Lesson

Sleep

Rabbinic claims about diminished sleep and academic achievement do not correlate with contemporary scientific knowledge (or with theopinion of Maimonides). Engage your students in  a scientific experiment correlating sleep-time with ability to learn Torah. $0.00$0.00Slumber Numbers Robert McDonald stayed awake for 18 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes breaking the world's record for the longest time without sleep. (Guinness Book of World Records 1990) The loudest snore belongs to Kare Walkert of Sweden, whose snore was measured at 93 decibels-about as loud as a lawn mower! (Guinness World Records 2000) By the time you're 75, you will have spent about 25 years of your life sleeping! Getting a Good Night's Sleep "Or God, lay us down to sleep in peace; raise us erect to life, and spread over us the shelter of Your peace..." Haskiveinu Prayer, Ma'ariv service Printable Lesson:  9206lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Collect 'Em All!

Read these anecdotes about  some Israeli Heroes with your students.  In the accompanying lesson the students will gain an understanding of the concept of courage through discussion, research and group projects.   $0.00$0.00  Menachem Begin1913-1992Signer of Israel's First Peace Treaty Menachem Begin was the leader of the Irgun, an underground military organization that fought against British control of the land of Israel. After the establishment of the State of Israel, he was elected to the Knesset, where he served as the leader of the political opposition for 30 years. Begin became Israel's sixth prime minister in 1977. He signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, an act that later earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. "Yehuda ben Tema taught: Be bold as the leopard, swift as the eagle, quick as the deer, mighty as the lion, to perform the will of your Heavenly parent." Pirkei Avot 5:22 Printable Lesson:  8209lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Evan Ravski: Mission Accomplished

Read how Evan is moved beyond words as he finally presents a Jewish school in Poland with a sefer Torah of their own. In this lesson, students will consider the question of how one’s own involvement with Jewish pursuits, and specifically with Torah, can lead to a sense of contentment. $0.00$0.00Two years ago, Evan Ravski went with the March of the Living Program on a memorial pilgrimage to concentration camps in Poland. He never came back. Instead, a young man who looked like Evan, talked like Evan, and walked like Evan returned. The new Evan Ravski had the courage not only to confront his doubts about God, but also to strengthen his determination to change what he found in Poland. "Blessed is the One Who gave the Torah to the people of Israel." Torah Service Printable Lesson:  8202lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Polish Jews Fact Sheet Lyrics to "The Place Where I Belong"

The Fall of Enron

The Jewish perspective on the fate of Enron. An in-class, pre-reading activity will simulate the feeling of being decieved and give the topic of business ethics a very personal meaning to the students. $0.00$0.00When the Enron Corporation declared bankruptcy last year, thousands of workers lost their jobs and life's savings. Congress is investigating the energy company to find out if Enron officials lied to the public about the company's financial health. During one hearing, an angry U.S. Senator accused Enron Chief Executive Kenneth Lay of being "an accomplished con man." WHAT HAPPENED AT ENRON? Printable Lesson:  8201lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Make Way for Meditation

Read about how students at Solomon Schechter in Newton meditate their worries away. In the lesson, students explore kavannah (personal intent) and its significance in tefillah (prayer).  $0.00$0.00The students meet in the library for this class. No one carries a book or a notepad or even a pencil, which is very unusual at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Boston. The kids come in, take off their shoes, and plop down on the comfortable blankets scattered on the floor. Is it nap time? No, smiles the teacher, Ms. Trudy Shulman Fagen. She turns on a CD player, and a soothing melody surrounds the students. "Start with a deep breath, and then let it out through your mouth," she instructs. "My God, the soul that You have placed in me is pure! You created it, You formed it, You breathed it into me." From Birkhot Hashachar, the Morning Blessings Printable Lesson:  8205lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Answering the Call on 9-11

