Shabbath Hagadol - the felt lamb

The Shabbat which precedes Passover is called Shabbat haGadol, the Great Sabbath, for many and varied reasons, as we shall explain below.
There are also many special customs associated with this Shabbat. It was in Egypt that Israel celebrated the very first Shabbat Ha-Gadol on the tenth of Nissan, five days before their redemption. On that day, the Children of Israel were given their first commandment which applied only to that Shabbat, but not to future generations: On the tenth day of this month [Nissan]... each man should take a lamb for the household, a lamb for each home
This mitzvah of preparing a lamb for the Passover offering four days before it was to be brought, applied only to that first Passover in Egypt, and the Torah does not tell us that we must continue to do so before every future Passover. Nevertheless, the people continued to do this to make sure that their lambs had no blemishes which would preclude their being sacrificed.

 

This is a felt lamd for Shabbath Hagadol with chidren.
The lamb is an ornament, it can best be used as a decoration on your children bed or it can hang from anywhere you wish!
It is made from white felt with black felt accents. A white satin ribbon is stitched securely so it can hang. Is is stuffed and is 3" tall.

Pesach cootie catcher

Using the blank cootie catcher template and adapting it to teach children about Pesach.

download the template HERE

 

Prepare your paper. To make a cootie catcher, you must use a piece of paper that is in the shape of a square. If you have a rectangular piece of paper, you can fold it into a square and cut off the excess. To do this, fold one corner of the paper diagonally across until the edges line up. There should be a long rectangular piece of unfolded paper left on the bottom, which should be removed by cutting or tearing.

Fold your paper lengthwise. With your paper now in the shape of a square, fold it in half so that the edges line up and you’re left with a rectangular shape. Crease the edge so that the fold is defined and secure. Then, unfold the paper back into the shape of a square.

Fold your paper widthwise. When your paper has been unfolded back into its original square shape, fold it in half again but this time in the opposite direction of the previous fold. Crease the fold to keep it in place, and then unfold the square again. The square should have a large ‘X’ going through the center of it now.

Shabbath HaChodesh - welcoming Nissan

Shabbat HaChodesh ("Shabbath of the month" שבת החודש) precedes the first of the Hebrew month of Nissan during which Passover is celebrated. 
On the first day of Nissan, G.d presented the first commandment of how to "sanctify the new moon" (kiddush hachodesh) for the onset of Rosh Chodesh and thus Nissan becomes the first month of the Jewish year (counting by months.).
The spiritual cycle of the Jewish year depends on an interaction among the flow of holidays, the marking of Rosh Chodesh (the new month) and the weekly Shabbat (Shabbath) observance. The holidays permeate the surrounding Shabbatot with holiday themes. These special Shabbatot may create the mood for an upcoming festival, reflect or enhance festival themes, or ease the transition from a festival back into the weekly flow of Shabbatot.
Shabbat Hachodesh and our extra torah reading is from Shemot, the initial commandment and description for observing Passover, to remind us to prepare for the holiday.
Passover is the quintessential spring holiday it is about the birth and renewal, of our people, of the earth and of freedom from oppressive power.

Welcoming the month of Nissan and springtime with pebbles art

 

Spring nature paper dolls

 

Mini crochet baskets set for spring

Mini baskets, crochet, cotton, spring and handmade...

I made five baskets  in 2 different colours, one basket is a breeze to make,  it takes about 15-20 minutes to make, more or less depending on your speed and skill level.  You could whip up a few baskets and they will make great gifts to surprise the little ones.
Gather:
1 x 8 ply cotton yarn ball in your choice of colour/s
4mm  crochet hook
Scissors
Yarn needle
Satin ribbon

CHAG PURIM SAMEACH

PURIM SAMEACH to everybody! We are few hours from renewing our uniting prayer and
I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Purim!

Last minute Purim Tags

Click and print...

Hamantaschen

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1-5 tsp water (if needed)
You will also need
Large mixing bowl, electric mixer, sifter, pastry scraper, rolling pin, 3-inch cookie cutter or drinking glass with 3-inch diameter rim
Servings: About 35 hamantaschen
Kosher Key: Dairy

1) Find a great dough recipe. Often, the problems people have with baking hamantaschen can be traced to an inferior dough. Here are two foolproof, tasty dough recipes that I highly recommend. They are easy to handle and shape, and they provide great results when baked:
2) Roll your dough out to 1/8 inch thick (or less). You want your dough to be as thin as possible, while still being thick enough to maintain the cookie’s structure. 1/8 inch seems to be the magic number; sometimes I roll mine out even thinner than that. For a more doughy texture you can roll it thicker, but remember– the thicker the dough is, the harder it will be to handle and shape. Thick dough is also more prone to opening/spreading in the oven.

Homemade Mishloach manot

Homemade Purim baskets parade...

Chalkboard paint jars as a mini Purim basket

All you need to make your own chalkboard paint jars is chalkboard paint, painter's tape, and chalk. Not only will your jars be quickly reusable, you'll easily be able to distinguish between your friends mini Purim baskets, and the hamantaschen you have stored in your jars. You'll have the cutest mini baskets jars to add at your Purim baskets ideas.

tools:
foam paint brush
painters' / masking tape
straight-edged blade

materials:
clean glass jars
chalkboard paint

Clear box Purim basket

A clear box with compartments is repurposed as a mishloach manot to hold a variety of little sweet and food to give away for Purim.

