It’s hard to imagine Lag B’Omer without public gatherings, local bonfires or celebrations or big parades. Nonetheless, the greatest celebration of Lag B’Omer is that of Jewish unity and Ahavas Yisroel! While it looks different this year than on others, we are perhaps even more connected to one another, albeit through alternative means. It might feel a little unusual to make a celebration at home with just immediate family, but it can still be fun and meaningful. Here are some craft and activity ideas to enhance your day using materials you have easy access to in these difficult times.
Every year, my children look forward to bonfires, and “camp ins” (playing about camping at home or in our backyard. Public bonfires aren’t happening this year and not everyone lives in a location that is conducive to having one. Some families may not even have access to outdoor spaces or yards right now and that can be really challenging. So let’s get creative together and make a Family Lag b’Omer Camp-In at home!
Pitch Your Tent: Whether you have an actual tent, build a fort with chairs and couch cushions and blankets or just set some cozy blankets out on the floor, setting up camp is a great activity for kids of all ages. If you do have a yard and the weather permits, you might do this outdoors.
It is just as fun and cozy indoors, too!
Setting Up Camp:
Let’s Go Fishing! To create a camp like atmosphere, you might want to include some fun camping activities. If you have the ingredients, perhaps you’ll make some s’mores in the oven or microwave. Maybe you have the ability to grill at home or prepare some favorite BBQ foods indoors. You might set up a little fishing game indoors with some paper or felt fish shapes and add a paperclip “mouth.” Use a refrigerator magnet, string and some tape to attach it to a stick, dowel, or long cardboard tube to make a fishing pole and you can go fishing right from your living room!
If you’re in the mood to add some waterplay to the mix, you can go fishing in a big bin or bowl of water. You can use what you have on hand. We had a fishing game party favor one year that we used but another year I just set out some bath toys, a colander and some sandbox toys to fish with! If you want to cool off with some ice play, you can make ice cube “fish” in an ice cube tray using colored water. Toss in a couple of googly eyes if you have them, but no need if you don’t. When your water is frozen, pop them out and add them to a bin of water. We did this with waterbeads one year, but those are not a requirement to make this enjoyable. If you have salad tongs, they make great “ice fishing poles,” but a ladle or slotted spoon would also work well!
Remember--children have inherently great imaginations! They can stretch them as wide as need be--just about anything can be a fish and just about anything can be used to catch it.
Build a Bonfire! While a real bonfire may not be feasible in your space, a pretend one can be great fun to think up and build. Perhaps you’ll go outdoors to gather real sticks or perhaps you’ll work from indoors and use blocks or recycled cardboard tubes. Your flames can be made from scarves/tichels, fire colored clothing and linens, crumpled tissue or construction paper. When it comes to project planning these days, it can be helpful to put your kids in the driver’s seat. Let them navigate what materials to use and how to set them up!
Gather Together and CELEBRATE: Next it’s time to cozy up together and celebrate by the “fire.” Sing or listen to some favorite songs. Dance in your living room! Parade around your house or if safely possible, around your neighborhood. Does anyone in your house play an instrument? If you don’t have “real” instruments” at home, maybe you’d like to make some of your own. If my kids have taught me anything, it’s that everything can be a drum! Share some favorite stories together or share some favorite things about each other. Ahavas Yisroel starts at home and this year, we can really celebrate that!
Feeling Crafty?
If you want to get crafty this year, here are some ideas. Use what you have handy! This year we plan to do a family mural using large paper and art supplies. This is a great way to work together with one another (an important theme of Lag B’Omer) and create something beautiful. We will hang it in our front window to bring joy to our neighbors passing by. You can do this with smaller paper as well. Family members can work together or create individual pieces of art to contribute to your window museum. You might add a message of kindness and encouragement.
For some theme related art, you might want to build a tiny bonfire craft. One year we did this with an overturned plastic cup, squares of colored paper, a paper plate and construction paper “sticks.” I used an LED light inside the cup, but this is not a requirement to make it fun! You can even make a marshmallow roasting stick prop using an actual stick, popsicle stick or wooden dowel and gluing a cotton ball marshmallow to one end.
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You can also gather twigs outdoors and glue them onto a paper plate or piece of paper and add some crumpled tissue paper or construction paper flames. If you’d like a moveable miniature bonfire rather than a permanent craft, you can use the same materials but leave out the glue! This can be a great addition to a dollhouse or block building for little toys and figurines to celebrate together.
Marshmallows are fun for eating if you have them. They are also fun for painting with. You can use vanilla pudding or yogurt colored red, yellow and/or orange with food coloring to make edible paint. You can also do this with real paint (but make sure your littlest ones won’t eat it!) or substitute in a cotton ball for the “marshmallow.”
