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Abstract
This is a lesson plan provided by the National Library of Israel.
How has the tradition of bedikat chametz (searching for chametz before Pesach) been performed around the world throughout the centuries and what can it mean for us today? In this lesson learners will study the mitzvah of bedikat chametz and uncover where the concept comes from, how the rules have developed, and how the search has been done. In addition, students can also discuss what chametz can symbolize in their own lives, and how that “chametz” can be removed.
The learners will:
- understand how culture, geography, and time play a role in shaping our values and traditions
- know the biblical and rabbinic laws about Bedikat Chametz
- be able to create a handout with a brief background of and instructions for how to do bedikat chametz
| About the National Library and its educational materials:
The mission of the National Library of Israel is to provide a home for items of national, historic or cultural significance. Each of these primary sources serve as unique entry points into the collective memory of the people of Israel as well as the Jewish people worldwide. The education department at the library curates the collection of primary sources and uses them as windows into the past; to foster a deeper understanding of Jewish history, and to enable learners to personalize and connect to earlier events. |
When you click on the National Library of Israel resource link featured above, you will find the following educational building blocks for the creation of a lesson plan:
- A group activity to open the lesson and engage the learners.
- Discussion ideas and/or questions that are designed to get the learners thinking more deeply about the content.
- A creative activity that gives students the opportunity to go beyond learning and analyzing, to crafting something new, that personalizes how they relate to the primary sources featured in the resource.
- The primary sources in this resource have individual links (listed in Expand your horizons below) that provide expanded information. In addition there are nuanced discussion questions that will enable students in small groups to engage independently and effectively in the process of observing, interpreting, and connecting to the primary sources.
Link to the lesson plan:
Bedikat Chametz – Searching for Chametz
Computer, Student Handout