igniting your shabbat services
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE Hello and welcome to Spark! Spark is 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. 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; its length; 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 gives you an overview of the weekly parasha, a song, activity, discussion or Dvar Torah linked to the parasha or any important event that week. It is separated into sections for different age groups but often you will find that an activity in one section will be suitable for children in another section. So, please take the time to read through it all I know you are busy people but it will help you and ultimately the children. Please also try to read Spark during the week as sometimes some props will be needed. It will give you a chance to find them. 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. I hope that you and the children in your service will benefit from Spark2. As always your feedback would be welcomed. Shabbat Shalom, Sharon Radley sharonradley@tribeuk.com 2
PARASHA SUMMARY n The parasha begins with an introduction to and his family. had three sons, Shem, Cham and Yafet. n God instructs to build an ark as the world had become corrupt and He wanted to destroy the earth. n is given exact instructions about how to build the Ark. n and his family enter the Ark. They take with them a male and female of each species of animal and another six pairs of kosher animals. n Seven days later the rains begin to fall. The flood lasts for forty days and nights and the Ark is lifted above the waters. When the rain recedes everything on earth had been destroyed. n The Ark comes to rest on the mountain of Ararat and sends out a raven to assess the situation. The raven returns with nothing in its mouth. then sends a dove which also returns. n Seven days later sends out another dove and this one returns with an olive branch in its mouth. knew then that the waters had subsided. Seven days later he sends a final dove which does not return. n After the flood, God established a covenant with that whenever a rainbow appears it is a reminder of God s promise that He would never again destroy the world with a flood. n The Torah then tells us that died and his descendants are listed. n The parasha concludes with the episode of the Tower of Babel. descendants gather to build a huge tower in an attempt to reach the heavens and battle against God. God disrupts their plans by causing all the people to speak a different language thus causing them all to disperse and settle in different lands. n The ten generations from until Avraham are listed. PLEASE READ THROUGH THE ENTIRE BOOKLET AS ALTHOUGH THERE ARE NEW ACTIVITIES IN EACH SECTION THERE ARE MANY ACTIVITIES IN OTHER AGE RANGES THAT MAY BE SUITABLE FOR THE PARTICIPANTS AT YOUR SERVICE. 3
PRE-NURSERY TO RECEPTION Tots Please find below some activities and songs that link to Parashat. Try to find a suitable picture book that you can use to tell the children the story of the flood (make sure it is accurate) or use the summary of the parasha in the page above. If you have a Kiddush at the end of your service it would be a lovely idea to have animal shaped biscuits and use animal themed disposables. Activity One Animal Hunt Before your service hide several pictures of animals around the room. You could have seven of each of the kosher animals and two of each non- kosher animal (see parasha summary above.) Paint or decorate a box to look like s ark and place it in the middle of the circle on a chair or table. Sit the children in a circle and explain to them that it is time for to take all the animals into the ark and that they need to go and search for them. All the children should walk around the room and look for the animals. When time is up all the children should go back to their seats. Ask each child to show the rest of the group the animals that they found and then place them inside the ark. You could, if you wish, give each child a treat for finding the animals. (If you give a food treat, please ensure that you check the allergy guidelines at your shul.) Activity Two Animal Jump Please only play this game if you have a safe and suitable area. Place mats or large pieces of sugar paper/newspaper around the room on the floor. Explain to the children that in the parasha this week, God tells to take a two of each animal and seven kosher animals into the ark with him. The children should walk around the room and when the leader calls the number two or seven that amount of children should jump onto the mat. The last one to reach the mat is out. If the leader calls out any other number the children should continue walking around the room. When there are less than seven children left the leader should only call out the number two. Play should continue until there are only two children left. Activity Three Animal Relay CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 4
