Teach More Than the Story!

 

1.         The Reading of the Megillah (Mikra Megillah)

If one hears the Megillah read, one fulfills the obligation as if one were to read it oneself; provided that the Reader is obligated to perform Mitzvot. It is, however, necessary to hear every single word, for if one has not heard the entire Megillah, one has not fulfilled his obligation.

 

The Festive Purim Meal (Seudat Purim)

It is a Mitzvah to have a sumptuous meal on Purim, including meat and wine.

This meal is held during the day. If one holds it at night, he fails to fulfill his obligation. Nevertheless, after the reading of the Megillah on the night of the 14th (in 'unwalled cities'), or on the night of the 15th after the Megillah Reading (in 'walled cities'), one's meal should be somewhat more festive than usual. One should wear festival clothing and rejoice.

The main Purim meal is held Purim afternoon and is preceded by Minchah. The meal is extended into the night. Most of the meal should, however, be during the day.

 

3.         Sending Gifts (Mishloach Manot)

It is obligatory to send a gift, which consists of at least two 'portions' to another person. Both men and women are included in this Mitzvah.

Only what is edible or drinkable without further cooking or preparation, is considered a 'portion.' One may therefore send cooked meats or fish, pastry goods, fruit, sweets, wine and other beverages. And it is more praiseworthy to send portions to as many friends as possible. Even better, however, is to give more gifts to the poor than to friends.

 

Gifts to the poor (Matanot L’Evyonim)

In the Megillah (9:22), where the Mitzvot of Purim are listed, this one is listed last. However, as mentioned above in connection with the "Seudah," the Festive Meal, of Purim, providing monetary support for the poor is probably the most important of all the Mitzvot of Purim.  Yet it tends to be minimized.  Proper observance of Purim would require the spending of at least as much on this Mitzvah of Purim as on any of its other Mitzvot.

 

http://www.ou.org/chagim/purim/mitzvot.htm

 

Are you going to celebrate this Sunday?  Are you going to have fun?  What about Purim carnival just in your class?  Each group in your class can create a booth/activity that teaches something about Purim, the mitzvoth or sections of the story.  Invite another class to participate with you.  Is acting out the story of Purim really exciting for the 6^th year in a row?  I challenge you to be more creative than acting out the story.  Create games, dances, a carnival or a treasure hunt to teach about Purim. Celebrate good times and be creative, Yahoo!

 

Cultural Literacy and Schema Theory

(That’s not a misspelling of shema)

“Hirsch roots his claims in what cognitive scientists call "schema theory." Schema theory lays out a picture of how people organize the truly astounding amount of background knowledge which they accumulate about the world. This theory asserts that such knowledge is organized into mental units called "schemas." When people learn, when they build knowledge, they are either creating new schemas, or linking together preexisting schemas in new ways. Many of the schemas which people develop are idiosyncratic. Everybody has different experiences, so everyone develops a somewhat different view of the world. However, we also share many common experiences. Most Americans have seen a baseball game, know who the President is, and have eaten at McDonald's. So, many of the schemas which people develop are shared schemas, ones which others have developed as well. Shared schemas constitute an important part of our shared cultural knowledge.

When people communicate, they depend on these shared schemas. Jay Leno can't make a joke about McDonald's unless he can reasonably assume that most of his audience has eaten there. The more background knowledge two people share, the less they have to make explicit in their conversations. This is the central observation on which Hirsch bases his program. His reasoning seems straightforward enough: In order to enable each American to communicate with any other American, we must make sure that every American shares a common set of schemas which may be taken for granted as shared background knowledge.

What is the Jewish “cultural literacy” list for your class?  What common set of schema do your students need to know to be able to communicate to other Jews in their age bracket? 

Your assignment is to develop a list of 30 “terms” or schemas that your students should and will know by the end of your year.   Please email me this list by Yom Limmud, March 30^th.  If you need help, ask for it.

You will give them a test towards the end of the year to make sure that they are culturally literate.  Have them research the set of schema on their own and share their findings in class.