Matzah Olympics

Time needed / 30 min
Age range / Any teen
Background of teen / Any background
Set up / Classroom or groups around a table

Goals: To explain the connection between matzah and zealousness.

Relevance: Don’t be lazy and procrastinate. Decide to act and act!

Supplies needed:

  1. Matzah
  2. Timer (phone)

Active Learning:

Choose competitors from each group and provide them with a whole piece of matzah. Tell them that they will be timed to see how fast they can finish their matzah. Use the timer to see how fast they eat the matzah. You can either have them all eat the matzah at the same time, or have them all eat the matzah separately.

After the winner is declared, move on to discuss the persistence, drive, and zealousness of all Olympic competitors. Ask the winners questions like in a post-game interview: “What do you think led to the success?”

Move on to facilitate question to the rest of the teens - how they don’t waste even one moment and once they decide to accomplish something there is no delay.

Continue the conversation into matzah verses bread and how bread simply sits and waits for it to rise where as matzah is ready to be baked in fewer than 18 minutes.

Finish the conversation by asking the teens to choose one area in their lives that they will no longer be lazy or procrastinate such as cleaning their room, homework, or figuring out summer plans.

Step by step planning:

Time / Facilitator Activity / Teen activity
15 mins / Facilitate matzah eating activity / Participate
5 mins / Facilitation questions / Participate
10 mins / Torah wrap up / Discussion

Facilitation Questions:

  1. Ask the winners: What did you do to win the matzah Olympics?
  2. Why do we want to win?
  3. What does a person need to do to win competitions?
  4. How do Olympic medalist make it to the top?
  5. How does it feel to lose?
  6. What prevents us from winning?

Wrap up message and Torah thought:

Genesis Chapter 24 / בראשית פרשת חיי שרה פרק כד
(18-20)
And she said, "Drink, my lord." And she hastened and lowered her pitcher to her hand, and she gave him to drink. And she finished giving him to drink, and she said, "I will also draw for your camels, until they will have finished drinking." And she hastened, and she emptied her pitcher into the trough, and she ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. / (יח)וַתֹּרֶדוַתְּמַהֵראֲדֹנִישְׁתֵהוַתֹּאמֶרוַתַּשְׁקֵהוּיָדָהּעַלכַּדָּהּ
לִגְמַלֶּיךָגַּםוַתֹּאמֶרלְהַשְׁקֹתוֹוַתְּכַל(יט)לִשְׁתֹּתכִּלּוּ אִםעַדאֶשְׁאָב
וַתָּרָץהַשֹּׁקֶתאֶלכַּדָּהּוַתְּעַרוַתְּמַהֵר (כ)גְּמַלָּיולְכָלוַתִּשְׁאַבלִשְׁאֹבהַבְּאֵר אֶלעוֹד
Other Resources

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