Midrash Manicures Curriculum

May 2013/Iyyar 5773

Dear Educators,

Midrash Manicures is an educational approach that combines Torah study and nail art. Midrash Manicures provides students with not only a Torah learning experience but also a weekly Torah-teaching experience.

After a teacher complemented one of my middle school student’s Midrash Manicures, the student responded not only with a “thank you” but also gave an on-the-spot explanation of how her manicure related to that week’s Torah portion. I knew that I could count on any of the Midrash Manicures students to give an introduction to the Torah reading on Thursday mornings during

Tefillah. Midrash Manicures truly empowered students to take ownership of their own Jewish learning.

In the following pages, I will give you tips of the Midrash Manicures trade in order to guide you in your classrooms as you embark on painting Midrash Manicures with your students. Please remember that while you or your students may not be the best nail art painters, Midrash Manicures is about the most meaningful manicure, not the most beautiful manicure.

May Midrash Manicures enhance your own Jewish journeys,

Rabbi Yael Buechler Founder, Midrash Manicures

Index

Classroom Tips 3 - 4 Frequently Asked Questions 5 Step-by-Step Design Painting 6 - 9 Sample Lesson Plans 10 Lesson Plan 1 – Noah 11 - 13 Lesson Plan 2 – Lech Lecha 14 - 16 Lesson Plan 3 – Vayeira 17 – 19 Lesson Plan 4 – Chayei Sarah 20 - 22 Lesson Plan 5 – Toledot 23 - 25 Lesson Plan 6 – Vayetze 26 – 28 Photographs & Contact Information 29 Program Waiver 30

Classroom Tips Time Breakdown Midrash Manicures sessions are split into two parts: Torah study and manicure painting. If you have 45-50 minutes for class time, I recommend 12- 15 minutes of Torah study with the rest of the session devoted to the nail art process. For Midrash Manicures beginner classes, more time is necessary for students to become comfortable with painting intricate nail art. While the students will certainly be excited about nail painting during class, it is important to emphasize that the more successful the learning, the more ideas they will have for Midrash Manicures painting process. I advise against having the nail polish and nail art supplies accessible to students until the nail painting segment begins.

The following are items that will be helpful to have in your classroom in order to best facilitate Midrash Manicures: 1) Good Ventilation – Have windows open or a ceiling fan on and keep the door to your classroom open. Avoid having a standalone fan unless you make it clear to students that they will not be using the fan to dry their nails.

2) Nail Polish Remover, Cotton Pads, & Q-Tips – While you will want to have nail polish remover on-hand, the smell is so incredibly strong that it is preferable to have your students come to class without nail polish on their fingernails so they will not have to do this extra step. Nail polish remover also spills easily when being used so it is important to supervise its location and to make sure its cap is on when not in use. The easiest way to take nail polish off of an entire nail is for students to use cotton pads. Q-tips are best for cleaning up nail polish that students often get on their skin.

3) Nail Polish Bottles – There are a number of colors that I recommend for Midrash Manicures. The type of nail polish I use most often for workshops is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail polish. Feel free to purchase that line of products or any other line of nail polish that is reasonably priced. For groups of 10-15 students, I recommend purchasing the following colors: • 6 opaque white base colors • 2 reds (with names like “white out” • 1 orange “white on” “alpine snow,” etc.) • 1 yellows • 3 black colors • 1 gold • 1 light blue • 1 dark brown • 2 dark blues

© 2013 Midrash Manicures 3 If you decide to ask students to bring in their own nail polish bottles, be sure to purchase the white, black, and brown nail polish as those are colors that students will likely not have at home.

Please tell your students that they should not keep a nail polish bottle open when they are not using that specific color. Keeping the bottles open even for a few minutes when not in use makes the nail polish clumpy so that it will not be able to be used in future sessions.

4) Plastic tablecloths (or placemats)– Nail polish is difficult to remove from desks so it is best to work at tables or desks with plastic tablecloths on them.

5) Pre-ripped Paper Towels You should instruct students to get into the habit of placing their used toothpicks on the pre-ripped paper towel (on the plastic tablecloth) so that they can a) keep all of their used toothpicks in one spot and not lean their hand/arm onto them and b) reuse the toothpicks should they want to use that particular color again.

