d”sb yom kippur grade 6shluchim.org/hebrewschool/tishreiherson/tishreiherson.yk.grade6.pdf- yom...

- Yom Kippur- Machzor- Shofar

Tefillot: Al Cheit

Relationships have potential to be very powerful. However, even

with the most intrinsic and deeply-rooted ones, we can fall into a

routine and lose consciousness of the sanctity of the relationship.

Comes the High Holidays seasons and we take the time to focus

on our core relationships and to recommit to keeping them alive

and on fire. The most basic of all relationships, is the one

between us and our Creator, Hashem. It is both intrinsic, like a

parent/child, and passionate, like a spousal bond. In the High

Holidays season, we reflect on the potential bond we have and

assess our point of actual.

Rosh Hashanah is an opportunity for a new beginning. Against

the backdrop of “whatever was, was...and we need not be

anchored to the mistakes and patterns of our past”, we think

about the sweet possibilities for the future. Yom Kippur sharpens

and intensifies this exercise by thinking about real steps we will

take to accomplish the goal we set out for ourselves on Rosh

Hashanah.

A strong focus is on interpersonal relationships, specifically. G-d

says, to connect with Me, you must first repair any holes in the

relationships you have with My creations. Hashem wants us to

remember that we are all family.

Yom Kippur is an intense day (not a sad one); we place such

focus on the exercise of self-betterment, and we don't have the

day-to-day distractions food, drink, personal care, physical

pleasure, etc. We spend the bulk of the day together in shul, in a

setting where we are all engaged in this process. The prayers

that our spiritual masters selected all reflect the solemnity of the

day.

At the end of the day, we feel energized to face our

relationships; we express this in a victorious shofar blast. We

break our fast together.

(Revisit Rosh Hashanah)

Teach 2: It’s not always easy to remember what is really

valuable in life

Teach 3: Teshuva is the process by which we “return” to

what our inner selves know is really valuable

Teach 4: Yom Kippur “tool” is a day to focus - without

distractions - on how we can reconnect with what’s really

valuable; the liturgy reflects this theme

Teach 5: At the end of day, we feel so optimistic, we blow

a victorious shofar sound (and sing Napoleon’s March)

SCHEDULE:ATTENDANCE - 5 minutesOPENING CIRCLE - part of holiday lessonYOM KIPPUR LESSON - 85 minutesBREAK - 5 minutesTEFILAH, TZEDAKA (visit shul) - 15 minutesCLEAN UP - 5 minutesCLOSING CIRCLE - 10 minutes“SEUDAT MITZVAH” - 15 minutes----150 minutes

VOCABULARY & PRAYERS:

SOF MA’ASEH BIMACHSHAVA TECHILA - OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF ROSH HASHANAH LESSON:

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MATERIALS NEEDED:

Yom Kippur is another step in the trajectory towards cleansing.

GRADE 6

UNIT SUMMARYBIG IDEAS:

2009/10 - FOR GRADES 6-7

ECHAD! WHOLE JUDAISM FOR THE WHOLE CHILDCHABAD OF SOMERSET, HUNTERDON & UNION COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY, 2008

Chabad Jewish Center in Basking Ridge, NJ

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Yom Kippur

- Make the Chutes and Ladders Game on the floor- Dictionary (or computer access to Dictionary.com)- String to illustrate Teshuva - getting closer- Supplies for Seudat Mitzvah

Revisiting Rosh Hashanah

Teach 1: It’s not always easy to remember what is really valuable in life

DISCUSS:

Does anyone have anything to share about Rosh Hashanah?

(Teacher, please remember that there is a spectrum of children in the class

and not all children have actively celebrated the holiday. They can reflect on

the message of Rosh Hashana as was studied last lesson.)

