11 Ways a Gross Schechter Student Can Enrich Your Seder

Pesach is literally around the corner. Wondering what you are going to do to make your seder feel different this year than it did last year? Looking to get your kids more involved in the seder? Try out these suggestions from our faculty and students.

1. Ask a fourth or fifth grade student how having chickens in your house can make Passover cleaning easier.
2. Have a kindergartner talk about the feelings of the various characters involved in the Exodus story and see them empathize with them.
3. Discuss with a seventh grader the role of the rashah or wicked child and whether that child should be included or excluded from the seder.
4. Use the Haggadot made in the ECC.
5. Have a first grader explain each part of the seder and share their book about the main players in the Passover story.
6. Compare and contrast, with a third grader, the differences between an Ashkenazi seder (what most of us are used to) with a Yemenite seder.
7. Explore the text of the Haggadah with a fifth grader. Ask them to interpret what we are reading as we move through the Haggadah.
8. Have a 6th grader organize bedikat hametz (the search for unleavened products) and explain why the wheat for matzah is ok, but the wheat for bread is not.
9. Watch a 4th grader recline during the seder and have them explain why.
10. Get a math lesson from a 2nd grader as they unpack all of the ways that the number 4 is significant.
11. Listen as students from all grades recite the Mah Nishtanah.

For more ideas, check out these two blog posts from last year. And, of course, take a look at these videos from the folks at G-d cast.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

People of the Book(s)

As Jews, we are often referred to as people of the book. But while that usually refers to the Torah or the Bible, it could mean any number of books from the Talmud to the Zohar (a collection of kabbalistic writings) to any number of rabbinic texts. In fact, we are living in an era of an explosion of Jewish writing about a wide variety of topics from Jewish food to Jewish history to Jewish humor. Just check the shelves at Barnes & Noble.

Books are central to who we are as Jews. The stories and knowledge contained in them help define us, guide us and give us something to argue with. It is perhaps this deep relationship with the written word that makes the images of book burnings during Kistalnacht hit us so strongly.

Today, our first graders received their first real siddur during our Kabbalat Siddur program. Until now, they have been using a photocopied packet as they learn tefillot (prayers). For them, it is the first of many books that they will receive from the school and their parents on their path of Jewish learning. It is a moment that they have been eagerly awaiting for all year, and they were excited to have the eighth graders hand them their new siddur.

Our Kabbalat Siddur ceremony, however, was more than just an opportunity to present a siddur to our first graders (and we are excited about our new siddur - see below for more details about it). Today was a learning opportunity for all of our first grade families. Each family was asked to prepare a d’var tefillah  (a short presentation, talk or activity about a prayer). Our families learned together, shared their insights and explored our relationship with God as we explored tefillot from throughout the siddur. The excitement as each student stepped up to talk about their prayer was incredible. Everyone, students, parents, and staff, left the Merkaz this morning having learned something new.

Kol HaKavod to Hadassa Hoff and Marci Friedman on their hard work preparing our first graders for this morning. Mazal tov to the first graders and their parents! We look forward to marking many more moments together with you.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

P.S. For Schechter, today marks another first. It is the first time that we are giving out a brand new siddur. For years, we have given out the same siddur to our first graders, and you can still see many of them using it middle school. With the explosion of Jewish publishing, we took an opportunity this fall to survey the many new siddurim that have been published since the last time we had a conversation about this important text.

The content in each siddur that we looked at was similar. After all, the prayers that we use have been part of Jewish life for generations. Some had translations while others had other key features that resonated with us as educators. We explored each siddur, comparing them, looking critically at them and wondering about the decisions of the publisher.

In the end, our first graders will be the first students at Schechter to receive the beautifully written, Siddur Halleli Nafshi. Published by our sister school, the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston, Halleli Nafshi is a brightly-illustrated siddur that is engaging for daveners of all ages. We’re just as excited as the first graders to see them start using it, and we’re looking forward to placing copies in our Lower School classrooms next year.

Tomayto, Tomahto

I learned something interesting earlier this week. Did you know that there is no Hebrew word that means “to teach”? I was a little surprised by that announcement to roughly a thousand Jewish professionals and volunteers at the 2015 North American Day School Conference this week in Philadelphia.

