COMPILED BY ELIZABETH APPLE

Up, Up And Away

H

S

uppose you are a world-
famous sports star with
your favorite team. In
fact, you are the best
player, and the coach has told
you on numerous occasions
that, without you, the team
would be lost.
Your team does well in the
season and advances to the fi-
nals. Then you learn that a cru-
cial game will be played on
Yom Kippur. The date cannot
be changed.
What do you do? Do you go
ahead and play, or do you
choose instead to observe the
holiday? If you decide not to
play, how would you explain it
to the coach and the rest of the
team? If you decide you will
play, what would you say to
your friends and family?

like "You're entitled to a candy
bar," or "You can stay up an ex-
tra half hour tonight."
When you can al-
ways correctly iden-
tify the letter on the
balloon, you get to pop
it and have the treat
promised inside.
*Hide the balloons around the
house, then make up clues
appropriate to the letter
on each.
For example, you could
tell a friend, "You'll find
the balloon with the aleph
near abba's desk." (Abba,
of course, is the He-
brew word for "fa-
ther," and it begins

T

CAUTION: Small chil-
dren should never play
with balloons as pieces
may become caught in
their throats.

Life's A Circus

Parsha Project

he coming week's Torah portion,
Genesis 32:4-36:43, is Va'yishlach.
Returning with his family to
Canaan, Yaacov hears that his es-
tranged brother, Eysav, and his army are
advancing toward them. That night, Yaa-
cov has the famous encounter with the
mysterious stranger. In the struggle, Yaa-
cov is hurt in the hip (the source of the
prohibition against eating meat contain-
ing the sciatic nerve). Yaacov meets up
with Eysav and the brothers are recon-
ciled.
Yaacov and his family settle near the
city of Shechem (today also known as
Nablus). Yaacov's daughter, Dina, is as-
saulted by the son of Shechem's ruler.
Dina's brothers, Shimon and Levi, kill all
the male residents of Shechem and plun-
der the city.

with
t h e
letter aleph). Or,
"You'll
catch
c; sight of the bal-
loon with the
mem in the kitchen
I cabinets where
you'll also find
M&Ms."

Yaacov and his family move to Beit El,
where Yaacov consecrates an altar. God
provides Yaacov with the additional name
of Yisrael, and renews His promise to give
the Land of Israel to Yaacov's descen-
dants.
Yaacov and his family move on to Efrat,
later known as Bethlehem. On the way,
Rachel dies as she gives birth to a son.
Yaacov calls the boy Binyamin. Rachel is
buried where she dies, and Yaacov builds
a monument over her grave.
The parsha ends with a list of Eysav's
descendants.
For a project, learn a little more about
one of the cities where Yaacov and his
family lived. Find a map of Israel and lo-
cate Efrat, for example. Then look in the
encyclopedia and read more about life
there. Try making a model of the city, too.

It's never too early to start clownin'
around, so don't miss this chance for
a free ticket to the Ringling Broth-
ers and Barnum & Bailey "Great-
est Show on Earth."
The circus is offering a free tick-
et, redeemable any time, to children
born in 1995 or 1996.
lb receive a ticket, send the baby's
name and date of birth, plus your
address, to Ringling Brothers and
Barnum & Bailey Circus, Dept. BT,
PO Box 39845, Edina, MN 55439.

Book Em

Out In The Cold

w

inter doesn't have to mean a lot of
long, boring days in the house. As the
snow approaches, here are some fun ideas
for things to do inside and out.
;1,•‘ Make edible snowballs from whipped cream.
Any kind of whipped cream you make (or, even eas-
ier, buy in the store) will do. Simply squirt cream
into a ball and freeze for several hours. Try adding
candy sprinkles and chocolate sauce, too, but don't
throw these snowballs at your sister.
* Make "snow art" with food coloring. Fill squirt
bottles with several drops of food coloring and
water. Then go outside and squirt away, making
pictures in the snow. Unless the sun comes out,
your designs will last for days.
* Have a winter picnic. Bundle up in your
warmest clothes, and pack a simple snack
of hot chocolate and cookies. You won't ::::;;;;I: •• .
have any trouble finding an empty pic ' .-.--.. • ::: • '.
nic table at your favorite park this time of
year.

-

A

spiring authors, it's time to
take pen in hand and get
ready for the Sydney Taylor
Manuscript Competition.
Sponsored by the Association of
Jewish Libraries, the contest will
award $1,000 to the best fiction
manuscript for readers aged 8-11.
Only works by unpublished authors
will be accepted, and stories should
focus on positive as-
pects of Jewish life. Visitors at the
The deadline for giant sale held
submission is Jan. each year during
15. Awards will be Hebrew Book
announced May 1. Week in Israel.
For an entry form,
contact Paula Sandfelder, Coordi-
nator, 1327 Wyntercreek Ln., Dun-
woody, GA 30338.

D EC EM BER

Consider
This

ere's a fun new way to help you
learn the Hebrew alphabet.
First, you'll need to buy the bal-
loons — multicolored ones will
work best for this project. Next, use a per-
manent marker (others are likely to rub
off) and write one letter of the alephbet on
each balloon.
Now, there are many games you can
play to help you learn the alephbet with
your balloons. Here are some ideas; can
you think of your own, too?
*Throw all the balloons into your play-
room or bedroom and have a contest
among friends. Who will be the first to
find the aleph? Who will be the first to
find the bet?
*Ask your parents to write a tiny note
and slip it into the balloon before blowing
it up. Each note can have a fun message,