Monday, March 22, 2010

Tsav

Imagine you are a young child just beginning the study of Torah.
Now imagine that you are studying in a school in which VaYikrah is the first book you are studying, as it is in the most traditional Jewish educational systems.
The sixth, seventh and eighth chapters of VaYikrah make up this week's parasha.
Chapter 6, at least for the first 16 verses, describes an offering to God made from grain.
So far, pretty bland.  Not gory at all.  I think of it as a sort of holy noodle kugel.
The rest of chapter 6, and continuing with 7 and 8 is a little more vivid - animal fat, blood, body parts, more blood - not what I would choose as a starting point for entering into the study of Torah.

Here's how one person expresses the ideas in this parasha:
Command, a poem based on chapter 6 verse 6

Akhlah is described as The Jewish Children's Learning Network.
Here is their summary of Tzav.
What meaning would your students find in this summary?


And here is TorahTots with their explanation of Tzav.
I'm pretty sure this would not speak to my students.


Here's the challenge: How can you make this parasha important to your students? How about this?




From URJ, Ten Minutes of Torah

A song from Matisyahu, the frum reggae singer:
And here are the lyrics

Or maybe you just want to gloss over this parasha briefly and concentrate on Pesach, which begins a week from tonight!