igniting your shabbat services Succot

Transcription

1 igniting your shabbat services

2 HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE Hello and welcome to Spark! Spark is a new idea from Tribe, aimed at facilitating the smooth running of Toddlers Services, Children s Services and Youth Services across United Synagogue communities. Firstly, thank you for offering to run a Children s Service in your local shul. The US is very proud of the numerous Children s services that are run every week across the UK, and we would not be able to do this without you! Spark has been designed in order to help you run your Children s Services. Obviously, every Children s Service is different, in terms of how many children there are; what their age range is; how long it is for; and how knowledgeable the children are likely to be of this week s parasha. Ideally, where possible, a Children s Service should consist of some time used to discuss the weekly parasha, and some time devoted to davening. Spark is aimed at the parasha part of the service. It gives you an overview of what happens in the weekly parasha, and then a song, activity, discussion or Dvar Torah to run with the children depending on their ages. After the parasha summary on the next page, Spark has been split into 5 sections. Larger communities may have 5 different Children s / Youth Services running concurrently. Each of these will be able to use one section for their relevant age group. If your shul does not have as many groups, then you should use the section that best suits the age range of your participants. It has been created in a way to be flexible, so that it can be run in 10 minutes, if you have a short service, or longer if you have the time. If you also look at sections for other age groups, you may even find that you would like to use the ideas and information from more than one of the sections. It is important to note that Spark should help you to run Children s Services, but it does not completely run it for you. It is not designed to give to one of the children to read out to the group for them to run themselves. You are running the Children s Service, and Spark is here to help you do it. Largely, no props will be needed, but ideally you should read Spark before you start the Children s Service, so that you can think of further ideas to complement it. We hope that you and the children in the Children s Service will benefit from Spark, we thank and congratulate you for doing it; and as always we welcome your feedback. Shabbat shalom, The Tribe Education Team

3 Shabbat Chol Hamoed Shabbat Chol Hamoed Eating in the Sukkah n We are now in the intermediate days of, known as Chol Hamoed. n Chol means weekday or mundane; and Moed means holiday or sacred time. So on Chol Hamoed, we need to find the balance; n We try to avoid going to work, doing laundry and writing. Fasting and cutting hair or shaving is prohibited, and mourning practices are observed differently. n We may use electricity and drive a car (unless of course it is Shabbat, like today.) Many families use this time to enjoy fun family outings. n The special mitzvot of the festival are equally observed on Chol Hamoed, so we still eat in a Succah, shake the lulav and etrog (unless it is Shabbat), and try to be joyous. Don t forget On, it is a mitzvah to eat in the Succah. Most shuls have their own Succah, so if possible, it would be nice to take the children to the Succah. Ideally, they should be able to eat something while in the Succah.

4 Yom Tov Quiz In a change from the format of a usual Tribe Spark edition, today there is a giant quiz to do with the children! The first set of questions are about, and may revise what they have already learned about the festival. The next set of questions are to prepare them for the upcoming Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Split the children into two groups and ask alternating questions to each group, to make the quiz into a competition Generally, the questions at the beginning of each section are easier, and those at the end of each section are harder. However, in order to make the questions appropriate to your service s age group, questions can be made easier by offering multiple choice answers, and can be made more difficult, by imposing a time restriction. For older children, they may also like to think of questions for their opposing team. The quiz begins on the next page

5 quiz Questions 1. What is the literal meaning of the word? 2. What is the Hebrew date of the start of? 3. When is it traditional to start building the Succah? 4. What is the maximum width of a Succah? 5. What does commemorate? 6. What is the combined number of days for the, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah festivals? 7. In how many different directions do we shake the lulav and etrog? 8. Which are the Shalosh Regalim (three foot) festivals? 9. When constructing the sechach (roof) on the Succah, should it allow in more shade, more sunlight, or equal amounts of both? 10. What is another name for? 11. What does the word Etrog literally mean? 12. What is the seventh day of called? 13. How many Hadassim and Aravot should we hold with the Lulav? 14. What is the maximum height of a Succah? 15. What does the Aramaic word Ushpizin mean? 16. How long should the Hadassim and Aravot be? 17. In which of the following places is building a succah not allowed? Under a tree, on a ship, on a tall building, on top of a mountain? 18. The Lulav bundle is made from the branches of three different types of trees bound together, what are they? 19. What is the name of the Megillah we read on Shabbat Chol Hamoed (today)? 20. Each of the four species relates to a different part of our body with which we should serve God. What are they all?

