unless he is sent for. Anyone who goes to the king without being invited is killed. Only if the king decides to hold out his gold scepter does the person live. Mordechai: Do not think that you will escape. All Jews will be killed.

83 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 12 Scene 6 Esther: I will go to the king. But you must ask all the Jews in Shushan to fast for three days. My maids and I will also fast. Megillah Reader 1: Three days later Esther went to see the king. She had not been invited. When the king saw her he tipped his golden scepter. Esther touched it. King Ahasuerus: Esther, what do you want? I ll do anything for you. I will even give you half my kingdom. Esther: All I want is to have the king and Haman come to a party. King Ahasuerus: Your wish is granted. Megillah Reader 2: The king and Haman came to the party. They had a good time. The king offered Esther another wish. Scene 7 Esther: All I want is to have the king and Haman come to another party. King Ahasuerus: Your wish is granted. Megillah Reader 1: When Haman left the party he felt good. He felt special that the queen had invited him. When Haman walked home he saw Mordechai in the palace gate. Mordechai would not bow down. Haman got angry. Megillah Reader 2: He ordered that a huge gallows be built. On the thirteenth of Adar Mordechai would hang from that gallows. That night the king couldn t sleep. King Ahasuerus: Bring me my official book. Read it to me. That will put me to sleep. Servant: Mordechai saved the king s life. King Ahasuerus: And what was done for him? Servant: Nothing. Megillah Reader 2: The king sent for Haman.

84 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Purim 13 ACT 8 King Ahasuerus: What should be done for someone the king really wants to honor? Megillah Reader 1: Haman thought the king was going to honor him. Haman: I would have him dressed in the king s best robe with a crown on his head. I would have him placed on the king s horse and led through the streets by one of the king s advisors. I would have the advisor shout: This is a man the king wants to honor. King Ahasuerus: Go and do that for Mordechai. Megillah Reader 2: Haman was not happy. Haman: This is a man the king wants to honor. Megillah Reader 1: The king and Haman came to Queen Esther s second party. King Ahasuerus: Esther, what do you want? I ll do anything for you. I will even give you half my kingdom. Esther: Someone wants to kill me. Please save my life. King Ahasuerus: Who is it? Esther: The wicked Haman. Servant: Haman made a huge gallows that he was going to use to hang Mordechai. King Ahasuerus: Hang Haman on it! I give to Esther everything that used to belong to Haman. I give my royal ring to Mordechai. He can use my power to save the Jews. Messenger: A decree from King Ahashuerus. On the thirteenth of Adar Jews should fight to defend themselves. Mordechai: Every year Jews should celebrate the fourteenth of Adar as a holiday called Purim. They should send gifts to each other and give tzedakah to the poor. They should tell the story of what happened here. The Megillah Reader: Mordechai the Jew became King Ahasuerus chief advisor. He brought peace to the kingdom.

85 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Passover 1 PASSOVER PASSOVER OPPORTUNITIES Ask and answer the Four Questions Bake and eat Matzah Make and eat Haroset Tell you own story of being a slave in Egypt Make and eat Maror in a Hillel Sandwich Say the plagues and dip out grape juice with your finger. Sing Dayyenu FAMILY PASSOVER OPPORTUNITIES Create, modify, or supplement your family Haggadah Have or attend a Seder As a family, keep Passover for the week TIMING Passover is the longest, most complicated Jewish holiday, that is why it will take more session to do Passover or greater editing to get in all of Passover. SESSION 1 Set Induction Bake and Eat Matzah Tell your own story of being a slave in Egypt. SESSION 2 Make and Eat Haroset Make and Eat Marror in a Hillel Sandwich Say the plagues and dip out grape juice with your finger Sing Dayyenu SESSION 3 Family/Class Seder PREPARATION FOR EACH ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 1: ASK AND ANSWER THE FOUR QUESTIONS Seder Table Set Up: Kiddush Grape Juice, 4 Kiddush Cups, Matzah, Haroset, Salt Water, Parsley, Egg, Bitter Herb, Roast Bone, Romaine Lettuce, Seder Plate. Copies of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays

