Yeshiva of Central Queens (YCQ) Grades 1-5 enjoyed a special “Peulat Tevet” organized by Morah Osnat Fried, Elementary School Judaic Studies Teacher, and Rabbi Michael Ribalt, Elementary School Assistant Principal. The students learned about the miracle of the Hebrew language being spoken again, after 2,000 years of no spoken Hebrew. They watched a short video about the life and accomplishments of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the father of modern Hebrew, and ended the activity with a fun game of Bingo in the Hebrew language.
Rabbi Ribalt taught students, “While Teves is a month famous for the end of Chanukah and for Asarah B’Teves, for the State of Israel Teves is also famous for the month that the Hebrew Lexicographer Eliezer Ben-Yehuda was born.” He continued, “We decided to celebrate the month by playing a bingo game using vocabulary words originated by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda. Many of the words first appeared in his famous and first Modern Hebrew Dictionary. Our students watched a short video clip that describes, in song, the way Eliezer Ben-Yehuda had to use his knowledge of Semitic languages to create many of the Hebrew words used today.”
Rabbi Ribalt remarked, “The students appreciate the rich history of Eretz Yisrael. One man was able to use his talents to revive a language that wasn’t used on a large scale for thousands of years. It was inspiring to learn what one person can do with effort and passion. We use these special monthly p’ulos to inspire our talmidim and enrich their connection to our Eretz HaK’doshah!” YCQ created an enriched lesson about the roots of the Jewish people.
