7th Of Adar- Moshe Rabbenu - ז' אדר- יום פטירתו של משה רבינו

Goal: We can learn a lot form Moshe Rabbenu, even by looking at the stories that we all know and remember from when we were young.

 For: Chevraya Aleph, Grades 3rd- 6th

Goal: We can learn a lot form Moshe Rabbenu, even by looking at the stories that we all know and remember from when we were young.

Peulah: Ask the chanichim to think of a role model. Who can they think of?  Why is that person a role model to them? What are his Midot that make him a role model?

There are a lot of people in the Tanach, a lot of leaders of Am Yisrael. Why is Moshe's birth and death day remembered, while other’s are not? Each Chanich will get a questionnaire (#1), with questions about situations in everyday life. This will be used to measure how much Midot factor into their day to day decisions and situations. Discuss what way is really the right one in each situation. If they can think of better ways to resovle the situations give let them give other ideas. Try to disscuss why; is there a better way to do things? Should we make decisions based only on what's comfortable for us or should we take others into account – and to what extent?

Divide the Chanichim into a few groups. We will start by handing out cards that have stories that happened to Moshe Rabbenu (#2). Each group will have about 7 minutes to practice the situation given after that they will act it out in front of the entire Shevet. After every performance, take a vote to see what Midah the Chanichim think was shown in that story. Do leaders need to have certain traits or can anyone that has power from money or physical strength be a leader? The main traits that can be seen through these short stories are his leadership, compassion, humbleness. He was not driven by his own needs and his own agenda, he always thought of the other and how to help them. We can learn a lot from him! He is very different from the leaders that we have now.

Ask the Chanichim to look inside them and try to think if they have any of these Midot in them. Do they have to work on themselves?

In the end of the Peulah ask again who are their Role Models and see if any of them changed their minds- if any of them changed their pick of role models ask them why...

#1- Questionnaire

1. You're in a big hurry, you're on your way to a friend’s house and you're already missing the beginning of the movie you're going to watch. You just remembered that you promised your mom you'll take out the trash when you go out. What do you do?

A. Stop, turn around, go back inside and take out the trash you, don't want your mom to be upset.

B. Try to think of a great excuse to tell you're mom and continue walking- you're not going to miss the movie.

C. Run back inside, call your friend and ask him to wait with the movie and take out the trash.

2. Your friends made up a song about one of the girls in your class- the song isn't very nice. If she sees it she'll get really insulted, on the other hand you don't want to tattle tale... What would you do?

A. It's not my job to defend everyone, she'll deal with it. I'm not going to be the one to tell!!

B. Try to get rid of any paper you see with the song on it. This way maybe you’ll be able to make the damage smaller.

C. Go to the kids that wrote the song and tell them why what they did is wrong and they shouldn't show the song to anyone else.

3. Your little sister has homework to do and she really needs your help, but you're in the middle of watching your favorite TV show. What would you do?

A.  Ask her if she minds waiting for while- just until the show is over.

B. Continue watching the show- this is after all my favorite show, why should I miss it.

C. Say I can always watch TV, plus there will for sure be reruns, I can even tape it, I’ll help my sister because she really needs me.

4. Your mother says that you and your brother can't go out until the dishes are washed. Only thing is, your brother really wants to go out but you don't and there are a lot of dishes to wash in both sinks. What would you do?

A. Go to my room and do whatever I want. I'm not the one that wants to go out so why should I have to help out?

B. Help him out, after all I might need him to help me at some point so I better do something to help him too.

C. Tell him I'll do whatever's left from the dishes after he washes some of them and he can go out faster then if he does it alone.

5. Your best friend's birthday is coming up and you want to throw a party for her. You plan something huge for the entire class, then you remember that someone else in your class has a birthday on the same day. What would you do?

A. make a party for my best friend, the other girl's best friends can throw her a party- I don't need to.

B. Go to that girl's best friends and remind them it's her birthday maybe even give them some ideas for things to do for her.

C. Have a double party, that way more people come and the other girl will not get hurt.

#2

Situations in Moshe's life:

- " And Moshe's hands were heavy and they took a stone and put it underneath Moshe and he sat on it." (Shemot) Didn't Moshe have one pillow or one blanket to sit on? -Moshe said: Since Bnei Israel are under so much sorrow- I will join then in their sorrow. (Ta'anit)

- When Moshe ran away from Egypt he arrived in Midyan next to a well. The seven daughters of Yitro came to the well to water their herd. Other shepherds came and kicked the daughters away. Moshe got up and helped the daughters give water to their sheep.

- " And he saw their suffering" Moshe cried and said I feel bad for you, I wish I could die with you, the building job is the hardest, and he would help each one of Bnei Yisrael, and would put down his fancy dagger. He would go and try to help them and he would pretend like he was helping Pharaoh. When he saw that they didn't have a day to rest he went to Pharaoh and told him: Whoever has slaves and he doesn't give them a day to rest every week his slaves will die. And your slaves if you won't give them a day to rest they will die. Pharaoh told him to go and do whatever he wants, so Moshe went and gave them Shabbat as a day off to rest. (Shmot Raba)

- When Moshe was guarding the sheep in the desert, one of the small ones ran away, Moshe ran after it until he reached a place that had a small water pond and Moshe saw the small lamb drinking from the water. Moshe told the small lamb: “I didn't know that you ran here because you were thirsty, now you are probably tired." Moshe picked up the small lamb and carried it on his shoulders back to the herd. God told Moshe: "You have Rachamim (mercy) to lead a herd of people, and I promise you the you will be the shepherd of my 'herd'".

- Moshe was walking and he saw an Egyptian man hitting a person from Bnei Yisrael. Moshe went to help the person from Bnei Yisrael and he ended up killing the Egyptian man and burying him in the sand.

- When Moshe came down for Har Sinai for the first time he saw that Bnei Yisrael made the Egel Hazahav. Hashem told him: " Look at this nation, they are stubborn. Now let me get my anger out and wipe them out, and I will make you into a big nation." Moshe did not except this: “Why should you be mad at the people that you took out of Egypt with lots of strength and a strong arm? Why should the Egyptians say that You took Bnei Yisrael out with bad intentions, you took them out to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth. Come back from you anger...." And he goes on talking about the promise that was made to our Fathers...

Written by- OFRA KOREN AND SHIRA KATZ.