Torah Live! Shulamith visits Living Torah Museum

Every parent and teacher aspires to bring the Torah to life for their charges, and the Living Torah Museum in Brooklyn provides an opportunity to do just that.

On March 9, Shulamith eighth graders visited the museum accompanied by their Limudei Kodesh teachers, Morah Bracha Cook and Morah Chani Pollak.

The museum’s founder and chief curator, Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutsch, displayed the type of jewelry worn by the people of the ancient world, including a signet ring reminiscent of the one that Achashveirosh gave Haman. They girls marveled at a video clip of Mordechai and Esther’s kevarim in Iran.

To help the students understand aspects of Pesach and yetziat Mitzrayim, Rabbi Deutsch displayed artifacts from ancient Egypt, including a gold crown belonging to Pharoah’s wife, black eye liner, and a curling hair utensil similar to one which Yosef Hatzaddik likely used. He explained what a gladiator was and showed what kind of swords and shields the fearsome fighters used.

The tour ended in the taxidermy room where the girls saw real animals on display, enabling them to visualize the kosher animals listed in the Torah. Rabbi Deutsch explained which animal could be used for Korban Pesach — and pointed out that it was very small because each person only needed to eat a k’zayit.

The wonder of The Living Torah Museum is that visitors are allowed to touch, hold and pass around many items, which makes everything in the museum come alive. The girls agreed that the trip provided a very unique and fun way to know and understand the Tanach they’ve learned in school.