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igniting your shabbat services
Rosh Hashana
Rosh Hashana
Hello and welcome to Spark!Spark is a new idea from Tribe, aimed at facilitating the smooth running of Toddlers’ Services, Children’s Services and Youth Services across United Synagogue communities.
Firstly, thank you for offering to run a Children’s Service in your local shul. The US is very proud of the numerous Children’s services that are run every week across the UK, and we would not be able to do this without you!
Spark has been designed in order to help you run your Children’s Services. Obviously, every Children’s Service is different, in terms of how many children there are; what their age range is; how long it is for; and how knowledgeable the children are likely to be of this week’s parasha.
Ideally, where possible, a Children’s Service should consist of some time used to discuss the weekly parasha, and some time devoted to davening. Spark is aimed at the parasha part of the service. It gives you an overview of what happens in the weekly parasha, and then a song, activity, discussion or Dvar Torah to run with the children – depending on their ages.
After the parasha summary on the next page, Spark has been split into 5 sections. Larger communities may have 5 different Children’s / Youth Services running concurrently. Each of these will be able to use one section for their relevant age group. If your shul does not have as many groups, then you should use the section that best suits the age range of your participants.
It has been created in a way to be flexible, so that it can be run in 10 minutes, if you have a short service, or longer if you have the time. If you also look at sections for other age groups, you may even find that you would like to use the ideas and information from more than one of the sections.
It is important to note that Spark should help you to run Children’s Services, but it does not completely run it for you. It is not designed to give to one of the children to read out to the group for them to run themselves. You are running the Children’s Service, and Spark is here to help you do it.
Largely, no props will be needed, but ideally you should read Spark before you start the Children’s Service, so that you can think of further ideas to complement it.
We hope that you and the children in the Children’s Service will benefit from Spark, we thank and congratulate you for doing it; and as always we welcome your feedback.
Shabbat shalom,
The Tribe Education Team
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
Rosh HashanaFESTIval SUmmary
Put those party hats away! Getting the year started is serious business. New Year’s Day is, for us Jews, not a time for frivolous rejoicing, but rather a day of prayer. It is the when we are remembered by Hashem and judged according to our merits.
The festival of Rosh Hashanah – the name means “Head of the Year” – is observed for two days beginning on 1st Tishrei, the first day of the Jewish year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of mankind’s role in God’s world.
Rosh Hashanah thus emphasizes the special relationship between God and humanity: our dependence upon God as our creator and sustainer, and God’s dependence upon us as the ones who make His presence known and felt in His world. Each year on Rosh Hashanah, “all inhabitants of the world pass before God like a flock of sheep,” and it is decreed in the heavenly court, “who shall live, and who shall die... who shall be impoverished, and who shall be enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise.” But this is also the day we proclaim God King of the Universe. The Kabbalists teach that the continued existence of the universe is dependent upon the renewal of the divine desire for a world when we accept God’s kingship each year on Rosh Hashanah.
The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn, which represents the trumpet blast of a King’s coronation by His people. The cry of the shofar is also a call to repentance; for Rosh Hashanah begins the “Ten Days of Repentance” which culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Another significance of the shofar is to recall the Binding of Yitzchak, which also occurred on Rosh Hashanah, in which a ram took Yitzchak’s place as an offering to God; we evoke Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son and plead that the merit of his deed should stand by us as we pray for a year of life, health and prosperity. Altogether, the shofar is sounded 100 times each day in the course of the Rosh Hashanah service.
Additional Rosh Hashanah observances include:
a) Eating a piece of apple dipped in honey to symbolize our desire for a sweet year, and other special foods symbolic of the new year’s blessings
b) Blessing one another with the words Leshanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim, “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”
c)Tashlich, a special prayer said near a body of water (an ocean, river, pond, etc.) symbolising the verse, “And You shall cast their sins into the depths of the sea.”
Rosh Hashana 1st DaypOrTIOn SUmmary
n On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, during Shacharit (the morning service) we read a chapter from Bereshit (Genesis.)
n It records the story of Sarah, who after praying to God, finally has a son and calls him Yitzchak.
n Avraham was 100 years old when Yitzchak was born.
n Sarah tells Avraham to dismiss the servant Hagar from their house.
n God tells Avraham to listen to Sarah, so he gives Hagar water, and sends her away.
n God says that he will make great nations from Yitzchak, and also from Hagar’s son, Yishmael.
n Avraham and the King Avimelech made a covenant in Beer Sheba.
Torah Portion Summary
Rosh Hashana 1st Day
prE-nUrSEry TO rEcEpTIOnToddlers Service: Yom Tov Songs
On Rosh Hashanah we have apples and honey, so that we will have a sweet and happy new year.
Here are two songs about the apples and honey.
(To the tune of Baa, Baa Black Sheep)
Three little apples hanging on a tree. Shiny, juicy, waiting for me. Here I come, shake, shake, shake. Down come apples for me to take. I'll wash them well, then I can eat. Apples for a Rosh Hashanah treat.