PRE-NURSERY TO RECEPTION Tots The players form two lines with equal numbers on each team. The first player on each team is one animal, the second a different animal. The players in both teams are the same animal, so both number one animals will be the same and so on. You could ask the players to pick their animals from a hat containing pre- prepared animal names written on card. On the word go", the first team members act like the animal they represent; they run, hop or crawl to a given place and back. The next member of the team then act like their animals and so on until one team is finished and are all sitting down. Use animals such as kangaroos, bunnies, dogs, cats, etc. Activity Four Animal Sounds Randomly assign animal types to children or ask them to pick them out of a hat. There should be two children of each animal. As the children walk around the room they make their assigned animal sound and have to find their partner who is making the sound of the same animal. Activity Five The Mabul - Flood Explain that we are told that in the story of, the flood began gently so that the people could still say sorry for their ways. It was only when the people refused to do teshuva that the rains became a deluge. The waters lifted the Ark and then became stronger. The Ark was then thrown about on top of the waters until the flood was over and then it came to rest on Mt Ararat. When and his family leave the Ark, God says that He will never again destroy the entire world with a flood. The rainbow is a reminder of this promise. Making Rain n With thanks to Jason Marantz and Michael Eskin Sit the children in a circle with the facilitator in the middle. The role of the facilitator is to lead the activity. Explain to the children that if they all concentrate and work together they will be able to actually make the sounds of a rainstorm. This will be achieved by making four types of sounds: n Rubbing hands together to make the sound of wind n Snapping fingers to make the sound of water drops hitting surfaces n Tapping of thighs to make the sound of persistent rain beating down on the ground n Banging feet on the floor to replicate the sound of a thundering rainstorm Practice making the different sounds one by one and also the transition from one action to another. The facilitator should walk around the circle modeling the actions he wants the children CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 5
PRE-NURSERY TO RECEPTION Tots to emulate. When the children see the facilitator directly facing them they should switch to that action. For example, everyone should sit in the circle silently and the leader should start rubbing their hands in front of one child who joins in. As the facilitator walks around the circle facing additional children, more and more children join in and the wind becomes more powerful. Next the facilitator should model snapping but the children should only join in when they see the facilitator facing them and snapping in front of them. They should continue making the sound of the wind until they see the snapping. A sequence ends when the facilitator fold his arms signaling others to do the same, bringing the sequence to a close. Making rain the full sequence The full sequence for making rain is below. The sequence moves from the sound of a soft wind to a larger one. The sound of the raindrops then begin to permeate and become louder and louder. Eventually like any storm the thunder stops and the sound of the rain dies down leaving only the sound of drops falling and the wind blowing by. Calm is restored. n Silence n Rubbing hands together n Snapping fingers n Tapping thighs n Banging feet on the floor n Tapping of thighs n Snapping fingers n Rubbing hands n Silence Song CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 6
PRE-NURSERY TO RECEPTION Tots Explain to the children that the Torah actually says that the animals went in to the ark two by two. There were two of every non kosher animal and seven pairs of kosher animals. The classic song The Animals Went in Two by Two! The animals went in two by two Hoorah! Hoorah! The animals went in two by two Hoorah! Hoorah! The animals went in two by two The elephant and the kangaroo And they all went into the ark For to get out of the rain. The animals went in three by three Hoorah! Hoorah! The animals went in three by three Hoorah! Hoorah! The animals went in three by three The wasp, the ant and the bumble bee And they all went into the ark For to get out of the rain. The animals went in four by four Hoorah! Hoorah! The animals went in four by four Hoorah! Hoorah! The animals went in four by four The great hippopotamus stuck in the door And they all went into the ark For to get out of the rain. 7
CHILDREN S SERVICE Years 1&2 PLEASE READ THROUGH THE ENTIRE BOOKLET AS ALTHOUGH THERE ARE NEW ACTIVITIES IN EACH SECTION THERE ARE MANY ACTIVITIES IN OTHER AGE RANGES THAT MAY BE SUITABLE FOR THE PARTICIPANTS AT YOUR SERVICE. Please find below some activities that link to Parashat. Try to find a suitable picture book that you can use to tell the children the story of the flood (make sure it is accurate) or use the summary of the parasha in the page above. If you have a Kiddush at the end of your service it would be a lovely idea to have animal shaped biscuits and use animal themed disposables. Activity One Says... Split the children into three teams. One team will be the dogs, one the cats and the other the ducks. The dogs bark and beg for food arms raised and hands pointing down, the cats meow and pretend to lick their paws /hands and the ducks quack and waddle bend down with hands touching shoulders to look like wings. The facilitator then explains that when he says says before a command all of the children should perform the action. For example, says bark all creatures should bark. says meow -all creatures meow. says quack - all creatures quack. If the facilitator gives a command without saying says first then only that animal should perform the command. Bark would be only the dogs barking and so on Any child who does not follow the command correctly has to sit out the rest of the game. The team with the last remaining player wins. To give the game a twist combine commands such as, say bark and waddle or Lick and quack. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 8
