Kids’ Torah Portion Project: Pekudei

Candy Choshen

The last parshah in Exodus is often overlooked, but this project can help make it fun and educational for children of all ages. I did this for kids aged pre-K to 2nd grade and they LOVED it. This craft involves creating your very own choshen, or priestly breastplate, and solving simple puzzles in exchange for candies which represent the actual choshen’s gems. These gems correspond to each of the twelve tribes, adding another layer of knowledge for participants. Kids with names like Asher and Benjamin were thrilled to see their names in such a setting, as many reform religious ed programs don’t cover these biblical figures. So with that, let’s get down to business so you can start teaching young minds about parshah Pekudei!

Supplies

Vintage-style egg cartons: A 3 x 4 egg carton is important, as the actual choshen in the Torah was also a 3 x 4 layout. I got mine in bulk from this website: https://www.eggcartons.com/products/egg-carton-vintage

Candy I used: You need 12 different fun-sized candies for this project, and you can always substitute any of these if you need. The most important thing is the color, since it’s supposed to correspond to a specific gemstone.
Fruit Punch Tootsie Frooties
Hershey Bar
Smarties
Lifesavers
Mystery Airhead
Variety pack Jolly Rancher (you will be using all flavors, and may want to sort and separate them beforehand)
Almond Joy
Andes Mint Chocolates

Make Your Choshen!

There is a specific order to color the choshen before we can even think about filling it with sweet candy. I gridded all my egg cartons before passing them off to the little kids for coloring, but depending on age group, you can give participants pure blank egg cartons and have them create the grids themselves. Below is the template I printed for kids so they could color their choshen correctly.

The next step is matching the boxes they just colored to the correct tribe. Many of the kids I did this project with were unable to read, so they had a lot of help from grown-ups and only used the first initial when labeling, but for those who can read and write, this extra challenge can help make the project more engaging. This puzzle will requires writing the name of the correct tribe in the appropriate colored box.

Gad: Symbolized by CRYSTALS, since Gad was a numerous and well-known tribe

Reuben: Symbolized by a RUBY, which is red with a tint of pink

Judah: The deep green of an EMERALD symbolizes this tribe

Benjamin: Symbolized by JASPER, a red-orange stone

Dan: Leshem is meant to represent the tribe of Dan, but sources have argued on what this gem could be. The true answer remains a MYSTERY.

Levi: Symbolized by CARBUNCLE, a truly red stone

Zebulun: Symbolized by PEARLS

Naphtali: Symbolized by TURQUOISE

Simeon: This tribe’s gem is PARSE, which has a greenish-teal tinge

Issachar: Symbolized by SAPPHIRE and its blue color

Joseph: Symbolized by ONYX, a black stone

Asher: The stone that symbolizes this tribe can come in many colors, including yellow-green to symbolize the olive oil this tribe made or the PURPLE of the olives the oil came from

Candy Time!

Each candy piece should go in the tribe-specific egg carton dimple that lies under the coloring and labeling on the lid. Some are going to be slightly too big to stay in their proper dimple, but that is ok! Here is a cheat-sheet for which candy should match to which tribe/gem/dimple. It’s great if the candies are separated by type in different areas throughout the room to make it more of a ‘hunt’ to get them.

Watermelon Jolly Rancher: REUBEN (top right corner)

Green Apple Jolly Rancher: SIMEON (top middle)

Cherry Jolly Rancher: LEVI (top left corner)

Andes mint chocolate: JUDAH (second row far right)

Almond Joy: ISSACHAR (second row middle)

Lifesaver: ZEBULUN (second row far left)

Mystery Airhead: DAN (third row far right)

Blue Raspberry Jolly Rancher: NAPHTALI (third row middle)

Smarties: GAD (third row far left)

Grape Jolly Rancher: ASHER (fourth row far right)

Hershey’s: JOSEPH (fourth row middle)

Tootsie Frootie: BENJAMIN (fourth row left)

And with that, you’ve successfully taught about the twelve tribes and Pekudei, all while having lots of fun!

Rosh Hashanah: Fruit Charcuterie Boards

On Rosh Hashanah, apples and honey don’t always need to steal the show. Making a decorative fruit board incorporates the tradition of eating a new fruit while allowing participants to learn about the Jewish significance of the ingredients they use. While not all of the fruits I used had a Jewish link, you could definitely modify what fruits you use. However, more exotic fruits, though maybe not native to Israel or connected to deep Jewish history, still fulfil a Jewish purpose by being a “new fruit” for this holiday. Additionally, I challenged my group to arrange their sliced fruit to create an image with a deeper Jewish meaning, whether abstract or not. This activity is best recommended for those in 8th grade and above.

Supplies

Paring knives: I used Royal Norfolk from the Dollar Tree, which are cheap at 4 for $1.25. However, any paring knives will do.

Cutting Boards: I also got these from Dollar Tree, mine were 8 x 11 inches

Paper Plates: Though cutting boards are part of the project, I did most of the actual fruit slicing on paper plates. People did get confused though, so be sure to specify the boards are for arrangement!

Fruits: See below for what fruit I used

Optional things to make your life easier: Paper towels, trash bag, Kedem Tea Biscuits, saran wrap to preserve boards if people are taking them home

Fruits

Before hitting the grocery store (or in my case, multiple stores), you want to think about the significance of the fruits you choose. I knew I wanted to have traditional Rosh Hashanah fare, exotic fruits so everyone could try something new, and fruits that have a connection to Israel. Additionally, you want to think about the colors of each individual fruit and how they will clash with other fruits you choose. For example, choosing too many red fruits may make the activity feel limiting for first-time charcuterie board makers, and can definitely inhibit types of images they may want to create by arranging the fruits you chose. Nonetheless, feel free to use the fruits below as inspiration!

The 7 Species: Grapes, figs, pomegranates, dates, and olives are all fruits mentioned in the Torah to describe the fertility of the promised land. Wheat is also one of these species, which is why I used Kedem Tea biscuits even though they are not a fruit.

Pomegranates have also been eaten traditionally on Rosh Hashanah for millennia, and may even count as a new fruit for some of your guests. There is also the old tale about them having 613 seeds — the same as the number of commandments in the Torah. I bought the seeds in the cup rather than having to peel the fruit myself. Pomegranates are related to humility, or Hod, in mysticism. To engage your group while introducing this fruit, ask: Why is humility important for this coming year?

The fig represents Netzach, perseverance. Think about a time this year when you persevered. What happened?

Grapes represent Tiferet, which roughly means harmony, beauty, or balance. What does the activity we are doing today teach us about harmony? How can we thrive in harmony in the coming year?

I personally did not use dates because they didn’t match the aesthetic I was going for, or olives because, although a fruit, they didn’t mesh well with the flavor palates of the other fruits.

Sabra: Sabra is the Hebrew word for prickly pear, but was also used in the 1950’s to describe a Jew born in Israel. Check your Mexican market for these, they may be sold under the name “Tuna.” Fair warning, although this fruit has significance in Israeli culture, we all thought they tasted like unripe banana.

Apples: This one is self-explanatory…

Loquats: I didn’t use these, but if you have access to them, it’s an easy way to incorporate a new fruit. Israel also happens to be one of the largest producers of this fruit.

Exotics: If you haven’t met your “new fruit” quota by now, you can use kiwi and starfruit (as I did), as well as anything else you can find at the store that you may want to try.