DISCUSSION: The idea behind this game is to teach the kids ...



Dear Youth Directors,We are proud to announce that we are expanding our Youth Services Department! Our first goal is to lend support to all of our talented Youth Directors in the form of weekly youth programing. Every week you will receive via email distinct programs for K-2, 3-4, 5-6th grade groups and Teen Minyan. Each group’s material is age appropriate, while allowing each shul to address topics across the age groups for all their Shabbat morning groups.We have chosen to start this program with Sefer Vayikrah. On the surface, the book of Vayikra seems to focus mainly on korbanot (sacrifices), which children may feel are not relevant in the absence of a Beit Hamikdash. However, when one delves deeper into the entire book, it clearly centers around the theme of kedusha (holiness). There are many different levels of understanding of this complex topic, but we are focusing on keeping kedusha alive in our youth. In a world where holiness is difficult to find, one of the ways one can obtain this trait is to be guided and influenced by positive role models and leaders.This year’s Parsha Nation theme is manhigut (leadership). Our goal this year is to infuse passion, creativity and love of yiddishkeit into Shabbat morning groups. Each week our program guides will help youth directors incorporate this year’s theme with inspirational stories, fun games, thought-provoking questions and enjoyable activities. The instructions for this program are found below. Each section was designed to give our youth leaders a blueprint for a successful Shabbat morning group. Please feel free to modify any section you feel is not relevant to the running of your youth program. This is only meant as a helpful guide. I would like to thank our new Youth Services Coordinator, Sammy Schaechter, who created these guides. Sammy has a treasure trove of ideas to help our youth departments function more efficiently and effectively.Please share your feedback with Sammy and me.Yours Truly,Ari MatityahuAssistant Director, Synagogue Services Program Guide BreakdownTheme- Each year our curriculum will focus on a theme. By centering the entire year around one overarching theme, our youth group participants will understand different characteristics and concepts that will help them achieve this lofty goal. This year’s theme is Manhigut (leadership). Our goal is for our children to view themselves as leaders and to inspire them to play a leadership role every day. Parsha Roundup- Each week group leaders will have the opportunity to roundup the parsha in two or three paragraphs. By giving over the parsha in a short and simple way, group participants will be able to grasp the parsha as a whole and to get them to think globally and conceptually.Parsha Questions- No Shabbat morning group is complete without a list of parsha questions. These questions allow group participants the opportunity to win fun prizes while increasing their Torah knowledge. Questions vary from basic understanding of story line to challenging source-based material. The answers are provided as well. Tefillah Treasure- Many youth directors have asked for help when it comes to teaching tefillah to children. This is a problem that not only shuls are dealing with. Schools, camps, and youth organizations are having trouble developing creative ideas to help children understand tefillah. Over the course of the year, this section will highlight one aspect of davening by providing both the Hebrew and English text, and one explanatory idea. The older the age group, the more we delve into the idea. This section is designed to help group participants follow the flow of tefillah while understanding what they are saying.Group Activity- Now the fun begins! We start off with a GOAL. Each game has a purpose. The youth leaders should familiarize themselves with the goal before implementing the game.Discussion Portion- After the game is over and the participants are settled down, the youth leaders should facilitate a discussion. The guidelines for this discussion are broken down into easy to use instructions. Youth leaders should review the discussion topics and goals before the start of morning groups.Story- Each week we will include a story that addresses a modern day concern with lesson taken from that week’s parsha.Jewish Leader of the Week- In keeping with our theme of Manhigut, every week a different Jewish Leader from modern Jewish history will be highlighted. This will allow group participants to expand their knowledge of history and to learn how they can be a Jewish leader in today’s society.Teen Minyan Packet- This packet is filled with stories, riddles, points to ponder, and more.Leader Tip- Each section has some great tips for leaders and how they should conduct that section.Shabbat Morning Groups Lesson PlanTime DurationActivityNotes5 minRegistrationWelcome parents and children in to the group room.10-35 minDaveningDepending on your group size and level. 