Have you ever bought a book, tucked it away on a shelf to straighten up, then forgotten about it?

I had that lovely experience of discovery this week with a beautifully illustrated, sweet book called “Thank You God! a Jewish child’s book of prayers.”  [Note: Amazon.com says it’s temporarily out of stock, but I thought you might like to see the reviews here. Other booksellers, like Barnes & Noble, carry it, too.]

This little gem, written by Judyth Groner and Madeline Wikler, was illustrated by Shelly O. Haas. It’s designed to introduce children to Jewish prayers in a very simple, accessible way.

An overview page talks about the umbrella of opportunities we have to thank God throughout the day – for the gift of the new day in the morning, for protection when we go to sleep, for the natural beauty in our world.

After that, each charming page or page spread features a prayer with a short sentence introducing it, followed by the words in English, in Hebrew, and with transliteration. 

Prayers include:

•     Modeh Ani (morning) prayer
•     Sh’ma
•     Blessings before and after eating
•     Shabbat blessings (candles, wine, havdalah)
•     Other holiday-specific blessings

But it’s the language in the explanations that make this much more than a list of prayers. For instance, with the Shabbat candle blessing is this interpretation: “Thank You, God, for the mitzvah of lighting the candles. May they shine upon us in love and peace.”

Then come some of my favorites: blessings for the wonders of nature (e.g., when we see a sunset, a towering mountain, or a flash of lightning) and on seeing trees bloom.

The charming book ends with the benediction that we say over our children on Shabbat – and with a translation that I like so much.

“May God bless you and keep you.

May God watch over you in kindness.

May God grant you a life in good health, joy, and peace.”

Amen.

*Fabulous. Intriguing. New-to-Me. Discoveries.

]]> http://jewishholidaysinabox.com/blog/f-i-n-d-s-thank-you-god/feed/ 0 http://jewishholidaysinabox.com/blog/chopped-style-contest-for-shavuot/ http://jewishholidaysinabox.com/blog/chopped-style-contest-for-shavuot/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 04:32:28 +0000 Ellen http://jewishholidaysinabox.com/?p=2377 How many of you watch the Food Network TV show called Chopped?

Here, the chefs are challenged to take a mystery basket of ingredients and create tempting concoctions in a really short amount of time. Usually, there are between three and five ingredients and each cook must use all of them.

The ingredients on Chopped can be quite bizarre – from cotton candy to gummy snakes to cuttlefish to duck parts.

But let’s change up the Chopped challenge a little for Shavuot.

What meal can you make – taking however long you like – using all of the Seven Species fruits from Shavuot?

1. Barley
2. Dates
3. Figs
4. Grapes
5. Olives
6. Pomegranates
7. Wheat

Here are the rules:

1. Use all of the ingredients in a single meal, not necessarily in a single dish.
2. Add any other ingredients you like.
3. Extra points for using other Israeli-grown fruits and veggies (e.g., oranges, avocados, mangoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and cherries).

What can you come up with? Please share your meal suggestion by May 31^st in the comments below!

I’ll post the dinner choices on Facebook and let people vote on the menu they like best. And we’ll send a prize to the winner.

Thanks for playing!

Shavuot starts at sundown on May 14^th.

Aside from what happens in synagogue, your home celebrations can take so many forms — bringing the outside in, making special foods, and so much more.

I thought it would also be fun to think about various numbers that are meaningful during Shavuot. (Anyone else see a home trivia game here?!)

Play along with us and add even more numbers. See below.

#1  Bikkurim, or first fruits, are key symbols of Shavuot. These first fruits – including some of the Seven* Species crops – were carried in a basket of gold or silver to the Temple in Jerusalem.  

#2  Moses received two forms of Torah on Mount Sinai – the written law and the oral law.  

#3  Shavuot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals, along with Sukkot and Passover, during which the Israelites trekked to Jerusalem to bring offerings to the Temple.  

#6  Shavuot comes on the sixth day of the month of Sivan.

#7  There are seven weeks between the end of Passover and the beginning of Shavuot, during which we Count the Omer.

[*We’ll talk about the Seven Species in next week’s blog.]  

#10 According to the Talmud, God gave the Ten Commandments to the Jews on Shavuot.

