May 07
This week the morot (educators) posed a big question to the Shteelimers in order to further explore the story of David and Shaul. And so we asked, ”How do you think David felt becoming the King’s harp player?” The Shteelimers had the following ideas. – Happy because he wanted to be a harp player/ musician and …
Apr 18
We’ve started our new theme, ידידות (yedidut – friendship). It’s easier to be a friend when we’re able to talk about how we’re feeling and understand how a friend feels. Educators wondered, What words do Nitzanimers have to describe what they’re feeling? What vocabulary do Nitzanimers have beyond “happy” and “sad?” We wanted to find out …
Apr 12
This week, Nitzanim completed one final investigation of our mysterious words (that we saw first in these morning blessings). We’ve seen what our mysterious words are in the Torah (something God does), in the Talmud (a discussion among the early rabbis about what to say when we get dressed and ready for the day), and …
Mar 15
This year, I thought Nitzanimers were ready to understand the plagues not as cutesy little props to throw during the seder for entertainment, but as part of what took place for the Israelites to go free. I started by reminding children that the plagues happened to ALL of the Egyptians, and asked children if they …
Mar 15
Rabbi Rebecca: What are some things Jews might do on Pesach? {children had many ideas, and then…} Girl 1: We eat מרור (maror - bitter herb) because of the bitterness of being a slave. Boy 1: Why would they want to remind us about being a slave? ‘Cause that’s a bad thought. Girl 2: Yeah, maror …
Mar 01
Missed Part 1? Catch it here. Missed Part 2? Read it here. Part 3: Could children understand berakhot as something the early rabbis said to get their brains ready for the day? And if the rabbis were getting their brains ready, what were they getting their brains ready to do? I asked: Why would the rabbis made a berakhah (blessing) after every single …
Mar 01
Missed Part 1? Read it here. Part 2: Nitzanim had been focusing on the morning berakhot as a way of getting our bodies ready in the morning (stretching, getting dressed, etc.). Next, I asked Nitzanimers: do you do anything to get your brains ready in the morning? Turns out that many children read in the morning: “Reading makes my …
Feb 28
The Starting Point: Children made the connection between ברכות (berakhot - blessings) we say in the morning and the actions of getting up and ready for our day. Here we are acting out our favorite ברכה (berakhah – blessing): הנותן ליעף כח (“Who gives strength to the weary:). We love to shout “koach (strength)!” Part 1 So…the …
Feb 28
As we wrap up our Boker Tov unit, the Shteelimers are hard at work creating the pieces of art that will combine to make their final Yetzirah project. It has proven to be a long journey with lots of questions, dialog and new exciting processes! For example, this week I was happy to discover that …
Jan 25
(True story! It really happened this way on Tuesday!) If you give a kid a סדור (siddur – prayerbook), he’s going to want to read it. A lot. When he reads it with his friends, they’ll discover that the very same ברכות (berakhot - blessings) we have listed on the wall, are in the siddur. …