6) Flat Wooden Toothpicks – It is important to purchase “Flat Wooden Toothpicks” in advance of your lessons. They can be ordered online through Amazon.com (about $5 for 2,000). The type of toothpick that is often found in your local supermarket has a pointy edge, which will not work well when with nail art.

7) Camera – Be sure to have a good camera on hand that can capture the detail of your students Midrash Manicure designs.

To review, items you will need for Midrash Manicures sessions include: __ Nail Polish __ Flat Wooden Toothpicks __ Nail Polish Remover __ Q-tips __ Cotton pads __ Plastic tablecloths or placemats __ Paper towels __ Camera

Frequently Asked Questions

Midrash Manicures Preparation My suggestion is to instruct students to lay out whatever items they will need for the next activity in their day (notebook, pen, etc.), before you begin the process of paining Midrash Manicures.

How long does it take to do a Midrash Manicure? Initially, it takes students longer to learn how to use the toothpicks to paint their designs. For your first lesson, I recommend telling students that they will likely be able to paint one or two designs at most per hand. It could initially take students twenty minutes to paint two designs.

What are the steps in a Midrash Manicures? You can give students the option of painting a color across all of their nails (such as white) and then they can paint the design on top of the white. Students are also welcome to paint the design right onto their plain fingernail. For 5th and 6th graders, the process of painting a base color across all of their fingernails often takes a while at first, so I would recommend instructing the students to paint designs on their plain fingernails to get used to the design process at first. After they are comfortable with painting the small designs, they can then begin with painting all of their fingernails in a base color such as white or cream.

*What do boys do during the Midrash Manicures session? Midrash Manicures tends to be a girls-only activity, but this method can be expanded to include Kippot decorating, for boys (or for girls that opt out of painting their nails). You can have plain Kippot available, with assorted colors of permanent markers so that students can depict Parasha themes on their Kippot while the other students paint Midrash Manicures.

Step-by-Step Design Painting

1) What color should students use for their first coat?* I generally paint most of my Midrash Manicures designs on top of a coat of white paint. This coat of white paint often tends to be 2-3 very thin layers of white polish. The thinner the layer, the faster it dries, and the less "clumpy" it gets.

It is much easier to paint intricate designs on top of thin layers of a white base color. This way, when students put the design onto their nails, the design will not smudge the nail polish that is already on the nail.

*For 5th and 6th grade students, I recommend skipping the step of the base coat until they are more comfortable painting tiny designs. If students start with a base coat, that could take up the entire painting session and they might be frustrated since they did not have a chance to get to the design-stage. If you have an extra teen or adult volunteer on hand, that person could help students paint their base coats so that they could then enter the design stage. Alternatively, students might want to paint a basecoat only on the nails (2 or 3) that they intend to put designs on during the Midrash Manicures session.

2) How exactly can students paint their first coat of color? Students can follow the rule of three strokes. Students can begin by doing a stroke on the right side of their fingernail, followed by the middle part of their nail, and then on the left side of their nail. If students get any polish on their skin, they can just take a toothpick to separate the polish on the nail from the polish on the skin, and sometimes the toothpick just washes all the polish off.

© 2013 Midrash Manicures 6 3) What happens if the polish gets onto the students’ skin? This happens to me all the time and there is an easy way to fix the situation! First of all, when they wash their hands with soap later on, the polish will rub off of their skin. The more important issue is that if there is polish connecting the fingernail with the skin (since it overflowed from the nail onto the skin), the

polish will be more likely to peel off faster. To ensure that their Midrash Manicure lasts, students can use a toothpick (there will be more information on toothpicks later!) to help create a division between the polish on the fingernail and on the skin of the finger. This way, their Midrash Manicures will last longer.

4) How do students paint a Midrash Manicures design? Nowadays, beauty companies sell all sorts of nail polish bottles that contain very thin brushes for nail art. I'm pretty old fashion, and recommend using the toothpick method. And not just any toothpick, but a “flat toothpick.” A flat toothpick is a toothpick with a flat edge rather than a pointy edge.