#40  So why do we eat dairy products on Shavuot? Lots of explanations. Here’s one that’s new to me: the gematria (numerology) of the Hebrew word for milk, chalav, is 40, corresponding to the 40 days and 40 nights that Moses spent on Mt. Sinai before descending with the Torah. 

#90  Many congregations read a 90-line poem written in Aramaic, called Akdamut, on the first day of Shavuot praising the greatness of God, Torah and Israel.

#613  Sephardic Jews do not read Adkamut. Instead, they sing a poem called Azharot which mentions the 613 Biblical commandments.

Wanna play?

What numbers can you add for Shavuot? I’ll give a special shout-out to anyone who comes up with three additional numbers (beyond what’s noted above)!

Or add more of Shavuot’s names: Feast of Weeks. Hag HaKatzir, Festival of the Harvest. Hag HaBikkurim, Festival of the First Fruits.

Jewish holidays can be a blast!

I wish I’d known more about how to create joyful family celebrations when our girls were little. Like many of you, though, I was head-down, focused on getting from day to day with work and life.

But I get another chance with our grandsons. And I’ve started to take advantage of that – with wonderful results for the whole family.  

Now, we want to help you ramp up the fun in your family, too.

To help us focus on what would be most beneficial to you, please give us your thoughts in this brief survey. It won’t take more than 2 minutes!

Thanks in advance

And as our thank you for surveys completed by May 20th, we’ll send you a discount coupon for use within the next 6 months.

Just click on the blue “YES! Here’s what I think” link to share your thoughts.

YES! Here’s what I think.

Who else feels like you?

Want to know what other people are saying? And what their main concerns are? I’ll share what we’re learning together. Thanks so much for adding your voice.

Do you ever have those uncomfortable moments when someone asks why we celebrate this holiday or what that tradition is about? Maybe we know a little, but we’re not 100% sure of all the nuances?

With Lag B’Omer, it’s OK not to be certain. There are different points of view about its origins.

However, one thing is sure: this is a fun holiday that comes 33 days into the 49-day Counting of the Omer (after Passover and before Shavuot) where people celebrate, often outside: think picnics, ball games, roasting marshmallows, and cranking up that grill.

Lag B’Omer basics

What’s it mean? Lag B’Omer means the 33^rd day of the omer.  The Hebrew letters of “Lag” – “lamed” which stands for the number 30 and “gimmel” which stands for the number 3 – add up in numerical value to 33.  

 A little background  Lag B’Omer signals the release from mourning for those who refrain from weddings or cutting their hair or throwing big parties during the first part of the counting, in memory of 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died in a plague two thousand years ago. On the 33^rd day, according to tradition, the plague stopped for a day, so we celebrate.

What’s the mystical connection? Another explanation for Lag B’Omer is that on this day the renowned Jewish mystic Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, on his death bed, revealed secrets from the Torah.

“A tremendous glow, a brilliant light illuminated the house as Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai returned his soul, pure and righteous, to his maker.” 

This article from The Jewish Magazine, written by Eliezer Cohen, paints a wonderful picture of the gathering that takes place in Israel, in the town of Meron, on this day.

Check out some cute Lag B’Omer treats you can make on our Pinterest page. (Look for the campfire cake and  bonfire cupcakes.)

Or just roast some hotdogs while you toss the ball in the backyard. This year, Lag B’Omer begins at sundown  on April 27th — making it perfect for a Saturday night campfire or a Sunday picnic.

Enjoy!

Thanks to Mel Nathan, member of the JewishGiftPlace team, for this wonderful post!

The Judaica art world is a stunning and diverse place, including the work of such accomplished artists as Adaya and Michal Golan. Both are designers of unique jewelry, ornate with colorful stones and heavily inspired by traditional art.

Maya + Dina = Adaya

Adaya is the name of a collaborative two-sister team, artists Maya Reiten and Dina Twaig. Every piece of jewelry they create is crafted by hand in their Tel Aviv studio, with an artistry respected around the world.

Combining the influences of Art Nouveau and the ancient world, Adaya’s jewelry sparkles with glass beads, enamel, and Swarovski crystals.

