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Oy, vey, Shavuos! Homeschool Resources Roundup

Now that I’m back, it’s (past) time to start thinking ahead to Shavuos / Shavuot – which will start and end next week.  This little chag too often gets overlooked, by me as much as by anyone else.  We never even HAD Shavuos when I was growing up, though… at least my kids get more than that.

I’m planning on making up a few lapbook components (not many), which I’ll post here as they’re created, along with some outside resources that will hopefully help you and your kids get ready.  For simplicity, I’m going to call it Shavuos because, well, that’s what I call it.  Shove-OO-iss.  You can call it what you like.  Great!

Free printables right here on my site!

Here are two helpful links from chinuch.org:

  • Shavuos Q&A – basic questions for a preschool level, also helpful for creating curriculum (that’s what I’m doing!)
  • More in-depth Shavuos curriculum – covers a bit more, useful for a primary or intermediate level curriculum.  Lists helpful books, crafts, etc., most of which we won’t have time to get to around here what with today having been a write-off and next Monday being yet another field trip.

Other sites:

  • Ten Commandments lapbook:  A Christian site with instructions for detailed components.  Easily modifiable for Jewish use anytime or for Shavuos!

And here’s a simple version of a popular Shavuos midrash which I’ve rewritten for one of the lapbook components.  Cut it, paste it, illustrate it, do what you want with it.  I have taken the liberty of editing out the traditional names of the nations involved because I feel that makes the midrash a racist reflection on the modern descendents of certain of those nations.


A Shavuos Midrash:

Before Matan Torah, Hashem wanted to make sure the other nations of the world would not be jealous when they heard what a fine gift He had given bnei Yisrael. What was the fine gift? The Torah!

So Hashem went and offered the Torah to the other nations of the world…

First, He offered it to one nation.

They asked Hashem what was in it.

Hashem said, “It says ‘do not murder.’”

This first nation said, “Well, we live by killing. We cannot accept that Torah!”

So Hashem offered it next to another nation.

They asked Hashem what was in it.

Hashem said, “It says ‘do not steal.’”

This second nation said, “Well, we live by stealing. We cannot accept that Torah!”

Finally, Hashem offered it to bnei Yisrael, the Jewish people.

What do you think they said?

Did they ask Hashem what was in it? They did not!

All together, they replied at once, “naaseh v’nishmah!”

What does this mean? “We will do it… and we will listen.”

Bnei Yisrael loved Hashem so much that it didn’t matter what was in the Torah. Whatever Hashem asked them to do – they were prepared to do it!

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