Tefillin Exhibit at CGI Montreal

On Tisha Be’av a special exhibition was set up for sixth grade of CGI Montreal. It featured a presentation on much of the gemara that they have been studying here in camp.

Being that most of them will be turning bar mitzva in the upcoming year, the learning directors, Yehuda Matisof and Leibel Kudan chose a gemara in menachos which discusses many halachos regarding the making of parchment and housing for Tefillin.

To stimulate and make the learning more interesting a hands on presentation was constructed by the learning teachers and directors. Real hides were procured in their many different stages to show the entire process of making the parchment on which tefillin are written. Animal parts were brought in so campers would know from where and how the tefillin they would soon be wearing were made.

First up in the incredible show, the three stages in hide making were explained by their tour guides, their learning teachers. The many stages of parchment making was a hands on experience, as campers helped take a piece of animal hide and transformed it into a fully kosher piece of parchment.

Not only was it an interesting and educational way to present facts, it was informative and left the campers with a vast knowledge of the halachos of tefillin and better prepared them for their bar mitzvahs.

Due to the great success of the exhibition, it was opened up for the other grades in camp. By the days end, over one hundred and fifty campers had filed through and have become informed of the process of
the tefillin making.

Photos: Avrohom Perl for cgimontreal.com