Connecting Hanukkah with an Important Jewish Value

Ever since we were strangers in the land of Egypt, we Jews have been taught to always accept the other in our midst. The term other is a broad one, encompassing more than community newcomers. It incudes the needy, all types of handicapped people, as well as emotionally and mentally challenged individuals.

As the mother of a challenged son I know up close that the fight to be accepted is an uphill battle. That's why when Nicole Katzman -- the mother of an autistic boy -- told me of the unpleasant situations she was exposed to and asked me to co-author a book on an autistic child, I identified with her plight and picked up the baton. I knew she was right when she said the Jewish community needs a book like this. The issue was finding the right peg for a story that would speak to children and adults alike. The minute I discovered that in previous years her son blew out the Hanukkah candles, I yelled out "BINGO!"

This Hanukkah I urge you to read my new book Nathan Blows Out the Hanukkah Candles to your children and students. Use this compelling story as the opening for a discussion on how to accept challenged children into your midst. It's the miracle they are waiting for and it will light up their lives.

You can purchase this unusual Hanukkah story through Kar-Ben's online bookstore, Amazon,  B&N, other online bookstores, or ask your local Judaica store.

Wishing you a meaningful Hanukkah.
Tami

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You have to be as Fit as a Fiddle for this Hanukkah custom

Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Joshua Bell, step aside. Come Hanukkah, you'll be playing second fiddle to the Rebbe of the Premishlan Hasidic court in B'nei Brak, Israel. Once the candles are lit and the familiar Hanukkah songs of Hanerot Halalu and Maoz Tzur are sung, he will dance by himself in front of his Hasidim in an increasingly frenzied whirl while his followers enthusiastically sing. Despite the frantic pace of his dance steps he won't collapse. To the contrary. He will prove that he is as fit as a fiddle by picking up his violin and transforming himself into the court musician.  It's the moment everyone waits for and it's a Hanukkah custom dating back a couple of centuries to the Nadvorna Hassidim of Ukraine.

I can understand the frenzied whirl. It parallels the fast spins of the dreidel. But playing a violin? According to Bar-Ilan University professor, Menachem Friedman, an expert on ultra-orthodox society, Hanukkah is a time for lighthearted behavior. No work is permitted while the candles are lit, but the time has to be filled with some type of content that celebrates the victory of the Maccabees. Music is synonymous with many Hassidic sects and the violin is their favorite musical instrument. Why the violin? Maybe because it's portable and as close as they can get to King David's harp. Whatever the reason, playing it on Hanukkah is a custom that strikes the right chord.

While we're talking about notes and chords, enjoy the Maccabeats version of the Hanukkah story.  Compare the classic dreidel song with this contemporary version.  Or, open the piano, get out the violins and start creating your own Hanukkah musical. Make it a class custom that you do every year.


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Iranian Jews Know How to Make Strangers Feel at Home

It's that time of the year when we read about Abraham, the 3 angels and how Hachnasat Orchim -- welcoming guests into our midst -- became an integral part of the Jewish way of life. But are we practicing what we preach?

While none of us go to the pains that Abraham did by washing our visitors' feet, there are Jewish communities around the world who have their own special touch in making guests and strangers feel at home. This past January I brought up a unique custom practiced by Turkish Jews. After seeing a recent CNN Fareed Zakaria GPS piece on Iran, I decided to find out if there is a specific custom practiced by Iranian Jews. Sure enough, there is and it revolves around a tea ceremony.

Iranians use a samovar to heat and boil water, with the tea essence brewing on top. The water is carefully poured into small glasses. If foam appears in the water, it is not served. It must be crystal clear -- a sign of respect for the guest. Rose water -- which has a distinctive flavor and is an important ingredient in Iranian cuisine -- is provided in a separate glass for those who want to add it to their tea. Cookies are served as well. Sugar cubes are placed in a small glass server and handed around, with everyone taking a cube and placing it in their mouth. The tea is now ready to be drunk. All of this is done as soon as a guest enters the house. It's the Iranian way of showing guests they are wanted and respected.

This charming custom should get you thinking. Are you doing enough to welcome new members into your community.  Are you teaching your children the importance of this value? What about new students in a class? Are you making them feel wanted and part of the group? Have you dedicated a specific time and day for a welcome party? Think about how you can create your own Hachnasat Orchim custom that's your cup of tea.


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Connecting Gilad Shalit's Release with Jewish Values

A few weeks ago the NY Times' Thomas Friedman wrote a piece in which he lamented how Americans have lost sight of their original values. I gulped, thinking that I share a similar concern, only mine is over the loss of Jewish values among Israelis and the Jewish nation at large. On the spot I decided to devote part of the holiday gap period between now and Hanukkah to customs revolving around important Jewish principles. Then along came Gilad Shalit's release from captivity, the role the Israeli public played in this 5-year campaign, and voila! I knew I had the launching pad for customs relating to Jewish values. And I also realized that we're not as bad off as I thought.

What is it that connects the Gilad Shalit saga to Jewish values? That cardinal rule: Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh la'Zeh -- All Jews are Responsible for Each Other. Yes, it was the Shalit family that waged a tireless campaign. However, when a summary of the past five plus years was shown on Israeli TV the night Gilad was released, it became clear that it could not have been accomplished without the unending support of the Israeli public. Endless public protests, marches, petitions, concerts given by popular singers, and even a mock solitary confinement campaign conducted by the country's celebrities this past June turned the Shalits and the country into one gigantic extended family. Right after his release Israelis who never met Gilad showed up at his house to greet him. Not because they were nosy. Because they had fought for his freedom all these years. Because Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh la'Zeh -- All Jews are Responsible for Each Other. 

