BAMIDBAR

Have a wonderful Shavuot.  Scroll down for a Har Sinai cake and Luchot Habrit cake.  Enjoy the fun Parsha cake too!

PARSHA PUZZLE:

We take something apart, time to count the men,

Carry it somewhere else and set it up again.

 From one month old, we are thought of separately,

The rest are into four and we are divided into three.

The firstborn were in charge, but then they all did sin,

So we changed roles with them and then we were let in.

One carried walls and pillars; we camped in the north,

We were extra careful carrying it back and forth.

Another carried curtains and roof coverings; we were blessed,

And when the day was done, we settled in the west.

And one group settled in the south and we were very able,

To carry the ark, menorah, vessels, screen, alter and a table.

In the counting, we’re 22,300 males,

Look in this week’s parsha to get all of the details.

So can you guess our shevet and name the three brothers too,

If you can find the answers you just guessed this clue.

PLAYING WITH THE PARSHA: 
This week we start reading the fourth of the five Seforim of Chumash. Sefer Bamidbar is called “Numbers” because of the numbering of the Shvatim.  There are many significant numbers in Jewish history.  We know for example that 40 is the number of years the Jews wandered in the midbar.  Play a numbers game around your Shabbos table.  Say a number and have everyone try to guess what it is connected to Judaism.  Give out a candy, cracker, chocolate chip etc… to the one who guesses the right answer.  See who has the most “number” of treats at the end.

Here are some examples and add as many as you would like:

49- Days we count sefira

10- Asweret Hadibrot

13- bar mitzvah

12- bas mitzvah, shvatim

969- number of years metushelach lived

613- mitzvoth

150- number of perakim in Tehilim

180- Years Yitzchak was alive

175- number of years Avraham was alive

120- life of Moshe.  We wish each other to live until 120

1-   1  is Hashem in the Heavens and the earth….

How many more can you think of?

Shavuot Luchot dessert!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

A dessert in the desert!

What you will need:

Sandy coffee cake recipe (see below)

Signs with all the shvatim names

Toothpicks to make flags

Signs for Gershon, Kehat, Merrari

Sign of the mishkan in rectangle shape or rectangle wafer.

Sandy Coffee cake:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup margarine

1 ½ cups sugar

5 eggs

1 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

Sift the dry ingredients. Cream the margarine and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add the flour with the orange juice. Add the vanilla. Pour the batter into a greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Pour the topping on top. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Topping:

 2 cups sugar

2-2 ½ cups of flour

4 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup margarine melted

3 tspns. Vanilla

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until the mixture looks crumbly.

After the cake has cooled assemble the shevatim the way they were encamped.

Yehuda, Yissaschar, Zevulun- on the right

Reuven, Shimon, Gad- on the bottom

Dan, Asher, Naftali on top

Ephraim, Menashe, Binyamin on the left.

Have a wonderful Shabbat!  Chag Sameach!!

(Shevet Levi- Geshon (west), Kehat (south) and Merrari (north) .

Shavuot Cake!

BECHUKOTAI

PARSHA PUZZLE:

We are now up to the last Parsha in Sefer Vayikra,

Bnei Yisrael needs to have their hearts in the Torah.

If Bnei Yisrael do mitzvos and will try their best,

Hashem will be proud of them, they will be blessed.

The first Bracha, Hashem promises rain, 

The second bracha, there will be an abundance of grain.

Hashem promises to keep enemies out of the land,

He will make sure there is peace and give us a hand.

Hashem will give lots of kids to husband and wife,

He will bless the whole nation to live a long life.

If we keep all the Mitzvot and perform them well,

Hashem promises that amongst us he will dwell.

Can you list a few punishments, if one doesn’t accept?

If one fights or gets angry and mitzvot haven’t been kept?

So remember dear readers, try to be a good Jew,

Hashem will look down and be so proud of you.

A Kiddush Hashem you will surely make,

Now we end with Chazak chazak Venitchazake.

Parsha in Action:

This week we come to the conclusion of Sefer Vayikra. We've learned about the dedication of the Mishkan and the korbanot. The Kohain Gadol received the rituals for Yom Kippur and Hashem allowed the Bnei Yisrael to do Tehuva on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

Vayikra teaches us many important lessons.  Hashem shows us that he wants to be a part of our lives.  If we follow in his ways and keep the Torah, he will be dedicated to us.

Write down words of bracha: rain, crops, trees, children, peace.  Add other words such as hands, feet, heart etc…   Each person gets one word and has to act it out.  Then everyone has to explain how that word could be a bracha or a klala (curse).  For example: rain, could be good for crops etc..  Too much can cause havoc (like in the mabul).