STORY: (Dramatize). Many, many years ago in Odessa, there lived a poor man

named Yankel. He had no money for food or clothing. It pained him to see his wife

and children hungry. Their rib cage was visible, so hungry were they. One day, he

heard about a distant land where the streets were paved with diamonds; the

precious stones were as commonplace as the dust of the earth. “Wow!” he thought,

“that is the answer I’ve been looking for. I can travel there, get some jewels and then

come home a wealthy man. Although it means leaving my family for a while, this is

what I have to do to take care of them.”

He says good bye to his family and makes the long journey. He arrives at this exotic

island. Lo and behold, the rumors are true! The streets are literally littered with

jewels. With a burst of adrenaline he begins to quickly pack his suitcases with the

gems, stuffing them to capacity.

Now, he's very tired. It's been a long trip – and packing all those precious stones

wasn't easy either. With a newfound sense of bravado, Yankel checks into the finest

hotel in town – reserving the most luxurious room in the house. “Things will be

different for me now!” Yankel smiles in satisfaction, picturing his new life of luxury.

After settling into his room, he makes his way into the restaurant and orders a meal

fit for a king. Satiated, he glances at the bill for his feast and offers the waiter an

exquisite sapphire, saying, "Keep the change!”

With a look of contempt, the waiter asks, "What do you expect me to do with that

worthless rock?"

"Worthless rock?! What do you mean? It’s a precious stone. It’s worth more than the

meal!" Yankel protests.

"These stones have no value in our land," retorts the waiter, "they are mere rubble.

Here, we place great value on chicken fat. That's our treasured commodity.”

The man goes cold. How is he going to pay for his extravagant meal? The hotel

management promised that they would not charge him criminally, if he paid off his

debt by washing dishes. A hard worker, he did so – and did so well. The hotel offered


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discussion: 5 minutes

story telling: 5 minutes

Yom Kippurd”sb


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him a steady job, and he began to acclimate to life on the island. Before long he had

managed to save some cold chicken fat for himself.

As time went on Yankel, now an entrepreneur, prospered. He became a wealthy man.

It was time for him to return home in triumph – as a successful businessman.

Notified that he was coming home, his family was waiting at Odessa's dock. As

Yankel's yacht approaches the shore, the stench horrifies the waiting crowd. “Phew, it

smells like chicken fat," they cry. And as the boat gets closer and closer, the stench

gets stronger and stronger. Soon, the people realize that the yacht carrying Yankel is

the source of the smell. They could bare the smell no longer and one by one, they turn

around and go home. Except for his wife and children. When he arrives, they ask him

about the smell.

“Yes, “ Yankel proudly acknowledges, "The yacht is filled with chicken fat. We are rich!”

"But where are the diamonds?" asks his confused wife, "the gems you went looking

for?”

"What value are diamonds?" scoffs her husband. "They are as common as dust. Only

chicken fat has value.”

The wise wife then understands what had happened. "You seem to have forgotten the

purpose of your trip. Chicken fat may have seemed valuable there, but that is not

where you live. You live here. And here, diamonds are considered precious. You were

supposed to collect diamonds – not chicken fat.”

DISCUSS:

This story is an analogy for the idea that we may value things in our lives that

really are not all that important. Can you relate to this idea? What kinds of

things might society value that really is like chicken fat?

The truth is, it’s easy to forget what is important. Valuing things like that

seems to be quite a popular trap. Why do you think this is so? (We get carried

away by the messages from media, society, etc.)

Tefillah, etc. are good times to help us refocus on what is truly important. To

separate ourselves from the noise of life, and to regain consciousness.

Losing focus, or forgetting what is really valuable, is part of what makes us human.

However, that is not who we have to be, we can be our best selves.

TO DO:

Look up the following words in the dictionary: repent, return

“Repent” is an English word that means “to feel regret about a sin or past actions and

Teach 2: Teshuva is the process by which we “return” to what

our inner selves know is really valuable

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discussion:10 minutes


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change your ways or habits”. But, in Hebrew, the word is TESHUVA. Teshuva means

“return”. Return means “come or go back to a place after leaving it, or come or go

back to a former condition.”