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This year is different but we can still make Lag B’Omer feel special! It just may be the perfect recipe for a meaningful and memorable experience.
Sefer Shemot
A lot of these Parshiot were inspired by "A Minute Vort 2" by Rabbi Scheller and "Short & Sweet on the Parsha" by Rabbi Bregman
Parshat Shemot
Parshat Shemot relays Moshe Rebenu’s miraculous rescue after being placed in the Nile by his mother, Yocheved, to try to save him from the evil decree issued by Pharoh to kill the Jewish baby boys. The posuk then tells us that Pharaoh’s daughter, Batya, went down to bathe in the Nile, saw a basket among the reeds and she took it (2:5). Rashi comments based on the Talmud (Sota 12b) that she outstretched her hand and her arm grew many cubits so that she could reach the basket. There are many questions, but one obvious one is why would Batya stretch out her hand if she knew her arm was not long enough to reach the basket? Why would someone perform an act in futility? Additionally, why would HaShem create such an astonishing miracle of Batya’s arm growing instead of something more subtle, like a wind blowing the basket closer to Batya, for example?
Lesson:
Batya could have easily made numerous excuses as to why it was not worth it to try to retrieve the basket. However, by extending her arm, she extended herself and her limitations. Often times in life we are confronted with different situations or opportunities that seem beyond our scope of what we can handle or accomplish. We have excuses after excuses why our efforts will result in failure – so what’s the point in trying? Batya recognized something very beautiful: when we go beyond what we think we are capable of, we break through the very barriers that stand in our way of success. The actual act of extending ourselves allows for personal growth, allowing us to tap into reservoirs of potential that often times we did not know existed. When Batya extended her arm beyond what it was capable of, it resulted in growth. Additionally, by HaShem allowing Batya to be successful in retrieving Moshe Rabbenu by way of her arm growing, we can learn that when we push ourselves as far as we can go, HaShem in turn will help ‘extend our hands’ even further. This idea is further reflected in the splitting of the sea. It was only when Nachshon jumped into the water and had water up to his chin, did the sea split. When push ourselves beyond our natural limitations, HaShem steps in to do the rest.
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Exercise:
Take on something that you have wanted to do but have not because you thought it was too difficult. This could be connecting with an old friend after a fallout, learning something new, or taking on a new project. Know that by making the effort , you have already come out ahead, regardless of the outcome. HaShem helps those that help themselves!
Parshat Va'era
In most instances when Moshe Rabbenu and Aharon are listed together, Moshe Rabbenu is mentioned first. In parshat Va’era, however, Aharon is listed before Moshe Rabbenu (6:26). Rashi explains that Aharon is mentioned before Moshe Rabbenu to tell us that Aharon is equally great. This, however, raises more questions. How can it be that Aharon was just as great as Moshe? The Torah itself tells us that Moshe Rabbenu was the greatest prophet that will ever live; only Moshe Rabennu spoke to HaShem ‘face to face’. It was not Aharon who lead the Jews out of Egypt, climbed Har Sinai, and received the Torah – it was Moshe! How can it be that Moshe and Aharon were equally great?
Lesson:
Chazal teach us that greatness in HaShem’s eyes is not measured by how much you accomplish. One who expounds noble, lofty ideas to halls full of people is no ‘greater’ than the stay-at-home-mom who cares for her children all day. Greatness is determined by how much one fulfills their own unique potential. Since HaShem created everyone with our own tailored set of talents, capabilities, circumstances, we all have unique potentials and customized missions in this world. It is easy to get caught up with looking at someone else’saccomplishments and ask yourself ‘why haven’t I’? This person makes such elaborate Shabbos meals with guests every week while I struggle every week just to get everything done on time. This person’s house is always so clean and organized and I still have unfolded laundry from two weeks ago. This person looks more put together to go to the store than I look on Shabbat. This type of mentality is counterproductive to us fulfilling our mission and focusing on our own virtues. What someone else accomplishes is completely independent of us and what we can achieve. Our mission is completely tailormade for us and when we stop looking at what other people do and focus on our own talents, we can truly shine. This is what the posuk is telling us: just as Moshe Rabennu fulfilled his highest potential, so did Aharon. Since fulfilling one’s own, unique potential is the measure of greatness, they were equally great…and in that sense, we can all be as great as Moshe Rabbenu.
