4th Grade: Jewish Culture
The Netivot Fourth Grade takes four deep dives into “Jewish Culture:”
1. Cooking
2. Music
3. Storytelling
4. Clothing
4th Grade Deep Dive #1: Cooking
To the teacher:
Cooking food is a primary universal human experience, through which food is transformed before we take it into our bodies. Sometimes, food is not even edible until we cook it. Often, cooking makes food much more delicious than if it were eaten raw, and more visually appealing, and the process of cooking often produces a wonderful fragrance, all of which enhances the pleasure of eating food.
Also, the smells and tastes of food awaken our memories from our past, and connect us to other members of our family and our “tribe.”
Primary text: The Special Sabbath “Spice” Talmud Bavli Shabbat 119a
Almost two thousand years ago, the Roman emperor was wandering in disguise through the Jewish quarter in Rome on a Friday evening. He peeked into the houses and saw the Jews enjoying their Sabbath evening meal, with such evident relish that he decided he must find out what it was they were eating that gave them such pleasure. Accordingly, he summoned the great rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, who enjoyed favour at the imperial court, and expressed a wish to savour some Jewish cooking. Accordingly, the Rabbi invited the Emperor to dine with him at his own home the following Friday evening. The Emperor came with his retinue and was royally feasted by the Rabbi. The Emperor enjoyed the meal, but still could not understand why it would induce such seeming ecstasy in the Jewish guests and therefore demanded of the Rabbi the recipes for each and every one of the dishes he had tasted. The Imperial cooks were summoned and the Rabbi’s wife carefully explained how each dish was prepared, giving detailed instructions, while the imperial cooks diligently noted down every word and went back to the palace to prepare an identical meal for the Emperor.
The following day, the imperial cooks prepared a banquet for their master in accordance with the instructions they had received from the Rabbi and his wife, but after a few mouthfuls, the Emperor rose from his couch in anger and ordered that his cooks be brought before him. "Why did you not follow the instructions you were given?" he demanded.
"But indeed we did, mighty Caesar," they protested, trembling. "Down to the last pinch of salt."
"Then the Rabbi must have lied and kept something back," replied the Emperor.
A few hours later, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya was summoned urgently to the palace where he was brought before an extremely angry Emperor.
"Why did you and your wife lie to me?" demanded the Emperor. "The meal which my cooks prepared tastes nothing like the banquet I had at your house. You cannot have given them full instructions. Something is missing."
"Something is indeed missing," replied the Rabbi. "A very special spice."
"What spice is that?" asked the Emperor, curiously. "I must have that spice. I order you to give it to me."
"That spice is called Shabbat (the Sabbath)," replied the Rabbi. "It cannot be given, nor can it be bought. It comes of itself to those who love and observe the Sabbath. So powerful is that spice that when food is prepared lovingly, for the Sabbath, by those who cherish the Sabbath, even you could taste a hint of it in the food."
primary mitzvah/value: Shabbat dinner
For the first thousand years of Jewish history, our ancestors worshipped God by cooking. They would bring meat or grain to the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem, and roast it over fire, producing a “pleasing fragrance to God.” As the aromatic smoke rose up into the sky, the people felt they were sending the sacrifice to God.
After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70CE, our people stopped offering sacrifices to God and now we worship God with prayer.
In our own Judaism, however, we carry forward this practice of “sacred cooking” with the tradition of cooking a special meal for Friday night. The six week project for this unit should involve learning about and then actually preparing, cooking and serving a Friday night Shabbat meal.
Enduring Understandings:
1. Cooking connects us to our food through all of our senses: it makes food taste and smell delicious and lookappealing.
2. The way we prepare food connects us to our past—our own personal past and our people’s past
3. Cooking was the old Jewish way of worshipping/connecting to God. Now we pray instead.
4. We still practice “sacred cooking” in preparing a Shabbat dinner.
5. Our ancient sages called any special food which was only served on Shabbat “oneg Shabbat,” which means “the pleasure of Shabbat.” We use that term to refer to the food we serve at Temple after services on Friday, but it could be any dessert, or special treat which we only serve on Shabbat.
Suggested project:
Cooking a Complete Shabbat Dinner
4th Grade Deep Dive #2: Music
To the teacher:
All human beings make music, sometimes even when we do not realize it (for example, when we are humming or whistling and not even noticing that we are doing it). Many animals also sing and make music, for example birds and whales, howling wolves and croaking frogs.
Some music makes us feel happy and some makes us feel sad, and some makes us feel happy and sad at the same time. Some music makes us want to dance, other music makes us calm down. People use music to prepare for war, to get psyched for a sports contest, to pray, to let someone know they love them (love songs are probably the single most common kind of music!). Music connects us to other people, especially when we are singing together or playing the music together….but even when we are just all listening together.
The Torah describes the people singing and playing music in the great moment after the miracle at the Red Sea. And we first meet King David as a young man who is talented at playing the harp, and uses it to help Saul with his depression.
We use music in many Jewish special moments: we often pray in song; we “sing” the Torah when we read it publically, we sing the blessings. Music is a huge part of our holiday celebrations of Hannukah, Purim, and Passover.
The more Jewish music we know and sing and play, the more deeply connected we feel to the Jewish religion, culture and people.
Primary text: I Samuel 16: 14-23 Saul and David
Now the spirit of God had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from God began to torment him. Saul’s courtiers said to him, “An evil spirit of God is tormenting you. You should give the order and the courtiers in attendance on you will look for someone who is skilled at playing the guitar. Whenever the evil spirit of God comes over you, he will play it and you will feel better.”