5) How do students use a toothpick as a paintbrush?

a) Students can open up the nail polish bottle, and hold the brush with one hand and the toothpick with another.

b) The hand holding the toothpick should dab the smaller end of the toothpick into the very end of the nail polish brush, so that a tiny circle of polish gets on the very edge of the toothpick.

© 2013 Midrash Manicures 7 Students shouldn’t get too much polish onto the toothpick so that it will drip off easily, but they also don't want to put too little polish on the toothpick so that it won't let any polish onto your nail when they try to make a design. c) Students should carefully and gently bring the toothpick from the brush to the surface of their nails, and begin to paint their design in very small strokes. The toothpick method will become easier as you go along but the key is that most designs will require several little strokes from the toothpick. For example, if students were making a heart (to represent the love that Yaakov had for Rachel), they will put some polish on the toothpick and begin one third of the heart, and then dip the toothpick again into the polish brush and continue to draw the heart, and dip the polish one last time and complete the heart. The constant dipping into the polish brush will become more natural to your students as they paint more Midrash Manicure designs.

*When students use the toothpick as a paintbrush, the toothpick itself should never actually touch the fingernail, as only the polish should touch the fingernail. Students will want just enough polish on the toothpick that the overflow polish will gently ooze onto the nail to form your design when they place the toothpick very, very close to the nail. The toothpick technique can be applied to any design, including letters in Hebrew or in English. d) When students are finished making their design with a certain color, they can wipe the color off of the on the paper towel and save it for later use if they use that particular color again.

* Some toothpicks will be thinner than others, and if students are doing a very intricate design, they can reserve the super-thin toothpicks to help you paint the tinier designs.

6) When is it all right to bring another color into the design? Within about 2-3 minutes of painting the beginning of a design with one color, you can add to it by using a new toothpick and bringing in another color. Be careful though not to touch the color you've already put on the nail because it might smudge.

7) When are students’ Midrash Manicures dry? After about 15 minutes, students can run their hands through cold water and gently dab their fingernails dry with a tissue (paper towels or cloth towels could potentially be too rough on the nails and cause the polish to smudge). This cold water may help solidify the layers of nail polish of their Midrash Manicure.

© 2013 Midrash Manicures 8 8) How long do Midrash Manicures last? If students make sure that there is no overlap between the polish and their skin (leaving a clear little line of nail exposed right around their cuticles), their Midrash Manicures should last around seven days, just in time for them to paint for the next Parasha!

Sample Lesson Plans

The following are sample Midrash Manicures lesson plans for six Torah portions, from Parashat Noah to Parashat Vayetze. As explained earlier, for initial Midrash Manicures lessons, the amount of time devoted to Torah study tends to be less than the amount of time dedicated to the nail painting process. As students become more advanced in their Midrash Manicures abilities, more time can be devoted to the Parasha, including Chevrutah time for Midrashim on the Parasha.

Meaning of Midrash Before beginning the Midrash Manicures sessions, it would be helpful for you to explain to your students the meaning behind the word Midrash. Broadly defined, Midrash is creative rabbinic interpretation of the Torah. Midrash occurred when the rabbis tried to fill gaps to stories in the Torah. For example, the Torah doesn’t tell us anything about Avraham’s childhood so the rabbis created Midrash to tell us that when Abraham was a child he broke the idols in his dad’s idol shop. Midrashim help us to understand the context for many things that happen in the Torah. “Modern Midrash” is where students give their own creative interpretation of Torah stories. Your students are engaging in Modern Midrash as they creatively depict the Torah portions on their fingernails.

Lesson 1 - Parashat Noah Goals: 1) Students will have a basic understanding of the narrative of Noah and the ark. 2) Students will understand that a rainbow represents God’s promise to Noah and future generations that God will never again destroy the entire world with a flood. 3) Students should be able to explain how their manicure relates to themes in the Parasha.