5 minIntroduction to Yearly Theme (Manhigut)Refer to Handout5 minParsha RoundupPrep participants for parsha questions.10 minParsha QuestionsPrizes and awards should also be given out if participants answer correctly2 minUnderstanding the GoalLeaders should start prepping for Shabbat activity30 minActivitiesYour choice of two games to play10 minFollow Up DiscussionRefer to materials10 minParsha SongThis is for younger groups only. 20 minFree Game PlayGroups can break for free game play or continue their own programing.5 minStoryAssemble in a circle and have participants read sections of the story out loud.5-10 minDiscussionRefer to handout4 minJewish Leader of the WeekRefer to handout4 minTefillah TreasuresRefer to Handout5 minParent Pick up/DismissalParents pick up their children. Total Time:2 hours & 40 min of programing!Acharei mot Roundup00Acharei Mot RoundupAfter the two sons of Aaron died (in Parshah Shemini), G-d warns against anybody going into the special chamber of the Miskan called the Holy of Holies. Only Aaron himself may enter, once a year, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. Another thing done on Yom Kippur is that two goats are taken and a lottery is made. One goat is offered to G-d and the second one, to "azazel", is sent to the wilderness to atone for the sins of the Jews.Other important warnings in the Parshah of Acharie: It is forbidden to bring a korban (sacrifice), anywhere but in the Holy Temple. It is forbidden to eat blood in any way (this is why all kosher meat is salted--to take out the blood, and why we check eggs for blood before using); and a discussion of those who we are forbidden to marry.LEADER TIP: Don’t read from the page. Prepare yourself before hand so you’re comfortable enough saying it by heart. Give it over in an exciting way. Parsha QuestionsQuestionsWhen is Yom kippur?Who performed the entire Avodat Yom Hakipurim?What did the Bnei Yisrael do while the kohen gadol did the avodah on Yom Kippur?What is forbidden Yom Kippur?Where did the kohen gadol go only on Yom Kippur?Why may we not eat the dam (blood) of the animals that we eat?What do we do to meat in order to remove the blood?What types of sins are forgiven on Yom Kippur What do we have to do to be forgiven for aveirot that are bein adam lachaveiro (between one person and another)?What is the difference between mishpat and chok?Answers The tenth of TishreiThe kohen gadolThey davened and did teshuvah.There is no eating, drinking, washing, wearing leather shoes or smearing of oils. Also, no work is permitted (like on Shabbat).The kodesh kodashim (The Holy of Holies). Because the nefesh (soul) is in it.We soak and salt it.Those between man and Hashem – bei adam lemakom. We must ask for mechilah (forgiveness).A mishpat conforms to the human sense of justice. A chok is a law whose reason is not given to us and can only be understood as a decree from Hashem.LEADER TIP: Give out candy or prizes not only for right answers, but if the kids bring up their own great points or questions! Parsha Activity GOAL: In this week’s Parsha, Hashem instructs Bnei Israel not to follow the bad ways of other people. In this activity, we are trying to teach the kids about the dangers of peer pressure. Sometimes it’s very difficult to stand up for ourselves and make the right decisions based on our own decisions. When there are friends of ours or big groups of other people saying otherwise, it can be very hard not to follow them. It’s important to try and surround ourselves with the right people who will make a good influence on us.ACTIVITY: “Indian Chief” The kids sit in a circle. One kid leaves the room. Then the kids pick one kid to be the Indian chief or leader. The point of the game is that the Indian chief will start different hand motions (hand clapping, slapping your knees, snapping your fingers, drumming on the ground… etc), which all the kids will do in unison, and the Indian chief will keep switching the motions every so often. The kid who was outside has to try and guess which other kid is the Indian chief and leading the motions. The Indian chief and the kids have to try and make sure that it’s not obvious who the Indian chief is. If the kid picks correctly, then that kid must go outside and a new chief is chosen. ?DISCUSSION: The idea behind this game is to teach the kids about peer pressure. Being in the middle, how does it feel that everyone around you isn’t only doing something than you, but is trying to get you to join them even though you already made your decision and have no initial interest in joining them? Is it hard to stay strong in your beliefs? When there’s a big group of people doing something, do you feel pressure to join them? Peer pressure is very difficult to overcome. If we surround ourselves with not so good people or bad decisions/actions/characteristics, then we are going to adopt those and become those people/do those bad actions. But on the other hand, if we surround ourselves by good influences, imagine what impact they can have on us and we can continue to make the right decisions and become the best people we can possibly be.LEADER TIP: Don’t be afraid to participate with your kids. Don’t just stand on the side. The more you’re into it, the more they will be too!Parsha Story Before you read: It's natural to act like the people around us - but sometimes we shouldn't. In this week's Torah portion (Lev. 18:3) God instructs the Jewish people not to copy the bad habits of the nations around them. So too, we should try to stick around people with positive behavior and values, and only copy the good things the people around us do. ?SPILLED MILKThe bus rambled down the dirt road and turned onto the gravel parking lot, letting off 60 city kids on their school field trip for a day of 'fun on the farm.'"Should we join the horseback riding group first, go to the tractor garage, or with the guys going to milk the cows?" Jon asked his friend, Dave."Let's go to the cows - I see that's where Steve and his buddies are going," Dave said and started to walk. Jon didn't move."Well?" Dave asked him."I think that's a good reason?not?to go there," Jon said."Whadaya mean?""You saw how those guys acted on the bus - ragging on the driver and throwing trash out the window. That's not cool, you know? And it's not the way I want to be.""Who said we have to?be?like them? We'll just hang around them - you've got to admit they make things exciting - and we'll act like ... ourselves. You coming or not?"Dave reluctantly agreed and the two boys rushed to the cow barn, where the demonstration was about to start."This dairy produces over twenty thousand gallons of milk per day," the farm employee leading the tour said with a smile, "and then it's packaged and shipped to...""Booooring!" a shout came for the middle of the crowd of kids. The man talking paused, looking flushed and embarrassed at Steve's rude comment, as some of the kids - mostly Steve's buddies - laughed. Jon gave Dave an 'I told you so' look, but his friend just shrugged.Then the kids took turns milking some of the cows. That all went pretty well until it was Steve's turn, when the cow he had given a hard slap loudly bucked up and down in its pen. This time most of the kids - including Dave - burst out laughing."Since when is hurting an animal funny?" Jon snapped. Dave was quiet, realizing Jon was right.It was time to go. The kids got on the bus with their generous refreshment bags of farm-fresh snacks they'd been given for the ride."Bombs away!" yelled out Steve, as he chucked one of his snack wrappers out the bus window. Some of his buddies did the same. Dave was about to do it as well - when he stopped himself. He hated littering - why was he suddenly doing that, just because Steve..."Should we go to the mall when we get home?" Jon asked, interrupting his friend's thought."Huh? Yeah, that's what we planned to do, right? But first I've gotta go home to shower and change. After that trip we smell a little 'farm-y' you know what I mean?""Yeah," laughed Jon. "I guess you can't spend time in a cow barn and expect to come out smelling like roses.""Nope," Dave said. "And I guess you were right after all - you can't spend time with guys acting bad and not expect to start to 'smell' like them either."??Discussion QuestionsQ. How did Dave feel about hanging out with Steve and his gang at first?A. Even though he knew they didn't behave properly, he didn't think it would affect him.Q. How did he feel in the end?A. He realized that their bad behavior was rubbing off on him, too.LEADER TIP: Don’t read from the page, read it ahead of time and give it over by heart. Using actors as well can always be fun too!?LEADER TIP: If you have time, look up the Leader of the week and read more about them on your own! ?Jewish Leader of The Week 511746595885The Chofetz Chaim (February 6, 1838- September 15, 1933) Born in Zhetel, Poland, Israel Meir Kagan, better known as the Chofetz Chaim, was a very influential Lithuanian rabbi in the Musar movement, which inspired people to be the best people they can be. As his reputation grew, students from all over Europe flocked to him and by 1869 his house became known as the Radin Yeshiva. He published 21 books and is very famous for his teachings about the laws of lashon hara- guarding the way we speak and watching our tongue. ?? Tefillah TreasuresBirchot HaShacharBoruch.....Po-kay-ach Iv-rim."Blessed are You… Who gives sight to the blind."Now the?Brachot?follow the order of what we generally do to get ready for our day... First we open our eyes? (blink a couple of times) and look around, happy to have another day of life! Imagine that rather than starting each day “fully loaded” and ready to go, you needed to be re-equipped each morning with the faculties and abilities required for productive daily life. There you are, lying in bed, surrounded by complete darkness, waiting for G-d to return your eyesight to you. When will He bestow it? At last, light and shadows come into view, then colors, and finally, it all snaps into focus and you can see! POKEI’ACH IVRIM! ?Leader Tip: This is one of the most important sections in Parsha nation. After davening has taken place in your group and you are up to this section have all the kids take a siddur and open it. Show them which page the brachot are on. Be confident, and don’t mumble when reading the brachot in Hebrew. Ask for participation from the kids. I’m sure they know how to read some of the words. And of course always ask follow up questions.Acharei Mot Roundup Acharei Mot RoundupAfter the two sons of Aaron died (in Parshah Shemini), G-d warns against anybody going into the special chamber of the Miskan called the Holy of Holies. Only Aaron himself may enter, once a year, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. Another thing done on Yom Kippur is that two goats are taken and a lottery is made. One goat is offered to G-d and the second one, to "azazel", is sent to the wilderness to atone for the sins of the Jews.Other important warnings in the Parshah of Acharie: It is forbidden to bring a korban (sacrifice), anywhere but in the Holy Temple. It is forbidden to eat blood in any way (this is why all kosher meat is salted--to take out the blood, and why we check eggs for blood before using); and a discussion of those who we are forbidden to marry.LEADER TIP: Don’t read from the page. Prepare yourself beforehand so you’re comfortable enough saying it by