DISCUSS:

What is the difference between “return” and “repent”?

Return assumes that we were there once before; repent assumes that we

are trying to get to a place that we have not yet been.

Return - the meaning of the world Teshuva - empowers us by telling us that

being good is our natural self. Any other behavior is not who we really are.

game: 20 minutes

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GAME: Version of Chutes and Ladders

BEFORE CLASS:

On the floor, make the game board on the floor, by pasting 7 rows of 7 papers.

Some of the papers have only numbers, some have text on it, too (appendix 1).

TO DO:

Think of four behaviors/thoughts/speech that do not reflect our “best self”,

behaviors that are similar to the “chicken fat” in the story.

Write them down on 4 individual cards (appendix 2) legibly.

For example:

- Instead of doing my homework, I surfed the web all night.

- When my friend asked for help, I couldn’t be bothered so I told him that I was

too busy.

- Instead of controlling my temper, I lashed out at my teacher.

Put all the cards in a pile, face down.

Students become the game pieces. First player spins the dice and moves the

spaces. If s/he lands on a box with an action, s/he chooses a Best Self card and

describes what the Teshuva process would be.

Teach 3:

VISUAL: Look at a Jewish calendar.

Another holiday is coming up ( ). It is one of the most famous of the

Jewish holidays. It is called Yom Kippur. Just as on Rosh Hashana, we thought we

thought about the possibility of our Best Self, our Sweet Self, Yom Kippur continues

that message. But we do it in a different way. Yom Kippur has a different “flavor” than

Rosh Hashana.

On Yom Kippur, we don’t spend our day eating sweet foods, celebrating with friends

and family, and so on. On Yom Kippur, we stop everything - eating, drinking, relaxing,

socializing: all the things we tend to do on holidays - and we think a lot.

Yom Kippur “tool” is a day to focus - without

distractions - on how we can reconnect with what’s really

valuable; the liturgy reflects this theme

tonight, actually!discussion: 5 minutes


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We come to synagogue and we pray. Prayer is a private time for me to have a

“conversation” with Hashem. The prayer book we use is called a MACHZOR. A

Machzor is the Siddur special for High Holidays.

Hashem loves us and wants us to be able to act in the best way that we can. That is

why Hashem gave us this chance on Yom Kippur to think about our mistakes and to

take care of them. This is such an important that adults spend the entire day in the

synagogue, thinking and praying. They don’t even take the time to eat or drink.

DISCUSS:

Children can’t fast like that, but what do you think you could do to remember

that it is a serious day? (Act extra nice to our friends, take care of mistakes,

and children stay away from junk food to help remember to the seriousness

of the day.)

Teach 5: At the end of day, we feel so optimistic, we blow a victorious shofar sound

So, at the end of Yom Kippur, we are very happy too. We are happy that we

TO DO:

Play “Napoleon’s March”.

What tone/message does this song convey?

This march is remarkable for its joyous, rhythmic character. It was played in

1812 by the armies of Napoleon when they crossed the border near Prussia in

their invasion of Russia.

The first Chabad Rebbe had left his native town of Liadi when the armies of

the enemy were approaching. He asked that the march be sung for him and,

after a moment's contemplation, designated the march as a song of victory.

Now, it is traditional that we sing Napoleon's march at the conclusion of the

Yom Kippur. And, we blow a long Shofar blast.

Why??

DISCUSS:

How do we feel after we corrected a mistake?

Have you ever made a mistake, felt terribly about it and then made

restitution?

The singing of this melody symbolizes our victory over our past misdeeds and

how we will surely have a great new year!

www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/140700/jewish/Napoleons-

March.htm

http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/140700/jewish/Napoleons-March.htm



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took care of all our mistakes, and that we are friends again. That is why, at

the end of the day on Yom Kippur, the shofar-blower in shul sounds one lo-o-

o-ng blast. It is a happy blast of the shofar, telling Hashem, “We are eager

and excited for this new year. We will be so well-behaved. We will be kind to

our friends. Just you wait and see!”

