What is more important in a Jewish country? Torah institutions or secular insitutions?

To have the Chanichim pretend that they are King David and have the oppurtunity to build up our Jewish homeland.

 

Building Israel:

 

Theme: What it means to build a Jewish country?

 

 

 

Age groups: Chevarya Aleph and Zach

 

Approximate playing time: 35 minutes

 

 

Skit: A skit showing King Shaul’s demise and King David’s ascension to throne.  Skit ends off with David asking: Hmm…I am King now!  My first law as King is that all of the Shevatim must use the same kind of money.  No longer will Shevet Binyamin and Shevet Naftali have different kinds of money.  From now on, the currency in this country will be Bnei Akiva dollars!!! 

 

Narrarator: Shmuel Hanavi prophecized that David ben Yishai would become the next King of Israel after King Shaul.  King Shaul tried to kill David several times but nothing ever seemed to work because he was afraid that David would steal the throne from him.  No matter how hard King Shaul tried, David just wouldn’t die.  One day, King Shaul and his sons were fighting in a battle against the Phlistim and they were all killed.

 

 

Shmuel: David allow me to anoint you with this olive oil!

 

 

David: I am sad that Shaul has died but it my job to fulfill the Nevua and become King.  Hmm…I am King now!  My first law as King is that all of the Shevatim must use the same kind of money.  No longer will Shevet Binyamin and Shevet Naftali have different kinds of money.  From now on, the currency in this country will be Bnei Akiva dollars!!! 

 

                                                                                                                

 

This week in Snif we will be creating the infrastructure within Eretz Yisrael.  Afterwards we will “work the land” aka play fun games.  The reward for playing these games must be Bnei Akiva dollars.   Next Shabbat in Snif we will have a Chanukah auction using our Bnei Akiva dollars that will earn the Chanichim special prizes so they should be on their best behavior!!!

 

 

Game: Explain to the Chanichim that in Eretz Yisrael, Bnei Yisrael paid a special Maaser to the King and this was very similar to the taxes that our parents pay to the American government.  The first thing that we are going to do today is create the infrastructure of Israel using cards that have names of things on them like Beit Knesset, Mikvah etc.!!!  The only catch is that you have a budget of 1000 Shekels.  So you won’t be able to build everything on the cards, you will have to pick and choose.  Remember, we are building a country in biblical times.  The 3-4 graders should work as a group while the older groups should be split up into groups of 2 or 3 and then should present their country to the group.  You might want to explain all of the items before diving them up into groups. 

 

 

Afterwards play Biblical Israel Trivia questions and reward the Chanichim with Bnei Akiva dollars.  Feel free to play other fun games. 

 

 

Mikvahs   As King it is my job to place Mikvot in an organized fashion based on the population density so that they can be easily accessed.

King’s Highway   As King it is my job to make sure that there is a major road that travels to the main destinations of Eretz Yisrael.  This road is the property of the government and other countries have to pay me to use this road.

 

Wall the cities   As King it is my job to make sure that all of my cities are fortified.  I would like to wall all the cities.

 

 

Army   As the King it is my job to strengthen the army so that I can protect my people from invasions.

 

Biblical Israel questions:

 

Blue are easier questions for Chevraya Aleph.  You can use the red questions, just give the kids 2 choices instead of 4 because that’s too hard.

 

Red are harder questions for Zach.  Zach should use the blue and red questions

 

 

1) David Hamelech conquered this city from the Yevusim and made it the capital of his country:

 

a)      Luz

 

b)      Beit Lechem

 

c)      Yerushalyim

 

d)      Har Grizim

 

 

2)      Our Avot and Imahot are buried in this city:

 

a)      Yerushalyim

 

b)      Chevron

 

c)      Shechem

 

d)      Har Evel

 

e)     

 

3)      King Shaul died on this mountain:

 

a)      Har Grizim

 

b)      Har Evel

 

c)      Har HaCarmel

 

d)      Har Gilboa

 

 

4)      The 4 giants Arba, Talmi, Ahiman, and Sheshai lived in the city:

 

a)      Kiryat Shemona

 

b)      Kiryat Arba

 

c)      Kiryat Gat

 

d)      Tzfat

 

 

5)      In the times of the Navi this region was considered to be part of the Eretz Phlishiti?

 

a)      Golan Heights

 

b)      Galil

 

c)      Beit Shean valley

 

d)      Gaza

 

 

6)      During the times of Shmuel Hanavi the Aron was captured here:

 

a)      Ashkelon

 

b)      Gat

 

c)      Ashdod

 

d)      Aza

 

 

7)      After the Aron was captured in Ashdod, where did the people of Ashdod send it?

 

a)      Ashkelon

 

b)      Gat

 

c)      Ekron

 

d)      Aza

 

 

8) After the Aron was sent to Gat, where did the people of Gat send it?

 

a)      Ashkelon

 

b)      Gat

 

c)      Ekron

 

d)      Aza

 

 

 

8)      Avarham Avinu built 7 wells in this city:

 

a)      Beer Shesh

 

b)      Beer Mayim

 

c)      Beer Sheva

 

d)      Mayan

 

 

9)      Yaakov had his dream where he sent the Malachim going up and down ladders here:

 

a)      Har Hamoria

 

b)      Chevron

 

c)      Beer Sheva

 

d)      Teveria

 

 

10)   Yaakov built a monument to Hashem in this city after he had his dream?

 

a)      Beit Sheshesh

 

b)      Ramat Shemesh

 

c)      Beit El

 

d)      Beit Luz

 

 

11)    Rachel Emienu died here after she gave birth to Binyamin:

 

a)      Beit Shean

 

b)      Beit Lechem

 

c)      Beit Mayim

 

d)      Yerushalyim

 

 

12)   We received the blessings from Hashem on Har:

 

a)      Eval

 

b)      Grizim

 

c)      Hamoria

 

d)      HaCarmel

 

 

13)   We received the curses from Hashem on Har:

 

a)      Eval

 

b)      Grizim

 

c)      Hamoria

 

d)      HaCarmel

 

 

14)   Shimon and Levi killed out all of the men of this city:

 

a)      Yerushalyim

 

b)      Chevron

 

c)      Pittsburgh

 

d)      Shechem

 

 

15)   Eliyahu Hanavi and the Baal prophets had a contest on this mountain:

 

a)      Shaul

 

b)      Grizim

 

c)      Hamoria

 

d)      HaCarmel

 

 

16)   This city was destroyed by Shofar blasts and was cursed never to be rebuilt again:

 

a)      Yeriam

 

b)      Yericho

 

c)      Yerushalyim

 

d)      Pittsburgh

 

 

Sicha: Ask them to explain their choices.  Be sure to stress that Israel is different from all other countries in that it is a Jewish country.  Should Torah institutions take precedence over cultural institutions?  What kind of balance should their be between the two?  Stress the importance of Torah in Israel.  What happended to the Jewish people when they didn’t keep the Torah in Israel?  (They were punished, famine, no rain, eventually Galut)