6 quiz Answers 1. Huts or booths 2. 15th of Tishrei 3. Straight after Yom Kippur is finished 4. It can be as wide as you want, there is no limit. 5. When the Children of Israel lived in temporary huts, on their journey through the desert towards Israel 6. 8 days in Israel, 9 everywhere else 7. 6 (up, down, right, left, forwards and backwards) 8. Pesach, Shavuot, 9. More shade than sunlight 10. Zaman Simchateinu the season of our rejoicing 11. Pleasant 12. Hoshana Rabbah 13. Three Hadassim, two Aravot Amot (approximately between 30 and 40 feet) 15. Guests 16. At least 11 inches (approx 29cm) long 17. Under a tree 18. Palm, Willow, Myrtle 19. Kohellet / Ecclesiastes 20. Lulav spine (to stand in prayer); Etrog heart (to love God); Hadassim eyes (to study Torah); Aravot lips (to pray and say good things)

7 Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah Quiz Questions 1. What does Shemini Atzeret mean? 2. What is the Hebrew date of Shemini Atzeret? 3. Do we shake the Lulav on Shemini Atzeret? 4. Where does the commandment to observe Shemini Atzeret come from? 5. Shemini Atzeret marks the beginning of what season in Israel? 6. On Shemini Atzeret, a short prayer for rain is added to the Musaf service. What is this prayer called? 7. We say an additional prayer for rain every day after Shemini Atzeret. Until when does this prayer for rain continue to be recited? 8. How long does it take to read the entire Torah? 9. What do we celebrate on Simchat Torah? 10. Why do we eat lots of sweets on Simchat Torah? 11. True or false; Simchat Torah is the only time that children under the age of 13 are allowed to make a blessing over the Torah? 12. On Simchat Torah, what are the circles made while holding the Torah and dancing around the synagogue called? 13. How many times do we dance the Sefer Torah around the bimah on Simchat Torah? 14. On Simchat Torah, the custom is for how many people to be honored with an aliyah (call up to the Torah)? 15. What does Kol Hanearim mean? 16. During the morning service of Simchat Torah, how many Torah portions are read? 17. What are the names of the portions we read in the morning service on Simchat Torah and where can they be found in the Torah Scroll? 18. True or false: In shul, Simchat Torah is the only time that the Torah is read at night. 19. Why do we hold a tallit over the heads of the people who are reading from the Torah? 20. What is the name of the prayer recited before the dancing begins on Simchat Torah?

8 Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah Quiz Answers 1. The Eighth Day of Assembly 2. 22nd Tishrei 3. No 4. The Torah 5. The rainy season 6. Tefillat Geshem 7. The first day of Pesach 8. 1 year 9. The completion of the reading of the Torah 10. To remind us how sweet it is to study and keep the Torah 11. True 12. Hakafot All the men and children in the congregation 15. All the young ones. This is the blessing on the Torah that all the children make The very last portion right at the end, Vezot Habracha; and the very first portion right at the beginning, Bereshit 18. True 19. It reminds us of the Chuppah (wedding canopy), and symbolises that through the Torah, we wed ourselves to God. 20. Atta Hareita

9 igniting your shabbat services We hope you find our guide to this week s Parsha useful. Be sure to look out for exciting Tribe programmes in your shul. Shabbat Shalom! The Tribe Education Team t: e: info@tribeuk.com