Many of their pieces incorporate the Hamsa, a traditional Middle Eastern hand-shaped symbol, considered a charm for divine protection. This, together with the Star of David, often appears on Adaya pendants, easily recognized by the rounded curves and rows of colorful beads that line the perimeter. A large crystal is often placed at the center of a pendant, adding a bright focal point to the complicated design.

Byzantine and Middle Eastern Influences

Michal Golan is a New York-based Israeli artist who crafts jewelry influenced by Byzantine and Middle Eastern art, as well as that of the Victorian era.

A well-known figure in the international jewelry world, her work combines Swarovski crystals, semi-precious stones, freshwater pearls, and glass for a look like none other.

Unlike Adaya’s stone-dominated jewelry, Golan’s art gives the metal between the stones a place of greater prominence. Her gold and silver bracelets, necklaces, pendants, and earrings feature a wide range of symbolism, with not only the Hamsa and Star of David represented, but hearts, plant shapes, Hebrew characters, and the Evil Eye as well.

Unlike many jewelers, her work extends beyond the usual body jewelry to include ornate Menorahs and Mezuzahs as well.

The Jewish jewelry of both Adaya and Michal Golan makes valuable contributions to the realm of Jewish art, enriching the lives of those who love traditional symbolism and colorful accents all over the world.

Who are your favorite Judaica jewelry designers?

What helps us connect with our past, with our links to the Holocaust?

Personal stories resonate. Pictures linger. So how do we get to those stories, those pictures?

And for how many of us has time sealed off the option of asking parents and grandparents who are now gone?

Like me, do you promise yourself that you’ll explore more . . . when you have time?

Spur to Research

Recently, for our synagogue book club, I was caught up in Isaac’s Army, A Story of Courage and Survival in Nazi-Occupied Poland by Matthew Brzezinski.

The book description says, “Starting as early as 1939, disparate Jewish underground movements coalesced around the shared goal of liberating Poland from Nazi occupation. For the next six years, separately and in concert, they waged a heroic war of resistance against Hitler’s war machine that culminated in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.”

The title had me from the get-go. I was named for an uncle who perished as a resistor. And as I continued to read, I realized the high likelihood that other members of my family, or their friends, could easily have been involved in the specific actions I was reading about.

So I started poking around on the Internet, especially during moments when the story got so intense that I needed a break.

And I discovered incredible things. About a dear uncle’s heroic role in rescuing orphans after the war.  Here was an uncle I had lived with for 3 weeks as a teenager. I had no idea.

But it was my stumbling onto the Yad Vashem site that stopped me cold. I found a page called The Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names.

I searched for my grandfather’s last name.  Then I scrolled to find him in the long list of people with that surname. And here was a Page of Testimony, completed by my uncle. In his handwriting. With specifics about when my grandfather, z’l, was born. When he died. Where he died. So much more than I’d ever known.

Jewish Genealogy Resources

If you, too, want to poke around and add some layers to what you know about your family’s history, here are some resources to explore:

Starting broadly online can be overwhelming. On amazon.com, for example, the keyword “Holocaust” brings up 17,293 results.

You can be more specific with searches here:

• www.yadvashem.org   Home page description: “As the Jewish people’s living memorial to the Holocaust, Yad Vashem safeguards the memory of the past and imparts its meaning for future generations. Established in 1953, as the world center for documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem is today a dynamic and vital place of intergenerational and international encounter.”

•  http://www.Jewishgen.org  “Our free, easy-to-use genealogy website features thousands of databases, research tools, and other resources to help those with Jewish ancestry research and find family members.” Here, I found the names of streets where my family lived, with photos of aunts and uncles involved in Jewish youth organizations.

•  http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/  “The Virtual Shtetl has been expanding rapidly, fulfilling our mission of promoting knowledge of, developing an awareness of and commemorating the history of Polish Jews.”

•  http://www.ushmm.org/ The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has rich and vast resources for teachers and students, with personal stories, photo archives and so much more.

Your Discoveries?

What resources have you discovered to get closer to your family’s story? Please share them here or on our Facebook page.

And subscribe to our free e-newsletter, Simply Celebrating.