To clarify, it’s not that you can’t say “to teach” in Hebrew. The word that we use is lamayd (למד), but it comes from the shoresh, or root, as the word that means to learn. Rabbi David Lapin explained to us that lamayd really means to facilitate learning.

“Tomayto, tomahto,” you say. “Teaching and facilitating learning mean the same thing.”

Except that they don’t.

In a model where we just think about teaching as the action, the attention is focused on the actions of the teacher, not on what is going on with the student. If we are facilitating learning, then the focus is on what the student is doing and on the outcome achieved by the student. You can teach a great lesson, but if you have no idea if it has been learned and understood.

With a conference theme of Uncommon Connections: Schools, Systems, and Success, each of the many sessions that I attended was pushing me to think differently about how we learn, examine the systems in place at Schechter and see how a slight shift in thinking might change my practice as an educator.

Another presenter shattered a metaphor that I have used for years to encourage more interactive and student-driven learning. I’ve frequently talked about not wanting to have teachers serve as “sages on the stage” delivering frontal lessons with mostly passive students. Instead, I’ve pushed them to be “guides on the side” as they support learning.

Conference presenter, Grant Lichtman, suggested throwing out that metaphor and, instead, thinking of our teachers as farmers. A good farmer lays out a boundary (think of this as the fence around the field), breaks up the tough topsoil and removes rocks, makes sure that the right amount of nutrients gets to the plants and judiciously weeds and prunes to ensure growth.

Lichtman’s metaphor for what we want teaching to look like aligns neatly with Rabbi Lapin’s assertion about how the Hebrew language wants us to focus on the process of learning, not on the process of teaching.

As a teacher, I knew that my students were truly learning when I heard the comment, “My head hurts.” Not from a headache, but from being engaged in such profound thinking that they were literally abuzz. Having left Philadelphia, I can truly say that my head hurts, and I’m thankful to Rabbi Lapin, Grant Lichtman, the other presenters and the conference organizers. I’m looking forward to continuing to share what I’ve learned with you and our staff and to see how to apply these things at Schechter.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

Todah Rabbah

Purim is one of my favorite holidays. Reading megillah, dressing up in costumes, and the vibrant energy that is part of the holiday are just a few of the reasons that it resonates so strongly with me. One of neatest parts of Purim is the exchange of mishloach manot (usually gifts of food) to friends and family. It has its origin in the text of Megillat Esther and has become an integral part of how Jews all over the world celebrate Purim.

Here at Schechter, it wouldn’t be Purim without our school-wide mishloach manot. These fun-filled bags of goodies, along with homemade hamentaschen, made their way home yesterday in the backpacks of our students (hopefully without being crushed or eaten) and were delivered throughout Cleveland by groups of volunteers.

As I was munching some of the contents of our mishloach manot at home last night, I was thinking about the hours of work that went into it and how fortunate we are to have so many dedicated volunteers who willing give their time and effort to what is not a simple undertaking. Too often, we take things for granted and therefore forget to say thank you.

In talking with our many volunteers over the last few weeks, I have been reminded that we need to do a better job of saying “Todah Rabbah.” Gratitude is incredibly powerful, both to the receiver and the giver. We as a school need to recommit to saying thank you.

To get the ball rolling, here are just a few thank you’s:

To Nancy Zimmerman, Julie Kaufman, Heidi Geis, Sylvia Kramer and their wonderful team of bakers, packers, and drivers for making mishloach manot continue to be part of how we do Purim here at Schechter.

To Rachel Lappen, Mary Anne Donovan, Kimberly Pleasant, the Koslen’s, the Purim Gala Committee and the tribute chairs who have organized an entire event geared at saying thank you to Mitch and Sheila (z”l) Balk and celebrating Schechter.

To Irit Slain, Lynne Yulish, and group of uninhibited Schechter staff who delighted the students with a Purim shpiel yesterday and to Dan Weiss for organizing megillah reading and the Purim Carnival.

To Jim Walker and Ellis Thompson who wake up early each school day to clear yet another coat of snow and ice from the front walk. Much to their relief warmer temperatures are forecast.

To our parents for being “All In” and responding to our challenge grant and exceeding the 85%.

To our students whose energy and excitement made sure that Purim was filled with joy.

To our teachers, office staff, and food services staff who continue to go beyond the call of duty to create a learning environment that is filled with fun, love and support.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School