Shavuot: Humility from the Mountain
Grade Level: 3-5
Time: 30 minutes
Objectives:
- Students will learn where the Torah was given.
- Students will be able to describe the significance of where the Torah was given based on the midrash.
- Students will be able to connect the lesson of humility to their own lives.
Materials Needed:
- Slideshow PDF with sources and images
- Scenario cards
- Paper and pens for all students
Introduction
Display the slideshow PDF on the board.
(Slide 1)
Read the song “I am a Mountain” to the students. Ask your students if they can figure out the message of the song.
Optional: Show the students a video of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBVdE1leTtI
(Slide 2)
The teacher should then explain that this song comes from a famous Gemara (Sotah 1:8) and should read the Gemara with the students:
אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: לְעוֹלָם יִלְמַד אָדָם מִדַּעַת קוֹנוֹ, שֶׁהֲרֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הִנִּיחַ כׇּל הָרִים וּגְבָעוֹת, וְהִשְׁרָה שְׁכִינָתוֹ עַל הַר סִינַי
Rav Yosef says: A person should always learn proper behavior from the wisdom of his Creator, as the Holy One, Blessed be He, disregarded all of the mountains and hills and rested His Divine Presence on the lower Mount Sinai.
שֶׁהֲרֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הִנִּיחַ כׇּל הָרִים וּגְבָעוֹת, וְהִשְׁרָה שְׁכִינָתוֹ עַל הַר סִינַי וְלֹא גָּבַהּ הַר סִינַי לְמַעְלָה
The Holy One, Blessed be He, disregarded all of the mountains and hills, and rested His Divine Presence on the lowly Mount Sinai, and He did not choose to raise Mount Sinai up toward Him. God chose to give the Torah on Mount Sinai, as it was a symbol of humility due to its lack of height, and He lowered His Divine Presence, as it were, to the mountain.
Defining Humility: Discussion
(Slide 3)
Lead a short classroom discussion about what it means to be humble or have “humble” behavior. Explain that humility is the combination of recognizing our abilities, but remaining modest/not bragging about them.
Say the following yes/no sentences (or come up with your own) aloud and ask students to call out yes or no. This exercise will help the students understand the definition of humility.
- Humility means saying you are “bad” at something. (No)
- Humility means telling everyone that you are the best at a game (No).
- Humility means being honest if you win something and someone asks you if you won. (Yes).
- Humility is a form of modesty/tzniut. (Yes)
- Humble people do not brag (Yes).
- Humility means recognizing that your strengths come from Hashem/God, and so you should use them to help others, and not act as if they are only yours. (Yes)
Brainstorm with the students: why is being humble such an important quality?
One possible answer might be about the balance of knowing your strengths, but not making others feel bad.
For further discussions, introduce the character of Moshe, who was known as the most humble man, as well as the mishna from Pirkei Avot (6:6) that states that one of the 48 ways to acquire Torah is through the trait of humility.
Humility and Har Sinai
(Slide 4)
Point to the mountain on slide 4 and ask the students to consider why the message of humility was important for accepting the Torah.
Some possible responses include:
- One has to realize that while they may know a lot, there is always more to learn and that learning Torah is a lifelong process.
- Being humble is a key trait for learning Torah, especially with others, as it ensures that a person is willing to listen to others, including teachers and peers, as well as those who disagree with them.
Connection and Scenarios
Divide the students into groups to brainstorm responses to the following scenarios. The purpose of these scenarios is to have students consider what a humble response looks like and how to implement it in their lives. Ask students: How can you be humble like Har Sinai in each of these scenarios? Hand out a scenario card to each group.
Scenarios:
- You were just chosen to be the main actor in your school play. Some of your friends were not chosen or were given smaller parts. How do you act with humility in this circumstance?
- You just scored the winning shot in your basketball game. Everyone around you is congratulating you. How do you respond with humility?
- You just won the school bracha/spelling bee, while your best friend came in third place. How can you act with humility in this situation?
- Your drawing was just chosen to be on the cover of your class Haggadah. How do you act with humility when you hear the news?
Following the pairing up and discussion, debrief the scenarios with the students.
Conclusion
To conclude the lesson, students should consider taking on a situation where they will try to use more humility. Using a pen and paper, each student should write down, “I will be humble in X circumstance.” The students can keep these for themselves, bring them home, or hang them up in the classroom.