Episode 13: Lessons from Long Ago

Welcome to Episode 13 of "Mystery Mirror: A Jewish Guessing Game for Kids" with Sari Kopitnikoff from That Jewish Moment.

In each episode of Mystery Mirror, you’ll become a mystery person, place, or thing from the Jewish world. This week, you’ll become a person who taught many important lessons. Can you figure out who you are before the big reveal?

In three fun rounds of clues (from tricky, to getting closer, to almost there), you’ll guess who or what you’ve become. Will you get it before the mirror reveals the answer?

Sign up for updates and coloring pages for each episode here: https://www.thatjewishmoment.com/podcast

Please send in your feedback, ideas, as well as your Mystery Mirror Mission responses to mirror@thatjewishmoment.com! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Listen closely, clue by clue, solve the mystery. Who are you? Welcome to Mystery Mirror, a Jewish guessing game for kids. I'm sorry from that Jewish moment, and in each episode of Mystery Mirror, you will become a mystery person, place, or thing from the Jewish world. I'll give you clues in three rounds. Round one, tricky clues, round two, get in closer, and round three, almost there. Your mission is to guess who or what you are before the big reveal at the end. Are you ready to look in the mystery mirror? Alright detectives, let's begin. Round one, you are a person. You lived long ago, around the time of the second Beta Magdash, Holy Temple, and you became a respected leader and teacher. People listened carefully to your ideas and your teachings. Do you know who you are yet? Round two. You were known for being very patient and kind. When you were younger, you did not have much money, and there's a story that you could not afford to enter the study hall to learn Torah, and instead you climbed onto the roof so you could listen through the window. While you listened, snow piled on top of you, and eventually people found you there and rescued you. Now do you have any idea of who you could be? Round three. Many things Jewish people practice today are connected to your teachings. We light Hanukka candles by adding one candle each night because of what you taught. And at the Pesach or Passover Seder, we still remember one of your customs by eating a sandwich of matza and marr. You taught many important lessons about how people should behave toward one another, and one famous lesson you taught was treat others the way you want to be treated. You actually once said that this idea is the summary of the whole Torah on one foot. Now do you know who you are? Are you ready for the reveal? Look in the mirror. You are Hillel, Mozletove, Mystery Solved. Did you know sometimes people tested Hillel's patience on purpose? They bothered him, and he stayed calm anyway. And there are stories about a man annoying him with silly questions while he was in the bathhouse, but Hillel answered each question very patiently. Hillel later became the Nasi, the leader of the Jewish people, and he helped answer difficult questions and make big decisions. People often called him Hillel Hazaken, which means Hillel the elder. And Hillel and another sage named Shamai would often disagree about Jewish law. Jewish people still study many of their debates today. Get ready for game time, let's play Finish the Rhyme. I'll say a short poem and I'll leave the last word out for you to fill in. Listen carefully and use rhyme to help you. Here we go. Number one. Hillel couldn't pay to learn Torah down below. They found him way on top one time, all covered in What goes in the blink? Snow. Number two. Each night of Hanukkah our candles glow so bright. Hill taught us to add one more every single What goes in the blink? Night. And finally, number three. The Torah on one foot? Almost sounds like a game. But Hill taught treat others the way you would want the what goes in the blank? Same. And now it's time for your mystery mirror mission. Write or draw one way people should treat others kindly. Think of something you appreciate when others do it, or something that bothers you when others do it. Write about it or draw it, and take a picture and ask a grown-up to send it to mirror at that Jewish Moment.com. Thanks for listening. If you color in the coloring page, please send me a picture. I'd love to see how yours comes out. Until next time. Keep your minds sharp, detectives.