Read this interview with a member of Hatzalah, a private volunteer ambulance corps that responded to the World Trade Center on 9/11.  $0.00$0.00In 1966, an elderly man collapsed in his synagogue in Brooklyn, New York. Friends immediately called an ambulance, but the man died before it arrived. Herschel Weber witnessed the tragedy and promised that another one like it would never happen again. He bought an oxygen tank, and, soon after, he used it to save someone's life. Herschel's commitment to life-saving grew into Hatzalah— Hebrew for rescue— the largest private volunteer ambulance corps in the world. "When can someone be called a 'mighty person?' When that someone seizes the hand of an individual who is about to fall into a pit or when that someone sees another who has already fallen into a pit and lifts that person out." Midrash Tehillim 52:6 Printable Lesson:  8204lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Rescue at Entebbe

Find out what happened when an Air France flight out of Israel that was hijacked and taken to Uganda. Consider what makes a hero and what the Psalms say about courage and heroism. $0.00$0.00You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly. One by one, the terrorist commander called out the names. "Though I walk through a valley of deepest darkness, I fear no harm, for You are with me: Your rod and Your staff-they comfort me." Psalms 23:4 Printable Lesson:  8208lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Pesach and Your Sixth Sense

Things are seldom what they seem. Have fun with some optical illusions. Shift your perspective to gain a "sixth sense"  which will also give new insights into the seder and the themes of Pesach. We already use five senses at the seder; now use your "sixth sense" to understand the seder symbols in a new way. The newly formed perspectives can be succinctly expressed in diamante poems. $0.00$0.00Did you ever wonder why the full moon looks so huge when it first rises on the horizon, and then mysteriously gets smaller the farther it travels across the sky? You know it can't be shrinking, and scientists tell us that the phenomenon has nothing to do with how high the moon is above the earth, because, in fact, its height changes very little along its path. What you see, therefore, must be an illusion! Don't panic, you're not crazy. Sometimes your eyes and your brain get tricked and they don't work together like good partners. "Turn it and turn it over again, for everything is in it." Pirkei Avot 5:25 Printable Lesson:  7208lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Diamante Poem Instructions Additional Resources:  A primer on Pesach symbols http://www.aish.com/passthought/passthoughtdefault/The_ABCs_of_Passover.asp Activities for Students: Pesach Central

Chaos in Argentina

Read about  events in Argentina and how the local Jewish community has been affected. In the lesson, students will learn about the situation in South America, study Jewish texts that speak of our responsibility towards other Jews, and organize a plan to demonstrate an active use of this responsibility for Argentinean Jews.  $0.00$0.00The economy of Argentina is collapsing, and thousands of people are rioting in the streets. The government is struggling to restore calm, but the situation remains tense. The Jewish community has been hit hard by the crisis; almost 10% of Argentina's Jews are living in poverty. Rabbi Jeffrey Wohlberg of Washington DC, who worked in Argentina for three years, recently said, "I am worried for the future of this Jewish community."   WHAT CAUSED THE CRISIS? Printable Lesson:  7201lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Resources:  The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc. http://www.jdc.org

Miracles

The article about the plagues that befell the Egyptiansprovides a possible scientific rationale for the phenomena. By trying to determine why one would seek a scientific explanation for the plagues, students are compelled to identify their own beliefs about miracles and to discuss classical thoughts on miracles. $0.00$0.00The Torah refers to the miracles that God performed in Egypt as otot (signs). The plagues were a sign of God's greatness and ultimate power in the world, but Pharaoh stubbornly refused to see the hand of God in the events. After all, his magicians were able to duplicate the first two plagues, and Pharaoh's limited vision convinced him that the plagues that followed were simply a natural chain of events. We've included a fun example of pharaoh-vision below that uses a modern, scientific explanation of the first nine plagues. "And the Lord said to Moshe: Go to Pharoah, for I have hardened his heart...that I might show these My signs before him." Shemot 10:1 Printable Lesson:  7205lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Plagues Question Tree

Emil Pitkin: Opening Windows on the World

Emil Pitkin  immigrated to America from the former Soviet Union. The article about Emil focuses on his involvement in a community literacy project, through which he passes along to a group of children both the gift of literacy and the special relationship that he recalls having with a teacher.  In this lesson, students will explore the value and meaning of involving oneself with a community. $0.00$0.00He wasn't paid for his work, but he profited from the experience. "Rabbi Eliezer says: Let other people's dignity be as precious as your own." Pirkeii Avot 2:15 Printable Lesson:  7202lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Role-Play Card Game Additional Resources:  National Jewish Coalition for Literacy http://www.njcl.net Source for Jewish social action projects http://www.socialaction.com/helpingchildren.html What Kids Can Do http://www.whatkidscando.org

