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11 Tevet Ruach: Year 2 Shevat Facilitator’S Resource

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11 Tevet Ruach: Year 2 Shevat Facilitator’S Resource ROSH H.ODESH: IT’S A GIRL THING! Opening Month CREATIVE PRAYER “Creative Praye”r is excerpted from Marcia Falk’s The Book of Blessings: New Jewish Prayers for Daily Life, Yehi ratzon sheyith.adesh aleynu h.odesh ______________. the Sabbath, and the May the month of __________ be a month of blessings: blessings of New Moon Festival (Harper, 1996; Beacon, goodness, blessings of joy, peace and kindness, friendship and love. 1999). © 1996 Marcia Lee Falk. Used by per- — Marcia Falk, Book of Blessings mission of the author. © 2001-2009 Moving Traditions. All © rights 2001-2009 reserved. Moving Traditions. 11 Opening Month Ruach: Year 2 ROSH H.ODESH: IT’S A GIRL THING! Essence of Tishrey Traditionally, Rosh H. odesh is not observed in Tishrey because Rosh Hashanah, on the first of Tishrey, is considered more important. Tishrey marks the beginning of the solar year on the Jewish calendar, but it is the seventh month in the Jewish lunar cycle, which begins with Nisan. Mazal (constellation): Libra, moznayim (a pair of scales), symbolizing scales of justice. The four main holidays of Tishrey correspond to the four phases of the moon1: Rosh Hashanah New Moon Creation of the world, shofar, remembrance Yom Kippur Waxing Moon Teshuvah (repentance and personal change) Sukkot Full Moon Rejoicing in the harvest Life’s fragility Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah Waning Moon Praying for fall rains Rejoicing in the Torah Tishrey Foods There are many delicious—and unusual—food customs for Rosh Hashanah. Many families have the custom of eating a new food or a seasonal food that they have not eaten in the past year. In addition to eating apples and challah dipped in honey to symbolize our wish for a sweet new year, many foods are eaten as simanim (good omens) for the coming year, such as pomegranates—with the wish that in the coming year, we will be as full of good deeds as the pomegranate is full of seeds. “Beet our enemies”? “Gourd us from harm”? CREATIVE PRAYER Have fun making good-wish puns on the names of fall fruits and vegetables! FOR THE NEW MONTH "Creative Prayer" is excerpted from Marcia Falk's The Book of ìְ Blessings: New Jewish Prayersהי éִי רצוֹן שׁûֶיּìִתüְחëַדּשׁ עôָלïֵינוּ חֹדשׁ תּüִשׁûְרי.... Yehi ratzon sheyith.adesh aleynu h.odesh Tishrey…. for Daily Life, the Sabbath, and May the month of Tishrey be a month of blessings: blessings of the New Moon Festival (Harper, 1996; Beacon, 1999). goodness, blessings of joy, peace and kindness, friendship and love. © 1996 Marcia Lee Falk. Used by permission of the author. © 2001-2009 Moving Traditions. All © rights 2001-2009 reserved. Moving Traditions. © 2001-2008 Moving Traditions. All © rights 2001-2008 reserved. Moving Traditions. 9 Tishrey Ruach: Year 2 Tishrey God Images God Images HIGH HOLY DAY AND FESTIVAL PRAYER Attributes of God Translation by Joel Rosenberg, Kol Haneshamah: Prayerbook for the Days Adonay adonay el rahum vehanun ereh apayim verav hesed ve’emet of Awe (Elkins Park, PA: . The Reconstructionist notzer h.esed la’alafim nosey avon vafesha veh.ata’ah venakey. Press, 1999), 800, 815- Adonay,* adonay, God, loving and gracious, patient, and abundant in 16. ©1999 The Reconstruc-tionist kindness and truth, keeping kindness for a thousand ages, forgiving sin Press. Used by and rebellion and transgression, making pure! permission. All rights reserved. HIGH HOLY DAY PRAYERS Avinu malkeynu h.oneynu va’aneynu ki-ayn banu ma’asim. * “Adonay/LORD” is used here in place Our Father, Our King, be gracious to us and answer us, for our deeds are of the unspoken inadequate. four-letter name of God, referred to as “ha-Shem” in tradi- tional Jewish circles. Hameleh. yoshev al kisey ram venisa. Recently, some have The King sits on an exalted throne. adopted the custom of using “Yah,” the name of God that is incorporated into the Adonay meleh. adonay malah. adonay yimloh. le’olam va’ed. phrase Hallelu-yah (Praise God). The LORD* now reigns! The LORD has always reigned! The LORD shall always reign! We are Your sheep, and You are our Shepherd. We are Your vineyard, and You are our Keeper. We are Your creation, and You are our Fashioner. We are Your loved ones, and You are our Beloved. We are Your faithful, and You are our Source of Faith. —Excerpted from traditional Ki Anu Ameh.a, in the High Holy Day Amidah. (Emphasis added.) © 2001-2009 Moving Traditions. All © rights 2001-2009 reserved. Moving Traditions. 