January 7, 2024
We had a great time in Gan this week. Following Shira/Tefillah we returned to the classroom where we began our lesson on Shabbat and Jewish ritual objects and prayers. We started with the book, “Sammy Spider’s First Shabbat” and discussed what are some of the symbols of Shabbat and how we celebrate Shabbat at home with our family? We then practiced the various Shabbat blessings, including lighting the candles, saying Kiddush, washing our hands and saying the Hamotzi. After a short recess break, we returned to the classroom to discuss the ritual object of a “kippah”. We learned that “kippah” means “dome” and how there are lots of different kinds of kippot. Each student then had the opportunity to paint their own new kippah to wear at TIRS. We then headed over to the Temple and introduced the students to three basic Jewish symbols: Magen David (Jewish Star), Menorah, and Ten Commandments. The students were divided into 2 teams and had to work together to find three examples of each symbol around the Chapel. Finally, we headed back to TIRS, and ended the day with our weekly Hebrew lesson. This week, we introduced the Hebrew letter “kaf” and discussed how the word “kippah” begins with the Hebrew letter, kaf.
