Indian Jews Greet the New Year

Let’s travel to Calcutta – a bustling port city in India where 5,000 Jews once lived. Today the community numbers in the tens, but their traditions are still carried out by descendants living across the globe. Custom had it that on Rosh Hashana, Jews hosted each other for an afternoon reading of the Book of Psalms together with a light meal of fruit and sweets. A collection of 150 psalms, this is the longest book in the Bible and a good starting point for the self reflection that Rosh Hashana is all about. As for the traditional Rosh Hashana greeting – the Jews of Calcutta focused on longevity. Tizku L’Shanim Rabot – May You Merit a Long Life – is the Calcutta Rosh Hashana salutation answered by Tizke V’Tehiyeh – May You Merit and May You Live.

How to apply this to the classroom? A mini-feast of sweets and fruits is easy to put together and perfect for the Rosh Hashana wish of a sweet year. Next, have each student write his/her own 2-line psalm around a theme found in the Book of Psalms, such as creation, wisdom, justice, war, peace, etc. Discuss why each of their psalms is appropriate for Rosh Hashana. Follow this by a “parade” of traditional Rosh Hashana greetings. Let each student pick the greeting of his/her choice and explain why. Here are some sample greetings:
· Shana Tova – A good year
· Shana Tova Umetukah – A good and sweet year
· Ketiva ve-chatima tovah – May you be written and sealed for a good year [in the Book of Life]

My greeting to you: Shana Tova Umetukah Ve Harbei Bri'ut – a good year, a sweet year and a year full of good health.
Tami

A Rosh Hashana Custom that’s in the Cards

In the same way that email has revived the art of letter writing, the electronic age has revitalized the custom of sending Rosh Hashana cards. It’s difficult to pinpoint when and where this custom began, but one thing is for certain – it crossed all geographical boundaries.

Sent either just before Rosh Hashana or during the ten days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the message is always clear – wishes for a healthy, happy, prosperous, and depending where you live, safe New Year. Take for example the card on the upper left hand side. It dates back to the early 1900’s and depicts Russian Jews gazing at their American relatives, urging them to come to the U.S. My guess is a history of pogroms is behind this message. Of course, not all opted for America. For many, The Holy Land was the obvious choice, and the card on the upper right hand side bearing a family photo with different Holy Land locations in the background was the commonly sent Rosh Hashanah greeting in the 1930’s.

Still, many in Eastern Europe led a good life and were determined to convey a message of love and prosperity, as seen in the next card. Printed in Germany, it was sent in 1931 from Jews in Poland to relatives living in America.

By the 1950’s, 60’s & 70’s, Rosh Hashanah cards with the popular motifs of apples & honey, a shofar, the Book of Life, and round loaves of challah, abounded. But let’s transition to our e-age and the fact that both the school year and Rosh Hashanah are just around the corner. Developing a set of Rosh Hashanah greetings (sent via e-mail) for these turbulent times could be the e-sense of your first school project.

Wishing you lots of creative quality time with your students and children…Tami

Wonderful Italian Custom Connecting Tisha B’Av with Hanukkah

How can we take a traumatic event and give it a hopeful spin? Ask Italian Jews and they’ll give you the answer. Next week when you read Eicha – Lamentations – on Tisha B’Av in your synagogue by candlelight, don’t throw out the candle when you’ve finished the reading and blown it out. Take it home, wrap it up and store it in a safe place. Come Hanukkah, remove the candle from its wrapping and use it as the Shamash candle for lighting your Hanukkiah candles. What’s the logic behind this custom? On Tisha B’Av we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple, but on Hanukkah we celebrate its rededication. Italian Jews use the candle to close the circle and to end Tisha B’Av on an optimistic note. Learning from history never hurts and in these tumultuous times an upbeat message is exactly what we need.
Have an easy fast…Tami

Turkish Jews Wear Havdalah Besamim from Sundown Friday to Nightfall Saturday

I know, I know. School’s coming to a close and for now there are no more holidays on the horizon. All the more reason we should take a look at Shabbat, especially if you’re giving some thought to next year’s lesson plans.
We all have our Shabbat comfort aromas. Like a yoga mantra, these fragrances envelope us in a sense of calm. The Havdalah service ending the Sabbath day reminds us of Shabbat’s sweet scent through the use of Besamim – fragrant spices. While most of us use a dry blend of whole cloves, cinnamon pieces and allspice, Turkish Jews prefer a spice from nature. In fact, they use fresh Besamim to bookend the Shabbat. Here’s what they do. Before Shabbat begins they pick or buy a fresh sprig of an aromatic spice such as rosemary or mint. The men place the herb in their jacket lapel and go to synagogue wearing this sweet smelling reminder. The sprig is never removed. By Havdallah time it becomes a convenient accessory. Returning to synagogue with the same herb lodged in their lapel, they say Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha olam, bo're minei b'samim, "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, Who creates varieties of spices." They then remove the sprig and breath in its aroma in order to savor Shabbat and the tranquility it provides.
What a wonderful way to start the work week! You can get that message across to your students every Friday afternoon. Add some seasoning to your lesson plan by explaining the symbolism of the Havdalah spices, then send your students home with fresh spice sprigs. Ask them to come up with some creative post-Havdalah ways to use the spice.
Keep me posted on their ideas.
Have a Shavua Tov…Tami

Moroccan Jews Eat Matza on the First Night of Shavuot

Did you or your school over-buy Matza for Passover? A Moroccan Shavuot custom ripe with symbolism will help diminish the number of Matza sheets piled high in kitchen cabinets.

