Chag Pesach Sameach!

Hi YBY Families,

I hope you are having a wonderful Pesach! It has been a great week of family time and creative use of non-leavened products! We had a great final session last Sunday before our two week break. We learned about haknasat orchim - welcoming guests. The Jewish people have a long tradition of being gracious hosts - all the way back to Abraham and Sarah. Here is a little video we showed in class that described the most well-known example of Abraham and Sarah welcoming guests into their tent -

 

I hope many of you also used your "Welcome to Our Seder" signs this past week. The kids had a lot of fun making them and learning about the symbols of Passover.

 One last picture of us learning a new song in TPR - the Hebrew version of head, shoulders, knees and toes!

We have another week off next week but we will see the kids on 4/14 and we will all come together on 4/21 for our Yad b'Yad Mitzvah Day project - more details to come!

L'Shalom,

Julie and Bridget

Tzedakah update!

Following up on our Tzedakah-focused lesson a few weeks ago, we wanted to give an update on our own Tzedakah collection thus far. Congratulations to the class for filling up our classroom Tzedakah box! The children contributed over $27.00 so far. We will continue to collect Tzedakah and/or non-perishable foods items each week that we meet.

We make collection Tzedakah a ritual part of each weekly session. The children enjoy feeling the box get heavier each week with their donations. We also engage in discussions about why we give and where the donations go. Here’s a link for at home discussion ideas and some recommended reading:

http://www.pjlibrary.org/Parents-and-Families/Reading-Tips-and-Resources/Jewish-Values/Tzedakah.aspx

Bringing tzedakah home

This week, we discussed the topic of tzedakah, which is a term and idea we use a lot at Temple Isaiah and in Religious School. Each week, we collect tzedakah for the general Religious School fund (YBY is doing quite well so far!) and many of us have tzedakah boxes at home. When I ask the students where the money goes from our little blue box, the answer is always a resounding "poor people". The students certainly understand the need to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

This week, we brainstormed some things besides money that people may need. The list included toys, socks, clothes, shelter, food, water and more. We knew that kids and parents may need different things. Many students talked about how a stuffed animal or toy could provide comfort for a child while a parent may prefer food or shelter.

There are many great resources about teaching tzedakah to your children and making it a part of your family's activities. Check out this article for basic topics you can discuss with your children. I hope you enjoyed the home-made tzedakah box project and will begin filling them up as a family!

Here are some photos from the day. What great creativity!

Looking forward to our next sessions!

Julie and Bridget