1) Noah & The Ark a) Why did God ask Noah to build an ark in the first place? b) What does the Torah tell us about Noah’s personality that would make him the right person for the task of building the ark? c) How did Noah bring all of the animals onto the ark? d) What kinds of animals were in the ark? e) How long were Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark? f) What do you think it was like for Noah and his family to be inside the ark? g) What animals did Noah send out to test to see if they were near dry land? • “The dove came back to him toward evening, and there in its mouth was a plucked-off olive leaf!” (Genesis 8:11) The Midrash in Genesis Rabbah 33:6 asks why the dove brought a branch back to Noah. The Midrash postulates that the branch came from one of the young plants of the Land of Israel, specifically from the Mount of Olives.

2) The Meaning of the Rainbow: a) Why do you think God put a rainbow in the sky after the flood was over? b) What do you think this rainbow represents? • “I have set My bow in the clouds, and it shall serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:13) • “I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature among all flesh, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.” (Genesis 9:15) c) Why did God specifically make this promise with us through the symbol of a rainbow?

© 2013 Midrash Manicures 11 • The Midrash explains that the rainbow is meant to represent God’s bow (hence the curved lines) remaining in the clouds rather than God’s bow touching the earth and hurting God’s creatures. d) Did you know that there is a blessing to recite when one sees a rainbow? • Baruch ata Ado-nai Elo-heinu melech ha'olam zocher ha'brit v'ne'eman bivrito v'kayam b'ma'amaro.

• Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who remembers the covenant, and is faithful to God’s covenant, and keeps God’s promise.

• e) Why do you think there is a blessing for a rainbow?

3) Midrash Manicures Designs: After the discussion on the Parasha and the meaning of the rainbow, please brainstorm with students about what kinds of symbols they think best represent the Parasha. The following page is a guide for ideas for students Midrash Manicures but it is best to encourage students to come up with their own ideas. Students can then begin the Midrash Manicures painting process.

What are some symbols that come to mind from Parashat Noah

• Animal Print • A flood • Animals (by two) • Waters • An Ark • Rain • A rainbow • A dove • Noah • A raven

Design Ideas for Parashat Noah

Lesson 2 - Parashat Lech Lecha Goals: 1) From the Midrash, students will understand why Avraham (then Avram) was chosen by God to go to the land of Canaan. 2) Students will empathize with the decisions Avraham had to make in order to go to Canaan. (i.e. – leaving his birthplace, uprooting his family, packing, etc.) 3) Students should be able to explain how their manicure relates to themes in the Parasha.

1) Midrash on Avraham’s Childhood: a) Parashat Lech Lecha states that God told Avraham to leave his homeland for “the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1) but the Torah does not give any details about Abraham’s past. The rabbis tried to fill in the questions in the narrative including: • Why was Avraham was chosen to be the founder of the Jewish nation. • What made him different from all the other kids in his neighborhood of Charan?

The following Midrash in Genesis Rabbah 38:13 gives us a glimpse into Avraham’s childhood:

Avraham’s dad, Terach, was an idol maker. Terach once went on a trip and left Avraham in charge of the shop. As customers entered the shop, Avraham would ask them how old they were. The customers often replied that they were 50 or 60-years-old, and Avraham would mock them saying, “How can a 50-year-old bow down to something that is only 1-day-old?!” As you can guess, that didn’t bring Terach’s Idol Shop much business. One time, a woman came into the shop with flour that she wanted Avraham to offer to the idols. Instead of offering the flour to the idols, Avraham took a stick and broke all of the idols, placing the stick in the hand of the largest idol. Avraham’s dad, Terach, returned, and let’s just say that he was not a happy camper. When asked what happened, Avraham claimed that the idols had fought over who got to eat the flour offering. Terach was so frustrated that he passed Avraham over to a King named Nimrod (who also worshipped idols). Nimrod challenged Avraham’s beliefs in one God.. Nimrod ultimately threw Abraham into a pit of fire to see if “Avraham’s god” would save him from the fire. Sure enough, thanks to God’s protection, Avraham survived!

© 2013 Midrash Manicures 14 Questions for Students: • What does this Midrash teach us about Avraham’s childhood? • Do you agree or disagree with Avraham’s actions? Why or why not? • Why do you think Avraham’s father passed him over to King Nimrod?