86 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Passover 2 OPPORTUNITY 2: BAKE AND EAT MATZAH Find some extra bodies to help out. Flour, water, clock, wooden rollers, sandpaper, rolling surface, fork to make holes. Clear Tape Copies of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays OPPORTUNITY 3: MAKE AND EAT HAROSET Apples, chopped walnuts (optional check allergies), honey, cinnamon, sugar, grape juice. Knives Experiencing the Jewish Holidays OPPORTUNITY 4: TELL YOUR OWN STORY OF BEING A SLAVE IN EGYPT Experiencing the Jewish Holidays OPPORTUNITY 5: MAKE AND EAT MAROR IN A HILLEL SANDWICH Horseradish, white vinegar, sugar, salt, food processor. Matzah and haroset for the hillel sandwich. Experiencing the Jewish Holidays OPPORTUNITY 6: SAY THE PLAGUES AND DIP OUT GRAPE JUICE WITH YOUR FINGER Glasses of grape juice Napkins or paper towels Experiencing the Jewish Holidays OPPORTUNITY 7: SING DAYYENU Experiencing the Jewish Holidays OVERVIEW Passover tells the central Jewish story, We were slaves in Egypt and God took us out from there. This memory defines the Jewish people as a nation. It underpins our ethics because we are told to take care of the widow, the orphan, and the stranger because you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Our experience in Egypt is part of what we remember every Shabbat in the Kiddush, and it is the foundation of every time we say the morning and evening service and sing the Mi Khamokha. It relives our Exodus experience. We are told, Every person much see him or herself as if he or she personally went out of Egypt. Passover and its seder meal is a re-enactment of the last night we spent in Egypt. The special foods and readings that make up the seder all designed to help us re-live the Egypt Experience. Once a year it is a mitzvah for Jews to set themselves free. No matter what is hap pening in the outside world, cele brating Passover means rediscov ering our inner freedom. Every year, each of us goes through our own version of escape from Egypt. in the haggadah we are told: each Jew is required to see him/her self as if s/he person ally escaped from Egypt. The haggadah was the creation of the rabbis. It was their way of ful filling the mitzvah: remember this day on which you came out from Egypt, the house of slavery, how the Eternal brought you out by Strength of hand (Ex. 6:6-7). The Foods, blessings and ceremonies of the Seder take us through

87 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Passover 3 history. The Seder takes us from slavery to freedom, from degradation to dig nity, from the rule of evil to wards the rule of god. Kaddesh. The First Kiddush. In the Torah God makes 4 promises to the Jewish people: I will bring you out. I will deliver you. I will redeem you. and I take you as my people. (Ex. 6:6-7) The Seder is built around 4 cups of wine. Each cup remembers a promise. With this first cup, we begin to go free. Urhatz. Washing Hands. To go on the Seder-journey, we need to be ready. Pass over cleaning has prepared our house. Hametz is food which has become leaven. It is bloated. A house which is ready for Passover has just the basics. The hametz has been removed. Passover is getting back to basics. Urhatz is a ritual washing. It has nothing to do with personal cleanliness but with ritual cleanness. Before we begin the unique Seder rituals we do urhatz. No blessing is said. This is just an act of preparation. Karpas. Parsley and Salt Water. Karpas is an appetizer. An ap petizer is the first taste of a meal. It invites us, tempt ing us with what will follow. Passover is a spring holiday. New green growth is the essence of spring. We take a green vegetable and dip it in salt water. The taste which invites us into the Seder is the taste of tears. That taste triggers our memories of slavery. We begin by going back, dipping new growth into the pain of Egypt. Yahatz. Breaking the Middle Matzah. This is a ritual without words. We take the middle matzah of the three matzot used in the Seder, break it in half, and hide half of it. This will be come the afikoman. The child in each of us (and all the children at the Seder) watch carefully. This piece of matzah will be hidden away lost from sight, and then later redeemed. Everyone knows that the search for that which is hidden will end in a reward. In many ways, the whole story of Passover is expressed in the afikoman. Matzah is just flour and water. It is the simplest food. It is called lehem oni, the bread of affliction. It is also the bread of freedom. The magic of Passover is that through the most basic of foods, just flour and water, we find our freedom. Maggid. The Telling. 4 different times (Ex. 12:26,13:8, 13:14, and Deut 6:20) the Torah teaches us the mitzvah of telling the story of our escape from Egypt to our children. Maggid means the telling. with the matzah before us, we relive the Exodus. Mah Nishtanah. 4 questions. The path to freedom begins with the asking of questions. When the torah commands us 4 times to tell the stop`1, it commands us to respond to questions. When your child asks... You shall say... we were slaves in Egypt and God brought us out... (Deut 6:21) Avadim Hayinu. We were slaves. Our freedom is rooted in never forget ting the experience of slavery Arba ah Vanim. 4 different children.we teach the story differ ently to each type of child. Each Jew must have his/her own expe rience of the escape from Egypt. Plagues. Our wine cup, filled for the coming blessing (the one which celebrates the promise of freedom), becomes the Nile river turned to blood. We dip out drops of wine, seeing the blood which gave us our freedom, lessening the celebration to follow. Dayenu. it would have been enough. A song of celebration. Like the Israelites on the far shore of the reed sea, we sing and celebrate our liberation. Pesah. The first Seder took place in Egypt. Each family painted the blood of a lamb on their door post. They were protected. Egypt was suffering from the last plague. They gathered to gether and ate a roasted lamb. R. Gamaliel relived that night with the korban pesah, the Passover sacrifice. We relive the korban pesah with a roasted shank bone.