Counting the Omer (Sefirat Ha-Omer) refers to marking the days between the second day of Passover – when a sheaf of newly harvested barley was brought to the Temple as an offering – and the first day of Shavuot, celebrating the giving of Torah at Mt. Sinai.

      You shall count for yourselves seven weeks.

                    From when the sickle is first put to the standing crop

    Shall you begin counting seven weeks.

                   Then you will observe the Festival of Shavuot for the Lord, your God.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           – Deuteronomy 16:9-10

For more about the specifics, and some great resources, check out our 2012  blog, Counting the Omer.

Mindfulness Practice

In her recent article in the huffingtonpost.com, Rabbi Yael Levy explains that 

“Counting the Omer is a 49-day mindfulness practice aimed at helping us pay attention to the movement of our lives, to notice the subtle shifts, the big changes, the yearnings, the strivings, the disappointments, the hopes and the fears.”

It is in this spirit that she is again providing daily practices for us to follow, along this journey.

I purchased her book last year, as well, called Journey Through the Wilderness: a Mindfulness Approach to the Ancient Jewish Practice of Counting the Omer.

Prayers & Background

To find the prayers to recite, with some of the rules that govern how and when you say them, check out this link from chabad.org.

Or, for a thorough overview of counting the Omer, this article from myjewishlearning.com does a great job.

I’m new at this Counting the Omer process. Last year was the first time I followed along.

Connection to the Harvest

And, as with most Jewish holidays that have agricultural roots, I am fascinated by that connection with the festival.  (Wish I could find the paper I wrote as a grad student about the agricultural roots of Passover!)

Imagine this scene, as painted by dailykos.com,

“Counting the Omer began as an agricultural ritual. People would go out into the fields each night and, just as they saw three stars in the sky, would wave an omer – a sheaf of barley –  to ask for a good harvest.”

I don’t know whether or not the power for me is in reminding me of my summer on kibbutz, where sustenance depended on a good harvest.

In any case, I’d better get counting.

The little ones coming won’t be able to sit through a Seder that is even as long as our usual ones.  But they will enjoy some “big” moments, I think.

They are used to joining us for parades around the house, where we play instruments and march to the beat of popular tunes.

So I believe we can translate this to Passover, in the form of a simple re-enactment of the Exodus from Egypt.

Passover Story Re-Enactment

For the play part, we’ll need:

1. A narrator (with a basic script) to tell us what actions to take, since there’s no Seder rehearsal!
2. Boxes (like shoeboxes) to build pyramids and such.
3. Rocks (or something that appears to be rock-like) to bake matzah on.
4. Costumes for the Israelites with small bags to carry matzah and other provisions into the desert.
5. A Red Sea that we can split.
6. Miriam carrying her tambourine.
7. Moses, dressed in a long robe (probably a bathrobe) and carrying a walking stick.
8. Maybe a donkey to accompany the Israelites?
9. More tambourines, so we can all play when we get through the Red Sea. I’ll put on a version of Debbie Friedman’s Miriam Song (about dancing with her timbrels) while we frolic in the desert.

For the seated part of the Seder, in addition to the usual symbolic foods, I love the idea of using mini-marshmallows as hail. I’m OK with sunglasses for darkness. And plenty of jumping frogs. But, this year, we’ll keep the boils, lice, and cattle plague under wraps.

Yes, we’ll use scallions as whips for pretend beatings.

The rest is, so far, a work in progress.

My goal, really, is to create warmth.

A friend reviewed our new 36-page downloadable booklet, “Celebrate Passover: How to Plan a Fun, Simple Seder.”  She did a wonderful job of sharing what she liked and what we could change or add to be more helpful.  Like a photo of an already set Seder table. (Great idea!)

Focus on Making Memories

But this is the part of what she said that makes me remember why I’m doing this – what’s important for me and perhaps for you, too:

“What I love most of all, is your emphasis on creating memories. For some people, it is so easy to get caught up in the details of a Seder and not enjoy it. Or worse yet, get anxious that you aren’t doing something right. Everything you write is so comforting. Yes, I can host a Seder! Dinner at 9? Sure! Swedish meatballs? Why not?”

 Wishing everyone a Happy Passover – a chag sameach!