2) The Big Move:

God said to Avram: Go for yourself from your homeland, the place of your birth, and the house your father to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)

a) Who does Avraham take with him on the journey to Canaan? • His wife, Sarah (then Sarai), his nephew Lot, as well as his belongings and livestock b) What do you think it was like for Avraham to leave his homeland? c) Do you think Avraham was brave? Why or why not? d) What do you think Avraham’s family back home thought of him for leaving? e) Why is Avraham’s decision to leave his home meaningful for you in your life today? • If God called upon you to leave your hometown, would you pick up and leave? What items would you pack with you if you left your homeland? What would the experience be like for you? • Going on a Picnic Game: Time permitting, this would be a great place to play “Going on a picnic” but calling it “Going on a journey” and students would say items that they would bring on their journey. For example: “I'm going on a journey and I'm bringing my iPod."

3) Midrash Manicures Designs: What are some symbols that come to mind from Parashat Lech Lecha? • Avraham & Sarah • Map of Israel • A tent • Boxes • Animals • Items you would pack for a • Clothes move • Roads with dotted lines • Idols • Luggage • Idol Shop • Suitcase • Fire

“On one nail you should put a suitcase, a map, Israel, a shoe, a house, a airplane, car, a baby all to show that Hashem commanded Avraham to leave the land of his birth.” - Elana, a 5th grader from Boca Raton, Florida

Design Ideas for Parashat Lech Lecha One possible Midrash Manicure for Lech Lecha could be a road leading to Israel (or something symbolizing Israel). How to draw a road: Students can draw a road across your fingers, that moves from finger to finger, by using the brush of the nail polish bottle to paint the road itself. Students can then make little yellow dotted lines in the middle of a road by using a toothpick. To make an Israeli flag on your thumbs, first students can use the toothpicks to shape two triangles to make the star. After the Jewish star, they can paint the two lines of the flag. *If students start the flag by drawing the two lines, sometimes there’s not enough room to paint the Jewish star.

The words Lech Lecha fit onto four fingers! Your last finger can be a symbol representing Israel, such as an Israeli flag, since God tells Avraham to “Lech Lecha” to what we now know as Israel.

Lesson 3 - Parashat Vayeira Goals: 1) Students will understand that Avraham and Sarah performed the Mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests [hospitality]. 2) Students will gain insights into why Sarah laughed when she heard that she was going to have a child. 3) Students should be able to explain how their manicure relates to themes in the Parasha.

1) The Parasha In-Context: a) Avraham was recovering from circumcising himself when three strangers appeared at the entrance to his tent. • Parashat Vayeria begins by telling us that there was a heat wave on the very day that Avraham welcomed some unexpected visitors. The Midrash in Genesis Rabbah 48:8 wonders why God created such hot weather that day. The Midrash states that when Avraham was recovering from circumcising himself, God thought, “Why should Avraham be in pain while the entire world is at ease?” Therefore, God created a heat wave while Avraham was in recovery as it says, “the day grew hot.” (Genesis 18:1)

2) Hachnasat Orchim: a) Why did Avraham welcome three strangers (who turned out to be angels) into his tent (home)? b) How did Avraham and Sarah treat those strangers? • Avraham brought water so they could wash their feet • Avraham told Sarah to make pastries and cakes • Avraham told his servant to prepare meat for them • Avraham brought them fresh milk and yogurt (curds) c) Why do you think welcoming guests is a Mitzvah? (called Hachnasat Orchim) d) When have you fulfilled this Mitzvah in the past? e) What are ways you expect to fulfill this Mitzvah in the future?

3) Laughter: a) Avraham and Sarah had wanted to have a baby for a long time. The Torah states that when Sarah heard the angel telling Avraham that she would have a

© 2013 Midrash Manicures 17 son, Sarah laughed at the thought of having a baby because Avraham “was so old” (Genesis 18:12), 100-years-old to be exact. b) When God reported to Avraham that Sarah had laughed, God said that Sarah had laughed because she thought she was too old to have a baby at 90- years-old (Genesis 18:13). c) Why do you think Sarah that laughed? d) What do you think Sarah was feeling when she laughed? e) Do you think Sarah believed that she and Avraham were going to have a baby at such an old age? e) Do you ever laugh at something because you are excited, nervous, or scared? f) The Torah states “VaTitzchak Sarah,” “Sarah laughed.” (Genesis 18:12) If Sarah were updating her Facebook status, what do you think she would write? (for example: “LOL”)

3) Midrash Manicures Designs: What are some symbols that come to mind from Parashat Vayeira?