CHILDREN S SERVICE Years 1-2 Activity Two Steal the Glove You will need a small object such as a glove for this game. The object of the game is to steal the glove and take it back to your team without being caught. Split the children into teams and ask them to form two opposing lines. Number each child and place the glove on the floor in the exact centre between the two lines. The facilitator should call a number and the players on each side who are assigned that number need to try to take the glove and run back to their line. Only the players whose numbers have been called are allowed to move. Neither of the two players may touch each other until someone touches the glove. Once a player does however touch the glove the other player may tag him. If a player is able to grab the glove and carry it back over to his own side, that team scores a point. If a player is tagged after touching the glove and before he returns to his own side, the team that tagged him scores a point. Please note: The sequence of play usually involves the two children running out and hovering over the glove, waiting for a slight advantage to grab it and run back before the other player can react. The game is over when a predetermined number of points are scored, or when all numbers have been called. VARIATION: The facilitator can call more than one number, in which case several players from each side participate. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 9
CHILDREN S SERVICE Years 1-2 Discuss: n We are told that the people at the time of the flood were not behaving well at all. They would steal little things from one another and tell themselves that it was fine. All of this little stealing turned them into dishonest people. We can learn from their mistake not to take anything - whether it is big or small if it doesn t belong to us. n We are told by our rabbis that nearly everyone steals. What do you think they mean by this? (Obviously they don t mean armed robbery! Stealing can be done in so many subtle ways that a person ends up thinking it is fine for them to do so. One can also steal time and trust.) n Why do you think that the stealing by people at the time of led to their destruction? ( Stealing and corruption always lead to the destruction of a society as they lead to a lack of respect for other human beings. Once people don t care about others or their possessions society breaks down. A difficult concept for the children so may not be appropriate you will know the level of your children.) 10
CHILDREN S SERVICE Years 3-6 PLEASE READ THROUGH THE ENTIRE BOOKLET AS ALTHOUGH THERE ARE NEW ACTIVITIES IN EACH SECTION THERE ARE MANY ACTIVITIES IN OTHER AGE RANGES THAT MAY BE SUITABLE FOR THE PARTICIPANTS AT YOUR SERVICE. Activity One One Person Can Make a Difference Split the children into two teams. Each team should nominate a saviour. The children in one team should position themselves all around the room with their arms outstretched and feet together. The children in the other team should also position themselves around the room but with their arms by their sides and their feet apart. When the facilitator gives the command the saviour from each team should run up to the children in their team, tag them and escort them to a team area that has been chosen in advance. Once there the team member has been saved. When the facilitator shouts, Stop, all children should sit down where they are and the facilitator should count which teams have the most saved members. In order for this game to work the facilitator must only let the saviour run around for a ridiculously short amount of time. You do not want all the children to be saved or the message will not work! Bring the children back to the circle and read them the story below: The Starfish A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement. She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can t save all these starfish. You can t begin to make a difference! The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, Well, I made a difference to that one! CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 11
CHILDREN S SERVICE Years 3-6 The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. Adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley Discuss How do the children think the story connects to the game they just played? (Just like the little girl couldn t save every starfish neither could the savior in our game. However just like the little girl could make a difference to the starfish she did save, so too can all of us make a difference to the world. Even one person can make a difference! Not only that but other people will become influenced by what they see other people around them doing. In the story once the old man thought about what the young girl had said he joined in and then other people were inspired to join in too.) In the parasha this week we see that, one good man made the difference between the survival and destruction of the human race. It was only because of that the world continued after the flood. We can learn from that each one of us can make an impact on the world. What can you do to make a difference? Activity Two Responsibility You will need a clear glass jar; some objects that are table tennis ball sized (walnuts ), some rice, salt or sugar. Explain to the children that the walnuts represent all the responsibilities in their day (homework, piano practice, jobs ) and the rice represents the fun parts of their day (playing, watching tv, ) The jar represents one day twenty four hours. Ask a child to come forward and fill up the jar his day with a mixture of responsibilities and fun activities. He should fit in as many as he can. The child will probably pour in the rice first and then try to add some walnuts. This method will not fit everything in. The facilitator should pour everything out and then demonstrate the alternate method CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 12
