Alef–Havdalah November 6, 2016

Dear families:

A busy day today!  We joined the gan and kitah bet classes (kindergarten and grade 2) for tefillah with Cantor Ken.  We sang Modeh/Modah Ani.  We also were musical instruments in Hallelu, and we sang the Shema and V’Ahavta and Oseh shalom.  We concluded with Hatikvah.

As the culmination of our unit on Shabbat, we learned about Havdalah, which ends Shabbat, when three stars are visible in the evening sky.  I showed my own Kiddush cup, bisomim (spice) box, and Havdalah candle. Sweet spices are used to show the sweetness of Shabbat and the hope that the coming week will be sweet.  The candle has several wicks to bring together the separate candles lit on Friday evening.  According to tradition, Havdalah may be recited until Tuesday evening.

STORY:  We heard the story Shalom, Shabbat, which told about how our five senses help us to say good-bye to Shabbat on Saturday evening. With our   עניםaynayim” (eyes), we can see the three stars, see the flames of the candle.  With our יד “yad” (hand), we can touch the braided candle, etc.  Ariel listed the things we can see, smell, hear, touch, and taste for Shabbat as we brainstormed ideas.

CRAFT:  Students made their own hand/wax protector to put around their Havdalah candle.  Tzipporah (Cheryl) showed several kinds and colors of Havdalah candles.

CEREMONY:  We sang the Havdalah prayers in Debbie Friedman’s version, blessing the “wine,” the spices and the candle, and concluded with Eliyahu Ha Navi and Shavua Tov.

HEBREW:  Our Hebrew letter today is כ “kaf,” the first letter in “kos” (cup), “kippah,” “karpas,” and “kelev” (dog).

TORAH: We began the first in our series of Teach Me Torah pamphlets.  We read about Moses and his sister Miriam.  When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, they built cities for Pharaoh, but, they did NOT build the Pyramids.  Pharaoh, concerned that the Israelites would grow too numerous, ordered the midwives to kill the baby boys, but the women refused.  So soldiers did the deed.  Moses’ mother put him in a basket in the Nile, hoping that a kind person would find him and raise him.  Pharaoh’s daughter found him; then Miriam offered to have their own mother take care of the baby until he was a toddler.  We will learn more next week. We will discuss all the people who helped Moses.

I am thrilled by how much the children recall—they pick out Hebrew letters in the prayer book and in posters.  The children also commented about Moses and Havdalah.

As always, we had time for our learning books and games.

Shavua tov!

Esther and Tzipporah (Judy and Cheryl)