Where In The Aleph Bet Is My Child Holding?

Our students are making great progress with their Hebrew Reading skills.

Kitah Aleph can recognize the first five letters of the Aleph Bet by name and sound. Our young students are well acquainted with the characters of the Aleph Bet Bayit and are enjoying the interactive Alpeh Bet experience.

Kitah Bet is about halfway through White Aleph level in Champ and will be getting their white belts before you know it! They know the first seven letters and look forward to graduating the first level really soon.

Kitah Gimmel students are challenging themselves as they work on their fluency in reading Hebrew. They are fine tuning their skills and pushing themselves to reach the goal of being able to open a Hebrew book and read comfortably.

Success is dependent on consistent practice and parental involvement throughout the week. Here are some ways to help your child achieve the maximum:

1- Five minutes is all it takes! Make sure your child completes his/ her reading practice and reviews at least three times a week. Review creates visual comfort and recognition.

2- Play Aleph Bet "I Spy".
"I spy with my little eye something that begins with the letter Bet"...example - a baseball bat, a bag, a book, etc..

3- Aleph Bet flashcards or memory game which can be ordered online or at Hebrew School make learning and review lots of fun!

4- Chabad.org/kids has a wonderful selection of online children's Aleph Bet activities to boost aleph bet recognition.

5- If your child uses a tablet or iphone, you can install a free app called Mish and Mush, appropriate for Kindergarten and lower elementary grades. There is an Aleph Bet matching game in that app great for strengthening letter recognition.

It really all boils down to...practice!Practice! Practice! 

Keep up all the great work!

The Basis Of It All

Being that the basis of everything we learn in Hebrew School originates from the Torah, before getting into our workbooks, Jewish history lessons, and learning the aleph-bet - we explored the thing that is the source of it all - the Torah!

Students opened the ark, felt the parchment and raised ink, rolled the Torah scrolls, put the cover on, and kissed the Torah scroll showing respect to the Holy Scrolls containing our lifelong history and guideline to life.

We spoke about the contents of the Torah as not just a greater-than-Harry-Potter-storybook to read, but as a moral compass and guide to our day to day living.

Here are some interesting facts about the Torah:

A. A Torah Scroll is a Sefer Torah. A Sefer Torah contains the Five Books of Moses (the Pentateuch) handwritten in the original Hebrew from right to left, without punctuations, commas, periods, chapter or verse numbers. It is written on parchment, rolled up around two ornate wooden shafts and adorned with special accessories. It is (generally) kept in the Ark of each synagogue, and routinely read aloud in all synagogues. In its presence we also offer prayers and blessings for all those in need. B. An authentic Torah scroll is a mind-boggling masterpiece of manual labor. Comprising 62 to 84 sheets of parchment cured, tanned, scraped and prepared to exacting Halachic specifications and containing exactly 304,805 letters, the resulting handwritten scroll takes six to 12 months to complete. Each letter is rigorously inked with a feather quill under the grueling calligraphic guidelines of Ktav Ashurit (Ashurite Script). While most Torah scrolls are around two feet in height and weigh at least 20 pounds, some are huge and heavy, while others are doll-sized, lightweight and compact-lettered. C. Writing a Torah scroll is Positive Mitzvah #181 and is every Jewish male’s duty. Since most of us have neither the time, patience and piety nor the intimate knowledge of the hundreds (yes, hundreds) of Halachot involved in writing a Sefer Torah, we hire a Sofer (ritual scribe) to write one for us. However, since that costs a fortune, too (a five-digit minimum), most of us just chip in when a new Sefer Torah’s being written, contributing a small amount to help cover costs and symbolically purchase a share in the Torah’s ownership. (Click here to purchase a letter in the first ever Torah Scroll being written for the online Jewish community). What is a Sefer Torah used for? What is its significance? 1. Life—Listed A Torah Scroll is the quintessential, core representation of Judaism itself. It is the tangible embodiment of our connection to G-d and of His wisdom and guidance. It is the heart, mind and soul of Judaism, right there in front of you in writing. The original hard copy. The first Sefer Torah in history was dictated by G-d verbatim and written by Moses, just before his passing. In his parting words, he told them to listen to the words found in that scroll and to reference them in response to life's questions. They taught their children to do the same, and that's how we've kept its tradition until this day.