To the Tune of My Darling Clementine:
Dip the apple in the Honey Make a Bracha loud and clear L'Shana Tovah U'Mesuka Have a Happy Sweet New Year
Rosh Hashana 1st DayyEar 1 & 2Ages 5-7
On Rosh Hashanah we reflect on the past year, and think about what we want to get out of the coming year.
Activity:
Play the game Fruit basket with the children, with Kosher foods instead of fruit.
n Play the ‘Memory Game’ about what we want to achieve this year.
n The first child says ‘This year I want to…..’, e.g. keep my room tidy / not fight with my brother / do well in school.
n The second child says ‘This year I want to....’ and says what the previous child has said, and then adds their own wish too.
n Play continues and gets harder, as the children have to try and remember what all the previous children have said.
Rosh Hashanah is a special Yom Tov (festival) and all festivals should be joyous occasions. So if you know that the children will enjoy a particular game, even if it is not connected, play it and tell them why!
Rosh Hashana 1st DayyEar 3 & 4Ages 7-9
On Rosh Hashanah we reflect on the past year, and blow the Shofar which signals a wake-up call for us as we prepare to go into the 10 days of repentance building up to Yom Kippur; the day when we ask God for forgiveness for all our sins.
Activity;
n Act out some role plays with the children.
n Split them in to two groups, and ask them to think of a scenario that has
happened this past year, to which they have not reacted in the best way the
could, for example when a teacher asked why I had not done my homework,
and I lied by saying “the dog ate it”.
n Each group should act out the scenario for the other group.
Discussion Points;
n Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on what we have done in the past year,
and think of ways to improve ourselves in the coming year.
n In the scenarios acted out, how could we have dealt with the situations
differently, in a more positive way?
Rosh Hashana 1st DayyEar 5 & 6Ages 9-11
On Rosh Hashanah we reflect on the year gone past, and think about what we want to get out of the coming year as it begins.
Activity:
Split the children in to three groups, and ask each group to act out a play.
n One group should do the highlights of the past year
n The second group should be the worst things that have happened in the past year
n The final group should do what they would like to happen in the coming year.
Discussion Points;
n Compare the plays – did the children automatically think of what had happened / they would like to happen, for themselves as individuals, the Jewish people, or the whole world E.g. Their favourite football team doing well, or no war in Israel?
Rosh Hashana 1st Day
Dvar TorahA favourite food in the Jewish home during the High Holy Day season is honey. Traditionally, from Rosh Hashanah until after Succot, honey is served with every major meal. It is smeared on the bread over which we recite the "Hamotzi" blessing, the sweet apple is dipped into honey at the evening meals on Rosh Hashanah, sweet baked goods are baked with honey, and honey is used in the preparation of foods such as glazed carrots and sweet desserts.
The custom of honey on the Jewish table during the High Holiday period is an ancient and universal Jewish custom. It is already recorded in the works of the Babylonian Geonim in the 7th century, and probably dates back to even much earlier times. It is no exaggeration to say that Jews always seemed to possess a sweet tooth!
The obvious reason for the use of honey on our table at this time of the year is the symbolism of our desire for a "sweet new year." Sweet means dear, precious, enjoyable, satisfying, serene, secure and something most pleasing. Well, that about sums up our hopes and prayers for the new year, and therefore honey serves as our representative in expressing these fervent hopes and prayers.
However, honey represents more than sweetness per se. It is one of the attributes of the Land of Israel which is described in the Bible as being a land that "flows with milk and honey." Thus honey on the table always reminds the Jew wherever he or she is, of their ancient homeland of Israel and of the Jewish attachment to its history and holy soil.
Incidentally, the honey referred to in the land flowing "with milk and honey" is not the common bee honey that we use today, but actually describes the honey of biblical times that was primarily produced from overripe dates. Even today in Israel, date honey is still produced and sold.
yOUTH SErvIcEAges 12-18
Rosh Hashana 2nd DaypOrTIOn SUmmary
n On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, during the Shacharit (morning service) we read a chapter from Bereshit (Genesis.)
n We read the story of the ‘Akeidah’: the binding of Yitzchak, Avraham’s son.
n Avraham is told by God to take his son and bring him as an offering.
n Just as he is about to do so, an angel calls out from heaven and stops him.
n Avraham sees a ram that is caught, and offers it up instead. It is a ram’s horn that we use today as a Shofar.
n Avraham passes the test and is told that he and future generations will receive many blessings.
Torah Portion Summary
Rosh Hashana 2nd DayprE-nUrSEry TO rEcEpTIOnTots - Toddlers Service: Yom Tov Songs
In Shul on Rosh Hashanah we blow the Shofar (the ram’s horn). Here is a song about the Shofar.
To the tune of ‘The wheels on the bus’
The shofar in the shul Goes toot toot toot, toot toot toot,toot, toot, toot, The shofar in the shul goes toot, toot, toot,on Rosh Hashanah morning.
