In שׁוֹרָשִׁים (Shorashim– ‘roots’ for nursery) and שְׁתִּילִים (Shteelim– ‘saplings’ for kindergarten), we are exploring the concepts of בִּיקוּר חוֹלִים (bikur cholim – visiting sick people) through pretend play. A few sessions ago, the children shared that visiting people who are sick, “can make the sick person feel better!” Visiting is important, but children were concerned about the …
Tag: rabbinic
Apr 21
A little slice of help
Last week in Nitzanim (“Buds,” for 1st grade children), we explored a text from the Talmud that said that when someone visits a sick person, they take away 1/60th of their suffering. To help us understand this idea, we looked at a picture of a pie with one tiny little slice taken out of it. …
Jan 28
A little playfulness
Guess what?! At our session this evening, every single Anafimer (“Branches” for 2nd-3rd grade) shared an idea about our Shehecheyanu theme! Now let me be clear: Children in Anafim have many ideas–about our theme, about sledding in the snow, about being a third grader, and about lots more. Sometimes, though, they just don’t feel like …
Jan 28
What if you don’t feel that alive feeling when you get something new: should you still say שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ (Shehecheyanu)?
Over the last several weeks, Anafim v’Alonim (“Branches” and “Oak trees” for 4th-5th grade) has been exploring the blessing, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ (Shehecheyanu). We began by pulling out the root of שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ (Shehecheyanu) which is חַי (alive). Children came up with different moments they felt SUPER ALIVE. For example, receiving shoes as a gift that “I didn’t …
Jan 20
Why say שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ (Shehecheyanu)?
Why do you think someone might choose to say שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ (Shehecheyanu) when they get something new that they needed? The children in Nitzanim (“Buds” for 1st grade) have been exploring this question as a part of our שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ (Shehecheyanu) theme, and there have been all sorts of ideas (and questions!) that have come up in …
Jan 14
Feeling alive
Hey! Did you know that the Hebrew word חי (chai–life) is the root of our new theme, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ (Shehecheyanu)? This week, children recalled times that they felt super alive: Child 1: When I swung for the first time by myself. And I felt really good on the inside and the outside. Child 2: One time …
May 14
Update from Anafim v’Alonim!
The last couple of weeks have been so generative and awesome! Last week Anafim v’Alonim (“Branches” and “Oak trees” for 4th and 5th grades) looked back at what the early Rabbis said about נוֹשֵׂא בְעֹל עִם חֲבֵרו (nosei v’ol im chaveiro–helping a friend carry a burden). We remembered that נוֹשֵׂא בְעֹל עִם חֲבֵרו (nosei v’ol …
Apr 18
Pesach Creation
As Anafim (“Branches” for 2nd and 3rd grade) slides into week three of our Pesach (Passover) preparation, the creative frenzy has not faltered. After years of learning about Pesach, these Anafimers know their stuff and are excited to share their ideas and explore new ones about Pesach. Anafimers are hard at work in the studio, …
Apr 15
Tough stuff
Over the last two weeks Nitzanim (“Buds” for 1st grade) children have been wrestling with some really tough stuff. They had to keep straight the Mishnah, which says to tell the story at the seder from the “hard stuff” to the “awesome stuff” (Mishnah Pesachim 10:4). Then they had to keep track of two different …
Apr 10
Running with the Rabbis
To prepare for Pesach (Passover) this year, Anafim (“Branches” for 2nd and 3rd grade) are diving deep into conversation with some of the ancient rabbis to consider different ways to interpret Pesach. We started with the Mishnah, a set of books from the early rabbis compiled around 210 C.E. The Mishnah says that a seder …