88 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Passover 4 Matzah. As it does for us, matzah led r. Gamaliel from slavery to freedom. Maror. Maror bites. When you eat it, it isn t just sour. you jump. Eat a lit tle too much and you may turn red. Maror can shock your system. Maror, bit ter herbs, is the taste of slavery. Rahtzah. Washing. We are free, we have es caped Egypt. The feast of celebration is ready. Rahtzah is a ritual washing. We say a brakhah. We get ready to eat. Motzi. Bread. A Jewish meal usually begins with bread. It begins with the brakhah which thanks God for causing food to grow from the earth. Korekh. Hillel Sandwich. Passover is all about transformation. Our memory of slavery leads to freedom. The bread of affliction becomes the bread of liberation. Hallel makes Passover into a sandwich. All at once we expe rience the bitter taste of slav ery, the maror, sweetened by haroset, no longer just the mor tar of servitude. The Seder is all about hope. It testifies that dar kness is followed by light, and that bitter does lead to sweet. God keeps promises. Shulhan Arukh. The Meal. The first Seder was a fam ily meal. Gathered around the korban pesah, the Passover Sacrifice, they talked about the freedom and re demption which was to come. We do the same. Eating together is the essence of celebration. Tzafun. The Afikoman. Long ago, the afikoman was hidden. The children (and the child in each of us) have waited a long time until they could act upon it. Finally, it is found and redeemed by the Seder leader. The Passover story was first told to Abram: know for a fact that your future--family will be strangers in a land which 15 not theirs. They shall be slaves and suffer for 400 years...after that, they will exit with riches. With the afikoman too the long wait is rewarded. Barekh. Grace After Meal. Passover is really about the future. Hope is the key to freedom. Jews have been trapped in many different Egypts Each of us has our own experien ces of slavery. The redemption from pharaoh is proof that other redemptions will follow. As with every Jewish meal, the Seder meal ends with birkat hamazon, grace after meals. This leads to the third blessing of wine, the one remembering the promise, I will re deem you. Hallel. Songs of Praise. Elijah is a symbol of the Jewish future. He is the prophet who never died, the one that legend promises will return to announce the final redemption. He is the symbol of a coming age of peace, freedom and prosperity. At the Seder, a 5th cup is left for Elijah. When God made the 4 promises around which the Seder was built, a 5th promise was also given, I will bring you into the land. (ex 6.s) that promise took a long time to be fulfilled. Hallel praises God, thanks God for the redemptions we have known, and hopes for the future. Nirtzah. The Closing. God s 4th promise was a rela tionship, I take you as my people. the 4th blessing celebrates this promise. Our expe rience has bonded us together into a people connected to god s vision of history. The Seder ends: soon, lead your people back to Zion. Next year in Jerusalem. The time machine has stopped. Our time-warp is over. We are back in a world waiting for redemption.

89 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Passover 5 OPPORTUNITY 1: ASK AND ANSWER THE FOUR QUESTIONS BIG IDEAS The Seder is a major Jewish family event that celebrates the Exodus from Egypt. The four questions are set aside as an event for a young Jewish child in each family. The four questions frame the way we look at the rest of the Seder. 1. Set Induction: Seder Stuff 2. Practicing the Four Questions 3. Answering the Four Questions 4. Check off the Four Questions box Students can ask the four questions. Students have answered the four questions. 1. Set Induction: Seder Stuff. Fill your desk or a table with all the stuff used for a Seder. Do not fill the seder plate. Do not take the matzah out of the box. Just make a display of the elements used in a seder. Kiddush Grape Juice, 4 Kiddush Cups, Matzah, Haroset, Salt Water, Parsley, Egg, Bitter Herb, Roasted Bone, Romaine Lettuce, Seder Plate. ASK: What do you get when you put all this stuff together. ANSWER: You get a Passover Seder. Go through the elements and what you do with them. Kiddush Grape Juice for blessing the moment 4 Kiddush Cups we bless and drink 4 cups of wine at the seder Matzah the bread we eat on Passover, remembers leaving in a hurry Haroset apples, nuts and other stuff remember the mortar we used Salt Water we dip the parsley in it and it remembers tears Parsley we dip in salt water and it recalls spring Egg also stands for spring. Just sits on the seder plate. Bitter Herb Remembers the bitterness we experienced in Egypt. Part of Hillel Sandwich. Roasted Bone Sits on Seder plate. Remembers Pesah Sacrifice. Romaine Lettuce Second bitter herb. (No one really knows what to do with it). Seder Plate. Hold key elements at the seder. 2. Practicing the Four Questions. Open to page 99 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays and have students practice the four questions. It is best if you teach them to sing them. Singing is easier than reading. If you can t lead the singing, find someone else who can. 3. Answering the Four Questions. Turn the page. Break your class into groups of two to four. Have them create answers to these questions. Share answers as a class.