heart. Give it over in an exciting way. ?Parsha QuestionsQUESTIONS1. When is Yom kippur?Who performed the entire Avodat Yom Hakipurim?What color was the clothing that the kohen gadol wore in the kodesh hakadoshim?Why didn’t the kohen gadol wear his bigdei zahav when he went into the kodesh kodashim?What did the Bnei Yisrael do while the kohen gadol did the avodah on Yom Kippur?What is forbidden Yom Kippur?What two animals must the Jews bring on Yom Kippur, and what is special about them?What was done with the se’irim?Where did the kohen gadol go only on Yom Kippur?Why may we not eat the dam (blood) of the animals that we eat?What do we do to meat in order to remove the blood?What types of sins are forgiven on Yom Kippur What do we have to do to be forgiven for aveirot that are bein adam lachaveiro (between one person and another)?What is the difference between mishpat and chok?What are women whom we are not allowed to marry called?ANSWERSThe tenth of TishreiThe kohen gadolWhiteSo it shouldn’t be a reminder of the chet ha’egel.They davened and did teshuvah.There is no eating, drinking, washing, wearing leather shoes or smearing of oils. Also, no work is permitted (like on Shabbat).Two se’irim (goats). They were identical.One was used for a sin offering and the other was sent to Azazel (a high cliff)The kodesh kodashim (The Holy of Holies). Because the nefesh (soul) is in it.We soak and salt it.Those between man and Hashem – bei adam lemakom. We must ask for mechilah (forgiveness).A mishpat conforms to the human sense of justice. A chok is a law whose reason is not given to us and can only be understood as a decree from Hashem.Ervah.LEADER TIP: Give out candy or prizes not only for right answers, but if the kids bring up their own great points or questions! Parsha ActivityGOAL: ?In this week’s Parsha, Hashem instructs Bnei Israel not to follow the bad ways of other people. In this activity, we are trying to teach the kids about the dangers of peer pressure. Sometimes it’s very difficult to stand up for ourselves and make the right decisions based on our own decisions. When there are friends of ours or big groups of other people saying otherwise, it can be very hard not to follow them. It’s important to try and surround ourselves with the right people who will make a good influence on us.ACTIVITY: “BEST SONG EVER”LEADER TIP: Don’t be afraid to be parparticipate with your kids. Don’t just stand on the side. The more you’re into it, the more they will be too!Set up the kids in one big circle and choose one kid to sit in the middle. Ask the room what the best song ever is. The kid in the middle picks his/her song and the rest of the group picks their own song (one song for the group) but make sure no one says their song out loud. The person in the middle is going try and sing as loud and perform as dramatically as they can. They are going to try and get as many people on the outside of the circle as possible to stop singing the group song and join in with their song. The outside group is going to try and get the person in the middle to join in with their song. They can do whatever they have to do as long as they don’t touch or get too uncomfortably close the person in the middle (obviously the group leaders need to make sure it doesn’t get out of control). The point of the game is to try and get as many people in the middle as possible. If the person in the middle gets people to join, they come into the middle of the circle and continue to sing the song trying to get as many people as possible into the middle. You can play a number of rounds of this, using different people in the middle every time. You can also try it with 2/3 people at a time as well.DISCUSSION: The idea behind this game is to teach the kids about peer pressure. Being in the middle, how does it feel that everyone around you isn’t only singing a different song than you, but is trying to get you to join them even though you already made your decision and have no initial interest in joining them? Is it hard to stay strong in your beliefs? When there’s a big group of people doing something, do you feel pressure to join them? Peer pressure is very difficult to overcome. If we surround ourselves with not so good people or bad decisions/actions/characteristics, then we are going to adopt those and become those people/do those bad actions. But on the other hand, if we surround ourselves by good influences, imagine what impact they can have on us and we can continue to make the right decisions and become the best people we can possibly be.Parsha StoryBefore you read: It's natural to act like the people around us - but sometimes we shouldn't. In this week's Torah portion (Lev. 18:3) God instructs the Jewish people not to copy the bad habits of the nations around them. So too, we should try to stick around people with positive behavior and values, and only copy the good things the people around us do. ?SPILLED MILKThe bus rambled down the dirt road and turned onto the gravel parking lot, letting off 60 city kids on their school field trip for a day of 'fun on the farm.'"Should we join the horseback riding group first, go to the tractor garage, or with the guys going to milk the cows?" Jon asked his friend, Dave."Let's go to the cows - I see that's where Steve and his buddies are going," Dave said and started to walk. Jon didn't move."Well?" Dave asked him."I think that's a good reason?not?to go there," Jon said."Whadaya mean?""You saw how those guys acted on