Rosh Hashana 2nd DayyEar 1 & 2Ages 5-7
In today’s Torah portion, we read about the test that Avraham had. God commanded him to sacrifice his baby son Yitzchak, and even though it was something that must have been very hard for Avraham to do, he was prepared to do anything that God told him to.
Activity:
n Play Follow my Leader with the children.
n All the children should sit in a circle, except for one child who goes outside.
n Secretly choose one child to be the ‘leader.’
n The leader should do an action, and all the children should copy the action.
n The child outside should come back in, and try to guess who the leader is.
n Possible actions include clapping, stamping feet, waving and winking. The actions should be changed often.
n The child from outside can come back in and should try to guess the leader with less than three guesses.
Rosh Hashanah is a special Yom Tov (festival) and all festivals should be joyous occasions. So if you know that the children will enjoy a particular game, even if it is not connected, play it and tell them why!
Rosh Hashana 2nd DayyEar 3 & 4Ages 7-9
In the Torah portion that we read today, we read about the test that Avraham had. God commanded him to sacrifice his son Yitzchak, and even though it was something that must have been very hard for Avraham to do, he was
prepared to do anything that God told him to.
Activity;
Ask the children to act out the story of the Akeidah (sacrificing of Yitzchak.) Make sure they include the following:
n God tells Avraham what He wants him to do.
n Avraham gets up early to do it (as he is eager to do a mitzvah – even this one.)
n After 3 days they arrive in the place God shows Avraham. As they prepare, Yitzchak asks ‘where is the lamb for the offering?’
n Avraham is about to do it, when an angel calls out for him to stop – because God now knows that Avraham really is willing to do ANYTHING for Him.
n Avraham sees a ram, so offers that up instead.
n The angel tells Avraham that he will receive many blessings, including ‘I will increase your offspring like the stars of the Heaven and like the sand on the seashore.’
Discussion Points; n God tells Avraham what He wants him to do.
n Avraham gets up early to do it (as he is eager to do a mitzvah – even this one.)
n After 3 days they arrive in the place God shows Avraham. As they prepare, Yitzchak asks ‘where is the lamb for the offering?’
n Avraham is about to do it, when an angel calls out for him to stop – because God now knows that Avraham really is willing to do ANYTHING for Him.
n Avraham sees a ram, so offers that up instead.
n The angel tells Avraham that he will receive many blessings, including ‘I will increase your offspring like the stars of the Heaven and like the sand on the seashore.’
Rosh Hashana 2nd DayyEar 5 & 6Ages 9-11
On Rosh Hashanah we blow the Shofar, which signals a wake-up call for us, as we prepare for Yom Kippur. This is a time when we are thinking about our own actions, but also, our actions collectively as the Jewish people. Judaism places great importance on community and working together with each other, even though this may
sometimes be challenging.
Activity:
Sometimes it is difficult to do things as part of a group, as the following
activity shows.
n Tell the children to line themselves up in order of age. The challenge is that they must do this without talking or making any sounds. They can use their fingers to show when their birthdays are.
n Now try asking the children to do this again in other orders, e.g. height order or alphabetically in first name order...
Discussion Points;
n What are the benefits of being part of a community? n On Rosh Hashanah specifically, when we are praying to be forgiven for
our sins, how does being part of a community help us? n Even though we are part of a community, we still have to take
responsibility for our own actions. n What can we do as individuals, to try and ensure that we have a healthy
and happy year ahead?
Rosh Hashana 2nd Day
Dvar TorahThe month of Elul is the time that God has given us to prepare our own legal briefs. It’s the time where we can reflect and try to “clean up our act” so that we can swing the judgment in our favour. Luckily, God throws in an extra bonus. Not only does He give us a “heads-up” about the upcoming days of awe, He also gives us an extra spiritual boost. The Hebrew word “Elul” is an acronym for Ani L’dodi v’dodi Li - “I am [close] to my beloved and my beloved is [close] to me.” God makes Himself especially available to all those who seek Him out during this time period. All we need to do is open our hearts to doing His will, and He will take care of the rest.
The fundamental difference between the Heavenly courts, and an earthly trial, of course, is that God, our Judge, has no political bias and no desire to see us fail. On the contrary, He wants us to be signed and sealed for the coming year with a good life, good health, and every blessing imaginable.
Not only is God the Judge, He is our Father. And what father would not want his child to emerge triumphant from the court case? We should use this opportunity to prepare ourselves for our upcoming “hearing.” And may we all be blessed with a wonderful year ahead.
yOUTH SErvIcEAges 12-18
igniting your shabbat services
We hope you find our guide to this week’s Parsha useful.
Be sure to look out for exciting Tribe programmes in your shul.
Shana Tova!
The Tribe Education Team
t: 020 8343 5656 e: [email protected] www.tribeuk.com
