Lesson

Torah Page 541

Talk  about holiness with your students using this text and lesson plan..Through discussion of a hypothetical situation and text study your students will think about difficult choices one may encounter in life. $0.00$0.00To be holy means that you follow in God's footsteps. You have to be the best you can be. You have to go above your standard self. Miriam Cleeman, 5th grade God commanded the Jews to be holy, for holiness implies distinction. God wished for the Jewish people to stand out from other peoples, even if they were looked upon as different. It is this holiness, this acceptance of being different, that makes one Jewish. Sam Roth, 7th grade To be holy, you have to give a lot more thought to how you live and how you act toward others. Lesson Summary:  Students will discuss a hypothetical situation about cheating and apply the commentaries of Rashi and Nahmanides to Vayikra 19:2 to help them figure out how one makes difficult choices. They will also consider what it means to be kadosh, holy, because God is kadosh. Printable Lesson:  3403lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Lyrics to Mah Tovu's "You Shall Be Holy" Additional Resources:  "You Shall Be Holy" on Turn It by Mah Tovu, music and original lyrics based on Vayikra 19 by Josh Zweiback © 1991. Divrei Torah about holiness: http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/000505/torah.shtml http://roshhashanah.torah.org/learning/hamaayan/5759/achareimos.html

Prism

Prisms refract light, scattering it into the beauty of a rainbow. Similarly, observing mitzvot and setting ourselves apart thtough positive actions refracts God's holiness and spreads kedushah. Students can draw up a kedushah contract of positive behaviors that will foster kedushah in the classroom. $0.00$0.00Ready, Set, Glow *Some mushrooms glow in the dark! These "bioluminescent" mushrooms can be found in tropical rainforests. Their glow is caused by a chemical reaction. *Light can travel from the sun to Earth in approximately 8 minutes. Traveling that distance by car (at 60 miles per hour) would take 177 years! *In South America, some people carry fireflies in net bags to help them find their way in the dark! Let There Be Light! "A mitzvah is a lamp, and the Torah is the light." proverbs 6:23 Lesson Summary:  The teacher creates a rainbow in the class and students explore the metaphor of the prism to deepen their understanding of kedushah. Printable Lesson:  3407lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Blessing when seeing a rainbow after a storm Additional Resources:  An artist who creates rainbows to promote world peace: http://www.rainbowmaker.us/homeframe.htm More about how rainbows are created: http://science.howstuffworks.com/question41.htm Sample of a kedushah contract for a classroom: http://www.beth-elsa.org/be_Kedushah.htm

Light Up Your Nights

Enjoy a candle making activity with your students. After creating the candles, students will explore Jewish texts tohelp them consider the significance of candles in conveying kedushah in various Jewish practices. Appropriate for use before a shabbaton or family shabbat event or at camp. $0.00$0.00Chandler is the funny, sarcastic guy on the TV sitcom "Friends," but did you know that his name means "candle maker"? Jacob Rodriguez Rivera (1717-1789) certainly was not a famous TV star, but he was the most famous chandler in American Jewish history. He used sperm-whale oil to make candles that were firmer than tallow candles and therefore less likely to melt in the summer. "When the...Hasmoneans were victorious, they searched and found only one jug of oil....enough to burn of one day. But a miracle happened and the oil lasted for eight days. Talmud, Shabbat 21b Lesson Summary:  Students explore Jewish texts to help them consider the significance of candles in conveying kedushah. Printable Lesson:  3409lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Hanukkah Candle Blessings Additional Resources:  Additional Activities How to make Hanukkah candles for kids Make Real Candles

Frank & Stein

In the delightful short story, a young man confides to his diary the jitters and worries he has about his upcoming bar mitzvah. As his bar mitzvah nears, the protagonist learns to appreciate the joy of reaching adulthood in Judaism. Students will explore the meaning of “milestone” and the relationship between reaching a milestone and hakarat hatov, appreciation. Through art and personal reflection, students will create personal milestone maps that depict both the achievements that they have reached in their lives and appreciation for those who have helped them reach those milestones. $0.00$0.00Dear Frank, I hate you. Don't take it personally. Right now, there are more things in my life that I hate than I like. Sorry, will explain myself later. I hear Sidney coming, and I don't want her to know about this. Dear Frank, It's me again. I guess I should introduce myself. (I can't believe I'm doing this.) Formally, my name is Benjamin Stein. Okay, Benjamin Milton Stein. My family calls me Benjy. Kids in school call me Stein. Lesson Summary:  Students will explore the meaning of "milestone" and the relationship between reaching a milestone and hakarat hatov. Through art and personal reflection, students will create personal milestone maps that depict both the achievements that they have reached in their lives and appreciation for those who helped them reach these milestones. Printable Lesson:  2408lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Questions Worksheet

Is America's Democracy for Sale?

