Answer riddles and solve mysteries, to escape the room and reach the end of this game! Modeled after the well-known Escape the Room adventure. Used during one of Canada's shabbatons.
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CHALLENGE 1
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Riddle, Card, Cups with words
Give each team the following riddle:
To avoid uninvited guests, the royal family set a password.
David (an uninvited person) plans to enter the party. He stood nearby the entrance door.
First guest comes. The security person said 'twelve' and the guest replied with 'six'.
Second guest comes. The security person said 'six' and the guest replied with 'three.'
David thought this information was enough and he walked to the entry point.
The security person said ‘eight.’ David replied with 'four.'
He was immediately thrown out of the party.
What was the correct answer?
ANSWER:
The correct answer is 5. (‘Twelve’ has 6 letters, ‘six’ has three letters, and ‘eight’ has 5 letters), which they will need to know for a later clue.
CLUES:
- The answer is 5 – but they’ll have to tell you why.
- This is not a mathematical riddle.
Once they get the answer, they get cups with words written on them. The words on the cups are: thoughts, words, actions, habits, character, and destiny.
The teams have to figure out which should be the bottom and which should be the top.
ANSWER:
The correct order is (bottom to top): thoughts > words > actions > habits >character > destiny
Once they get the answer, they get a card that says: Foundations.
CHALLENGE 2: MITZVOS
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Cards of mitzvos, Cups with meaning
Each team gets 8 mitzvos with more cups that have words written on them. They need to match the mitzvah to the purpose.
- Shabbos – Connection
- Tefillah/Prayer – Spirituality
- Learn and Teach Torah – Educate
- Love Thy Neighbor – Empathy
- Charity – Giving
- Honor your parents – Respect
- Kosher – Boundaries
Once they finish, they get a card that says: Purpose.
CHALLENGE 3: CROSSWORD
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Crossword frame, Cut-up letters, Clues
Teens have to put the correct letters in the crossword frame.
- Across: (2) It's cold out here; (3) Toot toot; (9) Lights, oil, action
- Down: (1) I'm hungry; (3) Happy birthday; (4) No leavened bread; (5) Celebrate the giving of the Torah; (6) Day of rest; (8) Costumes, candy, and more
Once they finish, they get a card that says Connect with your past, and a chess piece queen.
CHALLENGE 4: OUR DEEPEST FEAR
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Deck of cards, Quote
Teens get the following quote, and they have to pull out the number and the letter Q, which correspond to specific cards in the deck of cards. Those cards have letters written on them, and they have to unscramble the cards.
QUOTE:
Our deepest fe4r is not that we are inadeQuate. Our deepest fear is th4t we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most fr1ghtens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enl1ghtened about shrinking so that other people will not feel in5ecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
ANSWER:
441Q15 = TALENT
Once they finish, they get a card that says: Talent.
They will also get a scrunched-up paper that has random words and numbers on it – this is a red herring, they don’t need it for anything…
CHALLENGE 5: BRACHOS
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Pretzels, Candy, Oranges, Cup of water, Carrot
Match each food to its brachah.
- Bowl of pretzels
- Bowl of candy
- Cup of water
- Orange
- Carrot
Teens have to make the brachah and eat the food. Advisors can help make the brachah with them, but they have to figure out on their own that they need to make the brachah.
Once they finish, they get a card that says: Be grateful.
CHALLENGE 6: CHECKMATE IN THREE MOVES
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Chess board, set up like this:
Teens need to get checkmate in three moves. They’ll need to use their queen from a previous challenge.
Once they finish, they get a card that says: Thoughts.
CHALLENGE 7: OPEN THE CLENCHED FIST
SUPPLIES NEEDED: Pigpen cypher
Teens are told they have to ‘shomer-ly’ get the advisor to open their fist.
The answer is, they just have to ask, but they’ll probably try to force it open.
Once they get the hand open, they’ll get a pigpen cypher and a card that says: Communicate.
CHALLENGE 8: OPEN THE CLENCHED FIST
SUPPLIES NEEDED: String, Paper with emotions, Riddle, Book
Match the emotion to the colored string:
- Yellow – youthful
- Red – energy
- Blue – trust
- Green – wealth
- Orange – aggressive
- Pink – romantic
- Black – powerful
- Purple – calm
Once they finish, they get a card that says: Know yourself.
On the back of the card is a riddle.
RIDDLE:
I have no voice, yet I speak to you,
I tell of all things in the world that people do.
I have leaves, but I am not a tree.
I have pages, but I am not a bride.
I have a spine and hinges, but I am not a man or a door,
I have told you all, I cannot tell you more.
What am I?
ANSWER:
A book.
If they get the answer, they get a book, and inside the book is a paper with a number on it.
CHALLENGE 9
They get the code for the pigpen cypher. This will have the final number of the combination.
Once they get the combination, they have to run to me, put in the combination.
First team to get it, wins the prize inside!