BET (2nd) Blog 22-23

The Bet students were introduced to the Hebrew letter Ayin and the vowels that make the “AY” sound in Hebrew. They read lines of Hebrew aloud as a class and completed a Hebrew writing activity. Having learned that Israel is the Jewish homeland last week, we watched a video about the geography of Israel and then filled in maps of Israel with major cities and bodies of water. I will miss the last day of school to attend a wedding, so we marked the end of the year by watching a video of our time together in the Bet Class. The video included photos of our Passover seder, Purim carnival, time reading Hebrew with friends, and learning about the synagogue. We also reviewed questions about everything we learned this year including our units on the synagogue, how we dress to pray, the Torah, and the Ten Commandments. It has been a wonderful year in the Bet Class!

The Bet students learned to read with the Hebrew letter Vav. They practiced reading aloud as a class and then practiced writing Hebrew words with Vav’s. They learned that a Vav with the sh’vah vowel is how we say “and” in Hebrew. In Judaic studies, we learned how there are Jews all around the world and that Jewish people living outside of Israel (our homeland) are said to live in the Diaspora.  We located countries on the globe and then saw pictures of Jewish people and synagogues in different parts of the world. We discussed that Jewish people may look different and speak different languages, but we all share common customs such as lighting the menorah, wearing a tallit, and having a Magen David on the outside of our synagogues. We read excerpts from a book called Shabbat Around the World where we heard short stories about Jewish children celebrating Shabbat in Australia, Southern France, and Thailand. I will be absent next week to attend a family Bar Mitzvah, so I look forward to seeing the students on May 7^th.

The Bet students learned to read with the tsere and segol vowels, which make the “EH” sound, and practiced reading lines of Hebrew in small groups. In Judaic studies, we continued learning about the Ten Commandments. We explored the ninth commandment (you shall not make up stories about other people) by reading a story called “The Gossip” and the tenth commandment (you shall not envy what belongs to others) by reading a story called “The Peach, The Pitcher, and the Fur Coat”. By discussing the theme and characters in each story, the students saw how gossiping and being jealous of others hurts others. We also discussed how we can turn negative commandments, which focus on telling us what not to do, into positive commandments. Relating to the ninth commandment, the students were each secretly assigned a classmate to write a letter to with true compliments. The letters were sealed in envelopes and will be given out on the last day of religious school this year. Additionally, the students enjoyed singing Jewish songs with Mr. Alex and started learning to sing the prayer Ein Keloheinu. 

The Bet class learned to read with the Hebrew letter Resh. They rotated through stations where they read and wrote Hebrew words. In Judaic studies, the class explored the story of Purim and created a class megillah. Each student illustrated a scene from Megillat Esther, which we will tape together and roll up to create a megillah. The class is also creating a cover for our megillah.

Students learned to read with the Hebrew letter “Nun” and Nun Sofit” today. Students rotated through three stations where they read lines of Hebrew aloud, wrote Hebrew sounds and words on mini white boards, and read Hebrew flashcards aloud. In Judaic Studies, we celebrated Tu B’Shvat (the birthday of the trees) by experiencing a model seder. Our seder revolved around the four seasons. We ate fruits with a hard exterior (oranges) and discussed how it is important not to judge a book by its cover; we ate fruits with a pit (apricots and nectarines) and discussed items that start small and grow bigger and more important; we ate fruits that can be eaten whole (grapes) and discussed when we feel truly happy; we smelled spices (cinnamon) and discussed how we must appreciate what we cannot see. We also discussed the many things that trees give us and watched a video about story of Honi and the Circle Maker that taught the importance of planting trees and taking care of our environment so it will be here for future generation. We also learned the chorus of the prayer “Lecha Dodi” and practiced singing all of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayers that we will lead at our class Shabbat on March 17^th.

The Bet class enjoyed music with Alex! They sang Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu and learned a new song with Hebrew and English words about communication. In Judaic studies they learned all about the Torah – including that it is written on parchment by a sofer with a quill and ink, the first and last words (B’reishit and Yisrael), and how we dress the Torah with a cloth cover, crown, rimonim (bells), and a yad (pointer). Each student created their own paper cut out of a Torah and completed fill in the blank activities in their Discovering the Synagogue pamphlets. They also learned to read with the silent vowel and reviewed their Hebrew letters and vowels by playing a game where students faced off against each other reading Hebrew word flashcards.