• Sun • Water jug • Tent • Milk • Abraham • Cake & other food items • Sarah • Smiley face • Angels • Letters: “LOL” • Stick figures of 3 people • Baby boy

Design Ideas for Parashat Vayeira

Lesson 4 - Parashat Chayei Sarah Goals: 1) Students will understand that the well used to function as a meeting place for people to find their mates. 2) Students will be able to explain how Rivka went out of her way to help a complete stranger: Avraham’s servant. 3) Students should be able to explain how their manicure relates to themes in the Parasha.

1) The Well as a Meeting Place: a) Sarah passed away and Avraham decided that it was time to find a wife for their son, Yitzchak b) Avraham sent her servant, Eliezer, to find a wife for Yitzchak. • “Dating” didn’t happen back then - Marriages were “arranged” • Why do you think that Avraham sent a messenger to find a wife for Yitzchak? • Why didn’t he send Yitzchak to find his own wife?

2) Rivka’s Kindness: a) What qualities was Eliezer going to look for in the woman who was going to marry Yitzchak? b) What did Rivka do for Eliezer? • Rivka graciously drew water first for Eliezer and then for his ten camels • Rivka schlepped a lot of water for a complete stranger and his animals c) Eliezer gave Rivka presents of jewelry: a gold nose ring and two gold bracelets • Why do you think Eliezer gave Rivka gifts of jewelry? • Do you think Eliezer was trying to bribe Rivka? Why or why not?

3) Family Ties a) It turns out Rivka’s mom and Avraham were brothers. That makes Yitzchak and Rivka first cousins. Rivka’s brother is named Lavan. We will hear more about him in two week’s. Rivka’s parents and brother agreed to let her marry Yitzchak. b) Rivka ultimately agreed to leave her homeland and go to Canaan to marry Yitzchak, a man she had never met. • Why do you think Rivka decided to marry Yitzchak? • What do you think it was like for her to leave her hometown and her family?

© 2013 Midrash Manicures 20 • How is her decision similar to Avraham’s decision? • How is it different? c) When Rivka saw Yitzchak for the first time, she almost fell off her camel d) The Torah states that Yitzchak married Rivka and that he loved her (in that order) • What do you make of this “love” story? Is it a love-story at all?

3) Midrash Manicures Designs: What are some symbols that come to mind from Parashat Chayei Sarah?

• Tears (for the loss of Sarah) • The Desert • Sad face • Hearts (for the love between • Camels Rivka and Yitzchak) • Jug of Water • Jewelry • Well

Design Ideas for Chayei Sarah

Lesson 5 - Parashat Toledot Goals: 1) Students will understand what led up to the event of Esav giving up his birthright to Yaakov. 2) Students will be able to defend the behavior of either Yaakov or Esav. 3) Students should be able to explain how their manicure relates to themes in the Parasha.

1) Parasha In-Context: a) At the beginning of the Parasha, we meet Esav & Yaakov, twins born to Yitzchak and Rivka. b) The Torah tells us that the twins were fighting in Rivka’s womb long before they were born. c) When the twins were born, the Torah teaches us that Yaakov came out holding onto the heal of Esav, implying that Yaakov may have wanted to come out first. d) What do we learn are the physical and personality differences between Yaakov and Esav? • Esav is: ruddy, red-haired, hairy, likes to hunt in the fields, active, his is favored by Yitzchak • Yaakov is: simple, likes to be home in his tent, cooks, he is favored by Rivka

2) There Goes the Birthright: a) One day Esav was hunting in the field and came back super famished. Yaakov happened to have been stirring up some red red soup, and offered it to Esav on one condition: that Esav sell his birthright. • Why was the birthright so important in the times of the Torah? • How would receiving the birthright impact Yaakov’s life in the future? • Do you think this was a fair trade? Why or why not? • Do you think that Esav really meant to give up his birthright? • Do you think Esav had any regrets about this?