How does this translate into the classroom? There's a lot to work on. Let's start with cliques and their impact on other students. Next come the loners. How can you make them feel part of the class? Gilad Shalit was in isolation but we now know that he didn't feel totally "alone" since he knew about all the support he was getting back home. And last but certainly not least, let's get a handle on bullying. We want our children to learn how to stand up for each other, not emotionally or physically abuse one another. As we witnessed with Gilad Shalit's captivity, we Jews excel in organizing protests. So, how about planning an anti-bully protest in school. Have kids create their own placards, develop anti-bullying slogans that can be chanted, have kids speak out against bullying. At the same time, find out why the bullies are bullying. There may be some deep-rooted problems that you can help solve. It's all part of being responsible for each other.

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Sukkot Water Customs Lead to an Ecology Lesson

The search for unusual Sukkot customs continues. This time I found a practical joke custom of sprinkling water on the synagogue service leader while he reads the prayer for rain.

Hmmm...not exactly environmentally-correct for our day and age. Which led me to another search: The connection between Sukkot, water and environmental studies. I found a wonderful website written by  British Rabbi Lawrence Rigal z"l, explaining all aspects of Sukkot, including the connection between rain and this festival.  He explains that: 1) During the Temple period one of the most important ceremonies was pouring water on the altar during each of the 7 days of the holiday as a way of asking God to bring a wet year; 2) the prayer for rain is said on Shemini Atzeret -- the holiday immediately following Sukkot. Similarly; 3) Shmini Atzeret is the first time that we recite the Shmoneh Esrai "add-on" one-line prayer requesting wind and rain for the winter; 4) Next,  Rabbi Rigal gives a "guided tour" of the lulav. The Aravah that we attach to the lulav is a leafy branch of the willow tree, which he notes is especially associated with water. This sparked my interest so I googled willow tree and water, and look what I found -- a fount (pardon the water pun) of information about willows in North America. Now let's connect the dots with willow trees in Israel, and at the same time learn about the 4 species used on Sukkot. The palm leaves of the date palm tree stand center stage, and as Rabbi Rigal notes in his fifth point, 5) the shaking of the Lulav makes the sound of falling rain. Now that's a first for me. Sounds like we invented the first white noise machine.

Why all the interest and concern about rain? Because originally Jews were not doctors or lawyers. They were farmers, and the water resources produced by rain were (and continue to be) a lifeline for growth and sustenance. Humans need water to drink. So do crops and without crops say goodbye to the food pyramid which keeps us alive and healthy.

In essence, Sukkot is the first ecology oriented holiday on the Jewish calendar, so this Sukkot let's provide our children and students with more than simple Sukkot basics. Let's explain how vital water is to our daily lives, why Israel depends on its short rainy season and how we can conserve water.

Does this wet your appetite for more ecology lessons from the Bible? Check out my new book Green Bible Stories for Children and have a Chag Sameach.

Tami

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A 19th Century Jewish Family in Fischach, Germany Turned Their Sukkah Into A Family Heirloom

It's not easy to find an outstanding Sukkot custom, but when I saw this photo I remembered a wonderful Sukkah exhibition held several years ago at Jerusalem's Israel Museum. While there was something unusual about each Sukkah, one stood out among all the rest. It was made of wood planks, with the outside looking similar to the Sukkah in this photo. The inside was an entirely different matter. It was literally a work of art. The Sukkah's original owners -- Naftali and Zili Deller -- commissioned a local artist to paint the inside walls of their Sukkah with scenes of Jerusalem, the Western Wall and images of the Fishach village (their home town) from that time. Have a look. It's something else!

In essence, Mr. and Mrs. Deller -- who lived in the second part of the 19th century -- commissioned a combination of an unusual piece of Judaica and an unforgettable family heirloom. It was handed down to their son Abraham, who along with his wife Sofie, put it up in the courtyard of their home every year. That is until the Nazis came to power. In 1937 Abraham and Sofie smuggled the Sukkah out of Germany to the Bezalel Museum in Jerusalem (forerunner of today's Israel Museum) by converting the boards into shipping crates, with the painted sides used as the interior crate walls.

What a brilliant way to save a legacy! This Sukkot think about how you, your family and your students can create Sukkah memorabilia that can be handed down from one generation to the next. I'll get you started. What kind of craft has lasting potential? How about paper mache. Look at what I found!

Enjoy putting up your Sukkah.
Tami


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Kaifeng's Jews Closed Their Doors to the World on Yom Kippur

An ancient Yom Kippur custom from Kaifeng, China that can be applied to modern-day life? Sounds far-fetched but the answer is yes. About a thousand years ago, this city which was once the capital of the Chinese empire, had a small but thriving Jewish community. While they didn't celebrate all the Jewish holidays, they had their own way of observing some of them, and Yom Kippur is a good example. When this holiest of days arrived they closed their doors and remained inside in order to become pure. In essence, they closed their doors to the outside world.

What a great idea for our social networking era. Let's make sure that this Yom Kippur we virtually close the door. That means turning off cellphones, computers, iPod, iPad, iAnything. No roaming. No tweeting. No nothing except networking with our inner self.

Pass this message on to your students, your children, friends and family. Also, see my post on what Ethiopian Jews do when Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat.
  
G'mar Khatima Tova...Tami


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