אגדות חז”ל
סְּפָרִים
Book-Related Family Activities
A discussion on reeds and cedars
You may enjoy discussing flexibility and stability in life. You may want to share examples from everyday life. Situations in which we behave like cedars, rooted in our positions, or situations in which we are agile, changing our behavior or opinion. What happens when we realize that our desires cannot be met as we expected them to be?
The Reed and the Cedar
Listening to a story
The Reed and the Cedar
An exercise in physical flexibility
You may enjoy sitting opposite one another, inhaling and lifting your arms up at your sides until they are straight up. Next, exhale while lowering your arms until they reach out in front of you. We recommend doing some short exercises each time and gradually add more. Enjoy!
The Reed and the Cedar
A game of reed-cedar
What’s the opposite of reed? Cedar! And what’s the opposite of hot? Cold! And the opposite of old? Young! What’s the oppostive of…flexible? stable? sour? baby? Take turns saying a word and having the other players come up with its antonym. By the way, what’s the opposite of… opposite?
The Reed and the Cedar
The Reed and the Cedar
Family reading tips
Adrianus (Hadrian) was a Roman emperor from 117 to 138. The Roman empire thrived under his reign. Adrianus suppressed the Bar Kokhba revolt and enacted regulations against the Jewish people. In the Talmudic legends (Midrashim) he is described as a wise and well-educated emperor, but also as being cruel. He is often cited as the main cause of the destruction of Judea.
A Basket Full of Figs
Basket full of gifts
Special gifts are passed through generations: a family story, a tasty recipe or a unique holiday tradition. What important gift did you receive from your parents, grandparents or other family members?
A Basket Full of Figs
A Basket Full of Figs
Past to future
Take a look around the house: What items can you find that were made in the past? Can you find things that were created recently which can be used by future generations? Maybe a new building being built, a playground, a school or a grove?
A Basket Full of Figs
Make a family album
The old man in the story left figs for future generations, and we are left with the story. Why not create a family album with family photos and stories. You can add photos from trips or special occasions, and share stories of things you experienced.
A Basket Full of Figs
Find more arts and craft projects, songs and other activities on Sifriyat Sifriyat Pijama Library’s Pinterest page.
A Basket Full of Figs
Family Activities
The characters described in the stories are often referred to as Our Rabbis, or in Hebrew, Hazal, which is an acronym for Hakhameinu Zikhronam Livrakha – Our Sages of Blessed Memory. After you have read the stories together, you may want to talk about sages and wisdom with your child. How do we classify a person as a “sage”? Who do we define as sages these days? Are we aware of different kinds of wisdom?
A Treasury of Hebrew Legends for Children
Were you already familiar with some of the stories included in this book?
Were you already familiar with some of the stories included in this book? Perhaps you heard them as children, and would like to share with your child who told you these stories, and what you learned from them. Did you enjoy the stories?
A Treasury of Hebrew Legends for Children
Some stories have several versions
Some stories have several versions. Are you familiar with any other version of the stories included in this book (found in Sefer HaAggadah, the Talmud or other sources)? You may want to look for these stories together, and compare them.
A Treasury of Hebrew Legends for Children
The legends of Our Rabbis and Midrashim
The legends of Our Rabbis and Midrashim have been passed down by Jewish communities from one generation to the next, whether in written form or orally. Do you have a story in your family that you heard from your grandfather or grandmother, one that has been passed down throughout the generations? You could continue this generation chain by telling it to your child.
A Treasury of Hebrew Legends for Children
You could ask your child which of the stories included in this book was their favorite
You could ask your child which of the stories included in this book was their favorite. You may want to think of its significance in this day and age together. Which character do you identify with? How would you have reacted in a similar situation?
A Treasury of Hebrew Legends for Children
You may want to choose one of the stories and act it out
You may want to choose one of the stories and act it out. You could even look around the house for relevant costumes and accessories (fabrics, capes, pitchers, etc.).
A Treasury of Hebrew Legends for Children
Do you know any other story told about the characters featured in this book?
