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“Zeh Klal Gadol BaTorah”

Grade Level: 3-5
Time: 30-45 minutes

Introduction

This lesson examines Rabbi Akiva’s explanation of the mitzvah of Ve’Ahavta L’Rei’acha Kamocha as “zeh klal gadol baTorah.” It offers educators the option to combine physical activity, music, stories, and games to help students understand, internalize, and practice the concepts surrounding this mitzvah. 

This lesson is designed for grades 3-5. The developmental needs and abilities of 3rd graders can be quite different from 5th graders; these differences should be accounted for. 

The Gemara (Yevamot 62b) explains that during the Omer period, 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died “because they did not treat one another with respect.” On Lag BaOmer, the students stopped dying; this is one of the reasons that Lag BaOmer is a celebratory day. This lesson is an opportunity for educators to connect the lessons that emerged from the past with proactive action toward the future as well as an opportunity to focus on the importance of respectful behaviour rather than focusing on the students’ deaths.

Materials Needed:

  • Whiteboard and board markers
  • Supplies for the chosen activity
    • For Option 1: video link
    • For Option 2: notecards and writing utensils for all students
    • For Option 3: relevant book, story, or video
    • For Option 4: artistic supplies to create the classroom projects (construction paper, markers, tape, and scissors to create the daisy chain, or poster board, markers, and other decorative materials to create the poster)

Lesson Goals:

  • To raise students’ awareness of the mitzvah of Ve’Ahavata L’Rei’acha Kamocha and why it’s so important.
  • To connect the day of Lag BaOmer with the important mitzvah of Ve’Ahavta L’Rei’acha Kamocha. 
  • To encourage students to understand that what “I” want/need isn’t always the same as what “you” want/need.
  • To highlight that this mitzvah is about considering the “other” AND the “self” at the same time.
  • To introduce students to the concept that people can disagree and compete, but it needs to be done respectfully.

Procedure:

Introductory Activities: Trigger Question and/or Exercise:

Introductory Activity 1: The Most Important Mitzvah Vote

Ask the students: If you had to pick ONE mitzvah as the most important, which would it be? 

Have students suggest answers, and write their suggestions on the board. This can be followed by a “vote” to narrow it to the top one or two.

Introductory Activity 2: All of Torah on One Foot Challenge

Ask the students to stand up. Then ask them to stand on one leg and count how long they can do that. Then tell them to put the leg down. 

Then, present the following challenge: If you had to teach the whole Torah to someone while standing on one leg, what would you say? Give the students 30 seconds of “think time,” while standing on one foot to practice. Then, pair students and have them do it again in front of a classmate.

Connection: The teacher should explain that this challenge connects to the Omer time period. The teacher should remind the students about the Gemara (Yevamot 62b) which explains that during the Omer period, 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died “because they did not treat one another with respect.” The teacher should explain to the students that one of the reasons that Lag Baomer is a celebratory day is because the students stopped dying. Additionally, the teacher should share that Lag BaOmer reminds us of the importance of treating others with respect, in line with Rabbi Akiva’s explanation of the mitzvah of Ve’Ahavta L’Rei’acha Kamocha.

Activities

Option 1: Teach the Song

Play (and Teach, if so desired) the song, “Omar Rabbi Akiva” by Yeshiva Boys Choir (YBC)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4JPV9XOZ7s

Following the song, the teacher can ask the students to consider why having a song with these lyrics is significant. What does the experience of singing add to the internalization of this message?

Option 2: Get to Know Your Friend

Ask the students to write down on a note card: What’s one thing you’re learning to do right now? (Examples: a musical instrument, a sport, dance, art, martial arts, chess…) Then ask the students to write down: What’s YOUR best way of learning? How do YOU want someone to show you, teach you, or help you get better? The students should then share these responses with other peers through pair or turn-and-talk discussions. 

Following this conversation, the teacher should prompt the students to share what this activity taught them about how to treat the “other” and respect. The teacher should then explicitly explain the following concepts/takeaways to the students:

(a) what it means to treat your chevrutah/friend/student with respect
(b) that what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for the other
(c) that “v’ahavta” doesn’t mean “the SAME,” rather, it means with the same degree of sensitivity and care that YOU want.

Option 3: Story Exploration

The teacher should choose a book/story or a good video clip that makes the point of “fair is not always equal and equal is not always fair” or “what works for me doesn’t necessarily work for you.” The teacher can also utilize a book or video about how to respectfully disagree with others or about respect in general to show/read to the students. (One possible picture book example is Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.) 

Following reading the story/watching the video, the teacher should ask the students to identify the theme of respect in the video/story. The teacher should then conduct a similar conversation to the one suggested in Option 2 about the messages in the text.

Option 4: Scenarios

The teacher should identify 3-4 scenarios that come up in the context of the classroom in which respect is critical. The teacher should ask the students to identify and consider what the respectful choice would be in the context of each scenario. Here are a few examples: 

  • There is a long line, you are hungry for lunch and someone cuts in line. What do you do?
  • You are working on a school project with a friend and you don’t agree with their ideas. How do you handle it?
  • You are in charge of bringing in the snacks for a friend’s party. You know they really like potato chips, but you like popcorn. What do you choose to bring? Why?
  • Two friends are arguing about what game to play at recess. How might you help them solve their problem?

Option 5: Classroom Project (can also be used as a concluding activity)

The teacher can instruct the students to create a V’ahavta “daisy chain” or poster. Depending on the age and abilities of the students, the students can create a daisy chain or poster to hang up in the classroom where EACH student addresses the prompt: “I Can Do V’Ahavta L’Rei’acha Kamocha by:” Students should complete the sentence, sharing their responses.

If the students are more technologically inclined, the teacher can have the students create their slides using PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Canva. The teacher should then have the students share their responses and hang the responses up in the room.

Conclusion

The teacher should highlight to the students how the activities they have just experienced connect to the time period. The teacher should explain that in the same way that the first half of the Omer was observed through sadness and mourning, the second half of the Omer can be enhanced by internalizing and practicing the message of respect for others.