In Wednesday Hebrew class, we began, as always, with the Blessings for Torah Study and cookies. Then, students received grape juice and a copy of the Kiddush Blessing which is recited on Friday evening to welcome Shabbat. Kiddush on Wednesday?! As we read through the Hebrew, students identified words, like Kiddush, formed from the root letters kuf, shin, and dalet, which mean “Holy,” a theme of the Blessing. They also read the English translation and quickly pointed out the connection between the Shabbat Kiddush and the weekly Torah Portions which we’ve been studying. Both B’reishit (the Creation) and the Exodus from Egypt are remembered in the Kiddush. Over the weeks, we’ve discussed the Torah Portions which describe these tremendously significant events.
We continued our Torah Study with this week’s Portion, Yitro. Moses’ father-in-law, the Midian priest, Yitro, advises Moses to delegate leadership responsibility and to set up a system of judges to help answer the Israelites’s questions, address complaints, and settle disputes.
Next, the Portion Yitro describes in great detail the awesome experience of the revelation at Mt. Sinai, when God gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites (and to all of us).
Students knowledgeably listed nine of the Ten Commandments and checked their Yitro information sheets to discover the tenth (Do not bear false witness…)
In honor of the holiday, we reviewed Tu B’Shvat vocabulary and examined the numeric use of Hebrew letters. The Hebrew letters tet and vav which form the “Tu” part of Tu B’Shvat, stand for 15 – the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat.
In preparation for moving on to Chapter 5 in our modern Hebrew texts,, students translated selected words from Chapter 4. These were words which proved more difficult on last week’s quiz. During the coming week, students are to review these words in order to develop fluency and expand vocabulary.
Students received the first of several CHILE projects, which they may choose to complete this semester. Instead of spicy peppers, CHILE stands for “CHallenging Informative Learning Experience.” CHILE projects are optional, hands-on enrichment activities – opportunities for students to individually demonstrate their creativity. In this first CHILE project, students are asked to illustrate four Hebrew adjectives in any way they wish and to share their creations in class next Wednesday.
At 5:30pm, students gathered all their study sheets (Kiddush, Yitro, Vocabulary Review, and CHILE project) to bring home and went to the social hall for a schoolwide Tu B’Shvat seder.
At the Tu B’Shvat seder, the Rabbi, Cantor, and Director of Life Long Learning led the students in the Blessings for wine (grape juice) and fruits. Students read aloud portions of a Tu B’Shvat “Haggadah” about trees and nature. Everyone enjoyed a mixture of white and purple grape juice which symbolized the cycle of seasons in Israel and sampled a tasty variety of natural treats which represented plants that grow in Israel- oranges, apples, dates, raisins, olives, figs, and sunflower seeds, to name a few.
We sang (and acted out) the song “Atzei Zeitim Ohmdim” (“Olive Trees Are Standing”) – an energetic ending to a joyful celebration.
Tu B’Shvat Sameach – Happy Tu B’Shvat
L’hitraot – See you soon,
Morah Ronni
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