2-Story

= THE S TORY = (connections to the "plain meaning" of the prayer)

** __ ACTIVITY IDEAS: __ **
Read through the אָבוֹת-אִמָהוֹת in Hebrew, and then in English.

**__ זְכוּת אָבוֹת __****//__ : __//****__ Merit of our Ancestors __** 1) What examples can students give where the first impression that someone has of them was because the person knows one of their parents (“Oh, you’re Joanie’s daughter”), or maybe the person knows an older brother or sister that was in school (or sports) before them (“Ah, you must be Todd’s sister!”), or because of something they belong to (“So, you’re a Girl Scout – that’s a great group!). While this impression could be good or bad, for this discussion, the focus will be on good reputations (i.e., merit). Ask students what they think are the advantages of being known to others because they are connected to via family or friendship to someone with a good reputation. Explain the use of the word “merit” in this circumstance and be sure that students understand its use in this context.

2) Use the זְכוּת אָבוֹת worksheet  to help students think about the ways that our ancestors either behaved, or how they specifically related to God. Options include:  · Cutting the slips apart horizontally and putting them in a bowl. Have each student pull a slip from the bowl, read the drawn slip, and then answer the question at the bottom.  · Putting the names of the patriarchs/matriarchs in one bowl and the information slips in another. Have each student draw a name and an information slip. Read both and see if they match. [This isn’t a very difficult activity, though the names in Hebrew are slightly different from the ones in English.] End with a general discussion about the importance of these ancestors in our beginning as the Jewish people.

3) Why does אָבוֹת-אִמָהוֹת begin with the repetition "God of our ancestors, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob?" The author of this blessing was reinforcing the phrase found in שְׁמוֹת /  Exodus 3:13-15 . To help students see this, divide them into small groups, give each group a חֻמָּשׁ (printed //Torah//) and ask them to turn to  שְׁמוֹת / Exodus3:13-15  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. There it     <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> tells us that when Moses learned that God wanted to send him back to Egypt to free the Israelite people, Moses asked who he should say sent him.

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">God answered, <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in;">“Tell them that the Eternal One, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in;">of Jacob[1] sent me to you. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in;">And that is my name for all generations.”

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">When we want to connect ourselves to God, we do so by remembering that both we and God have connections to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, as well as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel & Leah. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; tabstops: list .25in; text-indent: -0.25in;">· Create a class mural that connects students to the encounter of Moses and God at the burning bush, and to the ancestors invoked. On a sheet of bulletin board paper, have students sketch out a desert scene using crayon; make sure they press hard and also do this drawing with lines, rather than fully filling in the space with crayon-markings. Include a burning bush (also from crayon). Then, using white crayon, have students write inside the flames of the burning bush the names of the Patriarchs/Matriarchs. Also, in the space above the twisting flames, ask them each to write their name in white crayon. When done, give students water color paints and ask them to “wash” the color over the mural in colors that complete the scene (the flames of the bush might be in orange/red/yellow, the desert sands might be brown/tan, the sky in various shakes of blue, etc). The names of the Patriarchs/Matriarchs, as well as their own names, will stand out. When done, feel free to add a title that says “That is my name for all generations…” [To save time with this project, an option is to have a teen assistant create the mural with crayon, including student names in white. Then have the class paint with water colors, revealing the scene and their names.]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; tabstops: list .25in; text-indent: -0.25in;">· Talk with students about their connections to the אָבוֹת-אִמָהוֹת <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and to God, especially as a relationship that has continued through the generations. Children who might be part of an intermarried family need to know that they are part of this chain through the parent who is Jewish. Children who have a parent who converted to Judaism should learn that the Hebrew name of a convert includes the names Abraham and Sarah (as in “Avital bat Avraham u’Sarah”); those who have chosen Judaism are thus directly connected to our earliest ancestors. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When we say this prayer and connect to our אָבוֹת, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">we join ourselves to the Jewish people. These people are in the front pages of our family album: __we__ remember the good that they did, and __God__ remembers the good that they did.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4) There is a //midrash// about זְכוּת אָבוֹת <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> that the students might relate to from the Talmud (Shabbat 30a). The rabbis tell the following story when describing what Moses said when pleading on behalf of the Children of Israel after the sin of making the Golden Calf: <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">For when Israel sinned in the wilderness, Moses stood before God and prayed to God not to punish the Children of Israel. His prayers were not answered. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">But when Moses exclaimed, <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in;">'Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob//,// Your servants!' <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">he was immediately answered" and God didn’t destroy the people. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">In the same way, we also call upon the merits of our ancestors.  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Because of the merits of our ancestors ( זְכוּת אָבוֹת ), <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">God showed mercy. When we come before God in prayer, we mention our ancestors. This is in the spirit that WE do not feel worthy, nor as if we have merit; therefore we remind God that because of  זְכוּת אָבוֹת <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, we also wish to be shown mercy.

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">5) Direct students to the phrase that says that God remembers the good deeds of our ancestors:  זוֹכֵר חַסְדֵי אָבוֹת וְאִמָּהוֹת  . <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have students choose one of their ancestors, possibly the person for whom they were named, whether Jewish or not. Ask them to interview parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to find out the acts that person did that brought their family merit. Ask students: What types of acts do you plan to do that will bring merit to your family? What do you hope others will continue to do after you?

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">**__ Parallel of How we Behave before a King/Queen __** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6) Make sure that the students understand that the אָבוֹת-אִמָהוֹת <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">begins a whole section of our worship service called the  עֲמִידָה <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">. While in this particular unit a fuller explanation of the עֲמִידָה <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> isn’t appropriate (hopefully it happened earlier in the year), it is a good time to talk about how one behaves before royalty. We are respectful, bow, don’t turn our backs to them, etc. Here is a set of actual instructions for going before royalty: []

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">**__ Vocabulary __** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">7) Have children act out the following words, using a variety of images and commands:

גָּדוֹל גִּבּוּר נוֹרָא <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Each of these words are used in daily life, but in this prayer they describe God.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">8) The word בְּאַהֲבָה <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">means “with love.” It’s also part of the Friday night //kiddush//(twice) and is also used by good friends in signing off at the end of a letter. [Note that בְּ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">is usually translated “in,” but can also be used to say “with,” as is true in this situation.]

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">[1] Be prepared to answer if students ask why the Matriarchs are not mentioned in this selection from the Torah. One answer might be that the culture in biblical times was patriarchal – the men were considered the leaders.