Preparing for Purim!

This week in Havurah we began our preparations for the upcoming joyous holiday of Purim! Since we had not seen each other in a few weeks, we began our session with some backtracking. We played a game in which we reviewed the five Hebrew letters that we are beginning to know exceptionally well. The teacher would call out the letter and the students would run to that letter that lay on the floor made from blocks. We are near experts at Aleph, Bet, Gimmel, Daled, and Hay! Next we sang our welcome song, and although we introduced ourselves to our substitute teacher, Mersiha, many of the students knew her already and were excited to be reunited!

We said our blessings for the Challah and Juice and reviewed our vocab words -- BRACHAH for blessing and ERETZ -- land!

Joyce came in for storytelling and with costumes galore she told the wonderful tale of Purim that took place a long, long time ago in the town of Shushan in Persia. It is the story we read from a book called the Megillah, and it is sung in Hebrew with a special melody. Purim occurs in the Hebrew month of Adar -- a time for goofiness, laughter and metamorphosis! We learned about the characters Esther, Mordechai, king Achashverosh, Queen Vashti, and the evil Haman! If you need a parent-friendly review, you can find one at the link below:

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/645995/jewish/The-Basic-Purim-Story.htm

After, Joyce told a second story about a young girl who chooses to spend her Purim dressed up as Queen Esther doing Mitzvot (acts of loving kindness) for others. She gives out Mishloach Manot (which literally means, the sending of Portions/Gifts) to people who are less fortunate. We discussed the idea that Purim is in someways similar to Halloween because we wear masks and costumes but instead of RECEIVING gifts and candy, we are meant to GIVE.

In our next part of the day, we created and decorated our own GROGGERS, made with paper plates, beans (for shaking), and colorful tape. As one of the students mentioned, we use these groggers when we read the Megillah, and we hear the name HAMAN, at which point we shake them like crazy to insist that his name be blotted our from history for the meanness he felt toward the Jews and his incapacity to accept people of difference!

Next Paul came in and we had an extremely special treat because we got to sing a classroom favorite tune from the movie FROZEN.

Finally, in the last part of our art-filled day, we first had a conversation about masks and costumes. We asked each other -- When have you worn a mask? What was the point? How did you feel when you were in costume? And then moved to the tables to decorate our own crazy and vibrant masks. Each child used their own creative capacities to make beautiful circular masks, with holes for their eyes and lots and lots of colors!


Can't wait to see everyone next week!