Exercise:
Stop yourself when having a thought comparing yourself to someone. In that moment, think of at least one recent thing you have accomplished; this could be something as small as making a delicious and healthy meal for dinner despite having a busy week. Feel proud of yourself and know that all of your accomplishments, no matter how big or small, are part of your unique mission - and fulfilling them makes you great.
Parshat B'Shalach
Moshe Rabbenu told B’nei Yisrael that no mon would fall on Shabbat. However, to try to stir ruckus amongst the Jews and instill a sense of doubt in Moshe Rabbenu’s authority and credibility, two Jews scattered mon at sunrise on Shabbat. Miraculously, birds came and ate all the mon such that not a single parcel of mon was left when B’nei Yisrael woke up. As a result of this story, some have the custom of feeding birds before Shabbat B’shalach as a token of gratitude for averting a potentially disastrous situation. However, there is a question as to why. Birds love eating bread, especially savory mon that the Torah describes tasting like honey (anything you want?). Why then would we show gratitude to the birds? They did not do anything beyond their nature to help us and in fact benefited by getting to eat delicious mon.
Lesson:
There is a beautiful lesson we can all glean in gratitude. Regardless of the intention of the giver, if we reaped any benefit, we are obligated to not only feel, but act indebted and appreciative. There is an idea that even if a coin falls out of someone’s pocket unbeknownst to them, and someone finds it and uses it, it is as if that person gave tzedakah. How much more so do we need to feel grateful to those who intentionally helped us! Often times, it is easy to overlook little acts by those closest to us, especially when we feel as if we are constantly giving of ourselves. However, it is incumbent upon all of us to show gratitude for even small acts: when our two-year-old brings us tissues when we sneeze or when our husband takes out the trash. Not only do we benefit from becoming more grateful people, but positive encouragement makes those around us want to help even more. It’s a win – win situation!
Exercise:
Thank someone for something you would have normally overlooked. It could be as simple as thanking the cashier while checking out or calling someone to let them know how much they have impacted your life.
Parshat Yitro
This week’s parsha is named after Yitro, Moshe Rabbenu’s father-in-law. What made Yitro so meritorious to have a parsha named after him, especially the parsha of the giving of our holy Torah?! Our sages expound upon this question and say that Yitro heard all the miracles that HaShem performed for the Jewish people in Egypt. However, this raises even more questions, as the entire world as aware of the plagues and the plight of the Egyptians. There were national disasters every day – a better question would be who didn’t hear? The sages go on to explain that while everyone “heard” of what was happening, they did not internalize the message. They did not stop to truly “listen” to what HaShem was telling the world. Yitro, however, did stop to listen to what HaShem was saying, to internalize the message, and to change who he was to become better. He recognized that HaShem and the Jewish people have a very special relationship of which he wanted to be part of. It was through this act of listening that Yitro was able to transform himself from a pagen priest to the become the father-in-law of the holiest prophet that will ever exist.
Lesson:
HaShem sends us messages all the time! But are we attuned to stopping for a few moments of our busy lives and ask ourselves ‘what does HaShem want from me?’, ‘what is HaShem telling me?’. There is a story of a Rabbi’s wife who accidently spilled milk in front of her husband. The husband asked her, “can you think of a reason that HaShem made the milk spill?” The wife thought for a moment and exclaimed, “two weeks ago I forgot to pay the milk man!” While we may never know exactly what HaShem is telling us, we need to internalize that that HaShem is communicating with us all the time. It is incumbent upon us to try to discern the messages around us and use those messages to transform ourselves to become better people, just as Yitro did, and fulfill our highest, holiest potential.
Exercise:
When something frustrating or inconvenient arises, instead of getting upset, remember that nothing is arbitrary or random - HaShem is in charge! Ask yourself what can you learn from that situation. It could be improvement of a particular character trait or something more specific, like in the case of the spilled milk.
Parshat Mishpatim
This week’s parsha tells us we are obligated to lend money to a Jew in need. While the lender is allowed to collect collateral for his loan, if the borrower needs his object back for his livelihood, the lender is required to return the item, as the posuk states that should he cry out to Hashem, HaShem will listen as He is compassionate (22:25, 26). Why would the lender be obliged to return the item, after all, isn’t that the whole point of taking collateral?
