To learn about Jerusalem’s leadership in between the rules of Greece and Rome. To learn about the Essenes and their unique way of life.

Method: "After the Chashmonae victory in 165 BCE Yehuda the Maccabi ruled Jerusalem until 160 BCE, after him Yonathan ruled until 143 BCE, Shimon then ruled until 135 BCE. This was the beginning of the Chashmonae dynasty which continued under the rule of Rome." Now say that to your chanichim and we shall come back to it later in the conclusion and sicha. The game we shall be playing will be called "building a community"

Building a Community: Divide your Chanichim up into at least two groups, depending on how many kids show, it doesn’t actually matter how many kids are in a group, and if you only have like four kids it is probably better for them to be one group then two pairs as it is a conversational game. Tell each group they have $15,000 to spend and a 100 person community to build. Then give each group a list of "things" they can buy for their community, each thing has a price, and they cannot spend over the $15,000. Give them some time to discuss with their group about what they want to buy. Then, regroup and explain to everyone what you bought and why.

Concluding Points/Discussion: The Essenes were a very interesting sect of Judaism that was formed during the rule of Jonathan the Chashmonae king in 143 BCE. They lived in the desert in Israel (an area known as Kumran) in a self contained society. To join their community one had to receive permission, and go through a trial period. The Essenes all wore white, and dipped in the Mikvah constantly, as purity was an essential to Essene life. They produced what they needed and shared everything. Another interesting thing, was that the Essenes were the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Scrolls included various excerpts from all of Tanach except Migilat Esther, and they also include all of Sefer Yeshayahu.