This past week, BPY fifth graders dove into an exciting hands-on exploration of the Mishkan with an interactive activity: מודדים משכן (Measuring the Mishkan). The students were introduced to the Torah’s unique unit of measurement, the amah (אמה), used in constructing the Mishkan and its vessels. They discovered that an amah, or cubit, is the distance from the elbow to the tip of the fingers—approximately 19 inches. Equipped with their own custom amah rulers, the students began by measuring their arms to compare their lengths to an amah. They then practiced measuring the length, width and height of three-dimensional objects using their amah rulers. The real fun began when they roamed the classroom, measuring desks, chairs, bulletin boards, windows and even the door! This engaging activity not only reinforced their understanding of measurements but also gave them a practical way to connect to the Mishkan’s dimensions. These new measuring skills will come in handy as the students prepare to build their very own Mishkan vessels for our upcoming 5th Grade Mishkan project. The excitement is building—literally and figuratively—as the students take the first steps in bringing this meaningful project to life.