 Box cover pattern 1

 box cover pattern 2

Paper Mishloach Manot

Paper baskets are useful around the house and make great gifts. They can be made using materials you already have and are a fun and easy craft for any age

  Prepare strips of paper to weave your basket. Use three sheets of 8.5" x 11" construction paper. On the sheet of paper to become the base of your basket, draw a horizontal line 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) from the top and another one 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) from the bottom. These lines will help when laying out the base. Then cut the paper lengthwise into strips .5" wide. Choose one sheet of a neutral color of construction paper like brown, black, or white. This will be the base of your basket. The other two sheets can be any color of your choice. This will form the decorative sides of your basket. 

Purim paper boxes

Easy to make this small paper box can be put in your Purim basket filled with candies or dried fruits.
Just print, cut and fold...colour the Purim characters if you like.

 

 TEMPLATE

 

Download the template

 Purim milk box

 TEMPLATE

 

download the template

Striped gold and blue milk bottle

..."He Brought Me to the House of Wine”
Ten different feasts are mentioned in Megillat Esther, each characterizing a significant stage in the development of the plot and the message that the Megilla tries to convey.
Feast celebrating the coronation of Esther (2:17-18):
And he placed the royal crown on her head and coronated her in place of Vashti;
And the King made a great feast for all his ministers and servants;
And he granted a remission of taxes to the provinces;
…In accordance with the King's bounty.

Upcycle a milk bottle to create a luxury bottle for the King's feast and to decorate your Purim festive table.
If you have some glass milk bottles put them together and re-purpose them into luxury persian bottles…
What you will need:
Glass milk bottles.
Gold spray paint and light blue spray paint ,use a Quick Dry paint ,it really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with.
Masking Tape
Wrap the masking tape around the milk bottle to mask off the areas you would like to be clear. If you want smaller stripes you could always cut your masking tape in half.
With the bottle standing up spray the entire surface area with gold spray paint.
Wait until the spray paint is completely dry and peel away the masking tape.
Do the same now with the blue paint covering the gold stripes.
Glue some glittered , gold trimmings between the stripes

What you will need:

What you will need:

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

 

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpuf

What you will need:
Glass milk bottles
Gold Spray Paint – I used Dulux Quick Dry and I love it. It really did dry fast with no drips or running which made it super easy to work with (and no I’m not sponsored by Dulux!).
Masking Tape
- See more at: http://www.bonjourberry.com/2013/10/#sthash.pyX9pZtW.dpu

Feasting and Fasting in Megillat Esther .  By Rav Yonatan Grossman
Let us review briefly these ten feasts and , based on them , the development of the Megilla: 

Purim:the story of Esther

The heroine of the book named for her, Esther is a young Jewish woman living in exile in the Persian diaspora, who through her youth and beauty becomes queen of the Persian Empire, and then by her wits and courage saves the Jewish people from destruction. The message of the Book of Esther, written in the diaspora in the late Persian, early Hellenistic period (fourth century b.c.e.), gives encouragement to the exiled Jews that they, although powerless in the Persian Empire, can, by their resourcefulness and talents, not only survive but prosper, as does Esther.
Esther first appears in the story as one of the young virgins collected into the king’s harem as possible replacements for Vashti, the banished wife of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I, reigned 485 - 465 b.c.e.). She is identified as the daughter of Avihail (Esth 2:15) and the cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai, from the tribe of Benjamin (Esth 2:5 -7). Not much is revealed about her character, but she is described as beautiful (2:7) and obedient (2:10), and she appears to be pliant and cooperative. She quickly wins the favor of the chief eunuch, Hegai, and, when her turn comes to spend the night with the king, Ahasuerus falls in love with her and makes her his queen. All this takes place while Esther keeps her Jewish identity secret (Esth 2:10, 20).

Make this little paper  theatre to tell the story of brave Esther.

Download the PDF template theatre and puppets at THE TOY MAKER.COM

read more at Esther: Midrash and Aggadah
keep reading the story of Esther

Gragger and Meghillat case

Purim is just around the corner, and my children wanted a gragger and meghillat case project to do all by themselves... and they did it!!

While the one my kids did is a simple revisited noisemaker let's spend Jìjust few words about the "dragger".
A ratchet, also called a noisemaker (or, when used in Judaism, a gragger or grogger (etymologically from Yiddish: גראַגער‎) or ra'ashan (Hebrew: רעשן‎)), is an orchestral musical instrument played by percussionists. Operating on the principle of the ratchet device, a gearwheel and a stiff board is mounted on a handle, which rotates freely.
The player holds the handle and swings the whole mechanism around. The momentum makes the board click against the gearwheel, producing a clicking and rattling noise. A popular design consists of a thick wooden cog wheel attached to a handle and two wooden flanges that alternately hit the teeth of the cog when the handle turns. Alternatively, smaller ratchets are sometimes held still or mounted and the handle turned rapidly by the player. The mounted ratchets allow for greater control of the duration and timing of the sound. This allows the ratchet to be used like a snare drum, placing sustained rolls in precise durations of time. Dynamics are controlled by the rate at which the ratchet is rotated.