Working with Hebrew songs for Passover
A lot of happiness ‫שמחה רבה‬
Folk music-‫עממי‬
words: Yaffa Bilha‫ יפה בלהה‬:‫מילים‬
music: Yedidia Admon‫ ידידיה אדמון‬:‫לחן‬
A lot of happiness ,‫ שמחה רבה‬,‫שמחה רבה‬Simcha raba, Simcha raba
Spring is here, Passover is !‫ פסח בא‬,‫אביב הגיע‬Aviv higia, Pesach BA
coming
A lot of happiness ,‫ שמחה רבה‬,‫שמחה רבה‬Simcha raba, Simcha raba
Spring is here, Passover is !‫ פסח בא‬,‫אביב הגיע‬Aviv higia, Pesach ba
coming
Sew , sew, sew me a cloth with pockets .‫ תפרו לי בגד עם כיסים‬,‫ תפרו‬,‫תפרו‬
My pockets were filled up with nuts .‫ מילאו כיסי באגוזים‬,‫ מילאו‬,‫מילאו‬
Refrain ...‫שמחה רבה‬
I will ask 4 questions ‫ שאול אשאל ארבע קושיות‬,‫שאול אשאל‬
I will drink 4 glasses of wine .‫ שתה אשתה ארבע כוסות‬,‫שתה אשתה‬
Refrain ...‫שמחה רבה‬
My mother will bring a big glass of wine to ‫ וכוס גדולה אימי תביא‬,
Elyaho , the prophet .‫לאליהו הנביא‬
Refrain...‫שמחה רבה‬
The purpose of this activity is to teach the children the following words in
Hebrew:
Pesach- Passover
Simcha raba- A lot of Happiness
Aviv - Spring
1. In Hebrew, the name of Passover is "Pesach"
In this song we have a verse and refrain. The word Pesach in Hebrew is
only in the refrain.
Please listen to the song and when ever the children hear the word
"Pesach" in Hebrew- they have to :
A. raise their hand
B. second listening: change the place that they sit.
The
refrain
2. Walk in a line after one of the children- When ever you hear the word
"Pesach"- the leading child goes to the end of the line and another child
becomes the leader.
3. Ask the children to clap their hands with the words" Pe-sach- BaPesach is two claps and Ba is one- How many times we clapped our
hands? – 3
Now clap the words: Sim-cha -Ra-ba- here we have 4 claps
Now clap the word: A-viv- 2 claps
4. Arrange your class in three groups- one will clap their hands with the
word Aviv, the second with Simcah Raba and the third group with
Pesach ba
The only word that we do not clap is" Higia "which means "came
here"
Practice the clapping without music while you ask the different groups to
clap their word when you point your finger at them
5. Put the music on and practice clapping with the music
6. Ask the three groups to clap and sing their word with the song
7. Explain the meaning of the words in the verses
8. Arrange the children in pairs: give each pair of children one plain paper
and one crayon:
One child will draw something for Passover in the verse and his friend
will draw other thing in the refrain. In kindergarten you can ask one child
to start drawing something and his friend will continue the same drawing
"Eich yodim Sheba Aviv"
Words and music: Datia ben Dor
The purposes of the activity:
o To learn about the atmosphere in Israel near Passover
o To get acquainted with a very famous Israeli children song- just the
melody and the general meaning of the song.
o To dance with Israeli music
In Israel, Passover time is the beginning of Spring. This song asks a
question:
How do we know that spring is here?
