Pierce My Ear

In this Torah portion Exodus 15:7 stood out to me.  What is an awl?  Winding down a path of curiosity, I discovered this video on godtube.com and exactly what is an awl.  Here's a link to the video:

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=6YD6LNNX

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Exploration in learning is always a fun adventure.  For this portion, I wanted to understand what an awl was and teach my children the commandment regarding a slave committed to His master for life.  According to wisegeek.com, an awl "refers to a number of small, pointed tools that are used for different purposes and feature a sharp, metal blade, often a rod with a shaped tip, which may or may not come inserted in a haft, or handle...Historically, the awl was used for ear-piercing to insert an earring as a mark of slavery, and it is still used for that purpose today by certain Native American tribes, at least in some cases as part of a tribal ritual, to create a hole to hold ornamental earrings or ear disks."  

So based on this definition I began finding practical ways to connect this image to the kids.  I made my own handwriting sheets for Exodus 15:7 and used the "awl" image at the top of this blog as visual and practical coloring sheet. We reenacted piercing our ears on the doorpost as the Torah states and incorporated this song into worship during the week.  

Here is the link to use this picture so you can use it on a homeschool worksheet:

 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Awl_2_(PSF).png

Also, here are some commentaries/blogs on this verse to inspire you this week:http://www.claychurchofchrist.com/articles/df-pierce-my-ear.html
http://www.oldpathspaved.org/?p=487
http://cathsblog.com/?p=183


What suggestions do you have for further learning this mitzvah?