90 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Passover 6 On all other nights we can eat either hametz or matzah why on this night, can we eat only matzah? Because all our ancestors had to eat when they left Egypt in a hurry was matzah. We are being like them. On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables why on this night must we eat bitter herbs. The bitter herbs remind us of the bitterness of the slavery in Egypt. On all other nights we do not dip vegetables even once why, on this night, do we dip them twice. The two dippings are (1) parsley in salt water and (2) bitter herb in haroset. On all other nights we can eat either sitting up or resting on our side why, on this night, do we eat resting on our side? We are supposed to be like free people at the seder. The model was the Roman formal dinner where guess reclined on couches. Today, if we do this, we mainly put a pillow on the chair and lean on it. 4. Check off the Four Questions box. Turn back to page 97. OPPORTUNITY 2: BAKE AND EAT MATZAH BIG IDEAS Matzah stands for three things: the poor bread we ate in Egypt, the bread that didn t have time to rise when we fled Egypt, and it is also the bread of freedom. Hamatz is the opposite of Matzah. It is everything that is leven (or could be). Hamatz and Matzah can be understood as lifestyle issues. We need to strive to be Matzah (basic, simple). 1. Hevruta on Matzah 2. Matzah Baking 3. Documenting the Matzah 4. Check Off Make Matzah box Students can contrast Hametz and Matzah. Students make and bake Matzah 1. Hevruta on Matzah. Break the class up into hevruta pairs. Have the pairs read the text on page 101 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. Go over the questions as a class. 1. How does the bread of slavery turn into the bread of freedom? When we remember our slavery in Egypt, we commit ourselves to everyone s freedom. 2. What is one part of you that is matzah (basic)? The core human being. The part that is most concerned for other people, that isn t bloated by possessions or ego or other things we want but don t need. 3. What is one part of you that is hametz (swelled)? The add-ons. The things we use to surround ourselves with addictions (think food, baseball cards, and other things) that take us away from our struggle to become our best possible us. 2. Matzah Baking.The directions for baking matzah are on page 102 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. Your job is to figure out how to pull it off as class in the space that is available to you. It will be a really good idea to get as much help as possible.

91 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Passover 7 3. Documenting the Matzah. Taste the matzah and tape crumbs onto page 102 as documentation. 4. Check Off Make Matzah box. It is on page 97/ OPPORTUNITY 3: MAKE AND EAT HAROSET BIG IDEAS Haroset tells part of the story of our slavery in Egypt. Haroset is one of the prime tastes of Passover. 1. Discuss Haroset 2. Research Haroset 3. Make Haroset 4. Check off Make and Eat Haroset Students have made and eaten Haroset. Students can explain the symbolism of Haroset. 1. Discuss Haroset. Establish two things. a. Haroset stands for the mortar used to hold the bricks together when we built things for Pharaoh in Egypt. b. We use Haroset to dip the horseradish in and make a Hillel sandwich. 2. Research Haroset. Have students research and find interesting recipes on the internet. Smart phones may be an interesting way of doing this. 3. Make Haroset. Follow the directions on page 103 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. 4. Check off Make and Eat Haroset. On page 97. OPPORTUNITY 4: TELL YOUR OWN STORY OF BEING A SLAVE IN EGYPT BIG IDEAS The Seder is designed to have us experience the Exodus from Egypt in the first person. 1. Discuss In each generation 2. Create Personal Exodus narrative 3. Check off tell your own story box Students can explain the reason for a personal Exodus story. Students create a personal Exodus story. 1. Discuss In each generation As a class read the In every generation text at the top of page 104 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. Sit the class in a circle and answer the following questions.

92 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Passover 8 a. Why does the tradition want every Jew to feel as if they personal were slaves in Egypt? How is this different than knowing information about the Exodus? If you know the feeling of being a slave you will be better to other people who are having problems. Information can change your mind but feelings do a better job of changing the way you act. When we remember being slaves in Egypt we want to end anyone who has any kind of slavery. The Hadisim teach that each of us have our own Egypt. We all have things that keep us in slavery in some way. b. How do we get this feeling of being a slave? The Seder is one way of building this feeling. We can make imagining part of our studying. We can learn about slavery in the world today. (Yes, people are still slaves). 2. Create Personal Exodus narrative. Have students close their books. Keep your copy open. Read and answer each of the questions. Have everyone in the circle answer each of the questions starting with: When I was a slave in Egypt my job was Enjoy students creativity. Ask them extra questions about their story if you think it will help them be more specific. 3. Check off tell your own story box. This is on page 97. OPPORTUNITY 5: MAKE AND EAT MAROR IN A HILLEL SANDWICH BIG IDEAS Bitter herbs help us remember the bitterness of slavery. Grinding and eating one s own horseradish is something students will never forget. Cutting and grinding horseradish activates the heat. The Hillel sandwich is literally bitter sweet. It makes the bitters easier to eat. 1. Learn about the bitter herb 2. Make horseradish 3. Make and eat Hillel sandwiches 3. Reflect on bitterness and share reflections 4. Check off this experience Students have made and eaten a bitter herb in a Hillel sandwich. Students have reflected on bitterness. 1. Learn about the bitter herb. Tell or read the information on the top of page 105 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. 2. Make horseradish. Get out your plastic knives and approved peelers and have student clean the skin off chunks of horseradish for the food processor. Follow the directions on page 105. Be prepared for a student or two to be overwhelmed by the horseradish vapors. Finish mixing the horseradish. Invite anyone who wants to taste it raw to do so, reminding them that they will eat a little bit in their Hillel sandwich.

