ROSH HASHANAH and YOM KIPPUR -- Second Grade

ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR -- Second Grade

Scheduling: Because it is so near the beginning of the school year, you may have to talk to the teacher about scheduling your presentation in the first several days of school.

Materials: SHOFAR, paper plates, napkins, serving plate, apples (1 for each 6 listeners), a knife to cut the apples, honey in a squeeze bottle, honey cake (optional). WHEN MAKING A COUNT, DON'T FORGET THE TEACHERS AND TEACHERS' AIDES.

Wash and dry the apples before you go to school, but don't cut them. Apples should be cut at school so they don't turn brown. Before you begin, ask the teacher or the teacher's aide to prepare them while you talk. Six slices per apple are put on the serving plate, then a little honey squeezed on each slice.

Honey cake (or apple cake if you prefer) can be pre-cut at home. Kosher honey cake can be purchased at most supermarkets. Slices do not have to be bigger than 1" squares that are only 1/4" thick (or less). Remember that these are little kids, you are only providing a taste, and many will be picky and refuse to taste anything new. (It's OK if any of the kids, including your own children don't want to try the foods you bring.)

The Shofar: You don't have to own a shofar. You can borrow this from your synagogue. It is impressive ifyou have learned to blow it (one loud tekiah will do nicely).

It is even more impressive if your child blows the shofar -- so now is a good time to thnk about buying your child his or her own shofar for next year. With a little help from you rabbi and 5 minutes of practice every day (or even every other day), your child will do fine. The key to buying a shofar (particularly a first shofar) is to have your child try it. Go to a store with lots of shofarot (maybe a special trip to a big city Jewish book store) and pick one that your child gets te most sound out of. (Usually, the "bigger" the hole to blow into, the easier to get a sound.)

START OF PRESENTATION

Hello, I am Rebecca's dad. (Please insert your child's name and your relationship to the child, such as "John's mom" or "Rifka's grandpa.")

I'm here today to talk with you about some Jewish holidays that start next Monday. (Please insert the actual weekday on which the holiday occurred or will occur, such as "last Thursday" or "two weeks from now.")

Next Monday is the start of a new month in the Jewish calendar. There are a lot of Jewish holidays in that month. We'll talk about the two most important: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Some other Jewish holidays this month are Sukkot and Simhat Torah, but I'll tell you about them another time.

ROSH HASHANAH

The first of the Jewish holidays this month is Rosh Hashanah.

Can we all say "Rosh Hashanah" together?

ROSH HASHANAH

Very good.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. The words "Rosh Hashanah" are two Hebrew words. "Rosh" means "beginning." "Shanah" means "year." So "Rosh Hashanah" means "the beginning of the year."

CALENDARS

Why isn't the Jewish New Year on January 1st?

Last year, I spoke to some of you about Rosh Hashanah. We talked about how long ago, people learned to tell time. People learned to tell the difference between the seasons and learned that spring and fall come every year. And they invented calendars. This happened long ago, long before the Greeks and Romans. Long before Jesus was born.

Then people didn't have cars or airplanes. They didn't have telephones, or radios. Different people in different parts of the world didn't have the chance to talk to each other. So when different people invented calendars, their calendars were all a little different.

People used their calendars to remember when to plant their gradens in the spring, and when to harvest the crop in the fall. And of course calendars were used to remember when to celebrate holidays.

These different calendars started at different times. For example, the Chinese calendar has a New Year celebration usually in what we call February. The ancient Romans began their calendar in the spring, with March. The Islamic calendar has a New Year at a different time in the year. The Celtic peoples of Ireland and Scotland celebrated the New Year at Halloween.

The Jewish New Year is celebrated in the fall.

The Jewish calendar is described in a part of the Bible many people call the Old Testament. Jewish people still use that calendar to remenber when to celebrate the special Jewish holidays.

CELEBRATIONS

Did you ever stay up on New Year's Eve and have a party? Did you ever make a New Year's Resolution?

A New Year's Resolution is a promise to try to correct a special bad habit in the new year, or to try to be a better person in a certain way.

By Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah celebrates the creation or birthday of the world. But the Jewish New Year isn't celebrated by going to parties. Jewish people celebrate their New Year by going to prayer services at their temples and synagogues. The way you might go to church on Easter.

Jewish people go to their synagogues to pray. To think about the year just past. What they did right and what they did wrong. To think about how they could be better people. And to pray that they can be better people in the year to come. To make New Year resolutions.

Rosh Hashanah is generally celebrated for two days.

GREETINGS

On the Jewish New Year, you don't just say "Happy New Year." There are special greetings.

Does anyone know these?

One of these greetings is in Hebrew; "L'shanah tovah." This means, I hope you have a good year. In Hebrew the word "tovah" means "good." And remember, that in Hebrew the word "shanah" means "year." So "L'shanah tovah" means "For a good year."

Can we all say "L'shanah tovah" together?

L'SHANAH TOVAH.

Very good.

Instead of a "good" year, people sometimes say, "Have a sweet and healthy year."

FOODS

(Pass out apples drizzled with honey and honey cake.)

Many holidays have special foods: like turkey at Thanksgiving.

To celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people will have some apple dipped in honey, as a wish for a sweet New Year.

Sometimes they have a honey cake, or for the same reason.

This is not a gift giving holiday like Christmas. But sometimes one family will send another some fruit or honey.

SHOFAR

Many holidays have special songs and music, like Christmas carols or Easter hymns. Rosh Hashanah also has special melodies, but it also has a speical musical instrument.

(Hold up shofar.)

Who knows what this is?

It is made from the horn of a sheep, a ram. It is called a shofar.

Can we all say "shofar" together?

SHOFAR.

Very good.

The shofar was invented about 6,000 years ago. It is one of the oldest types of musical instruments still used.

(Blow shofar. Then pass around shofar.)

The shofar is blown several times in the synagogue on Rosh Hashanah.

Please be careful with the shofar as it is passed around. Please do not blow it.

YOM KIPPUR

After Rosh Hashanah, on the tenth day of the New Year we have the Jewish holiday called Yom Kippur.

Can we all say "Yom Kippur" together?

YOM KIPPUR.

Very good.

Since the first day of Rosh Hashanah we have been thinking what we did wrong last year and how we can be better in the new year.

On Yom Kippur, Jews again go to the synagogue to pray. We ask G-d's forgiveness for our bad deeds, and ask Him to help us perform good deeds this coming year.

On Yom Kippur, grown ups fast. That means they do not eat any food or drink any water for a whole day, from sundown of the evening before Yom Kippur, until sundown of the evening at the end of Yom Kippur. Fasting is one way to show we are sorry for wrong actions and serious about becoming better.

The shofar is not blown during Yom Kippur. But it is blown a last time, just as Yom Kippur ends.

When you've studied reading and language you've learned about contractions -- like when you say "can't" instead of "can not." Well the word "holiday" is a contraction of the two words "holy" and "day." At one time the only holidays were special serious religious holy days. Now, many holidays are more like vacations and Fourth of July with fireworks and parties and picnics.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are still serious holy days, not exactly fun holidays.

SUMMARY

Today I've told you about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur. During these holy days, we are thankful for the good things of the past year and promise to be better people in the year to come.

You have been a good audience. Do you have any questions? (Take questions.)

Thank you for listening so well.