More KDH Parsha

Parshat Mishpatim

Annabel's parents and little brother joined us to teach us the Parsha. Mishpatim continues from Parshat Yitro, with the mitzvot that the Torah teaches us. Mishpatim are commandments between people. Two of the mitzvot mentioned are giving money to poor people and helping your fellow man unload the packages on his animal that is in distress.

 

The Torah also tells us that when Hashem asked the Jewish people at Mount Sinai if they wanted to accept the Torah, they answered, "Naaseh, V'Nishma - we will do and we will listen". They agreed to keep the mitzvot even before understanding the reasons. For this response, each person was granted two crowns. Annabel and her mom brought in all the supplies for everyone to make a glittery and gem studded crown.

That was fun!! Thank you Annabel and family.

For Shabbat party we continued with crowns. We baked a cake that was divided into two crowns and decorated with gold sprinkles.

 Parshat Terumah

Rafi's father came in to help Rafi teach us the Parsha.  In Parshat Terumah the Jewish people are instructed to build a mishkan/tabernacle - the sanctuary where the divine presence rests.

 There were special vessels constructed by the Jewish  people for the mishkan: A gold menorah with seven branches that was lit daily, two alters/mizbayach. The one for the courtyard - a copper alter for the daily sacrifices, and the alter for the inner sanctum was made of gold and spices were offered on it. A special table/shulchan with six shelves on each side was used for the Lechem Hapanim - the bread that put on one Shabbat and taken off (still fresh) the next Shabbat. In the Holy of Holies - was the Ahron/the ark were the broken Luchot and the whole ones - the Tablets received by Moshe at Har Sinai. On top of the ark were gold angels facing each other.

 After showing us pictures of all the vessels, we were invited over to the tables for crafting. The children were given pipe cleaners, paper, crayons and markers, foam pieces, glue and more and invited to construct the vessels.

The menorah made with pipe cleaners with Rafi's dad's help was definitely the favorite. 

Thank you Rafi and and Dad!

Parshat Tetzaveh

Harper's dad came in with a bag filled with pretty colored paper and lot of gemstones! First we were shown the pictures from the Parsha of all the special garments that the Kohanim/priests and Kohen Gadol/high priest while performing their tasks in the Mishkan/tabernacle and later on in the Beit Hamikdash. 

 The high priest wore the Choshen/breast plate. It was made of woven material with gemstones, one gemstone for each tribe. The gemstones would light up when then there was a Divine message.

The children chose gemstones and glued them onto the paper as a model of the Choshen/breast plate.

Thank you Harper and Dad for a shiny, glittery, fun Parsha activity.

Parshat KiTisa

Emmett's  mother came in to help him teach the class. The Jewish people are instructed to give a half shekel - a silver coin for a census for the first year in the desert. These coins were collected yearly (not for a census) and the monies were used for the daily sacrifices.

The Jewish people miscalculated how long Moshe would be up on Har Sinai. They made a mistake and created a gold calf. Moshe came down and broke the Luchot/tablets. At the end of the Parsha Moshe goes back up Mount Sinai and brings down a second Tablet/luchot and the Jewish people are forgiven.

Emmett and his mom prepared popsicle stick puzzles to be made by the children The popsicle sticks were taped together and the children drew on them. Then the tape could be taken off and each child had a unique puzzle made with popsicle sticks!

Thank you Emmett and mom for teaching us parsha!!

Parshat Vayakhel

We all sat down in a circle as Avraham Chaim and his mom taught us the Parsha. Avraham Chaim's father joined us later.

Many of the mitzvot of Shabbat are learned from this Parsha. How? The Jewish people are busy building the mishkan. All the work stopped when Shabbat came. The Torah is teaching us that any work that was necessary for the construction of the mishkan is what we should refrain from on Shabbat. Furthermore, Shabbat is a special day. We light candles, recite kiddush over a cup of wine/grape juice, have two challot.

 Avraham Chaim and his family made special Shabbat bags for each child to use to act out the mitzvot of Shabbat. The children wrote their names on name tags and took out the kiddush cup, battery powered teach lights, clay and challah mini challah cover to use to make shabbat parties with dolls, friends and stuffed animals.

 Avraham Chaim's mother also read us a Shabbat story!

 Everyone was excited to take home their special bags and share them with their families.

Thank you Avraham Chaim and parents for teaching us and giving us such a special take home shabbat bag!!

Parsha continues

Parshat Bo

Parshat Bo, the second Torah portion in the Book of Shemot, Logan's dad came in with stack of papers. What was on the papers? Logan had drawn pictures of all the Makot/plagues that are mentioned in Parshat Bo. King Paroh and the Egyptians tortured the Jewish people and were punished with the ten plagues. Moshe and his brother Aharon went to Paroh to ask him to let the Jewish people leave Egypt and Paroh refused permission. The first seven plagues were: Blood, Frogs, Lice, Wild Animals, Sick Cattle, Boils, Hail. Those are mentioned in Parshat Vaerah. 

In Parshat Bo we read about the last three plagues: Locusts, Darkness and The First Born

When the last plague struck Egypt, Paroh ran to Moshe in the middle of the night and begged him to take the Jewish people and leave.  The Jews waited until daytime to leave. 

 Logan and his dad explained to us what happened with each plague. Then we sat down at the tables and Logan handed out papers to all of us. The children drew pictures of the plagues that Logan had taught us about.

Thank you Logan and dad for teaching us Parshat Bo!

Parshat Beshalach

Eli Lipskier came in with his mother, ready to teach us, and carrying a very big box!! We all sat down to hear them teach us the parsha. The Jewish people left Egypt and after a few days Paroh regretted his decision. He chased with his army after the Jews. At the Red Sea/Yam Suf, Moshe lifted his stick and Hashem dried up the waters. Twelve rows were made with fruits growing and fountains of water for drinking. The Jews walked through with the Egyptians chasing them. As soon as all the Jews had gotten out at the other side, Hashem caused the waters to return and all the Egyptians drowned.

 Now the Jewish people were saved! They sang to Hashem a song that is said in our daily morning prayers. Miriam, Moshe's sister, lead the women in song and dance. They had brought their instruments from Egypt because of their deep faith that Hashem would save them. Miriam used a tambourine. Eli gave everyone a tambourine to decorate and we danced with the beautiful creations.

 What a fun way to re-enact the parsha. Thank you Eli and mom for this exciting Parsha lesson.

Parshat Yisro

Leah and her mom asked us to sit down to learn the Parsha. The Jewish people gathered at Har Sinai and prepared to receive the luchot/ten commandments. Har Sinai was a small and barren mountain. When it was announced that the Torah would be given there, grass and flowers grew. 

 We stood around the table with a large green poster board cut in the shape of a mountain. Everyone made tissue paper flowers and glued them onto the poster board. When that was finished, the children requested that we make a fence that existed around the mountain. Why?  None of the lay people were permitted to climb or even touch the holy mountain. When the children completed the fence, they continued: We want to make the people standing at the foot of the mountain. More paper, scissors and crayons and each child made a person to represent all of us who were present for the receiving of the Torah

 We hung up the Har Sinai, which looks beautiful in our classroom

Thank you Leah and mom for inspiring us with this cooperative art for Parsha!