SIMCHAT TORAH OR SHAVUOT

The celebration of Simchat Torah is a joyous one. We have reached the end of the Torah and wind it all the way to the beginning and start all over again!

A super-simple craft for Simchat Torah is an edible Torah! You can also do this project for Shavuot (when Moses was given the Torah on Mount Sinai.)

Edible Torah--Candy

Materials:
mini twizlers (easily available at Halloween)
Fruit by the Foot roll up

1. unwrap the twizlers, separate.
2. unwrap the fruit roll
3. peel away the paper backing from one end of the fruit roll and attach it to one of the twizlers.
4. keep the paper on the fruit roll and roll the whole thing onto one twizler piece, leaving about 2 inches at the end.
5. Peel off the paper from the end an attach it to the other twizler piece. Fold the paper back and roll up enough to cover.
6. Roll back and forth as desired! :)

Still trying to figure out a way to make an edible Torah cover for it! :)


I've also done an edible Torah with pretzel rods and flour tortillas.
To do this:

Edible Torah--slightly healthier

Materials:
Kosher flour tortillas (yes, they exist!)
cream cheese
pretzel rods
black decorating icing or grated cheddar cheese

1. cut off the two inches or so from the top and bottom of the tortilla, forming a piece about 3" wide by the diameter of the original circle.
2. spread cream cheese all over the tortilla
3. place a pretzel rod on either short end of the tortilla, wrapping a bit of the tortilla around the rod.
4. using the black decorating icing, (or for a healthier version, the shredded cheese) form the letter bet (ב) which is the first letter in the Torah. Ideally, it should be placed at the top of the right hand edge.
5. You can enjoy it as is or roll it up like a Torah scroll!


Another project that is great for this holiday (instead of the standard flag or banner) is a NON-Edible Torah.

Materials:
two small branches from a tree in your backyard or park (the straighter the better) or two skewers
five sheets of white computer paper or newsprint drawing paper
scotch tape or clear packing tape
4 beads that will fit onto the ends of the skewers (if you used skewers) or ends can be wrapped with pipe cleaners.
ribbon or pipe cleaner

1. have children draw one "scene" from each of the books of the Torah. Some are kind of difficult...
Genesis (Bereshit) : Creation, Noah's Ark, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Joseph
Exodus (Shemot) : Moses, the Passover Story, the golden calf
Leviticus (Vayikra) : laws, kashrut
Numbers (Bamidbar) : taking census
Deuteronomy (Devarim) : rewards and punishments, death of Moses

2. Tape the stories together in order (starting from the right!) making a long scroll.

3. Tape the right side of the first sheet (Genesis) to one of the branches or skewers. Tape the left side of the last sheet (Deuteronomy) to the other branch or skewer.

4. If using skewers, glue a bead on either end (you might also snip off the pointy part) to prevent injuries. If you can't find beads, you can use a piece of pipe cleaner to wrap up the ends (that's what I did in the above photo).

5. Roll up the Torah scroll and close it with ribbon or a pipe cleaner.

6. A Torah cover can also be made for it with a piece of construction paper wrapped around. You can even make a yad (pointer) and a mantle for the scroll if you're really ambitious (from foil or silver paper).


Fat Torah

Another way to have the children make a Torah (or make one together as a class project).

Materials:
Four 2-liter bottles, empty (for a class project) or two 8-oz water bottles and two 16-oz water bottles, empty, for individual Torahs.
hot glue or packing tape
construction paper (12" X 18" preferred, but smaller sheets can also be used.)
2 pipe cleaners (12" long each) silver will be most realistic but any color can be used.
brown paint (tempera paint with a bit of Elmer's mixed in, or acrylic paint--something that will stick to plastic).
yarn (about 24 inches) silver color will be most realistic but any color can be used.
silver colored poster board (or use any color poster board and paint it silver)
hole puncher

1. Hot glue or tape 2 of the bottles together so that their bottoms meet. This will make one part of the Torah. Do the same for the other 2 bottles. (if using smaller water bottles, glue or tape one 8-oz to one 16-oz so that the set will be the same size).

2. Paint the 2 sets of bottles with brown paint to resemble eitzei chayim (the sticks onto which the scroll is mounted). Allow them to dry completely.

3. A small amount of hot glue can be used to glue the two eitzei chayim together when dry. Or, if you want to make it even more realistic, you can do as in the above Torah project, taping sheets together to make a long scroll, then tape each end to the bottles (you will need more than 5 sheets of paper, though, to allow for the width of the bottle).

4. While you're waiting for your eitzei chayim to dry, you can make the dressing for the Torah. Using a large piece of construction paper, wrap the eitzei chayim so that the pointy part of the bottles shows. Use more than one piece of construction paper if necessary, taping together. After you have a piece that fits around the scrolls snugly, remove it and decorate it as desired.

5. Replace the cover and make the yad (pointer). Twist together 2 pipe cleaners and bend back the last 1 inch to form a fatter part. Manipulate the pipe cleaners to resemble a tiny pointing hand. If the yad is too long, fold the "handle" part back onto itself and twist again.

6. Insert a piece of yarn into the handle of the yad and tie. Tie the other end to the top of one of the bottles.

7. Make a mantle for the Torah using a piece of stiff poster board painted silver. Cut it to desired shape (a rectangle approximately 6" X 8" if using 2-liter bottles is about right, but adjust to fit the size of your bottles). Punch holes in the top (one in each upper corner) tie yarn forming a "necklace" and hang it over the Torah cover.