CHILDREN S SERVICE Years 3-6 which is filling the jar with the walnuts first and then the rice which will fill in the gaps to the top. The facilitator should explain that this way will allow a person to accomplish much more. In life we need to tackle our responsibilities first and then there will be time left over for the fun (the rice filling the cracks.) If we spend our time just having fun we are usually too tired to do the responsible acts later. Note : If a child does fill up the jar in the correct way point out why it worked and show how the other way would not work. Discuss: n Can you imagine what life was like for in the Ark? He had to feed all the thousands of animals he had saved from the flood, clear up their rubbish, clean the Ark and make sure his family was well cared for! He had huge responsibilities! Although it was hard work it helped to feel a greater love for the animals he was taking care of. If we look after and take responsibility for those around us and for the environment we too will turn into more loving people. n How do the children think that this process happens? (If we look after people and are kind to them we give a little part of ourselves which creates a bond with them. In fact the more you give to someone the more you come to love them. One would think it is the other way around the more someone gives to you, the more you love them. Our sages however tell us this is not the case it is out of behaving responsibly and looking after someone else that we grow to love them.) 13
YOUTH SERVICE Decide Now! n Choose an anchor. The anchor will give the group two choices. n Divide the room into two areas one area for each choice. n The anchor calls out a choice, for example, Chocolate or sweets? n Each participant has to quickly choose one of them and move to the area of the room that represents their choice. Chocolate may be on the left and sweets may be on the right of the room. This will ensure a swift decision making process from the participants. n Choose different anchors to give the choices and try to encourage them to make the choices more difficult. n The fact that some participants simply move to a side because their friends have chosen that side, is clearly observed but don t mention it! When the game is over ask the participants to sit in a circle. Discuss: Did the participants notice anything happening in that game? Why did some people change their mind? Did any of them want to change their mind because they saw their friend go somewhere else but then choose to stick to their own choice? What made them stick to their original decision? Our Rabbis tell us that during the many years that it took to build the Ark, people around him could see that he was building something and came over to have a look and chat to him. explained that he was building the ark because God was going to destroy the world. The people all around him laughed at him and mocked him but was true to himself and continued to build. It was who merited to save the animal life on our planet and together with his family, begin our world anew. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 14
YOUTH SERVICE n What can we learn from? n Is it easy to do something if other people are laughing or making fun of you? n If we are doing the right thing, and other people are making fun of us, should we stop or carry on? n What are some practical ways that we can do the right thing even if it is difficult? (Do the right thing even if your friends are not, tell the truth regardless of the consequences, stand up for someone who is being mistreated...) Dvar Torah In this week s Parasha we read the following verse: "These are the generations of, was a righteous man, perfect in his generations, walked with God." (6:9) Rashi, in his commentary on this verse, explains the meaning of being completely righteous in his generation. He says that this is as an expression of praise. If was righteous in a generation full of wicked people, he would have been even more righteous if he had lived in a generation of good people. There are others that learn this as a criticism. They say that it was only in relation to his generation that was righteous. Had he been living in the generation of Avraham though, he would not have been considered so righteous in comparison to Avraham. We may sometimes wonder how it could ever be possible to live up to the standards of the likes of Avraham and. A famous Chassidic Rabbi, Reb Zusia was known to say the following: When I appear before the Almighty, I am not afraid to be asked: Reb Zusia, why have you not been like Avraham, the patriarch, or like Moshe, our great teacher? The question I truly fear is: Reb Zusia, have you truly been Reb Zusia? Each one of us can be great in our own way, and should try to live up to our own potential. Are you trying to be the best version of you? 15
igniting your shabbat services I hope you find this guide to the parasha useful. I would be grateful for any feedback. Please remind the children of the exciting Tribe programmes in your shul and also to look on the US website for current Tribe central events. Shabbat Shalom Sharon Radley sharonradley@tribeuk.com Tribe is part of the United Synagogue Registered Charity No. 242552.