Pesach and Shabbat: Similarities and Differences

A Pesach table and a Shabbat table- what do they share and what is unique about each?

 Every Friday is a special day in IJP as each of the three classes make a Shabbat Party. Across the classes, children are familiar with the customs of welcoming and celebrating Shabbat.

As Pesach approaches, we wondered, how is celebrating Shabbat different from celebrating this important Yom Tov?

The children look at two tables- one set for Shabbat, one for Pesach.

A Venn diagram is a great way to compare things, and notice areas in which they overlap. It is also a great vocabulary term! Making a Venn diagram is a handy strategy for learning, both when drawn by the teacher, and as they get older, the student.

Morah Goldie records the children's comments in diagram-form.

Venn diagram: Shabbat and Pesach

 In half groups, the children called out what is special about each holiday.

"We use a seder plate!" Eden recalled.

When speaking about the different items on the seder plate, Motty chimed in, "My mom likes maror!"

As we continued highlighting the special attributes of Pesach, Morah Estee presented illustrative cards of each of the four major differences. This segued perfectly into a recitation of "Mah Nishtanah," the four questions that are traditionally sung by the youngest member of the family on Seder night. In some families, every family member takes turns saying it.

The Four Questions

We are going to practice singing the mah nishtanah, especially the first part, and would love to sing it at our seders.