3) Blindsided: When their dad Yitzchak, who had become blind in his old age, thought he was going to die soon, he called in each of his sons for a blessing. This would be the time when Yitzchak would bless Esav with being the firstborn and therefore getting all of Yitzchak’s inheritance. Yaakov would get a nice blessing

© 2013 Midrash Manicures 23 as well, but not the benefits of being a firstborn. Yitzchak had no idea that Yaakov had traded the birthright with Esav for some soup. b) When the boys heard about their upcoming blessings, Rivka decided to dress up Yaakov like Esav by making his arms hairy with the hair of goats. Since Yitzchak was blind, she thought he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. • Why would Rivka have wanted to pretend that Yaakov was Esav when it came time to receive a blessing from their dad? • Do you think it was right for Rivka to make a plan to trick her own husband? Why or why not? c) Ultimately Yitzchak fell for thinking that Yaakov was in fact Esav. Therefore, Yaakov received the blessing of the firstborn and got the birthright. • How do you think Esav felt about Yaakov receiving the blessing? e) The Torah states that Esav wanted to kill Yaakov so Yaakov ran away. We’ll find out more next week!

4) Sibling Rivalry: a) Do you ever experience tension with your siblings? How are these tensions similar or different from the tensions between Yaakov and Esav? b) Do you ever agree to do something when you’re really exhausted, and then think twice about it later?

3) Midrash Manicures Designs: What are some symbols that come to mind from Parashat Toledot?

• Bowl of red soup • Tent • Babies • Hunting • Twins • Bow & Arrow • Yaakov • Animals • Esav (red) • Hairy Arms • Books • Elderly man (Yitzchak)

Design Ideas for Toledot

Lesson 6 - Parashat Vayetze Goals: 1) Students will interpret Yaakov’s dream and be able to connect it with the circumstances of his life. 2) Students will relate to this narrative by discussing themes in their own dreams. 3) Students should be able to explain how their manicure relates to themes in the Parasha.

1) Parasha In-Context: a) Where was Yaakov when we concluded last week’s Parashat, Toledot? b) This week’s Parasha, Vayetze, tells us that Yaakov left Beer Sheva (in Southern Canaan) and set out for Charan (the place where Avraham grew up)

2) Dreams: a) How often do you dream? b) How often do you remember your dreams? c) Do you ever think about the connection between your dreams and your real life? d) Do you ever have good or bad dreams the night before something important is going to happen for you? Please explain and share examples.

3) Yaakov & The Ladder: a) In this week’s Parasha, we read that on his way to Charan, the homeland of Avraham, Yaakov came upon a certain place and stopped their for the night, since the sun had set. He took one of the stones from that place and used it as a pillow. b) That night, Yaakov had a dream: “a ladder was set on the ground and its top reached the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it. “ c) You are now all dream interpreters. • What do you think this dream means? • What do the ladder and angels represent? • Why do you think Yaakov is having such an intense dream at this point in his life? d) God appears in the dream as well and helps us to better understand the meaning of this dream. God’s response in Yaakov’s dream helps us to better understand its meaning: “And God was standing near him and

© 2013 Midrash Manicures 26 God said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of your father Avraham, and the God of Yitzchak: the ground on which you are lying I will give to you and to your offspring. Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth (numerous). All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants. Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you go and bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’” • How does God’s response help us understand Yaakov’s dream?

4) Midrash Manicures Designs: What are some symbols that come to mind from Parashat Vayetze? a. Rock g. Sky b. Ladder h. Land c. Angels i. Images from students d. Bed dreams e. Sleeping f. God

Design Ideas for Vayetze

Photographs & Contact Information

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The outlined lesson plans and procedures are suggested by Midrash Manicures LLC. Midrash Manicures LLC incurs no legal or other liability for any matters that arise in the classroom or outside of the classroom as a result of using these lesson plans and/or related products. The Midrash Manicures lessons plans and the decals to be used by Midrash Manicures are for artistic usage only and not deemed a cosmetology or nail specialist product. Nor is a Midrash Manicures Lesson to be deemed a cosmetology or nail specialty program. The Midrash Manicures products are not for human consumption and are intended solely for application to one's fingernails and/or toenails and not any other part of one's body or for other purposes.

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