Newcomers No Longer

Read about the experiences of kids from the former Soviet Union who made aliyah and started a new life in Eretz Yisrael. In the lesson, students will learn more about Soviet Jewry and understand that welcoming the stranger is a Jew's responsibility. $0.00$0.00They look like all the other kids on the playground at the Neveh Dekalim School in Ashkelon. Natan Mish leaps to grab a rebound during a basketball game, and Ilana Serebrin jumps rope, happily singing a Hebrew song. But don't let their appearance fool you; Natan and Ilana are very special. They are living examples of the power of an idea, the age-old belief that Jews are obligated to help each other in times of trouble. The Struggle to Free Soviet Jews "One who has sustained one soul in Israel, it is as if that person had sustained the entire world." Talmud, Sanhedrin 37A Printable Lesson:  7207lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Mitzvah Messenger

In this interview Danny Siegel talks about his perfect "mitzvah vision." In the lesson students will focus on how Pesach provides us with the occasion to demonstrate arevut (mutual responsibility) through the mitzvot associated with the Seder and maot hittim (collecting money for the needy to purchase matzah).  $0.00$0.00You're on Danny Siegel's "Most Wanted" list. He tours the country tirelessly looking for you, and you're on his mind during most of his waking hours. He'll hunt you down until he finds you, or until you contact him. Danny Siegel wants you because you're a Mitzvah Hero. Mitzvah Heroes are ordinary people who finally say, "Enough! I see problems around me and I'm going to solve them." Danny tells the world about them and gives them money to do their work. "He who causes others to give tzedakah and to do mitzvot is greater than the giver himself." Talmud, Baba Batra 9A Printable Lesson:  7204lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  7204sources.pdf

Do Terrorists Deserve Equal Rights?

Babaganewz discusses the role of military tribunals in prosecuting war criminals in America.The activities inthis lesson, designed for use before the class reads the article, introduce studentsto texts that help them formulate a Jewish definition of justice. $0.00$0.00In November, President Bush ordered that foreign terrorists captured during the war on terrorism would be tried in special military tribunals. Because of the danger of terrorism, the President said, "it is not practicable to apply the principles of law and the rules of evidence" that regular courts use. Mr. Bush's controversial order has stirred a legal debate. WHAT ARE MILITARY TRIBUNALS? Printable Lesson:  6201lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Military Tribunals Source Sheet

Jan Kushner Believes in the Power of the Pen

The article about Jan Kushner highlights how she used her skills as a journalist to seek out the truth and write an article that could effect change. In this lesson, students will draw from personal experience to better understand the concept of rebuke and its application in their life. $0.00$0.00The world was stunned last summer, when newspapers revealed there might be as many as 15,000 children enslaved in western Africa. Journalists described the dreary lives of child slaves- some as young as 11 years old- in Ivory Coast and Ghana. The children are paid pennies a day to harvest the cocoa beans that American-owned companies buy to make tasty chocolate treats. Jan Kushner was shocked when she read about this horror, and she promised to help spread the truth. "It is admonition (scolding) that leads to repentance." Mishneh Torah (Mada, Teshuva 4:2) Printable Lesson:  6202lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Maimonides Mishnah Torah Source Sheet 10 Things Teachers Can Do to Stop Child Slavery 10 Things Children Can Do to Stop Child Slavery Additional Resources:  Global March Against Child Labour http://globalmarch.org Anti-Slavery International http://www.antislavery.org Free the Children http://freethechildren.org Child Labor Coalition http://www.stopchildlabor.org