The article looks at two important ideas—free speech and unfairinfluences—through the lens of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.  This lesson highlightsthat Jewish law supports both the value of speaking out and the value offair, unbiased judgment. $0.00$0.00  In 1999, a 90-year-old activist known as Granny D, walked from California to Washington. D.C., to dramatize the need for campaign finance reform. She wore out four pairs of shoes, but her enthusiasm for reform never faded. For 14 months, Granny D walked 10 miles a day, warning Americans that democracy "is drowning in a flood of money." ONE PERSON- ONE VOTE Lesson Summary:  The lesson demonstrates the potential values conflict between the value of speaking out to defend the downtrodden and the importance of unbiased judgments. Printable Lesson:  2401lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Word Definitions

Baba Bloggin'

Read these blog posts about life in Israel by eight Israeli teens. Then have your students write “foundpoems” using the descriptions that the Israeli youth provide to discoveressential reasons for appreciating life in Israel. $0.00$0.00Google the word "blog" and you'll unearth 16 million results. Blogs are online diaries and the newest Internet craze. The best bloggers lure you to their web pages with colorful writing and captivating opinions. BABAGANEWZ asked eight Israelis to each write a blog entry about living in Israel. Keep reading to see the inviting web they spun for us. Niv's Blog September 15, 2003 Although Israel is a small country, there are many unique things about it. For example, the mentality in Israel is different from any other place. Lesson Summary:  Students will write “found poems” using the descriptions of life in Israel and Israel’s Declaration of Independence to discover the essential reasons for appreciating life in Israel. Printable Lesson:  2406lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Life in Israel Worksheet 2406id.pdf Israel's Declaration of Independence in Hebrew Found Poems Instruction Sheet Additional Resources:  Listen to David Ben-Gurion read Israel's Declaration of Independence: http://www.knesset.gov.il/docs/heb/megilat.htm (Hebrew text with Hebrew audio) http://www.knesset.gov.il/docs/eng/megilat_eng.htm (English text with Hebrew audio) Israel Museum Web Site: http://www.imj.org.il/eng/shrine/building.html (May be useful in conjuction with virtual tour of Shrine of the Book in Virtual Israel.)

Lemony Snicket: The Man Behind the Misfortune

Read what Daniel Handler, that is, Lemony Snicket, has to say about writing and life in general.  In the accompanying  lesson, students will engage in a drama activity to help them identify what they are thankful for in their daily lives. They will then explore how our tefillot help us to show appreciation.  $0.00$0.00  If you show up for a book reading by Lemony Snicket hoping to catch a glimpse of the popular author, you'll find the mysterious Mr. Snicket missing. Instead, Lemony Snicket's "associate" Daniel Handler heartily greets fans. Daniel explains that, once again, misfortune struck Mr. Snicket- a shark bit his armpit- incapacitating him. A misfortune magnet, Lemony Snicket chronicles the miseries and woes of the Baudelaire orphans in his best-selling "A Series of Unfortunate Events." "Into the well from which you have once drunk water, do not throw clods of dirt." Bava Kama 92b Lesson Summary:  Students will participate in a drama exercise to help them identify what they are thankful for in their daily lives. Students will explore how hakarat hatov is expressed in traditional berakhot and tefillah. Printable Lesson:  2404lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet List Of Blessings and Prayers that Express Appreciation in English List of Blessings and Prayers that Express Appreciation in Hebrew Additional Resources:  A guide to blessings: http://www.torah.net/eng/kids/brachot/index.htm 30-minute 2001 interview with Daniel Handler on "Fresh Air": http://www.npr.org/dmg/dmg.php?prgCode=FA&showDate=10-Dec-2001&segNum=1&mediaPref=RM (requires Real Player)

Zach Gartenberg: Brotherly Love

Zach appreciates so much about his Autistic brother, even when the going gets rough. He wants others to appreciate the talents and qualities God gives to every individual. Simulating various disabilities will inspire students to understand the differences between people and to appreciate that what may seem as a weakness could be considered a strength. $0.00$0.00When Zach Gartenberg's younger brother Mori was two years old he stopped talking and never spoke again. He had trouble following directions, and sometimes would get so mad he would bang his head on the floor. Once, he took ice cream out of the freezer, dumped it on the floor, and ate it. Another time he grabbed ice cream off a woman's ice cream cone. "To understand, to have insight, to hear, to learn to reach to observe, and to have the ability to do and to fulfill the teachings God revealed to us in love." Ahavah Rabbah Prayer Lesson Summary:  Students will simulate certain disabilities to gain an understanding of two aspects of hakarat hatov: appreciating that God gives talents to every human and appreciating those God-given talents in every individual. Printable Lesson:  2402lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