93 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Passover 9 3. Make and eat Hillel sandwiches. Take a piece of matzah and put a lot of your haroset on it. Add a reasonable amount of horseradish. Enough to taste but not enough to overwhelm. Have students eat them together. If you want to say a brakhah, ha-motze will do the trick. 3. Reflect on bitterness and share reflections. Have students fill in the reflection boxes on page 105 and then share them. 4. Check off this experience. This done on page 97. OPPORTUNITY 6: SAY THE PLAGUES AND DIP OUT GRAPE JUICE WITH YOUR FINGER BIG IDEAS We are supposed to celebrate the Exodus from Egypt but we are still supposed to feel the pain of the Egyptians. Dipping one s finger in the wine is a major seder memory. 1. Prepare for the dipping 2. Do the dipping 3. Reflect on the dipping 4. Check off this activity Students have read the ten plagues. Students have dipped their fingers in the wine. 1. Prepare for the dipping. Pass out the things that every student needs: glass of juice, paper towel, and page 106 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. We are going to do this activity first and then explain it. 2. Do the dipping. Have students act out this part of the Seder. Reading each plague and dipping their finger in the juice and hit the target in the book. Make sure to remind them to wipe and not suck their finger when they are done. Sucking would be enjoying the grape juice. 3. Reflect on the dipping. Ask: What lesson do we learn from dipping out the wine? Tell this story: When Israel crossed the Reed Sea and all the Egyptian soldiers were drowning in the Sea, Israel sang a song of praise to God. The angels sang along with Israel. God stopped them saying, How can you celebrate when My soldiers are drowning? What is the lesson? Invite students to explain this custom. They should have little trouble saying either, We are taking out from our wine for each plague because we know about the suffering. The wine is like lots of the plagues that involve blood. 4. Check off this activity. This is on page 97.

94 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Passover 10 OPPORTUNITY 7: SING DAYYENU BIG IDEAS Dayyenu is the big Seder song. Dayyenu is an ironic formula where we say we would be satisfied with less than the whole result. 1. Learn Dayyenu 2. Practice Dayyenu 3. Perform Dayyenu 4. Create a Dayyenu verse 5. Share verses 6. Check off Sing Dayyenu Students have sung Dayyenu. Students have created a Dayyenu verse. 1. Learn Dayyenu. Teach the melody and word pattern of Dayyenu. In the Haggadah there are four singable verses. Most Jews only know and sing the first. Decide how many verses you will teach. 2. Practice Dayyenu. Do the song a few more times. 3. Perform Dayyenu. Do it one last time to prove that they know it. 4. Create a Dayyenu verse. Point out the Had God only pattern. Have students write their own. 5. Share verses. Don t force anyone to share. 6. Check off Sing Dayyenu. Page 97.

95 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Yom ha-atzma ut 1 YOM HA-ATZMA UT YOM HA-ATZMA UT OPPORTUNITIES Observe a moment of silence and then sing Ha-Tikvah Fill in locations on a map of Israel Learn an Israeli dance Go on an internet Israeli shopping trip Make and eat an Israeli snack. FAMILY YOM HA-ATZMA UT OPPORTUNITIES Attend a community Israel event Make real (or imaginary) plans for a family trip to Israel Have an Israel birthday party TIMING We are hoping for two sessions. SESSION 1 Observe a moment of silence and then sing Ha-Tikvah Fill in location on a map of Israel Learn an Israeli dance SESSION 2 Go on an internet Israeli shopping trip Make and eat an Israeli snack PREPARATION FOR EACH ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 1: OBSERVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND THEN SING HA-TIKVAH Experiencing the Jewish Holidays books Someone who can teach and lead the singing of Ha-Tikvah OPPORTUNITY 2: FILL IN LOCATIONS ON A MAP OF ISRAEL Experiencing the Jewish Holidays books Reference map(s) of Israel OPPORTUNITY 3: LEARN AN ISRAELI DANCE Prepare samples of Israeli art, music, and film. Explore the possibility of getting families on-line together. Israeli Dance teacher Space and Dance Music

96 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Yom ha-atzma ut 2 OPPORTUNITY 4: GO ON AN INTERNET ISRAELI SHOPPING TRIP Prepare parents for their involvement with a letter. Experiencing the Jewish Holidays books Internet access for the class OPPORTUNITY 5: MAKE AND EAT AN ISRAELI SNACK Check recipes on page 117 and see needed ingredients Experiencing the Jewish Holidays books OVERVIEW Yom ha-atzma ut is celebrate annually on (or around) the 5 th of the Hebrew month if Iyar and celebrates the Israeli declaration of Establishment being read by David Ben gurion to create the State of Israel on May 14, Just before Yom ha-atzma ut comes Yom ha-zikaron. It is the day on which we remember Fallen Israeli Soldiers and the Victims of Terrorism. The switch between the two days takes place a few minutes after sundown with a ceremony on Mount Herzel, where the flag is moved from half-staff (for the memorial) to full height (for Independence day). The come dancing in the street, parades, and all kinds of celebration with silly string and shaving cream. The International Bible Contest and the giving of the Israel prize happens on On Yom ha-atzma ut. For North American Jews, Yom ha-atzma ut is really our annual chance to connect to Israel. What research has shown us is that Israel makes its greatest impact on those who visit it. Our real goal in celebrating Yom ha-atzma ut is in getting students to want to visit Israel and in getting their parents to want their child to visit Israel. This both builds a connection to Israel, and through it an reenforcement of Jewish identity. OPPORTUNITY 1: OBSERVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND THEN SING HA-TIKVAH BIG IDEAS Israel s Independence Day celebration juxtaposes memorial for those who have died to create and maintain the State with celebration for the State. Hatikvah, the Hope, is Israel s national anthem. It defines Israel as the culmination of the Jews national aspirations. 1. Learn Hatikvah 2. Practice Hatikvah 3. Learn about Yom ha-zikaron 4. Two minutes of silence 5. Reflect on feelings toward Israel. 6. Check off Hatikvah box Students keep silent and then sing Hatikvah Students reflect on hopes for Israel.

