Passover is coming!

Simcha raba, simcha raba, aviv higgiya, Pesach ba! 

Great joy, great joy, spring is here, Passover is coming! We’ve been singing this song at Masa, and our students spent time this weekend both enjoying spring and getting ready for Passover.

On Friday, the third through fifth grade students got the chance to do some cooking. We made gluten-free matzo balls, stuffed with cheese, and served along with tomato soup. This is not traditional matzo ball soup, of course, but we enjoyed playing with the textures and flavors, and created something we hadn’t tried before.

On Sunday, we spent time probing the meaning of prayer at the morning service. At snack, we listened to the passage about the Four Children from the haggadah. The oldest students use this time to practice reading Hebrew as an adult reads aloud, and several of our younger students have been eager to try reading Hebrew as well. We had some interesting discussions about different ways of teaching and learning. There were also a few digressions into ways that folks might enjoy being just a little bit wicked.

After snack, the third through fifth grade students went out to help BHA member Marisa Genna get BHA’s grounds ready for spring. When Marisa came in after the students had finished working with her, she let me know how hard they had worked, how well they followed instructions, and how much they accomplished. I knew they would do a good job, and I am proud that our students can be counted on to help make BHA beautiful as well as joyful! I didn’t get the chance to watch them at work, but I did see that they brought the same energy to discussing Passover when they came back inside.

The kindergarten through second grade classes continued learning about Passover indoors. They worked on seder plates, practiced the four questions, and heard some stories. Then it was time for a more hands-on activity: they learned that matzo has to be completed in just eighteen minutes, and they had the chance to try making some!

Afterward, one of the students reported, “At first, I thought it would be easy! But even if you can make the dough in eighteen minutes, it still has to bake! It was really hard.”

At closing circle, one of the songs we sang was “Ha Lachma Anya,” which means “This is the bread of affliction.” The matzo had cooled enough to be handled, so we passed it out to the children as they sang the song. I am very grateful to Maayan, Sasha, and Zakai for vacuuming up the crumbs in the social hall!

Coming up:

We will have a model seder on Sunday, April 14, at 11:30. Our haggadah was written by Ellen’s class, and illustrated by the younger students. Parents are always welcome to join us at Masa, and especially welcome to join us for the model seder!

Please bring food for the food bank, and for the cereal drive. We are collecting the food until Sunday, and then it will be delivered to the recipients before the BHA kitchen is cleaned for Passover.

If you know parents of children between the ages of 2 and 4, let them know about the BHA Preschool. Registration is now open to the general public, and there are still a few slots available!

If you are interested in Jewish summer camp for your child, but concerned about whether you can afford it, we have a limited amount of scholarship money available. Get in touch with Rabbi Brent for more information!

This weekend:

Friday Masa, 4:00-6:00. Mini Minyan at 5:30, kiddush and services at 6:00.

Sunday Masa, 9:30-12:30. Model seder at 11:30.

No Masa weekend of April 19-21. Enjoy the holiday and the vacation!