It's In the E-Cards

It’s hard to find time in our busy lives to send thank-you cards for gifts. The article describes how e-cards can be a time-saving, fun alternative. In this lesson students will discuss how to use technology to express hakarat hatov, appreciation for the good things that come our way. $0.00$0.00  Your heart raced with anticipation as soon as you saw the package waiting on the kitchen table. You quickly ripped off the "Happy Birthday" wrapping paper, revealing the CD you've been wanting. "Wow, that was cool of my aunt to remember," you thought. In the two weeks since then, you've listened to the CD countless times- almost as many times as you've heard your mom remind you to send your aunt a thank-you note. But you've been busy with schoolwork, activities, and friends, and haven't had a chance. "Let giving and receiving all be in writing." Ben Sira 42:7 Lesson Summary:  Students will discuss the appropriate use of technology to express hakarat hatov. Printable Lesson:  2407lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Situation Cards

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. In this lesson, students will explore the concept of hakarat hatov as it relates to one’s parents. Using sentence completion and role-playing in conjunction with a  text from Sefer Hah. inukh, students will consider various dimensions of appreciation. This lesson could be adapted for use at a family education event with parents and children present. $0.00$0.00There are millions of reasons to bless our parents. If I could bless my parents for anything, it would be for life. Thank your parents with love and kindness. Today I told my mom I loved her and gave her a big hug. I saw her face light up. That was the best gift I could give. Love. Hannah Wolff, 6th grade In the morning blessings, we thank God for clothing the naked and giving food to the hungry. These are things my parents do for me. They take care of all my necessities. They love and care for me, shelter and protect me. Everything I have is because of them. Lesson Summary:  Using sentence completions and role-playing, students will consider various aspects of how hakarat hatov applies to their parents. Printable Lesson:  2403lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Sentence Starters Worksheet Role-Playing Scenarios Additional Resources:  Divrei Torah about hakarat hatov: http://www.tfdixie.com/parshat/vaera/004.htm http://www.lchaimweekly.org/lchaim/5757/483.htm

Shifra Mincer: Mending Hearts

Shifra uses her sewing skills to help those in need. In the process, she overcomes her shyness. This lesson focuses on understanding teshuvah as self-evaluation. Students will assess their talents and shortcomings and will set goals that focus on how their talents can help fulfill others’ needs. $0.00$0.00Walking the streets near her home in New York City, Shifra Mincer frequently saw homeless people in their ripped and tattered clothes, and the girl would shudder, thinking how different they were from her. Then one day when she was in sixth grade, her teacher invited students to help serve food at a soup kitchen in the basement of Hebrew Union College. As Shifra lined up to serve dinner, someone asked a simple question that changed her life: Does anyone know how to sew? "Tear your hearts and not your garments, return to the Almighty, or God is gracious and merciful." Joel 2:13 Lesson Summary:  Students will learn about teshuvah as a method for self-evaluation. Students will assess their talents and shortcomings, taking a "personal inventory." They will set goals that focus on how their talents can help fulfill others' needs. Printable Lesson:  Lesson Plan Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Personal Inventory Worksheet Teshuvah Worksheet Additional Resources:  List of tzedakah projects using sewing: http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa031798.htm Ideas for how people can use their special skills to do mitzvot for others: http://www.kidscare.org Understanding the problems of homelessness: http://www.nationalhomeless.org A great book resource for teachers and young adults: It's a Mitzvah!: Step-by-Step to Jewish Living by Bradley Shavit Artson, Behrman House, New York, 1995.

