Footsteps of Gratitude: What Got Me Where I Am
Perfect for Kids Footsteps of Gratitude: What Got Me Where I Am? None of us have gotten to where we are on our own. There were significant people, places, events, miracles, moments of hard work, or divine intervention which may have shaped our paths. In this activity, we invite you to visually track the steps […]
The Story of an Orthodox Braille Bat Mitzvah
The Story of an Orthodox Braille Bat Mitzvah You’re invited to hear the story of Batya Sperling Milner’s bat mitzvah, the first held in an Orthodox synagogue in which the Torah portion was chanted from braille. Through the voices of Batya herself, as well as her mother, Aliza Sperling, we hear about the experience and […]
Our Race & Our Stories
Perfect for Kids Our Race & Our Stories Thinking about where and with whom we belong provides us with an opportunity to explore the story of how we came to be who we are, and how our story intersects with others’. In reflecting on his book, Let’s Talk About Race, Julius Lester shares, “I am […]
Receiving and Giving Blessings
Receiving and Giving Blessings What is the connection between gratitude and generosity? When we are blessed, what do we do with it? Life and the world are gifts: we didn’t earn them, and we didn’t do anything to deserve them. Acknowledging this is not only a cornerstone of Jewish theology and spirituality, but is the […]
Light a Candle in Memory
Perfect for Kids Light a Candle in Memory “נֵר ה’ נִשְׁמַת אָדָם” -משלי כ׳:כ״ז “The soul (spirit) of the human is the candle of God” -Proverbs 20:27 Based on the verse above, there’s a Jewish tradition to light a candle in memory of someone who has passed away. Traditionally, this is done on the yahrzeit […]
Trade Your Traditions
Perfect for Kids Trade Your Traditions One way of showing our appreciation for something we’ve received is by passing it on to others. This idea is portrayed in the following Talmudic passage: One day, [Honi] was walking along the road when he saw a certain man planting a carob tree. Ḥoni said to him: This […]
Create an Inheritance Tree
Perfect for Kids Create an Inheritance Tree In this fun twist on the traditional family tree, we will not only note our biological and/or chosen family, our loved ones and elders, whoever they may be, but we will also note what we received from each one of them, for which we are grateful: Perhaps they […]
Hand Washing Ceremony
Hand Washing Ceremony During Rosh Chodesh—the New Moon at the start of a Hebrew month—we are reminded of the natural rhythms of our daily lives. These rhythms, constant as they are, provide a steadiness to our days and months, even as the world around us changes, and changes us along with it. With this hand […]
The Inheritance Collection
The Inheritance Collection Who got you to where you are? When we think of what we’ve inherited, we realize just how many of our lived experiences have been shaped by what came before us: our families and ancestors, our traditions and folkways, our Jewish teachings, our mentors and teachers, and more. In this collection, you’ll […]
Gratitude <em>Havdala</em> Ritual
Gratitude Havdala Ritual Havdala is the Jewish ritual for ending Shabbat. The Hebrew word Havdala means “separation” or “distinction”. The ritual takes place on Saturday night, when it is dark and three stars can be seen in the sky. It is a liminal rite that helps us move from one time to another while paying […]
