Stubbornness and Success

We had a special visitor at Masa this week! Rabbi Brent brought his puppet, Effie, to help lead morning services! The children enjoyed learning sharing the service with the puppet, and they’re looking forward to seeing more of him.

Then we learned what happened after the plague of hail: Pharaoh continued to say that he would let the people go, if only the current plague would be lifted. And then, as soon as the plague wasn’t bothering him, he went back to refusing to let the people go. This continued with the plague of locusts and the plague of darkness. Finally, after the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh said the people could go… But everyone who remembers the Passover story knows his stubbornness didn’t end there. We’ll find out the end of this part of the story next Sunday!

Our students found a lot to discuss in this portion! They talked about when stubbornness is good, and when it’s bad. They wrestled with concepts like collective responsibility, and with questions of whether it was fair for the plagues to affect everyone in Egypt. They brought in stories they remembered from Midrash, and were surprised by how many details are left out of the story we hear at a Passover seder. They wondered about a darkness so thick it could be touched, and the oldest students spent more time exploring that idea with Cantor Ellen.

The kindergarten through second grade students also spent time making challah covers to go into the Shabbat bags they will take home at the end of the year. I would be proud to have any of the covers on my Shabbat table, and I encourage you to read to the bottom of this post to see pictures of each of the covers!

I want to say a special thank you to parents who have helped out with cleaning up from snack. I don’t always see who has come in to clean up, but it makes my job considerably easier, and I very much appreciate it! This week, I know that it was Sasha and Cate (Elan’s moms), and I was grateful to have your help!

Coming up:

Friday Masa, 4:00-6:00. There will not be stories with Rabbi Brent, or Mini Minyan, or a potluck. There will be a traditional Friday night service at 7:00.

Sunday Masa, 9:30-12:30. We will have a special program to observe both TuBishevat and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. I am aware that it is a long weekend, and you might be traveling. It would be great if you can let me know whether or not your children will be attending this weekend, so that we can make sure to have enough TuBishevat fruits for them.