Yom Kippur

Technically Yom Kippur started last night so I am a little behind.  But here's the down and dirty of the holiday:

• Yom Kippur comes ten days after Rosh Hashanah and is the ending to the "High Holidays."   It is a time for reflection, repentance and fasting.   
  
• It's a day of prayer and reflection, repentance and fasting
• Fasting starts the night before it's marked on secular calendars, also known as Kol Nidre.
• You break the fast with family and friends. 
• Traditionally, a live white chicken would be circled above your head while you ask for forgiveness for your sins.  Then you would slaughter the chicken and give it to the poor.  Charity work can be substituted now days.
• It's a day for doing a mitzvah or other good deed.   
• No working, and services last most of the day.  Many synagogues will charge for these services since they are so busy- this is a new thing for us gentiles.   
• When pronouncing Yom Kippur it should rhyme with poor not dipper.  

Some activities you can do with your family-

• Write letters to yourself explaining ways you will be a better person in the upcoming year.   If your kids are too young to write their own letter you could go around the table and say something outloud. 
• If you are a little flexible in how you are observing Yom Kippur or want to do it the days leading up to Yom Kippur, you could volunteer together as a family. 
• Make your own Tzedakah box, ("piggy bank" to give to charity) out of a shoe box.  Let the little ones decorate it with anything you have around the house- markers, glitter, paint yarn, Stars of David from tin foil.  

Enjoy the break fast! 

L'shanah Tovah!

Happy New Year!  Hope this year is full of successful potty training, fewer lost sippy cups, no throw up flu and lots of laughter!  Actually, I think that's what I am wishing for myself- but you too!   

In all seriousness I hope you have a wonderful New Year full of blessings and joy! 

One more reason to craft...

I love doing crafts. I have always loved me an afternoon full of creating something semi-useful out of socks, Popsicle sticks or some other random thing. Of course now it has advanced a little and I use a sewing machine or canvas and paint but the point is I love to create and frequently wish I had enough talent to be able to live off my crafting.

Soooo.....imagine how excited I was to find there are crafts for the Jewish holidays too! Here are a couple of ideas for Rosh Hashanah to help spur your creativity. But first, a couple of things to remember about Rosh Hashanah for all the gentiles out there.

1. Rosh Hashanah celebrates the New Year. It literally translates into the "first of the year." It's a time for introspection, reflection on the past year and resolutions to do things better in the new year.

2. A shofar, or Ram's horn is blown in temple three different ways but totalling a hundred notes. Each of the three ways means something different. As a result the Shofar is a symbol of Rosh Hashanah.

3. It is tradition to eat apples dipped in honey- a symbol of wishing sweetness for the new year.

4. L'shanah tovah is what is said- meaning "good year."

Apple cards- Yes, there are Happy New Cards you can buy and send but that's no fun.
Cut an apple in half and dip the flat side in some paint. On a folded sheet of paper (the
thicker the better) press the apple to create your design. You can put L'shanah tovah on the
inside or your own greeting.

Blow your own Shofar- Save a paper towel tube and use string, markers, paint or whatever
you have around the house to decorate your Shofar. Practice blowing it the three different
ways.

Coloring Pages- Ok, this isn't really a craft but is an easy thing to do occupy the kids for 5 more minutes. Download coloring book pages from the internet (just google Rosh Hashanah coloring pages and several will pop up) and let your kids go to town. You could even have them do a couple of pages and staple them together to create their own book about Rosh Hashanah.

Happy crafting and L'shanah tovah!