Feb 09
“Did you know that you have a whole bunch of תפילות (tefillot; prayers) from the סידור (siddur, prayerbook) already memorized? Word for word?” “What? No I don’t! I’ve never memorized one.” Here, try one and see. Over the past couple of weeks, as our קדושה (kedusha, holiness) theme has been gaining momentum, we’ve taken a step back from …
Nov 10
A child was working on learning ברכות השחר (birchot hashachar, “Morning Blessings,” a part of the morning prayer service), when she called me over. “Morah Leah, that word means “night,” right? “Well, the סדור (siddur, prayer book) you’re using includes the translation. What does it say?” “…who allows us to distinguish between day and …
Nov 08
This week, Nitzanimers ventured down to the Rodfei Zedek sanctuary to explore סידורים (siddurim), and, more specifically, the text of Psalm 150. We found where the סידורים (siddurim) are kept outside of the sanctuary, and each child got his or her own סידור (siddur) to bring into the room. When we went up to sit on the …
Mar 06
We have a new Mah Tovu tent in Beit Shteelim. Morah Miryam invited us in pairs to come to the Mah Tovu tent. When I stuck a יד (yad – hand) into the tent, I pulled out a surprise! It was a picture of a part of my גוף (guf – body)! Then I thought about how I …
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 …
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. …