The Bet students learned to read with the Hebrew letter Dalet and practiced reading and writing with all of the letters and vowels that they have learned. They also explored the stories and customs of Chanukah by watching a video about the Maccabees standing up for their right to practice Judaism, creating a Chanukiyah art project, and reading a story about a boy who made a dreidel with braille letters for his father who is blind. The students learned the blessings for lighting the Chanukiyah and discussed how we are thanking God for the miracles of Chanukah, including the Maccabees’ defeat of King Antiochus’s powerful army and the legend of the jar of oil burning for eight days.

Bet The Bet students learned to read and write with the Hebrew letters Mem and Mem Sofit and continued reinforcing their reading skills with the letters and vowels they have already learned. We had our weekly Tefillah where students lead the class in the Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat prayers. In Judaic studies, we continued our unit about exploring the synagogue by learning how we dress to pray. Students learned how the kippah puts us in mindset to learn through a Talmudic tale, learned that the tallit has fringes on four corners that consist of 4 strings knotted in five places, and learned that tefillin, small boxes containing words from the Shema V’ahavta and other Torah passages, are worn on the arm and head since the Torah commands us to “bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead”. A fifth-grade student joined our class and demonstrated how to put on tefiilin. Some of the students also put on tefillin, and we will have them in the class for other students to put on as well.

The Bet students practiced reading Hebrew words with the four letters and two vowel sounds that they had already learned. Students read in small groups and then played Tic-Tac-Toe on Hebrew Word boards with a partner. In Tefillah, students practiced prayers from the Kabbalat Shabbat Service including Tzadik Katamar, Romemu, and Yismechu Hashamayim. In Judaic studies, the students reviewed the items inside the sanctuary (including the bimah, Ner Tamid, Aron Hakodesh, and stained-glass windows) and then created their own beautiful stained-glass windows. Some of the students brought their windows home, while others chose to hang their designs on our classroom windows. If you’re on the playground, look up to the right corner on the top floor, and you will see the student’s beautiful stained-glass windows. Some of the themes they chose to depict are Jewish stars, a menorah, rainbows, a dove with an olive branch, a piece of matzah, hearts, and golden retrievers.

The Bet students learned to read with the Hebrew letter “Lamed” and a new vowel sound, the “OH” sound. The students read lines of Hebrew aloud as a class and also in smaller reading groups. Since it was such a beautiful day outside, we had our class Tefillah in the Temple Israel outdoor amphitheater. We practiced singing the prayers we have already learned from the Friday night service, including Tzadik Katamar, Romemu, and Yismechu Hashamayim. We then visited the Temple Israel chapel and examined the objects in the chapel that make it a meaningful place to pray. We specifically learned that the Torahs are kept in an ark called the “Aron HaKodesh”, an eternal light called the “Ner Tamid” hangs over the ark, beautiful stained-glass windows adorn the walls, and the bimah is used by the leader to conduct services. Each student completed a worksheet where they labeled these and other items found in the chapel.

Next Sunday is our Bet Family Education program. We’ll begin the day with Tefillah in the Temple Israel sanctuary and then move to Gorelick Hall in the Levine Jewish Community Center where we’ll have our program. I look forward to being together as a group!

The Bet students practiced reading and writing with the Bet, Shin, and AH vowels sounds. The students read words with these letter and vowels aloud as a class and individually to the teacher or madricha. The students completed an activity where they took turns telling the class to find a word on a sheet and label the word with a box, circle, cloud, etc. The students had fun coming up with lots of creative directions. Each week in our class Tefillah (prayer), three students are selected to help as the rabbi (leader), pointer, and flag holder, and then we practice Hebrew tefillot (prayers). This week in Tefillah, we practiced singing the Hatikvah, Tzadik Katamar, Shehecheyanu, and Romemu. In Judaic studies, we began our unit on “Discovering the Synagogue” by discussing how the synagogue is a part of the community. We created a community on the white board with a store, post office, park, school, bank, office, museum etc. and then added a photo of Temple Israel to our community. Each student completed the sentence “I’m going to Temple to …….”. Some of their responses were the following: to learn Hebrew, spend time with friends, celebrate holidays, and meet new people. We ended the day by creating paper chains and decorating card board pictures that will be hung in the Temple Israel sukkah.