Next week starts Sefer Bamidbar, when the Bnei Yisrael takes the mishkan and prepares for 40 years in the midbar. 

Parsha Treat:

In this week’s Parsha, Hashem tells the Bnei Yisrael that if they keep the Mitzvot and learn Torah, they will be blessed.  Why not make your own Sefer Torah cake! Remember to handle it with care.

What you will need:

2 jelly roll logs

1 7x11 shaped cake (optional)

Fondant (optional)

Lettering and candies for decoration (optional)

Jelly Roll Log:

·         1 cup cake flour

·         1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         2 eggs

·         3/4 cup white sugar

·         1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         2 tablespoons pareve milk

·         1/2 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

·         1 cup strawberry jam

Directions

   1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.   Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper.

   2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and pareve milk. Stir in the dry ingredients gradually. The batter will be thin. Pour into the prepared pan.

   3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the center springs back when pressed lightly. Don't over bake, or it may crack.

   4. Generously dust a clean dish towel with confectioners' sugar. Turn the cake out onto the towel, and peel off the parchment paper. Gently roll up the cake using the towel, and let cool for about 10 minutes.

   5. Unroll the cake, and spread an even coating of jam onto the top. Roll the cake back up into a tight spiral, and remove the towel. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Double the recipe to make two scrolls.  You can attach them together and either use fondant to cover and  to make the bottom or you can buy the rolled cookies and stick four of them in both sides of each roll.  You can leave it as a closed sefer torah, or you can make another cake with any past Junior recipes and attach the jelly rolls on each end.  Decorate as desired.

Answer to Parsha Puzzle: (Hashem will bring sickness, famine and hunger throughout the land. Enemies of Israel will kill many Jews.  Hashem will destroy the Bait Hamikdash.)

Have a wonderful Shabbat!  Ruchie

BEHAR

 Happy "log" baomer! 

PARSHA PUZZLE:

Six years we are allowed to sow the field,

Prune the vineyards and gather the crop.

But the seventh year, there is complete rest,

All the work in the field must stop.

That year the harvest you cannot reap,

It shall be a year of rest for the land.

Hashem is teaching us an important lesson,

To your neighbor you must lend a hand.

And you should not think “kochi veotzem Yadi”,

Because of me I have everything.

Because we know all comes from Hashem,

Not from any human being.

You shall count for yourselves seven cycles,

The fiftieth year is Yovel- Jubilee.

You shall return each man to his heritage,

Return each man to his family.

What date did Hashem tell us to do so?

When we sound a broken blast on the Shofar.

If you know the answer to this riddle,

You are this week’s Parsha star!

PLAYING WITH THE PARSHA:

This week’s Parsha talks about the Shemittah and Yovel years.  There are many laws pertaining to Shemittah which is every seven years.  These mitzvot only apply to Eretz Yisrael.

There are nice middot we learn from shmittah.  When we are forced to leave our crops for anyone to take, we learn to give without expecting in return.

Shmittah begins on Rosh Hashana of the seventh year.  Shmittah means to let go.  The farmers must let go of the land and show trust that Hashem will take care of their livelihoods. It also reminds everyone that Hashem, not the land, feeds their families and takes care of them.

Discuss different acts of chesed that you can do.  You can go visit a hospital, make food for someone who is sick, help a neighbor etc…  How is it related to shemittah?

Another good game to play is the Trust game.  One player lets himself fall backwards and is caught by another player. This game teacheshow we need to completely trust another person.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

This week’s parsha talks about shemittah.  Why not make a fruit cake and a tree with fruit candy.

Everyone will be amazed by the “fruit” of your labor!

What you will need:

Fruit cake recipe

Paper towel roll and green construction paper

Fruit candies

Icing (optional) 

Fruit Cake recipe:

3-4 apples peeled and sliced

Cinnamon/sugar

4 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

3 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup apple or orange juice

3 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Slice the apples and sprinkle cinnamon in sugar (about a tablespoon or more of each).

Beat the eggs and oil.  Add the sugar and continue to beat.  Add flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix in the juice and vanilla.

Pour half of the batter into the tube pan.  Place the apples over the batter.  Pour the remaining batter over the apples.

Bake for 1 hour- 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the tree.  Cut strips from the green construction paper ¾ of the way down.  Roll it up and place it into the paper towel roll.  Pull the strips down so it could resemble a tree.  If you have round stickers you could add them on to look like fruit.  Place in the hole of the cake and add fruit candies around.

Answer to parsha puzzle: on the tenth day of Tishrei- Yom Kippur.

Have a wonderful Shabbat!  Ruchie