97 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Yom ha-atzma ut 3 1. Learn Ha-Tikvah. Have students learn to sing Ha-Tikvah. The text (and transliteration) is on page 113 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. If you need help to do this, get it. It is easier to go directly to singing the song than to stop and read it first. Do, however, read the translation and discuss that for hundreds of years, since they were kicked out of the Land of Israel, Jews dreamed of returning and setting up a new Jewish State there. To be precise, there were always some Jews living in the Land of Israel, but after the Roman s destroyed Bar Kokkba, there was no Jewish state until Practice Ha-Tikvah. Go over it several times. 3. Learn about Yom ha-zikaron. Have students read 111 silently and stand when they are complete. Have them continue the silence until you begin to sing Ha-Tikvah. 4. Two minutes of silence. Continue the silence. The sing Ha-Tikvah. 5. Reflect on feelings toward Israel. Have students fill in the reflection on page 113. My hope for Israel is 6. Check off Hatikvah box. This is on page 109. OPPORTUNITY 2: FILL IN LOCATIONS ON A MAP OF ISRAEL BIG IDEAS One of the first steps in knowing Israel is in knowing the geography of its major cities. Every Jewish child should want to visit Israel. Every Jewish parent should want their children to visit Israel. 1. Filling in Maps 2. Reflection and Sharing 3. Check Off map box Students complete an Israel map. Students complete and share the Reflection Question. 1. Filling in Maps. Open up to page 114 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. Provide Reference Map(s). If you don t have a wall size map of Israel then photocopy and pass out the reference map found on Yom ha-atzma ut page 6 of this teacher s guide. Break students into groups of four to complete the map. 2. Reflection and Sharing. Have students complete the Reflection Question. When I go to Israel the thing I most want to see in Israel is 3. Check Off map box. On page 111.

98 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Yom ha-atzma ut 4 OPPORTUNITY 3: LEARN AN ISRAELI DANCE BIG IDEAS The arts help to develop an emotional connection to Israel. Israeli Dance develops a kinesthetic connection to the land of Israel 1. Share Israeli culture 2. Learn an Israeli Dance 3. Check-Off Dance Box Students can dance an Israeli dance. 1. Share Israeli culture. Here is the ideal version of this lesson. Your room (or the family home you are using) is wired for wi-fi. Every family has it s own lap top. Families work together to find (a) and Israeli song they like, (b) an Israeli piece of art and (c) an Israeli video clip. Then everyone shares the things they have found (and move on to the Shopping Trip ) activity. A more likely model has you, the teacher, find two or three songs, two or three pieces of art, and two or three film clips and share them with your class, allowing them to vote on their favorite of each. 2. Learn an Israeli Dance. Work with someone who can help you and have your class learn an Israeli dance. 3. Check-Off Dance Box. This is on page 111. OPPORTUNITY 4: GO ON AN INTERNET ISRAELI SHOPPING TRIP BIG IDEAS The more real Israel becomes, the easier it is to connect to Her. Shopping is a good way of connecting. 1. Make assignment 2. Allow research time 3. Share results 4. Check off shopping trip Students have shopped on line in Israel.

99 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Yom ha-atzma ut 5 1. Make assignment. Look at the shopping list on the bottom. Discuss the tasks. The most logical way of doing this is as homework. That means you will need to send a letter home to parents to prepare them for the responsibility. 2. Allow research time. If this is not being done in your classroom, you will need to allow several days to a week between the assignment and the discussion of these tasks. Invite students to bring in images of anything they really like. 3. Share results. Have students share the things they found in each category. 4. Check off shopping trip. On page 111. OPPORTUNITY 5: MAKE AND EAT AN ISRAELI SNACK BIG IDEAS Food builds a strong connect and leads to association. 1. Prepare preparation stations. 2. Make Pita Chips and Hummus 3. Eat what you have made. 4. Check off activity. When students have made and eaten an Israeli snack. 1. Prepare preparation stations. Set up an appropriate number of working stations to involve both your class in the preparation of an Israeli snack. 2. Make Pita Chips and Hummus. Have families do the actual work to create this simple Israeli snack or a more complex one if you so desire. 3. Eat what you have made. Have a communal snack. Ha-Motze is probably a good idea. 4. Check off activity. Do this on page 111.