So Saul said to his courtiers, “Find me someone who can play well and bring him to me.”
One of the attendants spoke up, “I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skilled in music; he is a brave man and a warrior, who speaks well, and is good looking, and God is with him.”
So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, who is with the flock.” Jesse took a donkey carrying bread, a skin of wine, and a goat kid, and sent them to Saul, by his son David.
So David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul took a strong liking to him and made him one of his arms-bearers. Saul sent word to Jesse, “Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.”
Whenever the evil spirit of God came upon Saul, David would take the guitar and play it; Saul would find relief and feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
primary mitzvah:
Introduction to trop, the musical system for chanting from the Torah.
Enduring Understandings:
1. Music is a universal human activity which expresses deep emotion and connects us to other people
2. Jewish music connects us to our Jewish community and to Jewish people anywhere who sing or play the same music
3. In the Bible we find people singing and playing music in moments of celebration, in worship, and to overcome depression (as in the text from I Samuel)
4. Jewish prayer depends upon good music to help us connect to God
Suggested projects
· Create a CD of different kinds of Jewish music, which the class selects. Each member of the class to receive a copy of the CD to take home and keep
· Class to prepare a concert of Jewish music to present to the entire Netivot community, or even to the CBB community on a Friday night or before Sunday Morning Live
· Conduct interviews with different Jewish musicians of CBB, including Cantor Mark Childs, Daniel Hochman, Nir Kabaretti, Rob Raede, Nicole McKenzie, Judy Goldwater, Judy Karin, Susan Rakov….videotape or audio tape these interviews and edit them into a collection of CBB reflections on music and Judaism
4th Grade Deep Dive #3: Storytelling
To the teacher:
Like cooking, music and clothing, storytelling is a universal human component of culture. All human beings love to tell and to hear stories (if
they are told well). Movies and television have become primary vehicles for storytelling, but we all still appreciate a joke well-told, or a story shared at the dinner table, or around a campfire.
Jewish culture gives a supreme importance to storytelling, in the synagogue in our weekly reading of “the Torah portion of the week,” on Purim when we hear and retell the story of Esther, and in our homes at the holiday of Passover, when we fulfill the ancient commandment “you shall tell your child” the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
Most importantly, real storytelling is not just repeating a set of old words, but bringing an old tale to life, and making it new for every new generation.
Primary text: Megillat Esther (The Purim Story)
primary mitzvah: The Purim Megillah Reading
Enduring Understandings:
1. All human beings love stories
2. Movies and TV are a form of storytelling
3. Storytelling is basic to Judaism, especially at the holidays
4. The name of the book we use at the Passover seder is the haggadah, which means “the storytelling.”
Possible projects:
· Creating a Purim shpiel to perform for the rest of Netivot, or for the class parents. Crteate masks, costumes, script, songs,....
· Bring in a master storyteller (e.g. Michael Katz) to lead the class in exercises to learn the art of storytelling
· Create iphone videos of class members telling stories of all kinds….including Jewish stories, but not necessarily only Jewish
4th Grade Deep Dive #4: Clothing
To the teacher:
Human beings everywhere in the world are the only animals that wear clothes. Clothes protect us from the cold or from the sun, but we also use clothing to express ourselves. Almost any article of clothing “makes a statement.” Our clothes announce our personality to other people:
Flashy or subdued, sexy or modest, careful or relaxed, conventional or “rule-breaker.”
Special clothes like theatrical costumes, or uniforms, or formal attire, or religious garments all convey meaning and send powerful messages.
Finally, and importantly, clothing covers the “private” areas of our body.
Our Torah story of the first human beings tells of the first awareness of being naked, and the beginnings of clothing. Judaism teaches the importance of making good decisions about clothing, And that clothing is an important part of dignity and self-respect.
primary text: Genesis 3
When Adam and Eve were in the Garden “they were naked but were not embarrassed.”
After eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, “their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked.” They took fig leaves and covered themselves. Eventually, at the time of banishing them from the Garden,
God made garments of skin for them and clothed them.
primary mitzvah/value: Tz’niut: choosing appropriate clothing for any given occasion
Enduring Understandings:
1. Wearing clothes is a universal and uniquely human behavior
2. Our clothes protect us from the weather, but they also send powerful messages…and it is good to think about what our clothes say about us
3. The Torah’s first story marks the shift from nakedness to wearing clothes
Guiding Questions for Teachers
1. Describe your personal “style” of clothing—relaxed? Formal? What is your top priority? Look? Comfort? A statement? Have you ever consciously changed your “look?” When do you have trouble choosing clothes? What is your favorite item in your personal wardrobe?
2. Have you ever worn a uniform? What was the purpose of that uniform?
3. Have you ever worn a costume? What emotions came with wearing it?
4. In the story of Adam and Eve, how do you understand the connection between eating the fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil and knowing that they were naked?
suggested projects:
· Detailed lesson plans provided for an “I’ve Got to Be Me” Fashion Show
· Create a museum or slide show or picture book with different kinds of clothing and what messages they send
· Through a process of discussion and decision making, create a “dress code” for various aspects of CBB Temple life: what should kids wear when they come to Temple for Netivot? For services on Friday or Saturday? For their Bar/Bat Mitzvah/ etc.
· Prepare a dramatic presentation of the story of Adam and Eve, the snake and the Tree and the first clothing
· Making clothing for a purpose: possibly a duct tape tallit (unless this is still part of the 6th grade program)
· Learn about and create poster board presentations about distinctively Jewish clothing in different time of history and different countries