From the Wings - METG

Kindergarten Mezuzah Detectives!

In connection with our recent Sh'ma Family Education Program, the students learned the Sh'ma along with special hand motions and taught their parents, made mezuzot for their home and decorated a bedtime Sh'ma pillowcase and received a special bedtime Sh'ma book that can accompany them to dreamland every night at bedtime. 

Recently the students heard the story The Shema in the Mezuzah: Listening to Each Other by Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso. It is a story about a community of people who all had mezuzot for their homes but did not know how to put them up on their doorposts. Some people in their community strongly believed that it should be put up "standing up" because we say the Sh'ma each morning when we wake up. Others strongly believed that it should be put up "lying down" because we say the Sh'ma every evening before we go to sleep. With the help of their wise and understanding rabbi, it was brought to their attention that actually a mezuzah is supposed to be put up "kind of" standing up and "kind of" lying down - thus it is put up on a slant on the doorpost - almost like a compromise - respecting both times of day when the Sh'ma is said. Once the people in this town paused to consider the rabbi's words, they began to recognize one another and listen to one another and their community was happier and more peaceful. And...all of the homes finally had mezuzot!

On another day, the kindergarten students became mezuzah "detectives" right here at school as we walked around the first floor and looked closely at the many different mezuzot that were on almost every door...When we stopped by the bathroom door and asked why there wasn't a mezuzah hanging there, a student said that it wasn't a holy place. Students were asked to pay close attention to the shape, material, design and color of the different mezuzot.

Kindergarten students learned about and tried touching the mezuzah and then kissing their fingers...

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Kindergarten Students' Mezuzot Observations...

When the kindergarten students got to the Main Office, they noticed that the mezuzah is in the shape of a half circle, made of marble and the shin is carved into the marble.

 Students described this mezuzah on the door of the Communications Office as being made of wood and having a smaller silver shin that means "Shaddai" - another name for God.

Students described this mezuzah on the door of the Beit Midrash to be rounded, slanted and made of marble.

When we looked at the mezuzah on Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Liptz's classroom, students shared many things: It was light brown, made of wood, in the shape of a semi-circle, had many Hebrew letters on it and there was a "klaf" (with the Sh'ma) inside of it but we could also see something was "not right" with this mezuzah. It didn't take long before several students noticed that the shin was UPSIDE DOWN! Then I shared the back story with the kindergarteners that the door had been recently painted so they took of the mezuzah and when they put it back up - it was put upside down. The plan is to correct it and put it right side up!

When students looked at this mezuzah on Dave Rosenberg's office, they noticed that it was a smaller version of the mezuzah they saw on the outside front door.

It is funny that although each of us walks in and out of the front door of the school five times a week throughout the year - some students hadn't noticed the very large mezuzah (the kindergarten students said it was the BIGGEST mezuzah they had seen at the school) on the outside front door of the building. At a closer look, the students read the plaque that says Purchased in Israel by the Class of 2010. The students observed that this mezuzah looked like it was made from rock, had a stripe pattern and a very large shin,

 Students loved this mezuzah that is hanging on the inner door to the front entrance of the building. They described it as being made of silver and wood and in the shape of a half circle. Also they noticed that the silver drawings looked like places in Jerusalem and they thought one of the pictures looked like a castle.

Students described this mezuzah on the Admissions Office as: the Shin is bigger on this mezuzah than on the others they saw. There is jewelry on it. It is rectangular and not a half circle. There are pictures of Jerusalem.

Students observed that this mezuzah on Mrs. Berks and Mrs. O's class had many more Hebrew letters than on other mezuzot they saw on the first floor. Also they described it as a half circle shape, made of light brown wood, leaning in, and thought the shin stood for Sh'ma. They learned that in fact, every mezuzah has a shin on it that is the first letter of Shaddai - a name for God.

 When students saw this mezuzah on Janie Brauer's classroom, the noticed the shin at the top of the mezuzah right away and described it as half circle, made of dark brown wood and having many Hebrew letters on it.

Some other mezuzot we looked at during our walk on the first floor...

Can you spot where these mezuzot are hanging on the first floor?

Where did your family hang the mezuzah you created at our family program?