100 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Yom ha-atzma ut 6 REFERENCE MAP

101 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Shavuot 1 SHAVUOT SHAVUOT OPPORTUNITIES Count the days from Pesah to Shavuot. Make a storyboard of the Bikkurim prayer. Make your classroom green. Tell a personal story of Mt. Sinai. Participate in a midnight Torah study. Act out the Book of Ruth. FAMILY SHAVUOT OPPORTUNITIES Make a milkhig meal for Shavuot. Go to a confirmation or Shavuot service. Green your house for Shavuot. TIMING We are at the end of the year and are hoping for one or two sessions. We are planning for two sessions and you should do what your can. SESSION 1 Count the days from Pesah to Shavuot Make a storyboard of the Bikkurim prayer. Make your classroom green. SESSION 2 Tell a personal story of Mt. Sinai. Participate in midnight Torah Study. Act Out the Book of Ruth. PREPARATION FOR EACH ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITY 1: COUNT THE DAYS FROM PASSOVER TO SHAVUOT Jewish calendars (if you have saved them) or photocopies that run from Passover to Shavuot. Page 120 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. OPPORTUNITY 2: MAKE A STORYBOARD OF THE BIKKURIM PRAYER. Page 122 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. Paper and drawing tools for making a storyboard.

102 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Shavuot 2 OPPORTUNITY 3: MAKE YOUR CLASSROOM GREEN. Either actual plants and flowers to place around your room or green construction paper and crepe paper to make artificial plants. Use wire, wrapping paper, and other materials as you can get and imagine. Photographic equipment to capture the green classroom. OPPORTUNITY 4: TELL A PERSONAL STORY OF MT. SINAI. Page 124 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. OPPORTUNITY 5: PARTICIPATE IN MIDNIGHT TORAH STUDY. Send home Experiencing the Jewish Holidays A Letter of Explanation (see Shavuot page 6 in this teacher s guide) OPPORTUNITY 6: ACT OUT THE BOOK OF RUTH. Supplies to make simple puppets. See below. Page 128 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays (make sure you have some copies if students don t return their books. OVERVIEW Shavuot as a holiday suffers from bad timing. First it is the holiday that comes at the end of the school year and often marks the end of class. It gets missed. Second of all, unlike Passover and Sukkot, festivals that are a week long, Shavuot is only a day (or two) long. Shavuot has a good story, the Mt. Sinai story, but it is the second Torah holiday of the year (after Simhat Torah) and is not a good a party. Seven Weeks: Shavuot means weeks. It is seven weeks, 50 days from Pesah (the second day). This period is called the counting of the omer. During the period barley was collected and sacrifices brought to the Temple. Omer is a measure used for determining the size of the sacrifice. Later on, the Kabbalists transformed this agricultural custom into a spiritual one. They created a way of counting that led from Egypt to the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. Bikkurim: Bikkurim means first fruits. On Shavuot the bikkurim of the Sheva minim, the seven kinds of produce that represent the connection to the land of Israel, are brought to the Temple. Greening: When ancient farmers used to bring their bikkurim up to Jerusalem, they would decorate the oxen and carts with flowers and plants. When the Kibbutzim needed to figure out how to celebrate the Jewish holidays in a cultural way, they took this idea of greening and decorated the kibbutzim in flowers and plants. Standing at Sinai: Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. Simhat Torah, the other Torah holiday, celebrates the ending then the immediate rebeginning of the Torah cycle. Shavuot is the day when we remember standing at Sinai, because every Jew was at Sinai, and hearing part of the Torah directly from God. Leil Tikkun Shavuot: There is a Midrashic tradition that the Jewish people overslept the morning that the Torah was given. To make sure we would never miss a learning opportunity again, it has become a tradition to study all night on Erev Shavuot (the night of Shavuot). Book of Ruth: Every Holiday has its own biblical book. The Book of Ruth is the one connected to Shavuot. It is a harvest love story. There are two great loves in this book. The first is between Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi. Ruth converts to Judaism and goes with her widowed mother-in-law back

103 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Shavuot 3 to her homeland. There, Ruth meets Boaz when she is gleaning in his field. Gleaning is picking up the leftovers given to the poor. OPPORTUNITY 1: COUNT THE DAYS FROM PESAH TO SHAVUOT BIG IDEAS Shavuot is seven weeks from Passover 1. Break into Hevruta Pairs with calendar pages 2. Count the Days between Pesah and Shavuot 3. Work on Questions and Discuss 4. Check off Count the Days... Students count the days between Pesah and Shavuot. Students can explain the name Shavuot. 1. Break into Hevruta Pairs with calendar pages. Divide the class into Hevruta pairs. Pass out the Jewish calendars or photocopied calendar pages. 2. Count the Days between Pesah and Shavuot. Have students count the days between the send day of Passover to Shavuot. 3. Work on Questions and Discuss. Open the Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. Have the pairs of students answer the questions on page 120 of Experiencing the Jewish Holidays. 1. Count the number of days from the second day of Passover to Shavuot. There are 49 days between the holidays. Shavuot is the fiftieth day. 2. How many weeks are involved. Seven. 3. Why would the Jewish name of this holiday be called Shavuot weeks? Because it is seven weeks after Passover. 4. Check off Count the Days... This is on page 119. OPPORTUNITY 2: MAKE A STORYBOARD OF THE BIKKURIM PRAYER. BIG IDEAS The Exodus from Egypt is the core Jewish story. Shavuot also celebrates harvesting in the Land of Israel 1. Explain Storyboard. 2. Break into groups of Five 3. Pass out Supplies 4. Draw storyboards 5. Share storyboards 6. Check off storyboard task.