the bus - ragging on the driver and throwing trash out the window. That's not cool, you know? And it's not the way I want to be.""Who said we have to?be?like them? We'll just hang around them - you've got to admit they make things exciting - and we'll act like ... ourselves. You coming or not?"Dave reluctantly agreed and the two boys rushed to the cow barn, where the demonstration was about to start."This dairy produces over twenty thousand gallons of milk per day," the farm employee leading the tour said with a smile, "and then it's packaged and shipped to...""Booooring!" a shout came for the middle of the crowd of kids. The man talking paused, looking flushed and embarrassed at Steve's rude comment, as some of the kids - mostly Steve's buddies - laughed. Jon gave Dave an 'I told you so' look, but his friend just shrugged.Then the kids took turns milking some of the cows. That all went pretty well until it was Steve's turn, when the cow he had given a hard slap loudly bucked up and down in its pen. This time most of the kids - including Dave - burst out laughing."Since when is hurting an animal funny?" Jon snapped. Dave was quiet, realizing Jon was right.It was time to go. The kids got on the bus with their generous refreshment bags of farm-fresh snacks they'd been given for the ride."Bombs away!" yelled out Steve, as he chucked one of his snack wrappers out the bus window. Some of his buddies did the same. Dave was about to do it as well - when he stopped himself. He hated littering - why was he suddenly doing that, just because Steve..."Should we go to the mall when we get home?" Jon asked, interrupting his friend's thought."Huh? Yeah, that's what we planned to do, right? But first I've gotta go home to shower and change. After that trip we smell a little 'farm-y' you know what I mean?""Yeah," laughed Jon. "I guess you can't spend time in a cow barn and expect to come out smelling like roses.""Nope," Dave said. "And I guess you were right after all - you can't spend time with guys acting bad and not expect to start to 'smell' like them either."?Discussion QuestionsQ. What life-lesson do you think Dave learned that day?A. He'd thought that he wouldn't be influenced by the negative actions and attitudes of the people he hung out with, but as he saw that Steve's rude behavior was causing him to think and act in a way that was against his values, he realized it wasn't true.Q. Do you think that by spending more time with Steve, Dave would be able to influence him to improve?A. Possibly, but it's more likely in such a situation that Dave would sink closer to Steve's behavior rather than the other way around.LEADER TIP: Don’t read from the page, read it ahead of time and give it over by heart. Using actors as well can always be fun too!Jewish Leader of The Week 511746595885The Chofetz Chaim (February 6, 1838- September 15, 1933) Rabbi Israel Meir HaCohen Kagan is commonly known as the "Chafetz Chaim," the name of his famous work on guarding one's tongue. Born in Zhetel, Poland on February 6, 1838, he was taught untill age 10 by his parents and then moved to Vilna to further his Jewish studies. Refusing the pulpit rabbinate, the Chafetz Chaim settled in Radin (Poland) and subsisted on a small grocery store which his wife managed and he did the "bookkeeping"-watching every penny to make sure that no one was cheated. He spent his days learning Torah and disseminating his knowledge to the common people.As his reputation grew, students from all over Europe flocked to him and by 1869 his house became known as the Radin Yeshiva. In addition to his Yeshiva, the Chafetz Chaim was very active in Jewish causes. He traveled extensively (even in his 90s!) to encourage the observance of Mitzvot amongst Jews. One of the founders of Agudat Yisrael, the religious Jewish organization of Europe and later the world, the Chafetz Chaim was very involved in Jewish affairs and helped many yeshivot survive the financial problems of the interwar period. Exemplifying the verses in Psalms 34:13-14, "Who is the man who desires life...? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit," the Chafetz Chaim passed away in 1933 at the ripe age of 95.?LEADER TIP: If you have time, look up the Leader of the week and read more about them on your own! Tefillah Treasures?Birchot HaShachar?Boruch.....Po-kay-ach Iv-rim."Blessed are You… Who gives sight to the blind."Now the?Brachot?follow the order of what we generally do to get ready for our day... First we open our eyes? (blink a couple of times) and look around, happy to have another day of life! Imagine that rather than starting each day “fully loaded” and ready to go, you needed to be re-equipped each morning with the faculties and abilities required for productive daily life. There you are, lying in bed, surrounded by complete darkness, waiting for G-d to return your eyesight to you. When will He bestow it? At last, light and shadows come into view, then colors, and finally, it all snaps into focus and you can see! POKEI’ACH IVRIM! LEADER TIP: This is one of the most important sections in Parsha nation. After davening has taken place in your group and you are up to this section have all the kids take a siddur and open it. Show them which page the brachot are on. Be confident, and don’t mumble when reading the brachot in Hebrew. Ask for participation from the kids. I’m sure they know how to read some of the words. of course always ask follow up questions.acharei mot RoUndupAcharei Mot RoundupAfter