As the Saying Goes...

We focused our Edot studies this past week on introducing Beta Yisrael proverbs. First, we started with a definition of a proverb as a short saying that is widely used to express an obvious truth, such as "The apple never falls far from the tree" or "You reap what you sow." I shared several Beta Yisrael proverbs such as "If you don't know the way, even a plain is like a jungle" and "One string braided with others is strong enough to tie down a lion." We talked about the language of proverbs, and how the local environment can influence the sharing of a universal truth. So Beta Yisrael proverbs reflected their world (lions, plains, jungles) but the truth they taught is true the world over - more can be accomplished when you cooperate than if you try to do it alone; if you don't know what you want to do or haven't planned ahead, even the simplest decisions can be difficult. 

Over the next two weeks, the students will work in groups to develop skits reflecting their understanding of 4 of the Beta Yisrael proverbs we discussed in class. They will be asked to create a situation and characters in the Ethiopian environment relating to the proverb, and the last line of each skit will have one of the characters saying the proverb. The skits will be performed during our Sigd Festival on November 22nd.

Yesterday, we painted posters which will be used as backdrops for the skits. First, we brainstormed a list of animals and plants that are found in the Gondar province, home of the Beta Yisrael, and I listed these on the whiteboard. As always, I put out all types of materials for the students to choose from, including paints, textiles, plastic leaves, vines and flowers, tissue paper, yarn, feathers - whatever I could find in our supply room that could be used to create a poster.

The process and results are recorded below:

Group discussion to plan the poster

Blending paints to get just the right color for "If you don't know the way, even a plain is like a jungle."

Looks like a lost soul in the middle of a wide open plain!

A lone tree in a field of grass?

Aha - the symbolic "jungle" justaposed next to the symbolic "plain." Another take on "If you don't know the way, even a plain is like a jungle."

There's a braided string on the poster - could it be...

...Indeed, it is - "One string braided with others is strong enough to tie down a lion."

And another take on the same proverb, using the plastic leaves and flowers...

Voila - the finished poster.

Everyone is in on the action - can you see the long trunks of the elephants?

"When two elephants fight, the grass beneath them is bent and broken."

No painting on this poster - instead, cutting out the animals from construction paper and creating the grass from felt

This poster (almost finished) depicts quite a battle going on in this group's take of the elephant proverb!

Using paints and materials to create...

"Slowly, slowly, the chicken's egg will get on its feet and walk."

And here's a second take on the above proverb, entitled, "Egg Evolution."

Who knew that the feet came out of the egg first?! Works for me!

During our weekday community-building session, we had fun with a game called, "In the Manner of the Word." Since Hannuka is the next holiday coming up on the Jewish calendar, I wrote 10 sentences on the whiteboard in the Beit Knesset having to do with the story and customs of the holiday. Then I wrote 16 adverbs on the board. The game is played by having one volunteer go out of the room, then another volunteer chooses one of the 16 words. The goal is to have volunteers, chosen by the first volunteer who went out of the room, act out one of the sentences "in the manner of the word" chosen. The volunteer who went out of the room gets 3 tries to guess the adverb chosen - each time s/he chooses another volunteer to come up and act out a different sentence (no words allowed - only gestures!). As you may well imagine, the actors can get into a lot of silly situations!

Bowing down to a Greek idol "clumsily"?

Lighting the Hannukiah "hungrily"?

The Jews entered the Holy Temple "idiotically"?

Try playing this game at home - maybe this coming Hannukah. It's a lot of fun!

And finally, I'd like to remind all the families that a notice was sent out last week about our Sigd Festival. Please let me know asap if your child(ren) can join us or not on November 22nd (the last Sunday session before our Thanksgiving holiday break). The session will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. (just one session for all the school that day!). We'll be dressing up in costumes, and will "climb" the mountain from Risa Road up to the Oneg Room, where we'll re-enact the celebration of receiving the Torah on Mt. Sinai as the Beta Yisrael community has done for centuries. It's the culminating event for our Beta Yisrael unit of study.