Purim Spies and Disguises

The “Purim Spies and Disguises” article providessome of the background to the tradition of masquerading, one of the best-loved customs associated with Purim, as well as ideas for creating Purim costumes and masquerades. In this lesson, students will explore how the tradition of masquerading fits in with theoverall theme of Purim: the story in Megillat Esther is an inversion of the natural and the expected. $0.00$0.00Chameleons (kuh-MEE-lee-uhns) do it, spies do it, and Queen Esther does it in Megillat Esther. What is "it"? you wonder. Each becomes a master of disguise, and you can be one too. You don't have to have a long sticky tongue and eat flies (yuck!), or enlist as a "mole" in the CIA, or even win a beauty contest. You just have to think a little creatively, know a little about the holiday of Purim, and take a little advice from Antonio J. Mendez, a retired CIA agent. What's Up With Purim? "For I will surely hide my face on that day..." Devarim 31:18 Printable Lesson:  6205lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Michael Hausfeld: Attorney At Law

Read this interview with Michael Hausfeld, someone who pursues justice every day as a lawyer. In the lesson, students will understand the importance of establishing truth through justice.  $0.00$0.00There are three words that raise the hair on Michael Hausfeld's neck: "It isn't fair." And there is one response you'll never hear him make, "Life's not fair, so get used to it." Michael has never gotten used to injustice. He has devoted his legal career to representing ordinary people who have been harmed by large corporations or governments. When people who have suffered from pollution or discrimination come to him and say, "It isn't fair," he fights for them. "Learn to do good, devote yourself to justice, aid the wronged, uphold the rights of the orphan, defend the cause of the widow." Isaiah 1:17 Printable Lesson:  6204lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Mirages: You Can't Believe Your Lying Eyes

Mirages are images that our visual sense tells us are real yet do not exist as we think we saw them. In Megillat Esther, as well as in Tanakh, we find incidences where people relied on their sense of sight but lacked insight into what they saw. This lesson provides the opportunity for students to share some of these well known stories and discuss how the use of sight, without appropriate insight and values, can lead someone astray. $0.00$0.00Amazing Wonders Robert Peary, the great explorer, was so completely fooled by an arctic mirage he saw in 1906 that the American Museum of Natural History wasted 5 years and $100,000 looking for the land that Peary thought he discovered. In 1744, a phantom army appeared to float above a mountaintop in Scotland. Twenty-seven witnesses testified under oath that they watched the ghostly mirage for two hours. Is that an alien spaceship? No, it's the planet Venus. Scientists say Venus can look like a flying saucer when it's magnified and distorted by a mirage. "You see the shadow of the mountain as men..." Judges 9:36 Printable Lesson:  6207lesson.pdf

Merav Weill: A Passionate Scientist Investigates God's World

Merav Weill is a high school student who views science and medicine as means for appreciating and becoming a partner in God’s work of creating and sustaining the world. By examining passages from the siddur and other classical texts, students will consider Merav’s perspective and how they, too, could become God’s partner. $0.00$0.00The babies lay helplessly in the hospital, barely clinging to life. They were born ten weeks premature, and when Merav first saw them they were so tiny she could hold each of them in the palm of her hand. The hospital staff cared for them lovingly, and when it was certain they would survive, Merav knew that they also had been held in the palm of God's hand. "At moments like these," she says with awe, "I know God is present." "They who sense the wonder, share in the wonder." Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man Printable Lesson:  5202lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Maimonides Monologue

A BabagaNewz Fashion Frenzy!

Babaganewz explores thrift shops in Rockville, Maryland, and connects thrifting's value of bal taschit (avoiding waste). In the lesson, students conduct a brief class experiment and study texts on how Judaism teaches us to consider clothing. Texts include commentary on the story of David, Saul at Ein Gedi, and selections from Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. $0.00$0.00BABAGANEWZ recently invited three lucky teens on an all-expense-paid shopping spree. Rachel Bender, Davida Silberman, and Adina Klein, tenth graders at the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, Maryland, were the fortunate few whom we treated to the fashion fling. Oh, by the way, no one could spend more than $15. "Impossible!" you snort. "You couldn't buy the glitter on a pair of sparkle jeans for 15 bucks." "Whatever destroys anything that could be useful to another person breaks the law of bal taschit." Shulhan Arukh Ha-Rav, Hoshen Mishpat: Hilkhot Shemirat Guf Va-Nefesh 14 Printable Lesson:  5206lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet K'riah - A Jewish Mourning Ritual

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