Torat Yisrael children get hands-on Passover lesson

Grades 6-7 at the maror, korech and shulchan orech station with Rabbi Philmus. /DORI ADLER

Students at Temple Torat Yisrael’s Cohen School had an exciting time on March 29 participating in “Leaving Egypt” Passover program. The program offered an engaging and meaningful approach to fulfilling the commandment to remember and tell the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt from generation to generation.

Teachers and parent volunteers facilitated this experiential program during which the students participated in hands-on activities that engaged all of their senses and allowed them to make a personal connection to the Passover Seder and the story of our exodus from Egypt. The students were able to touch, hear, smell and see the wonderful experiences of the holiday of Passover. Each station was researched and designed as a sensory way to experience the Seder steps with their teachers and student body.

The groups, separated by classes, were assigned a tribe of Israel (Benyamin, Naftali, Dan, Judah and Levi) and were provided with a map of the Seder steps. They were then sent on a journey to freedom.

At the first station, students drank juice for kiddush, washed their hands for ur’chatz, and dipped their karpas in saltwater.

Passover, also called Hag ha’matzot (the holiday of matzah) provided the school with the opportunity to explore some questions that our students have asked. Is it hard to make your own matzah? And does it taste different? In the hope of answering these fantastic questions, the next station, Yachatz, enabled the students to make homemade matzah. The experience was really messy and fun! All of the students measured and mixed, and rolled out the dough, and watched the clock to make sure it was completed in the 18 minutes allowed. It was a success! The students tested the difference in texture and taste between traditional boxed matzah and homemade. And they sure tasted different!

Excited, the students moved to the next Passover station, Maggid, and sang the Four Questions with help from Rabbi Philmus and his guitar. Then, encouraged to ask questions, they wrote down four questions about Passover for the rabbi to answer. This assignment yielded many insightful questions by all age groups.  Samples included: Why do we recline at the Seder? Why do we eat macaroons? Why do we hide the afikoman? Why do we need to get rid of hametz? Why do we tell the story of Passover? Why do we read from the Haggadah? How do we choose certain foods to represent different parts of the Seder? Why did God choose Moses to free the slaves from Egypt? Are licorice or jelly beans kosher for Passover?

Continuing through their Passover journey, the students washed their hands (rachtzah) and joined together as a class to bless the matzah. Next, they visited their favorite table – maror, korech and shulchan orech. There, they assembled their own haroset with apples, cinnamon, juice and nuts. The students ate Hillel sandwiches and enjoyed other kosher for Passover delicious goodies. They explored their taste buds with spicy horseradish and sweet macaroons.

Finally, they were in the search of tzafun, and explored their classrooms looking for hidden chocolate matzah. Once they ate their dessert, the whole school came together in their tribal camps and sang beautiful songs with Rabbi Philmus and their friends to complete the Passover journey to freedom.

DORI ADLER is education director of Temple Torat Yisrael.