Rabbi Wealcatch’s third-grade boys got a new addition to their wall displays this week- a six-foot diagram of the Bais Hamikdosh that the boys put together themselves. They started the project way back in Av, when they watched a presentation about how the Bais Hamikdosh was built and all the different vessels and rooms in it along with a 3-d virtual “tour.” Then it was time to build.
Rabbi Wealcatch told the boys to arrange the class as if it was Har HaBayis, noting the directions Mizrach (east), Maarav (west), Tzafun (north), and Darom (south), then finding the south part where the Bais Hamikdosh stood, which is where they constructed their diagram. The diagram was made up of different parts (the Menorah, the Mizbeyachs, the Kodesh Hakedoshim, the outer and inner courtyards, the steps, etc) and the boys worked together to position all the pieces in their correct locations.
The result was a beautiful poster that taught the boys a lot about the layout and functioning of the Bais Hamikdosh!