Lesson:
HaShem is the creator of the world – from the heavens and seas down to a pencil on our desk. Everything exists solely because He wills it to exist. Saying a beracha helps eliminate this concept. Why say a bracha over a homemade piece of cake? After all, HaShem didn’t make it – you did! You went to the store, bought all the ingredients, paid for it with money that you worked hard to earn and then spent the time and effort making the cake. Where is HaShem in this process? However, when fully dissected, we see that HaShem is in every step, just behind the scenes. The store got the flour from distributors and manufactures who bought wheat from farmers who planted and harvested the wheat. The wheat grows from a seed in the ground, both created solely from HaShem. HaShem also gave you all the capabilities needed to get the job and earn the money to buy the food from the store. HaShem gave you the car to get to work and the store, the stove to cook the cake, and this list goes on. When we have a mentality that we earned something, it is much harder to part with it. However, if we are aware that HaShem is the source of everything and we only have what we have because HaShem gave it to us to use it for the good, then we are much more willing to happily share. This is what the posuk is telling us: while it does allow for the lender to take collateral, that object is still not his and as such would have to be returned should the borrower need it. Everything is in our possession only because HaShem wants us to have it.
Exercise:
Give tzedaka this week with the intention that HaShem only gave it to you for you to participate in the mitzvah of sharing with others. Have in mind that we are just the distributors!
Parshat Terumah
The Parsha lists the 13 materials that Jews were asked to contribute towards the building of the Mishkan. The Shoham stones, though one of the most valuable and expensive materials donated, is listed second to last. While the Jews personally carried and monetarily donated the other materials, the Talmud (Yoma 75a) states that the Shoham were carried by the clouds. Wouldn’t this miraculous ordeal make the Shoham even more worthy of being listed first as opposed to the end?
Lesson:
When it comes to physical endeavors, the reward is not always proportional to the amount of effort invested. Lottery winners put in minimal effort yet reap grand rewards and some people work hard day in and out yet still struggle to make ends meet. Spiritual pursuits, however, do not work in the same fashion. The Mishnah (Avot 5:23) says that for these types of endeavors, the reward is proportional to the effort. Whether we succeed or not is completely up to HaShem, yet the amount of toil that we invest is completely up to us. As such, that effort and exertion is what our reward is based on. This is one explanation as to why the Shoham stones were listed towards the end. Even though this material was comparably more valuable, the amount of effort the Jews put in towards these stones was far less. Therefore, the materials used where the Jews invested effort were considered far more valued. This is a comforting lesson as we know that as long as we put in effort and try, regardless of the outcome, we have succeeded and will be rewarded proportionally. This idea is further reflected in the parsha when HaShem commands Moshe Rabbenu to build a menorah (25:31). The Midrash Tanchuma explains that it was so complicated that Moshe Rabbennu could not visualize HaShem’s instruction and thus HaShem showed him an image of what the menorah should look like. Even this did not help Moshe Rabbenu construct the menorah, and Rashi states that in end HaShem instructs Moshe to throw the ingot into the fire and the completed menorah materialized. Does this mean that Moshe failed his mission to build the menorah, as HaShem gave him instructions to complete a task and in the end it was not accomplished? Of course not! Our mission in life is not to succeed since success is determined solely by HaShem; our mission is only to try and put in our best effort.
Exercise:
Go out of your comfort zone and stretch yourself to perform a mitzvah that is difficult for you. This could be giving a little extra tzadaka, sharing your special, homemade cookies, wearing something not as appealing but more modest, or giving up your free afternoon to help someone in need. Have in mind that your reward for this mitzvah is proportional to the extra effort you applied.
Parshat Tetzaveh
From Moshe Rabbenu’s introduction in the beginning of Sefer Shemot, his name is laden across the text. This parsha, however, is the one exception where Moshe Rabbenu’s name is not found anywhere. To make matters more confounding, this parasha is usually read the week of zayin (7th) Adar, which is both the birthday and yartzeit of Moshe Rabbenu. How much more so should Moshe’s name be dominant throughout this Parsha? Ba’al HaTurim connects the absence of Moshe’s name to Moshe’s response to HaShem after HaShem is upset at the Jews for the sin of the golden calf. Moshe tells HaShem “Mecheini na misifrecha” (32:32) that if HaShem doesn’t forgive the Jewish people, he wants his name to be erased from the Torah. Through HaShem’s abundant chesed and mercy, the Jews are forgiven. However, Bereishit Rabbba (74:4, 74:9) states that the curse of a sage will come to pass. This is the explanation given to the absence of Moshe Rabbenu’s name – that thank G-d, even though HaShem did forgive the Jewish people, since Moshe Rabbenu was such a holy and righteous person, part of his statement had to come to come to fruition.
Lesson:
While Moshe Rabbenu was the holiest prophet that will ever exist, our words too hold tremendous power. Davening and berachot are not just words that we recite, but have the potential to change our reality. HaShem gave us an amazing gift of tefillah and giving each other brachot that, when said with sincerity, can actualize into something real and tangible. While in the case of this parsha, Moshe Rabbenu’s words caused a void, we can choose words that inspire, help, heal, and build. We can choose to be positive with what we say and how we speak to help those around us, ourselves, and the world. HaShem gave us an amazing power and privilege of speech – it is our responsibility to use it for the good!
