Mar 30
It came up casually, as part of a different conversation about Pesach, and immediately, it grabbed our 5th – 7th grade children’s attention: some Jews sell their חמץ chametz (leavened foods) for Pesach. What?! How? Why? So we did what we usually do when children have questions: we started researching. We turned to the Torah, to …
Feb 28
This week, we FINALLY wrote our own שמע to go inside a mezuzah. We’ve worked so hard on recognizing and writing Hebrew letters. We’ve worked so hard on our שמע research (and it remains a favorite activity – one child asked today if we could go into the Chapel and do more research!). Today, we wrote the שמע. …
Feb 13
It was such a lovely afternoon. Children worked together on Shema research. Children worked together to figure out how to write/draw their Shema research. One child told another the story of Purim while they worked in Yetzirah. We enjoyed each other and our Jewish learning!
Jan 29
From a first grader: “I felt like I was singing alone, except listening to others.” What a powerful expression of what it’s like to be connected to other Jews through the words of the שמע! Today for our שמע research, Nitzanim went into the Chapel to experience the שמע with a group in prayer. We prepared …
Jan 24
Here we are, looking for clues. Does our mystery page have the same שמע as in the Torah? And here are the results of our research, as recorded by a first grader and a kindergartener. Translation: Our first clue is that BOTH the Torah and our mystery page have a big ע at the end …
Jan 15
Today, the Shorashim learners continued their hunt for the Shema by visiting the Rodefei Tzedek chapel. We found it written in the Torah! Each child took a turn standing and reading the Shema alongside Morah Shif. Many learners were able to recognize and point to the letters that spell “Shema”–“shin,” “mem,” and “ayin.” Now we …
Jan 08
Today, the kids approached Jewish grown-ups to ask them whether or not they knew the שמע. By learning more about the Jewish people around them, the kids begin to connect with the concept of a “Jewish community” that is both local and global–otherwise known as עם ישראל (am yisrael – the people of Israel). We …
Jan 08
To be a שמע researcher, you have to know and be able to do a lot of things. Nitzanimers can do them all. First – We had to figure out what researchers do (it was a new word for some of us!). Second – We made a list of everything we know already about the שמע. …
