October 11, 2024 |

GRADE 1–JOSEPH AND LAG B’OMER May 15. 2016

Posted on May 16, 2016

Dear families:
For Yom Ha’Atzmaut, (Israel Independence Day) we enjoyed two treats—an Israeli breakfast favorite of bread and chocolate and a mini-Israeli flag for each student.  We filled in our class Omer chart, for week 3, day 1. Then to tefillah, where the students are getting more adept each week at finding and saying the prayers.  This week, they looked for “Baruch,” ברוך.  There are many in the siddur, at the start of each blessing.
Our Hebrew letter today is פ, which sounds like “f.”  I don’t know any words which start with fay, but it is found in the word shofar  שופר and sefer (book) ספר.  As always, we reviewed previous letters and then partners found the letters that other students suggested.
After snack, I told the story of JOSEPH THE DREAMER.  Jacob had twelve sons, but he loved Joseph the most.  After Jacob made Joseph a coat of many colors, and Joseph had dreams about his own superiority to his parents and brothers, his brothers threw him into a pit.  Telling Jacob that an animal had eaten Joseph, they sold him into slavery in Egypt.  When Joseph was thrown into prison, he interpreted dreams. After Pharaoh had strange dreams, Joseph said that in seven years there would be a famine.  Pharaoh gave Joseph great powers.  During the famine, Joseph was reunited with his brothers, who had become more caring men.  One theme of the story is forgiveness. Your children can fill in the details for you.
Our craft project was “Joseph remembers.”  Each child drew whatever they thought that Joseph would remember of his life—his coat of many colors, his dreams of the stars, being in jail, interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, being reunited with his brothers and father in Egypt.
For supplementary ideas on the story, each child brought home the Torah pamphlet about Joseph.
Our final activity was a brief discussion on Lag B’Omer, which occurs on the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer.
We look forward to seeing you next Sunday, May 22, at 10 for a discussion with Robin and at 10:30 for our shema program.  Shavua tov! Have a wonderful week!

Judy and Cheryl (Esther and Tzipporah)