Of course, we grow from our mistakes. So, acknowledging them is cause for

victory. We are a better person because of it.

How do we grow from our mistakes?

Here’s an example:

Let’s say you forgot to buy a mother’s day card. You go through the Teshuva

process. (Teacher, review with students: You feel terribly, resolve never to do

that again, and apologize profusely to your mom.)

Aside from the apology, you can also turn this into a growth experience.

Imagine if I did more than apologize. Imagine that I actually change my

conduct towards my mother overall. Now I’m really careful in the way I talk

to my mom, I am extra careful in treating her with respect, etc. (students

cite examples). In general, I became a better child.

So, sometimes, making a mistake can actually have positive effects.

Discuss:

Think of examples of when a negative thing turned out for the best.

(Preferably a time when you mistreated someone but the ‘cleansing’ period

made it okay at the end. Was it still a devastating experience? Yes! However,

now that you made a success of yourself in another field, does it seem all

that bad? Of course not.

In the relationship between man and G-d, we see this too.

VISUAL/TO DO:

- Discuss: There are two parties in a relationship. They have a connection.

- To do: Cut a piece of yarn, approximately 6 feet long. Have two students

hold it at either end, stretching across the classroom. (The two students

represent two people in a relationship.)

- Discuss: When we mistreat the other person in the relationship (elicit

possible examples: we talked behind her back, wasn’t sympathetic, hurt her

feelings, wasn’t there for her when she needed me, etc. etc.), it’s as if the

relationship is severed.

- Do: Cut the string (representational of the relationship); the pieces are no

longer joined.

-Discuss: Now, say you took ownership for your part in the problem,

apologized for it, and thought of a plan that this won’t re-ccoure. In other



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words, you did Teshuva. The relationship is now together again!

- To do: Tie a knot to connect the two pieces of string.

- Discuss: What just happened? The string is shorter now! The people are

closer! When we make mistakes and then LEARN from those mistakes we are

better off in many ways than if we’d never made that mistake to begin with.

TO DO:

Invite the rabbi to blow the Shofar, or teacher does it herself.

YOM TOV EXPERIENCE: EATING A MEAL!

On Yom Kippur, the practice of adults not eating is called “to fast”.

In preparation for the fast, it is actually considered a big mitzvah to eat a lot the day

before the fast (in other words, today!) This meal is called a “Seudat Mitzvah” a

Mitzvah Meal!

Yes, you are all young, and therefore won’t fast on Yom Kippur, but we will still have

our meal together today. Even if one is not fasting, it is still a mitzvah to have this

meal.

What does a holiday meal look like? There is a beautifully set table.

TO DO:

Set the table together. Serve honey cake, sweet foods, etc.

And, just like Shabbat, we light candles to welcome this holy day!

Tonight’s candle lighting time is 6:30pm. Please tell your mom and sisters!

ASSESSMENT QUESTION/CLOSING CIRCLE:

What would you anser to someone who says this:

Holidays are supposed to be happy and festive. It makes no sense that you

call Yom Kippur a holiday if you spend all day in synagogue and you don’t

even have festive meals and fun stuff!”

Answer: Yom Kippur is a serious day (not a sad day). Adults spend the day in

synagogue, thinking and praying. They don’t even take the time to eat or

drink; children try to stay away from junk food.

Yom Kippur is an incredible “tool” in the journey of self-reflection. We work

hard on becoming our best selves, by eliminating any of the mistakes of our

past.

Now, that is certainly a reason to celebrate!!!

CHICKEN FAT IS MORE VALUABLE THAN DIAMONDS...CHICKEN FAT IS MORE VALUABLE THAN DIAMONDS...




Pick a

card.Do

and go ahead 3 spaces.

BEST SELF

TESHUVA

Pick a

card.Do

and go ahead 1 space.

BEST SELF

TESHUVA

Oops!Go back

2 spaces.

Oops!Go back

4 spaces.

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