Exercise:
Give someone a bracha and think about it becoming a reality. You could give your children a special bracha expounding all you wish for them or could be something as simple as wishing the cashier to have a good day.
Parshat Ki Tisa
Ki Tisa starts with the instruction of each member of B’nei Yisrael to contribute half a shekel as an offering to HaShem. The Torah then expounds upon the worth of a half shekel: that a shekel is worth twenty gerahs, thus half is ten gerahs. If the Torah is anyway explaining what a half shekel is worth, why not just command to give ten gerahs? And why specifically only a half shekel, why not a whole one? The Jews left Egypt with tremendous riches - certainly they could have afforded contributing a whole shekel. Moreover, why was everyone obligated to give the same amount? The mitzvah of ma’aser requires that we give a percentage of our earnings to the Levite or poor, such that what we give is directly proportional to what we have. Why weren’t the Jews commanded to give in a similar manner – each according to what they possessed?
Lesson:
The half shekel teaches us many beautiful lessons in unity and humility. While everyone most likely could have afforded a whole shekel, the Torah is emphasizing the importance of unity. A whole shekel represents completeness – it is total and its monetary value stands on its own. A half shekel, however, is only a partial amount of the whole; only combined with another half of a shekel can it really be worth anything. We are all ‘halves’ of a ‘whole’ on many levels. Husband and wives are two halves of a soul, coming together in completeness to help each fulfill their potential. However, this too is only a microcosm of the Jewish people. We are all interdependent and need each other to complete our collective mission as Jews. The second Beit HaMikdash was destroyed because of sinat chinam, baseless hatred, towards fellow Jews. As such, we know that the antidote is baseless love towards our fellow Jews. This is worth a pause, as we know what we need to do to rebuild the Beit Hamikdash! Just love our fellow Jew! How can we do this? When we do not think of ourselves as a whole, but only as a half. No one is complete – as Jews we are all part of something much larger and greater than ourselves. When we recognize that every Jew is special, unique, and part of our collective mission in this world, we can truly have the unity necessary to rebuild the Beit Hamikdash. Moreover, the fact that everyone was commanded to give the same amount – half a shekel – regardless of what you owned, further emphasizes that every person shares equal importance and value. Regardless of what you own, your talents, or capabilities, HaShem created you with a unique purpose that is just as important as everyone else.
Exercise: Think of someone who you find it more difficult to get along with and focus on their positive qualities. Visualize having a positive interaction with them (it could be made up). Recognize that you cannot complete your mission without them.
Parshat Vayakhel
Moshe Rabbenu gathered B’nei Yisrael and taught them the laws of Shabbat. A few posukim later, the Torah tells us that B’nei Yisrael left from Moshe Rabbenu’s presence (35:20). Since nothing in the Torah is superfluous, why would the Torah take the time and space to tell us that B’nei Yisrael left from Moshe Rabbenu’s presence? They were not always with him, so obviously at some point they would have to leave. The Torah does not relate every time the Jews were together with Moshe Rabbenu and then went separate ways so why elaborate now? Elya Lopian zt”l from the Alter of Kelm explains that when the Jews left, it was recognizable and obvious that they had been in Moshe Rabbenu’s presence and they carried that inspiration and holiness with them.
Lesson:
When we daven, learn, and/or perform mitzvot, they should influence us during our daily lives, such that people recognize that we are Torah observant Jews. Just like it was obvious the Jews had been in Moshe Rabbenu’s presence due to their own elevated status, we too should feel uplifted, inspired, and more refined after studying Torah and performing mitzvot. How we behave as Torah observant Jews is a direct reflection on the Torah and HaShem. Does it make sense to the outside world that someone who supposedly adheres to a higher standard of ethics and morals ordained by the Torah would then publicly lose their temper? What does that say about the body of law they are supposedly adhering too? The lessons learned should become part of who we are, integrated into our character and psyche. Moreover, just like Moshe Rabbenu, we all have the power and ability to positively affect those around us. A smile and/or positive or encouraging word can leave someone feeling elevated and uplifted. It takes very little from our end, but can mean a lot to someone else.
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Exercise:
When around a friend or family member, say something positive and encouraging such that when they leave, they feel uplifted. For example, you could tell them how much you admire one of their character traits, share an inspiring idea or story, or tell them how nice they look in the colored shirt they are wearing.
Parshat Pekudei
coming soon!