Once Moroccan Jews recite the Kiddush on Shavuot eve they take a few pieces of Matza that they saved from Passover and break them into small pieces. They then make a mixture of honey and milk. Immediately after, they blend the Matza pieces into the mix. Everyone gets their own portion, savoring the taste of this Shavuot treat.

You might consider this custom ‘cute’ or ‘quaint’, but let’s examine the meaning behind it in order to appreciate its true worth. Matza is our bread of affliction, representing the journey we began as a people. It also reminds us of the difficult escape we made from Egypt. The honey symbolizes the sweet feeling of being given the Torah. By receiving a code of law that we could call our own, we officially became a nation. To quote Jackie Gleason: “How Sweet It Is.” The milk is part of the Shavuot dairy tradition. Blended together, the combination of these three ingredients reminds us that Shavuot marks the conclusion of our Exodus from Egypt and the beginning of our collective, national experience.

So, if you’re looking for a creative way to get the Shavuot message across to your class, try this recipe out during snack time.
May you have a yummy and meaningful Shavuot…Tami

Let’s Create Our Own Lag B’Omer Custom

In another week we will be celebrating Lag B’Omer – the 33rd day of the Omer. The Omer is known as period of mourning which began with the death of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students from a heavenly ordained plague. Legend has it that the plague stopped on this day.

There are several customs associated with Lag B’Omer, which is also the Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, author of the Zohar and father of Jewish mysticism. Some of the customs revolve around the Rabbi and his request that the day of his death be turned into a celebration. Consequently, to symbolize the light he spread to all of his followers, we light bonfires on Lag B’Omer night, singing and dancing around the fire, mock archery contests are held, and (not related to the Rabbi) 3-year old boys get their first haircuts.

How to do all these customs fit in with your school day? Not very well. This got me thinking about the origins of the Omer, some lesser known Israeli customs, and how we can combine all of this into an original school custom.

First of all, what is an Omer? It is a measure of barley. In Biblical times, it was a commandment to bring barley the size of an Omer on the second day of Passover to the Temple in Jerusalem. Counting the Omer is a Biblical commandment found in the book of Leviticus. The days of the Omer run from the day after Passover night – when the Jews physically became free – to the night before Shavuot – when the Jews achieved spiritual liberation through the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai.

Step 2: Little known Israeli customs. On Lag Ba’Omer night many Sephardi Israelis go to Mount Merom, pitch huge tents, serve festive multi-course dinners and enjoy the beat of live music. On Lag B’Omer day, Israeli universities hold open fairs on their campuses in honor of “Student’s Day.”

Step 3: Let’s work out a combination by pitching one tent in the school yard and have a student run fair. One table can be devoted to barley: how it looks, how it grows, barley based food and drink, etc. For instance, do you know that the word barn originally meant barley-house? A second table can be devoted to Rabbi Akiva. Who was he? What was his connection with Bar Kochba? What was the reason for the plague that killed his students? What was his connection with Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai? Recreating a visual “map” of his life could be a challenging and enjoyable activity for your students. Finally, since Jewish mysticism deals with the soul of the Torah, how about singing and dancing to some Jewish soul music.

I hope this gives you some inspiration. Enjoy Lag B’Omer.
Tami

Get Ready for Yom Ha’atzmaut with the Perfect Annual Israeli Custom

Tafur Alecha/Alei’ch. That’s the Hebrew idiom for “it’s made for you” and the annual International Bible Contest held in Jerusalem every Israel Independence Day is just that – the Israeli custom that is really Tafur Alecha/Alei’ch for your Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration this year. Students from all over the world fly to Israel to participate in this competition which was started by David Ben-Gurion – the George Washington of Israel. All of them have already won their own national competition. This year, Israelis will be paying special attention to the Israeli contestant since he is none other than Avner – the 16 year-old son of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Avner comes from a tradition of Bible Quiz winners on his mother’s side.

So what will be the focus of your Bible contest? Here’s an idea: famous siblings in the Bible. Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, Moses, Aaron and Miriam (yes, please don’t forget to include sisters), to name a few. How about including this question in the quiz: “Who were the first set of brothers that didn’t fight and how do we remember them?”
Answer: Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Menasheh. How do we remember them? Through a beautiful Shabbat custom. Before we start the Shabbat meal, or right after candle lighting, we bless our children. The blessing for boys is “May God make you to be like Ephraim and Menasheh.” The reason we recite this blessing dates back to Jacob, when he was about to die. He summoned his family around him so that he could bless them. Surrounded by his closest of kin, he chose to first bless Ephraim and Menasheh. Aware of the jealous streak that ran in his family, Jacob was proud of how these two grandsons behaved towards each other. He used them to stress the point that brothers should live in peace.
On that peaceful note, I wish all of you a Yom Ha’Atzmaut Sameach.
Tami