The Habits of Sefer BeMidbar
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Date: Trimester 2, 2019-2020
Teachers: Rabbi Tavi Koslowe & Rabbi Zachary Rothblatt
Grade: 9th
Subjects: Beit Midrash
Project Description:
As our students studied the habits of agrarian civilizations in humanities, they complemented that learning with an exploration into Sefer Bemidbar (Book of Numbers) with a sensitivity to and appreciation for how many of those same habits of early civilizations were instilled within the fabric of our emerging nation.
Essential Questions:
How can an appreciation of the habits of agrarian civilizations shape the way we view the events and commandments found in Sefer Bemidbar?
How have historical events contributed to the design of our Jewish communities today?
Content:
Close textual reading of narratives and commandments throughout Sefer BeMidbar, including :
A summary chart of these connections between the Habits and Sefer BeMidbar can be found here.
Skills:
Project Deliverables:
A wooden obelisk that is surrounded by each of the following panels:
A student planning chart for the project can be found here.
As our students studied the habits of agrarian civilizations in humanities, they complemented that learning with an exploration into Sefer Bemidbar (Book of Numbers) with a sensitivity to and appreciation for how many of those same habits of early civilizations were instilled within the fabric of our emerging nation.
Essential Questions:
How can an appreciation of the habits of agrarian civilizations shape the way we view the events and commandments found in Sefer Bemidbar?
How have historical events contributed to the design of our Jewish communities today?
Content:
Close textual reading of narratives and commandments throughout Sefer BeMidbar, including :
- The encampment around the Mishkan - Ch 2-3
- The case of the Sotah - Ch. 5
- The complaints about the Manna and the 70 elders - Ch. 11
- Miriam and Aharon speaking slander about Moshe - Ch. 12
- The Spies - Ch. 13
- The gifts to the tribe of Levi - Ch. 18
- Moshe hitting the rock - Ch. 20.
A summary chart of these connections between the Habits and Sefer BeMidbar can be found here.
Skills:
- Acclimate to and utilize the Chavruta [learning in partnership] protocol
- Develop collaborative skills as students work together and share responsibility for the content and quality of their finished obelisk
- Develop interdependence skills as the success of the project depended upon the success of each individual group and each person within that group
- Physically construct a wooden obelisk from plywood, using precise measuring, cutting, drilling, and nailing techniques
- Depending on the artistic preference of the student, they would:
- Prepare a wooden panel for laser engraving
- Design a wooden panel with woodburning
- Design a wooden panel using an image transfer technique, either through a liquid transfer or heat transfer
- Develop an understanding of and appreciation for the historical contextualization of Torah sources
Project Deliverables:
A wooden obelisk that is surrounded by each of the following panels:
- Ten panels that represent how each of the ten habits of ancient civilizations was reflected in Sefer BeMidbar.
- One panel with an artist’s message that describes the image chosen in each of the ten art panels.
- One panel with a written narrative that describes a progression of the ten habits through Sefer Bemidbar.
- The top pyramid panels should display an idea/image/concept that represents the ultimate goal of a well-running Jewish civilization
A student planning chart for the project can be found here.