This Sukkot, we focused on using natural and recycled materials. Instead of a construction paper chain, we made a natural and recycled materials chain that represented slavery and freedom. Each chain has seven links, representing the Torah’s command to “live in sukkot seven days (Lev. 23:42).”
“Mine is a freedom chain… because the rice are ants being stepped on,” one girl said. “How does that make it a freedom chain?” Morah Na’omi asked. “Because we’re traveling [through bamidbar] and we step on them as we go,” she explained.
Another girl, on the other hand, used ants (rice) to represent slavery. “We got stepped on like ants [when we were slaves],” she said.
Two other girls explained that their link in the chain represents freedom: “The rice is food to eat,” said the younger girl. “The [coffee filter] is a white blanket,” said the older. They explained freedom as warmth and shelter and a full belly.