Torah Page 539

Get in the Tishrei spirit with this text and lesson. Students will explore the concept of “returning” after vacation. They will compare going back to performing a particular set of job-related tasks with the broader concept of teshuvah, returning to a way of behaving. The goal of this comparison is to help students understand the impact that teshuvah can have on individual relationships and, ultimately, the world. . $0.00$0.00When you do teshuvah, you feel like your heart is whole again. When I say something that I regret, I feel bad. The first thing I do is apologize. If that doesn't work, I try to make it right. Jesse Goldfarb, 6th grade Teshuvah means to ask for forgiveness and to return the favor of forgiveness. Teshuvah can help heal the world because if everyone forgave everyone else, the world would be in complete harmony. Maddi Brody, 6th grade Lesson Summary:  Students will explore the concept of returning from vacation. Using the cartoon as a trigger, they will compare going back to performing a particular set of job-related tasks with the broader concept of teshuvah, returning to a way of behaving. Printable Lesson:  1403lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Returning Chart

In-CREASE-ing FUN

A cool origami project just in time for the high holidays.  Just as there is a process for transforming a piece of paper into a shofar, there is a process of teshuvah, retunring, which will transform you.  Learn the individual steps, and begin the process of transformation. $0.00$0.00When you look at a blank piece of paper, what do you see? If you're an origami artist, you might visualize a flying dove, a jumping frog, or even a trumpeting shofar. With origami, you can transform plain paper into miniature artwork-simply by folding it different ways. The magical feeling of transforming something ordinary into something extraordinary is what makes this ancient Japanese folk craft popular. Try your hand at making a shofar out of paper. MATERIALS: One square piece of paper (suggested size: 10-inch square) DIRECTIONS: "Sound the great shofar of our freedom!" Weekday Amidah Lesson Summary:  Students learn about teshuvah as a transformative process. Printable Lesson:  1405lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Teshuvah Worksheet Directions for shofar part 1 Directions for shofar part 2

Abby Kerbel: The Cell Phone Girl

After witnessing several violent domestic disputes, Abby Kerbel collected cell phones to help women in need.  Following her example, students will explore the mitzvot of aiding others while preserving their dignity, and avaoiding waste by finding new uses for unneeded objects. They will consider where Abby's project falls on Moaimonides' ladder of giving, and how to develop projects that are sensitive to the feelings of those who need help. $0.00$0.00Abby Kerbel remembers the sinking feeling she would get in the pit of her stomach when the police would pull up to her neighbor's house in Rockville, Maryland. The uniformed officer would walk to the door, and Abby would instinctively know that once again a family argument had spiraled out of control and erupted into violence. "It must have been very bad for her," Abby recalls, speaking about the frightened woman next door, whom she knew only casually. "I can't even imagine what it was like. I used to feel really, really sorry for her." "You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor." Vayikra 19:16 Lesson Summary:  Students will explore the mitzvah of providing life-saving aid to others by finding new uses for items that they and others no longer use. Printable Lesson:  2302lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Maimonides' Ladder of Tzedakah Additional Resources:  "Call to Protect" cell phone donation program http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/CallToProtect/index.cfm Ziv Tzedakah Fund http://www.ziv.org

Israel's Shofar Master at Work

This article discusses the Bar-Sheshet family’s shofar-making tradition, explaining to students the methods used in the shofar’s production. In this lesson, students will explore the themes of Rosh Hashanah and how they are reflected in the shofar and its sound. Through a textual study, students will see how Zvika’s shofar production reflects concepts discussed in the traditional texts. $0.00$0.00The secrets of 15 generations rest on Zvika Bar-Sheshet's shoulders. His father, Meir (of blessed memory), brought the secrets to Israel in 1947 when he made aliyah from Morocco. Each day, he carried them up the rickety spiral staircase into the tiny workshop above his store on Herzl Street in Haifa. Was he a secret agent for the infant state? No. In this sweltering room, standing on a carpet of calcium shavings, surrounded by the roar of polishing machines and the bitter smell of burnt horns, Meir Bar-Sheshet established the shofar industry in modern Israel. Lesson Summary:  Students will explore the themes of Rosh Hashanah and how they are reflected in the shofar and its sounds. Printable Lesson:  1408lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Texts Halachic scenarios 1408reasons.pdf Shofar Story from the Kotzker Rebbe Additional Resources:  Samples of Zvika’s shofarot: http://www.shofarot.co.il/index.html The significance and symbolic importance of the shofar: http://www.myjewishlearning.com

Teshuvah Wizard: A Technology of Teshuvah for the 21st Century

This handy manual helps you start your process of Teshuvah for the new millennium, just in time for Yom Kippur. The computer metaphor helps students understand the steps of teshuvah, and the roles of God and individuals in the process. $0.00$0.00Welcome This users' manual introduces the amazing Teshuvah Wizard® and demonstrates step-by-step how to install it in your awareness. When you register this program with the Manufacturer, you'll receive a lifetime guarantee that the Teshuvah Wizard® will help you return to your better self. Powerful New Features Lesson Summary:  Students will expand upon the computer metaphor used in the article and apply it to doing teshuvah. Printable Lesson:  1407lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