104 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Shavuot 4 Students create a graphic representation of the Bikkurim prayer. Students can explain the connection between the Exodus and Shavuot. 1. Explain Storyboard. Tell your students that a storyboard is like a graphic novel (comic book). It is a way of telling the story of a movie visually. Usually each segment of the film is represented by a single panel. We are going to create a story panel for the prayer the Torah tells us to say when we deliver our Bikkurim. 2. Break into groups of Five. Open Experiencing the Jewish Holidays to page 122. The text for Bikkurim is found in the middle of the page. There are five segments of the story, so each student will get to draw one frame. 3. Pass out Supplies. The easiest way of doing this is giving each student one sheet of paper that will be their frame and markers for drawing. 4. Draw storyboards. Cue students to write their quotes somewhere on their frames. 5. Share storyboards. Let each group hand their storyboards and invite students to walk around the room and view the exhibit of storyboards. 6. Check off storyboard task. This is on page 119. OPPORTUNITY 3: MAKE YOUR CLASSROOM GREEN. BIG IDEAS Shavuot is a harvest festival. 1. Discuss the text on page Create Decorations for the room 3. Photograph the Results 4. Check off Green box Students have greened their classroom. 1. Discuss the text on page 123. Read and discuss the paragraph at the top. You want to establish the following. a. That a midrash says that Mt. Sinai burst with growing things when the Torah was given. b. It became a Jewish custom to decorate synagogues and other homes on Shavuot. c. Kibbutzim are serious about decorating for Shavuot. 2. Create Decorations for the room. 3. Photograph the Results. Take a class picture in the middle of the decorations and then run off enough copies for everyone. 4. Check off Green box. It is on page 119.

105 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Shavuot 5 OPPORTUNITY 4: TELL A PERSONAL STORY OF MT. SINAI. BIG IDEAS The tradition teaches us that every Jew was at Mt. Sinai. We all have our own Sinai memory. 1. Read the Introduction 2. Break into Hevruta pairs 3. Have each person write down their own answers to the three questions on page Have each pair Students tell their own story of their experience leaving Egypt. 1. Read the Introduction. Convey the idea that is expressed in the top paragraph on page 124: Every Jew personally stood at Mt. Sinai. 2. Break into Hevruta pairs. 3. Have each person write down their own answers to the three questions on page 124. Open to page 124. Have each student write answers to the three questions: Name a famous Jew you saw at Sinai. Think of a Question you would like to ask your famous Jew. Imagine how the Jew you chose to meet at Sinai would answer that question. 4. Have each pair go over the answers and create a performance of the two conversations. 5. Perform your conversations. 6. Check of Sinai Stories Box. It is on page 119. OPPORTUNITY 5: PARTICIPATE IN MIDNIGHT TORAH STUDY. BIG IDEAS All night study is a major feature of Shavuot. One of the responsibilities of Jewish schools is to create bonding moments between parents and children. 1. Letter inviting participation 2. Sending home textbook 3. Reporting on Midnight Experiences Parents and Students share a late night study session. Students report on their study session.

106 Experiencing the Jewish Holidays: Shavuot 6 1. Letter inviting participation. A week before Shavuot (or when you have sent on the textbooks, send a letter like this to the parents of your students. Dear Parents, We want you to have a wonderful experience with your child. There is a tradition on the holiday of Shavuot to study all night. We are not going to ask you to stay up all night with your child. Rather, on Erev Shavuot (insert date), we would like you to wake your child up at midnight and read a story and discuss it together. This will take at most ten minutes. Eleven or ten o clock will do as well. On pages there is a story about Abram. We would like you to read it with your child and answer the questions on page 127. There are no right answers to either of the two questions. What is most important is that you do this together as a special event. Both you and your child should answer these questions. It would also be good if you took a photograph or two of this even. One should be sent back to class with your child and the other gets pasted into the book as a remembrance. Thanks. Have a wonderful experience. (signature) Decide: What would be the most effective way of getting this home? ? Regular-post? Sent home with the book? 2. Sending home textbook. This should happen, if possible, at your next-to-last class. 3. Reporting on Midnight Experiences. Begin the next class sessions by having your class: a. Retell the story. b. Share stories (and photographs) from the late night study. c. Go over the reflection questions. 1. How can God whom we cannot see be more powerful than the sun, the moon, and the stars that we can see> 2. What do you think Abram said in his prayer? (After the one God talked to him). OPPORTUNITY 6: ACT OUT THE BOOK OF RUTH. BIG IDEAS The book of Ruth is the book associated with the holiday of Shavuot. Ruth is a (1) story of dedication, (2) story of loyalty, and (3) love story. 1. Connect the book of Ruth to Shavuot 2. Break the class into five groups 3. Have groups (a) decide on a list of characters, (b) make puppets and props, (c) write and (d) rehearse the performance 4. Reflect on the story. Students have performed the story of the Book of Ruth.