10 Tishrey Ruach: Year 2 CONTEMPORARY PRAYERS 1. Excerpt from contem- Blessed is the One who spoke and the world came into being. porary interpretation of Baruh. She’amar Blessed is the One. (Blessed is He Who Spoke) found in morning Blessed is the One who in the beginning gave birth. liturgy, composed by Blessed is the One who nourishes those who are in awe of Her. Naomi Janowitz and Margaret Moers Wenig. Blessed is the One who lives forever and exists eternally.1 (Emphasis added.) Kol Haneshamah: Shabbat Veh.agim (Elkins ____________________________________________ Park, PA: The Recon- ____________________________________________ structionist Press, 1996), ____________________________________________ 177. ©1996 The ____________________________________________ Reconstructionist Press. ____________________________________________ Used by permission. All rights reserved. Mi Shebeyrah. avoteynu, Mekor Haberah.a l’imoteynu 2. Excerpt from the May the Source of Strength who blessed the ones before us, song “Mi Shebeirach” Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing from And You Shall be a 2 Blessing. Music by And let us say, Amen. Debbie Friedman, Lyrics by Debbie Friedman and Drorah Setel. (Emphasis added.) Mi Shebeyrah. avoteynu ©1988 Deborah Lynn The One Who Blessed our fathers (traditional term) Friedman (ASCAP). Published by Sounds Write Productions, Inc. (ASCAP). Used by Mekor Haberaha l’imoteynu permission. All rights . reserved. Source of Blessing upon our mothers OOOOO H. ey Ha’olamim Life of all the worlds (One of many rabbinic terms for God) Ruah. Ha’olam Spirit of the world Eyn Hah. ayim Source of life © 2001-2009 Moving Traditions. All © rights 2001-2009 reserved. Moving Traditions. 11 Tishrey Ruach: Year 2 God Thoughts Cards Tishrey Ruach: Year 2 What is one question about God that you want answered? TTishrey Ruach: Year 2 Describe an event that makes you doubt there is a God. Tishrey Ruach: Year 2 © 2001-2009 Moving Traditions. All © rights 2001-2009 reserved. Moving Traditions. 12 Tishrey Ruach: Year 2 ROSH H.ODESH: IT’S A GIRL THING! Essence of H.eshvan H. eshvan contains the yahrzeits of many important women in Jewish history, including Rachel Imeynu (our foremother). Rachel, along with her sister, Leah, and their handmaidens, Bilhah and Zilpah, gave birth to the twelve sons who were to become the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Rachel was deeply loved by her husband, but Rachel was barren for many years. Ultimately, through her courage and persistence, she gave birth to Joseph. Sadly, she died in childbirth with her second son, Benjamin. ìְהי Tradition tells us that Rachel died on the 11th of H. eshvan and was buried in Kever Rah.el (Rachel’s Tomb)*, outside of Bethlehem. There her spirit is said to weep for all of us, her children. Some women make pilgrimages to Rachel’s tomb to say special prayers for fertility and childbearing. Our foremother Rachel is remembered for her compassion, perseverance, and devotion. Book Book of Blessings éִי רצוֹן שׁ שׁ ûֶיּ Just as nature begins to hibernate in ìִת Heshvan, it’s a quiet time for us to turn . endship and love. üְח inward to reap the spiritual benefits of * the preceding month,Tishrey. H. eshvan is often referred to as mar —Marcia Falk, —Marcia Falk, eshvan…. Heshvan . ëַדּשׁ ע bitter H. eshvan,” because“ , . ôָל the month contains no holy days and because it often coincides with the arrival of colder, wet weather. odesh H . H. eshvan is the eighth of the twelve months of the Jewish lunar calendar. ïֵינוּ חֹדשׁ ח ח eshvan eshvan be a month of blessings: blessings of . adesh aleynu h ëֶשׁ . ûְו 9101112 1234567 èָן.... 8 Scorpio, akrav (the scorpion) goodness, blessings of joy, goodness, peace blessings and of kindness, joy, fri May May the month of H Yehi ratzon sheyith Yehi CREATIVE PRAYER FOR THE NEW MONTH (Harper, The Book of 1996 Marcia Lee Falk. Used by permission of the author. "Creative Prayer" is excerpted from Marcia Falk's Blessings: New Jewish Prayers for Daily Life, the Sabbath, and the New Moon Festival 1996; Beacon, 1999). © © 2001-2009 Moving Traditions. All © rights 2001-2009 reserved. Moving Traditions. © 2001-2008 Moving Traditions. All © rights 2001-2008 reserved. Moving Traditions. 8 H.eshvan Ruach: Year 2 THE STORY OF RACHEL AND LEAH IN THE TORAH Adapted Excerpts from Rachel approached the well with her father’s Adapted from Tanakh: Genesis 29–30 and The Holy Scriptures, flock, for she was a shepherdess. When Jacob 1988 The Jewish 35:16–20 © saw Rachel…he rolled the stone off the mouth Publication Society, with the permission of the of the well, and watered the flock.…Then Jacob * “Weak” eyes: The kissed Rachel and broke into tears. Jacob told Rachel that he was her exact meaning of the father’s kinsman, that he was Rebecca’s son, and she ran and told her Hebrew is unknown. father, Laban… Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older one was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Now Leah had weak eyes*, but Rachel was beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel… So Jacob served Laban seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.
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