A Close Encounter with Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg speaks with Babaganewz about the role Judaism plays in his life. Students will use this as a springboard for discussion on what leads to assimilation from or connection with the Jewish community, and what can spark a renewed interest in Judaism. $0.00$0.00  When he was 20 years old, Steven Spielberg bluffed his way into Universal Pictures studios by dressing up in a business suit and carrying an empty briefcase past an unsuspecting guard. He settled into an abandoned office and spent the summer with the directors and writers. Not one to overlook important details, the determined young man bought some plastic letters and added his name to the building directory: Steven Spielberg, Room 23C. "Create in me a new heart, O God, and make a new spirit within me." Prayer of Rabbi Bahya Ben Asher Lesson Summary:  Students will analyze why contemporary Jews often drift away from Jewish life. Students will also affirm the positive elements that anchor Jewish identity and explore what it means to “return” to Judaism. Printable Lesson:  1404lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet "Pulling" Worksheet Additional Resources:  The official web site of Steven Spielberg's Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation: http://www.vhf.org With all my Heart, With all my Mind: Thirteen Stories About Growing Up Jewish, edited by Sandy Asher.

From the Four Corners of the Earth

In the article about four olim, immigrants to Israel, students will read about young people from different backgrounds who have all made Israel their permanent home. In this lesson, students will consider how Israel functions as a home for Jews all over the world and how it serves as a haven for those from the Diaspora. $0.00$0.00  They journeyed from the four corners of the earth- from Germany, the United States, Argentina, and Ethiopia- but their destination was the same, Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel). In celebration of Israel's 55th birthday, BABAGANEWZ spoke with four Israeli olim immigrants). Although they traveled different roads to Israel, they share one thing in common: They're all convinced they've come home. Joyous Laughter at the Birth of a Nation "May God redeem us soon and gather in our dispersed from the four corners of the earth." Siddur, Blessing of the New Month Lesson Summary:  Students will consider how Israel functions as a home for Jews all over the world and how it serves as a haven for those from the Diaspora. Printable Lesson:  9307lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Resources:  Text of Israel’s Declaration of Independence: http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00hb0 Text of United States’ Declaration of Independence: http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/charters_of_freedom/declaration/declaration_transcription.html The Declaration of Independence read in Hebrew by David Ben Gurion: http://www.knesset.gov.il/docs/eng/megilat_eng.htm

To-rah

Teach this lesson before Simchat Torah or if your synagogue is dedicating a new Sefer Torah.The article about Torah scrolls explains how computer technology is used to check the accuracy of a sofer’s (scribe’s) writing; computer scans of Torah parchment can locate errors in the writing that a sofermay then correct to make the scroll fit for use. In the accompanying lesson, students will learn about the sanctity and artistry of a sofer’s work. $0.00$0.00Torah Trivia It takes about 2,000 hours to write a Torah scroll. That's a full-time job for one year! The oldest Torah we have dates back to the Second Temple period. That makes it over 2,000 years old! Proud of his Jewish identity, Ilan Ramon, the Israeli astronaut who flew aboard the space shuttle Columbia, brought a small Torah into space. Letter Perfect "And God said to Moshe: Write down these commandments, for in accordance with these commandments I make a covenant with you and with Israel." Shemot 34:27 Lesson Summary:  Students will learn about the sanctity and artistry of a sofer’s work and will learn to write Hebrew calligraphy like a sofer. Printable Lesson:  9304lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Sefer Torah Terms Letters of the Aleph-bet

Speak Out for Israel

This article discusses how Israel is portrayed in the media and its effect on the opinion of the American Jewish community.To address the media’s bias against Israel and to bolster Israel’s image, select high school journalists have been participating in an Israel advocacy program. In the program, these young writers are learning about the history and politics of Israel to enable them to speak out on Israel’s behalf. In this lesson, students will join the effort and create positive advertisements about Israel to help strengthen Israel’s public image. $0.00$0.00On September 30, 2000, newspapers around the world printed a horrifying picture- an injured college student kneeling in front of an Israeli policeman who was waving a riot baton. The caption identified the bleeding victim as a Palestinian demonstrator and created the impression that the scowling Israeli had beaten the young man. But in reality, the student was an American Jew who had been attacked by a crowd of Palestinians. The Israeli policeman was the rescuer, not the oppressor. "For the sake of Zion I will not be silent." Isaiah 6:21 Lesson Summary:  Students will create positive advertisements about Israel to help strengthen Israel’s public image. Printable Lesson:  9306lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Hatikvah lyrics in English and Hebrew Media Bias Lesson Plan from Tishrei 5762 Background on Hatikvah

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