We look around and if we see that:
There is no more mud in the tracks
There are no more coats
‫‪The poppy and the chrysanthemum are decorating my country for the‬‬
‫‪holiday‬‬
‫!‪Then we know that spring is here‬‬
‫?‪How do we know that spring is here‬‬
‫‪We look around and if we see:‬‬
‫‪Many diligent hands‬‬
‫‪Carrying heavy baskets with wine and Matzo‬‬
‫"‪And if we sing "Simcha Rabba Aviv Hegia Pesach Ba‬‬
‫!‪Then we know that spring is here‬‬
‫‪If you read Hebrew , here are the words:‬‬
‫איך יודעים שבא אביב‬
‫נירה רבינוביץ'‬
‫מילים ולחן‪ :‬דתיה בן דור‬
‫ איך יודעים שבא אביב?‬‫מסתכלים סביב סביב‬
‫ואם רואים שאין עוד בוץ בשבילים‬
‫ואם רואים שנעלמו המעילים‬
‫ואם פרג וגם חרצית‬
‫לכבוד החג קישטו ארצי‬
‫אז יודעים (אז יודעים)‬
‫שבא אביב (שבא אביב)‬
‫אז יודעים שבא אביב‪,‬‬
‫אז יודעים (אז יודעים)‬
‫שבא אביב (שבא אביב)‬
‫אז יודעים שבא אביב‪.‬‬
‫איך יודעים שבא אביב?‬
‫מסתכלים סביב סביב‬
‫ואם רואים המון ידים חרוצות‬
‫נושאות סלים כבדים עם יין ומצות‬
‫ואם שרים "שמחה רבה" ‪-‬‬
‫"אביב הגיע‪ ,‬פסח בא"‬
‫אז יודעים (אז יודעים)‬
‫שבא אביב (שבא אביב)‬
‫אז יודעים שבא אביב‪,‬‬
‫אז יודעים (אז יודעים)‬
‫שבא אביב (שבא אביב)‬
‫אז יודעים שבא אביב‪.‬‬
‫‪The dance is in a circle‬‬
‫‪Eich Yodim Shaba Aviv? 4 steps forwards and 4 steps back‬‬
Mistaklim saviv saviv-Hands above the eyes and moving the
head from side to side as if we are looking around
Veim roim sheein od botz bashvilim-one hand knocking
forwards straight in the air twice and then the other hand(do it
twice)
veim roim shenelmu hameilim-clap your hands above your head
veim parag vegum chartsit- one hand knocking forwards straight
in the air twice and then the other hand(do it twice)
Lichvod hechau kishtu Artsi- clap your hands above your head
Uz yodim Uz Yodim- The circle is skipping aside
Sheba Aviv Sheba Aviv- The circle is skipping aside
Uz youdim Sheba Aviv- The circle is skipping aside
.
do the same movements in the second verse
"Avadim Haynu"
‫עבדים היינו‬
Folk song
‫ עממי‬:‫מילים ולחן‬
We were slaves, yes we were ‫ היינו‬,‫עבדים היינו‬Avadim haynu, Haynu
Now we are free ‫ בני חורין‬,‫עתה בני חורין‬Ata beney chorine, beney chorin
people, free people
We were slaves ‫עבדים היינו‬Avadim Haynu
Ata ata beney chorin ‫ עתה בני חורין‬,‫עתה‬
now, now we are free people
free people-‫בני חורין‬Bney chorin
The purpose of the activity is to let the children express feeling of free
people and slaves
1. Talk about the face expression of slaves in contrast to free people
2. Tell the children that in Hebrew the word "Avadim" means slaves and
" Beney chorin " means slaves.
Put the song on: When ever you hear the word "Avadim " in the song,
ask the children to move like slaves(sad, tired etc)
3. Tell the children that the word "Beney chorin" means free people
Put the song on: When ever you hear the word "Beney chorin" in the
song, ask the children to move like free people (happy, with power etc.)
4. Arrange the class in two groups: one will act as free people at the right
place in the song and the other like slaves.
5. Talk about voices of happiness and sadness: put the music on and ask
the children to make the suitable voices in the right places.
6. Give half of the children rhythm sticks and half of the children maracas
The children with the sticks will play in the slave's part and the children
with the maracas will play in the free people part.
Paradise and Hell by Vangelis
In this music you have two main melodies:
The first melody in which you hear the hummers knocking and I will call
it part the part of the slaves.
The other melody which is different and you do not hear the hummers
and I call it the melody of the free men.
1. At the first listening ask the children to imitate you: In the "slaves part"
you do a slave movement in every "hammer knock". In the other part
move like a free man
2. Tell you children to listen to this music and when ever they think that
they hear a hummer knocking, they have to knock with their hand on the
floor. When you hear the next melody with no hammers, you can tell you
children that next time, when they hear the hummer they will change its
shape (leg, head etc)
2. Talk with your children and ask them if the melody with the" knocking
sound" can describe the slaves in Egypt or the free people? Why?
Because slaves used to work with hammers and build blocks in the
pyramid etc
3. Arrange your class in two groups: One will be the slaves and the other
the free men. Each group has to work in her part of the melody with
movements that fits their figure
4. Give a one paper and crayons to each two children. One can draw in
the "slaves" part and the other in the "free man" part