Do you know any other story told about the characters featured in this book? This is a wonderful opportunity to equip your child with sayings and proverbs, as well as additional Hazal stories, and throw a “Proverbs and Stories of the Past” event. You may find the Aggadah stories for kids website helpful, or the full version of Shoham Smit’s book, A Treasury of Hebrew Legends for Children. You could also use other Hazal story collections, such as Yocheved Segal’s series entitled Ko Asu Hakhameinu, or Uri Orbach’s Hakhameinu Leyameinu.
A Treasury of Hebrew Legends for Children
looking at the illustrations together
You may enjoy looking at the illustrations together and asking your child to tell the story in their own words. How do the various animals respond to the rain? How has the illustrator chosen to depict the rain and wind? We don’t know what Rabbi Hanina Ben Dossa looked like, but we can imagine how he lived his life in those days, and what the Galilean landscape was like. Try to look for signs of the place and time in the various pictures.
A Story about Rain
dress up as the different characters and act out
You may want to dress up as the different characters and act out the story to your friends and family. Using facial expressions and hand gestures, you could imagine how grateful the birds and animals were for the rain, and how sorry they were when it stopped.
A Story about Rain
discuss the things that did not exist
Following the story, perhaps you would like to discuss the things that did not exist during the time of the Talmud, and make our winters easier, such as umbrellas, electric heating, and so on.
A Story about Rain
Do you like the rain
Do you like the rain and look forward to it? Perhaps you would like to discuss fun things to do in winter, and how the rain affects the flora and fauna. Have you ever had to cancel a planned trip or outdoor activity because of the weather? You may want to remind each other of such incidents.
A Story about Rain
"The whole world is at ease but Hanina is in distress?"
“The whole world is at ease but Hanina is in distress?”: What makes us happy does not necessarily make others happy. You may want to discuss clashing desires within the family, and the ways to cope with them.
A Story about Rain
ideas for rainy day playtime and entertainment
Perhaps you would enjoy making a box of ideas for rainy day playtime and entertainment. Ask your child to decorate an empty shoebox. In it you can keep little surprises such as stickers, crayons, marbles, soap bubble dispensers, and colorful notes with ideas for family activities on rainy days (word puzzles, reading, cooking and baking, and so on). Stow the box away, and only open it when it rains outside!
A Story about Rain
Who was Rabbi Hanina Ben Dossa?
Rabbi Hanina Ben Dossa was a Tanna – a Mishnaic sage – who lived in the Galilee some 2000 years ago. He was a wonderful man, and many tales describe his special qualities. Ruth Calderon, the author, based this story of Rabbi Hanina and the rain on the following short excerpt found on page 24b of the tractate of Taanit in the Babylonian Talmud:
חנינא בן דוסא הוה קא אזיל באורחא
Rabbi Hanina Ben Dossa was journeying on the road
אתא מיטרא
it began to rain
אמר לפניו: רבונו של עולם, כל העולם כולו בנחת וחנינא בצער?
He exclaimed: Master of the Universe, the whole world is at ease, but Hanina is in distress?
פסק מיטרא
the rain ceased
כי מטא לביתיה
When he reached home
אמר לפניו: רבונו של עולם! כל העולם בצער וחנינא בנחת?
he exclaimed: Master of the Universe, the whole world is in distress and Hanina is at ease?
אתא מיטרא
It began to rain
A Story about Rain
Family Activities
- You may enjoy looking through Danny Kerman’s illustrations throughout the book together. Can your child tell you the storyline just by looking at the series of illustrations?
- As a young boy, David enjoyed going for walks and getting to know the various creatures, as well as finding out their contribution to the You could go for a walk around the neighborhood with your child, look around and enjoy your surroundings, while asking each other questions such as: how do the trees, flowers, clouds, and creatures we see on the way contribute to our world?
- You may enjoy playing the game called “We need you in the world”: each player in turn names an object or animal, and together all players try to give as many reasons as possible for its necessity in the world.
- Have your children ever seen cobwebs? You could look for them in stairwells, neglected corners, and storage areas. You could also look for the spider, and perhaps even see how it spins its web!
- Using string or wool, you may want to make your own cobweb. In nature, cobwebs are white. What color would you like yours to be?
- This story is based on a tale about David as a young boy, before he became King of Israel. Do you know any other stories about King David? You may want to share them with your child.
King David and the Spider