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This Month's Torah Portions:
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Genesis Chapter 6, Verses 14, 19 and 20
During the Great Flood
Chapter 6, Verse 14
"Asai Licha Taivat Atzai Gopher, Kinim Ta'aseh Et Hataiva"
"Make yourself an ark out of Gopher wood, with compartments- you shall make the ark"
Chapter 6, Verses 19-20
"Umeekol hachai meekol basar shnayim meekol tavee el hateiva lehachayot eetach zachar unikeiva yihiyu. Meiha'of limeeneihu umeen habiheima limeena meekol remes ha'adama limeeneihu shnayim meekol yavo'ue eilecha lehachayot"
"From all life, all flesh, bring two of each kind into the ark to live with you. They shall be male and female. From each separate species of bird, from each separate species of livestock, and from each separate species of land animals, bring to yourself two of each kind to live."
Overview of the Biblical Text:
G-D chose to destroy the entire world by flooding it. In order to save Noah and his family, Noah was commanded to build a waterproof ark. Representatives of the animal kingdom were chosen to remain alive as well. Seven pairs (seven males and seven females) of each kosher animal (chewed its cud and had split feet) and a male and female of each of the non-kosher species, were brought onto the ark.
The Ark:
According to Rashi, the ark had three floors. The bottom story was for refuse, the middle had compartments for the animals, and the top one was for the people.
Rashi comments that the construction of the ark took one hundred and twenty years. G-D deliberately used this method for saving Noah so that people would inquire about this bizarre long term building project and perhaps repent for their misdeeds when informed of the impending flood. This never happened. Instead Noah was ridiculed for believing in G-D and on the 17th day of Heshvan, the downpour began.Noah and his family remained in the ark for over a year-- from the first rain until the ground dried up. Noah's primary responsibility on the ark was to feed and care for the animals.
Discussion Questions:
- Taking Care of Animals-When in the ark, Noah and his family spent their days and nights taking care of all of the animals. Discuss the type of care that animals need (food, drink, exercise, shelter, space, cleaning of cages, grooming, etc.) Discuss what the students can do to help take care of the animals that G-D created. Discuss pets that the students have at home and what they do to take care of their specific pets (goldfish, dogs, cats, hamsters, birds, etc.). Judaism teaches us that we should feed our animals before we sit down to our to eat our own meals. Ask students why we are taught to live this way?
- Taking Care of the Earth- Noah is given an enormous task - to save every bird and land animal God had created. We can only imagine how difficult it must have been to feed and clean up after all of these animals. This is the first example in Torah of the life saving of earth stewardship. And while Noah had to perform this task only until the waters of the Great Flood had receded, each of us is faced with the same challenge today. The earth is nothing more than a gigantic ark that contains everything God created and we are the modern-day Noahs. The question each of us must ask ourselves is "How well are we managing the ark?"
- Noah and the Ark-Here are some questions to stimulate class discussion about the story of Noah's ark:
Noah and his family were in the ark for over a year. How would it feel to be inside one place for a whole year?
Out of all of the families on the earth, G-D decided to save only Noah and his family. Why did G-D choose to save only Noah and his family?
Imagine that you are in Noah’s ark with all of the animals. Which animal(s) would you most like to take care of? Why?
Activity Ideas:
- Class Pet- This is a great opportunity to discuss responsibilities for taking care of an existing class pet or to adopt a class pet from the local ASPCA and to have the children take turns taking care of the pet.
- Animals and their habitats- Discuss animals and their habitats. Match pictures of animals to the environments in which they live.
- Mitzvah Ark- Create an ark-shaped poster to showcase "Mitzvah notes"-- notes that list good deeds that the students have done. G-D rewarded Noah by teaching him how to build an ark to save himself and his family. The "Mitzvah Ark" is a way to reward students for good behavior by proudly displaying their good deeds to the class. Chavie S. recommends this activity and says it helps improve children's behavior both at school and at home by reinforcing good behavior.
Directions:
- Cut an ark out of poster board, bulletin board paper, etc. and put it on a wall or bulletin board in the classroom.
- Post notes that list good deeds that the children have done at home and at school on the ark.
- Encourage parents to give children "mitzvah notes" for good deeds at home.
- Add your own "mitzvah notes" for good student behavior.
- Encourage children to observe their classmates and tell the teacher when someone has done something especially good. (For example, "Seth offered to share his toy with Susie when he saw that she didn't have a toy to play with.")
- Place an envelope (with a picture of pairs of animals on the front) near the base of the Mitzvah Ark where students can place their Mitzvah notes.
- Have a special time each day where you read the Mitzvah notes that are in the envelope to the class and then post them on the ark.
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