the two sons of Aaron died (in Parshah Shemini), G-d warns against anybody going into the special chamber of the Miskan called the Holy of Holies. Only Aaron himself may enter, once a year, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. Another thing done on Yom Kippur is that two goats are taken and a lottery is made. One goat is offered to G-d and the second one, to "azazel", is sent to the wilderness to atone for the sins of the Jews.Other important warnings in the Parshah of Acharie: It is forbidden to bring a korban (sacrifice), anywhere but in the Holy Temple. It is forbidden to eat blood in any way (this is why all kosher meat is salted--to take out the blood, and why we check eggs for blood before using); and a discussion of those who we are forbidden to marry.LEADER TIP: Don’t read from the page. Prepare yourself beforehand so you’re comfortable enough saying it by heart. Give it over in an exciting way. Parsha QuestionsQUESTIONSWhen is Yom kippur?Who performed the entire Avodat Yom Hakipurim?What did the kohen gadol wear when he entered the kodesh kodashim?What color was the clothing that the kohen gadol wore in the kodesh hakadoshim?Why didn’t the kohen gadol wear his bigdei zahav when he went into the kodesh kodashim?What did the Bnei Yisrael do while the kohen gadol did the avodah on Yom Kippur?What is forbidden Yom Kippur?What two animals must the Jews bring on Yom Kippur, and what is special about them?What was done with the se’irim?Where did the kohen gadol go only on Yom Kippur?What is the punishment for a kohen gadol who inappropriately enters the kodesh kodashim?Why may we not eat the dam (blood) of the animals that we eat?What do we do to meat in order to remove the blood?What types of sins are forgiven on Yom Kippur What do we have to do to be forgiven for aveirot that are bein adam lachaveiro (between one person and another)?What will the land do if the nation commits too many sins? What is the penalty of kares?Which categories of animals must have their blood covered when they are slaughtered?What is the difference between mishpat and chok?What are women whom we are not allowed to marry called?ANSWERSThe tenth of TishreiThe kohen gadolOnly four linen garments worn by an ordinary kohen.WhiteSo it shouldn’t be a reminder of the chet ha’egel.They davened and did teshuvah.There is no eating, drinking, washing, wearing leather shoes or smearing of oils. Also, no work is permitted (like on Shabbat).Two se’irim (goats). They were identical.One was used for a sin offering and the other was sent to Azazel (a high cliff)The kodesh kodashim (The Holy of Holies). Death.Because the nefesh (soul) is in it.We soak and salt it.Those between man and Hashem – bei adam lemakom. We must ask for mechilah (forgiveness).It will split them out.One’s offspring die and one’s own life is shortened.Non domesticated kosher animals and all species of kosher birds.A mishpat conforms to the human sense of justice. A chok is a law whose reason is not given to us and can only be understood as a decree from Hashem.Ervah.LEADER TIP: Give out candy or prizes not only for right answers, but if the kids bring up their own great points or questions! Parsha ActivityGOAL: ?In this week’s Parsha, Hashem instructs Bnei Israel not to follow the bad ways of other people. In this activity, we are trying to teach the kids about the dangers of peer pressure. Sometimes it’s very difficult to stand up for ourselves and make the right decisions based on our own decisions. When there are friends of ours or big groups of other people saying otherwise, it can be very hard not to follow them. It’s important to try and surround ourselves with the right people who will make a good influence on us.ACTIVITY: “This or That”LEADER TIP: Don’t be afraid to be partners with your kids. Don’t just stand on the side. The more you’re into it, the more they will be too!Have one of the group leaders give the kids a topic with 2 options (you can do 3 options if you have a lot of kids). For example: Vanilla or Chocolate, Coke or Pepsi, Swimming or hiking. Each option will be represented on a side of the room (if youd like, it can help to print out pages and place them on the floor). Have each of the kids pick their answer and stand in that section of the room (or on the paper). Then have a representative from each side present why they think their option is the better option. Each team can than have one rebuttle. If anyone wants to switch at any time they are more than welcome. Use “would you rather” questions as well so that there is room for people to make decisions. Meaning, people know whether they like chocolate or vanilla better or if they like Coke or Pepsi better. But for questions such as “Would you rather go back in time and meet your ancestors or go way into the future and meet your great grand children?” we can get a lot more deciding, debating, and switching going on. Feel free to come up with your own questions, or even have kids come up with their own ideas (with your guidance and making sure they’re appropriate), or there are tons of sites online with great “Would you Rather” questions. DISCUSSION: The idea behind this game is to teach the kids about peer pressure. Being in the middle, how does it feel that everyone around you isn’t doing something differrent than you, but is trying to get you to join them even though you already made your decision and have no initial interest in joining them? Is it hard to stay strong in your