When the Torah is held aloft in the synagogue we say, “This is the Torah that Moses set before the Jewish people...” We mean it, almost literally: this scroll. These very words, written on the same kind of scroll, are the same exact words that the Jewish people wrote and read for thousands of years. The Torah is our guide to life. The Torah is our life. Without it, the Jewish People would not be. 2. How the Torah is read The Torah is read in synagogue during Shacharit, after the Amidah services on Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Rosh Chodesh Jewish Holidays and Fast days. On Shabbat and Fast days the Torah is read during Minchah as well. (In some communities the Torah is also read on Simchat Torah night). The Aron is opened and the Torah is removed while the congregation recites certain verses. The Torah is then carried to the Bimah, where its crown(s), velvet slipcover and other decorative ornaments are removed and respectfully placed aside, then rolled open and read in a special liturgical chant called Kriah. The reader chants his way through the specified sections, each accompanied by a services participant who is called up to stand beside the reader (and read along in an undertone when possible). When the reading’s done, the Torah is held high and displayed for all to see, then rolled up, re-covered in velvet and replaced in the Aron. 3. Read it and Reap Torah is to the soul what water is to the body: you can’t go more than three days without water, and your soul cannot go more than three days without Torah. Torah nourishes and replenishes your spiritual reservoir, which is constant getting drained by this material life. To maintain one’s spiritual level, Moses stipulated that the Torah be read in public on Mondays and Thursdays in addition to Shabbat and Holidays. This information is from www.askmoses.com - a great site where you can ask a live scholar any question regarding Judaism. if you cannot find a scholar online, you can search their incredible database!

Friday Night Live

Keep Me Entertained!

To all our Hebrew School Families and Friends,

We hope you kept safe and well during this storm. For those of you who have family and friends down at the shore, our hearts are with you and pray that everyone and everything is okay. We are there for you and if anyone needs any assistance, please do not hesitate to call Rabbi Avi or Mina.

We know that being stuck at home is no fun and some of you are getting major cabin fever, so here is a link to some great Jewish games, articles and videos for your entertainment. Practice your aleph bet with some of these fun games, relax with some great stories, and unwind with some Jewish entertainment!

Yom Kippur And Sukkot

With the High Holidays so close together, our Hebrew school students got a real crash course consolidated into an hour and forty five minutes. We learned and experienced the meaning of Yom Kippur and Sukkot too. Perks of course were the most delicious edible sukkahs you have ever tasted!

Learning about Yom Kippur and how our good deeds are measured along with the concept of repentance. Students chose either black or red candies and listed a good deed for the reds and wrongdoings (whoops, didn't listen to mom, forgot to share...) for the black ones. We demonstrated how we can fix the mistakes we did throughout the year by apologizing to those we have hurt and
taking on positive resolutions for the coming year.

 What does a scale, canvas sneakers, white shirts, and a chicken have to do with Yom Kippur? Do you know? Ask your child!

 Diligent student filling in Yom Kippur Worksheet.

 Snack time!

 Didi you ever smell an esrog?

Kitah Gimmel (Level 3) architect hard at work designing sukkah!

 Oh check out these edible sukkahs!

 Hebrew School students shaking lulav and esrog during Pizza in the Hut Sukkah Party!

It's A New Year!

Chabad Hebrew School is off to a great start! We welcome all our returning and new students and families on board - we know you will have a great learning experience and not just appreciate but enjoy our rich heritage in a way you never have before!

 We start our day by thanking G-d for all the good things He has given us. We sing our way through prayer and try to recognize some of the Hebrew Alphabet in our Hebrew School Siddur as we go along.

 Learning about our Rosh Hashana customs couldn't be any sweeter!

 Rabbi Avi demonstrates how to use a shofar and teaches us the meaning to this mitzvah(commandment).

 Working on our Honey Dishes for our High Holiday family meals.

 Check out the finished products of our talented young artists!

Jewpardy! Congrats to our Hebrew School students for winning first place!

We love it!