beliefs? When there’s a big group of people doing something, do you feel pressure to join them? Peer pressure is very difficult to overcome. If we surround ourselves with not so good people or bad decisions/actions/characteristics, then we are going to adopt those and become those people/do those bad actions. But on the other hand, if we surround ourselves by good influences, imagine what impact they can have on us and we can continue to make the right decisions and become the best people we can possibly be.Parsha StoryBefore you read: It's natural to act like the people around us - but sometimes we shouldn't. In this week's Torah portion (Lev. 18:3) God instructs the Jewish people not to copy the bad habits of the nations around them. So too, we should try to stick around people with positive behavior and values, and only copy the good things the people around us do. SPILLED MILKThe bus rambled down the dirt road and turned onto the gravel parking lot, letting off 60 city kids on their school field trip for a day of 'fun on the farm.'"Should we join the horseback riding group first, go to the tractor garage, or with the guys going to milk the cows?" Jon asked his friend, Dave."Let's go to the cows - I see that's where Steve and his buddies are going," Dave said and started to walk. Jon didn't move."Well?" Dave asked him."I think that's a good reason?not?to go there," Jon said."Whadaya mean?""You saw how those guys acted on the bus - ragging on the driver and throwing trash out the window. That's not cool, you know? And it's not the way I want to be.""Who said we have to?be?like them? We'll just hang around them - you've got to admit they make things exciting - and we'll act like ... ourselves. You coming or not?"Dave reluctantly agreed and the two boys rushed to the cow barn, where the demonstration was about to start."This dairy produces over twenty thousand gallons of milk per day," the farm employee leading the tour said with a smile, "and then it's packaged and shipped to...""Booooring!" a shout came for the middle of the crowd of kids. The man talking paused, looking flushed and embarrassed at Steve's rude comment, as some of the kids - mostly Steve's buddies - laughed. Jon gave Dave an 'I told you so' look, but his friend just shrugged.Then the kids took turns milking some of the cows. That all went pretty well until it was Steve's turn, when the cow he had given a hard slap loudly bucked up and down in its pen. This time most of the kids - including Dave - burst out laughing."Since when is hurting an animal funny?" Jon snapped. Dave was quiet, realizing Jon was right.It was time to go. The kids got on the bus with their generous refreshment bags of farm-fresh snacks they'd been given for the ride."Bombs away!" yelled out Steve, as he chucked one of his snack wrappers out the bus window. Some of his buddies did the same. Dave was about to do it as well - when he stopped himself. He hated littering - why was he suddenly doing that, just because Steve..."Should we go to the mall when we get home?" Jon asked, interrupting his friend's thought."Huh? Yeah, that's what we planned to do, right? But first I've gotta go home to shower and change. After that trip we smell a little 'farm-y' you know what I mean?""Yeah," laughed Jon. "I guess you can't spend time in a cow barn and expect to come out smelling like roses.""Nope," Dave said. "And I guess you were right after all - you can't spend time with guys acting bad and not expect to start to 'smell' like them either."?DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:Q. If everyone acts according to his own values, how is it possible to judge someone else's behavior as 'wrong' or 'right'?A. Even without doing so, we can certainly decide it's 'wrong for us' and keep away. But in fact we do have an objective barometer of values; G-d gave the world the Torah, through the Jewish people, to provide just those guidelines we'd need to keep us on a spiritual and ethical course.Q. What if we're involuntarily surrounded by people behaving in ways we don't want to emulate - is there anything we can do to prevent doing so?A. If we at least keep consciously aware that how they are acting isn't for us and we're careful to monitor our own behavior, we are doing something very positive.?LEADER TIP: Don’t read from the page, read it ahead of time and give it over by heart. Using actors as well can always be fun too!Jewish Leader of The Week-1570355136525The Chofetz Chaim (February 6, 1838- September 15, 1933) Rabbi Israel Meir HaCohen Kagan is commonly known as the "Chafetz Chaim," the name of his famous work on guarding one's tongue. Born in Zhetel, Poland on February 6, 1838, he was taught untill age 10 by his parents and then moved to Vilna to further his Jewish studies. Refusing the pulpit rabbinate, the Chafetz Chaim settled in Radin (Poland) and subsisted on a small grocery store which his wife managed and he did the "bookkeeping"-watching every penny to make sure that no one was cheated. He spent his days learning Torah and disseminating his knowledge to the common people.As his reputation grew, students from all over Europe flocked to him and by 1869 his house became known as the Radin Yeshiva. In addition to his Yeshiva, the Chafetz Chaim was very active in Jewish causes. He traveled extensively (even in his 90s!) to encourage the observance of Mitzvot amongst Jews. One of the founders of Agudat Yisrael, the religious Jewish organization of Europe and later the world, the Chafetz Chaim was very involved in Jewish affairs and helped many yeshivot survive the financial problems of the interwar period. Exemplifying the verses in Psalms 34:13-14, "Who is the man who desires life...? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit," the Chafetz Chaim passed away in 1933 at the ripe age of 95.The Chafetz Chaim's greatest legacy is the 21 sefarim (holy books) which he published. His first work, Sefer Chafetz Chaim (1873), is the first attempt to to organize and clarify the laws regrding evil talk and gossip. He later wrote other works, including Shmirat HaLashon, which emphasized the importance of guarding one's tongue by quoting our Sages. The Mishnah Brurah (1894-1907), his commentary on the Daily Laws of a Jew (his first series in the Shulchan Aruch), is found in many Jewish homes and is accepted universally to decide Halacha.LEADER TIP: If you have time, look up the Leader of the week and read more about them on your own! LEADER TIP: Firmly believing that he was living right before the time of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple, the Chafetz Chaim wrote a work that stressed the learning of laws concerning sacrifices, the Holy Temple, and related topics. He also published seforim to strengthen certain aspects of Jewish life including kashrus, family purity, and Torah study.?Tefillah Treasures ??Birchot HaShacharBoruch.....Po-kay-ach Iv-rim."Blessed are You… Who gives sight to the blind."Now the?Brachot?follow the order of what we generally do to get ready for our day... First we open our eyes? (blink a couple of times) and look around, happy to have another day of life! LEADER TIP: Imagine that rather than starting each day “fully loaded” and ready to go, you needed to be re-equipped each morning with the faculties and abilities required for productive daily life. There you are, lying in bed, surrounded by complete darkness, waiting for G-d to return your eyesight to you. When will He bestow it? At last, light and shadows come into view, then colors, and finally, it all snaps into focus and you can see! POKEI’ACH IVRIM! This Week in Jewish History3924935158750?April 11, 1909The Founding of Tel Aviv?In 1909 a number of Jewish residents decided to move to a healthier environment, outside the crowded and noisy city of Jaffa. They established a company called Ahuzat-Bayit and with the financial assistance of the Jewish National Fund purchased some twelve acres of sand dunes, north of Jaffa. In 1910, the suburb was named Tel Aviv after?Nahum Sokolow's?translation ofAltneuland,?Herzl's?fictional depiction of the Jewish State.Meir Dizengoff was Tel Aviv's first mayor serving in that capacity from 1911 until his FIND…Kohen GadolYom KippurAzazelBloodAharonAcharei MotKodeshKodashimdeath in 1936. The main street in today's sprawling city is named after him.?Arthur Ruppin?was the World Zionist Organization's first representative in Eretz-Israel.Today, Tel Aviv is the heart of the conurbation known as Gush Dan in which over one third of the country's population lives. This area extends from Rishon Le-Zion, Holon and Bat Yam in the south to Herzliya in the North. To the east lies Petah Tiqva. Tel Aviv is situated on the shore of the Mediterranean sea.Stat Line of the Week– Acharei mot29th of the 54 sedras; 6th of 10 in Vayikra Written on 154 lines in a Sefer Torah 15 parshiyot; 3 open, 12 closed 80 p'sukim, ranks 45th, 6th in Vayikra 1170 words, ranks 43rd (6th) 4294 letters, ranks 45th (6th) Three sedras take turns being Shabbat HaGadol - Tzav (63.2% of the time - all 12-month years), M'tzora (26.3% of the time - 70% of the 13-month years), and Acharei (10.5% of the time). 28 of the 613 mitzvot; 2 positive, 26 prohibitions ?????TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEKWHAT WAS THE CARDO?Email your answers to SAMMYS@ along with your NAME and AGE for a chance to win AWESOME PRIZES! Each correct answer will enter your name into a raffle that will happen once a month. Behatzlacha!41617907620THIS JUST IN!?If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.The strongest muscle in proportion to its size in the human body is the tongue.Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.countries combined.For more info please feel free to contact us at sammys@Parsha Points to Ponder...It is indeed a desirable trait to keep oneself spiritually holy at all times. One should study, pray, and do Mitzvot to the best of their ability. This is an admirable characteristic. Aharon the Kohen Gadol was probably one of the holiest men in Jewish history. Yet the Torah in today’s portion restricts him in a sense from pursuing this conduct exclusively. Hashem warns Aharon: VE’AL YAVO VECHOL ET EL HAKODESH, “…he shall not come at all times into the Sanctuary…”. (Lev. 16,2) In a homiletical sense the Torah is saying that Aharon should not be constantly engaged in spiritual matters. A spiritual leader must be ready to step down to the level of the average person and get to understand their needs and their hopes and aspirations. Not everyone can reach the heights of a spiritual leader and it is thus incumbent upon the leader to step down and see how the other person lives and what their spiritual needs are. Hashem tells Aharon the Kohen Gadol that you must not always be engulfed in spirituality but must be able to see things in this mundane world and deal with them appropriately.??600075170180 ................
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