Wake up your child

The
ewish
Parent Page
VOL. IX, NO. I • ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR
The Jewish Parent Page
is a publication of the
Union for Reform Judaism
and is written by
Barbara Binder Kadden, RJE,
BKadden@urj.org.
Rosh Hashanah
1 Tishrei
Yom Kippur
10 Tishrei
“In the
morning
we become
new creations.”
—Rabbi Shlomo
ben Adret (Rashba),
Barcelona, Spain
(1235-1310)
Morning Blessings
Connections
Rosh HaShanah celebrates the creation of the world. According to the Rabbis, every day
when we wake up, we are reminded of the miracle of creation. By saying blessings in the
morning, we also can celebrate our own creation each day. This issue of The Jewish Parent
Page is devoted to the Morning Blessings, also known as Birchot HaShachar.
B’rachot, Blessings:
Their Meaning and Message
We say b’rachot, blessings, to raise our awareness and remind us to not take the world for
granted. From the Talmud we learn,“A person is forbidden to enjoy any of the pleasures of
the world without first reciting praise to God” (B’rachot 35a).
Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides or Rambam) taught that there are three different
types of blessings:
• Birchot Hanehenin—Blessings of enjoyment said befo re and after eating;
experiencing natural phenomena like lightening, an ocean, or shooting stars; smelling
spices; seeing a sage or teacher.
• Birchot Hamitzvot—Blessings said before performing a mitzvah, such as lighting
Shabbat and holiday candles, blowing the shofar or sitting in the sukkah.
• Birchot Hoda’ah—Blessings of gratitude to God, they remind us of God’s presence
in the world.
Each issue of Volume IX of The Jewish Parent Page will focus on b’rachot, the blessings of
Jewish life, that are thematically connected to the Jewish holidays. For more information on
the holidays and how to celebrate them, access past volumes of The Jewish Parent Page at
urj.org/educate/parent.
UNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM • DEPARTMENT OF LIFELONG JEWISH LEARNING • 1
The Morning Blessings—
Birchot HaShachar
Family Activities for
Morning Blessings
In Jewish tradition, we begin and end each day with blessings and prayers. The blessings we say in the morning fall
into the category of birchot hoda’ah, blessings of gratitude.
In the morning we express our gratitude to God for waking up refreshed and renewed to a wonderful new day.
Traditionally this part of the morning service includes a
series of blessings that originally accompanied all of the
steps in the process of waking up and getting ready for
our day (such as opening our eyes, standing up, washing
and putting on clothes).This issue of The Jewish Parent Page
introduces your family to the theme of blessings and contains a few prayers to get your family started with praying
as part of your morning routine.
Morning Blessings Wall Hanging
Make a Morning Blessings poster or wall hanging with
your child. Print out one or more copies of the Morning
Blessings included in this issue of The Jewish Parent Page.
Place each copy in an inexpensive paper frame or simply
glue the blessings on to a large sheet of construction
paper. You also can arrange them in a visual schedule
indicating when in your morning routine each prayer
will be said. Have your child decorate the frame or
construction paper with symbols of morning—such as a
rising sun or illustrations of someone waking up—using
crayons, markers or stickers. Hang the completed poster
next to your child’s bed.
Family Discussion
Family Blessing Journal
The Talmud teaches that we are to say 100 blessings each
and every day. This is a very worthy goal for which to
strive, so why not begin by recording the blessings your
family experiences during this Rosh HaShanah holiday?
Continue through the next 10 days until Yom Kippur;
encourage family members to take turns writing in the
journal, adding pictures and illustrations. During quiet time
on Yom Kippur, look through the journal and talk about
your hopes and goals for the coming year.
Why is it important to say “thank you”? How do you feel
when someone says “thanks” to you?
In what ways do b’rachot remind us of God?
What b’rachot do each of us have in our lives? Draw a picture of a blessing you have in your life.
How might our family wake-up time be different if we
spent a few minutes together praying in the morning?
A Jewish Family’s Bookshelf
For Children:
Shiru Shir Chadash Sing a New Song
Good Morning, Boker Tov, Michelle Shapiro Abraham,
URJ Press (ages 1-4)
Good Morning, Good Night: Jewish Children’s Songs for
Daytime and Bedtime,
URJ Press/Transcontinental Music
For morning songs, listen to Boker Tov,
Modeh Ani and Sh’ma.
The God Around Us,Vol. II:The Valley of Blessings,
Mira Pollak Brichto, URJ Press (ages 4-8)
Thank You, God! A Jewish Child’s Book of Prayers,
Judyth Groner and Madeline Wikler, Kar-Ben
Publishing, Inc. (ages 3-7)
Blessed Are You:Traditional Everyday Hebrew Prayers,
Michelle Edwards, Lothrop Lee & Shepard Books
(ages 4-8)
For Adults:
My People’s Prayer Book,Vol. 5: Birkhot Hashachar (Morning
Blessings) Traditional Prayers, Modern Commentaries, edited
by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, Jewish Lights Publishing
My Jewish World: Kids’ Songs for Everyday Living,
Judy Caplan Ginsburgh, URJ Press/Transcontinental Music
For morning songs, listen to Wake Up Sh’ma, God
Made All Living Things: Modeh Ani and Boker Tov
Means Good Morning.
Days of Wonder, Nights of Peace: Family Prayers in Song
for Morning and Bedtime, Mah Tovu, Sounds Write
Productions, Inc.
For morning songs, listen to Modeh Ani, Round and
Round and Thank You God
Everybody’s Got a Little Music, Rabbi Joe Black,
Sounds Write Productions, Inc.
For a morning song, listen to Boker Tov.
2 • UNION
FOR
REFORM JUDAISM • DEPARTMENT OF LIFELONG JEWISH LEARNING
Get Woven Into the Jewish Web
www.urjpress.com/dg/101072.html Parent’s guide to The God Around Us Volume I and Volume II
urj.org/educate/childhood/wakeup/ Morning rituals for children
www.rebgoldie.com/Morning.htm One rabbi’s guide to developing your own Jewish morning spiritual practice
www.njop.org/html/service_explanations.html An explanation of the Shabbat morning service
Creating a Family Wake-Up Ritual
Choose from the ideas below to create
your own ritual.
You can continue with:
Wake up your child by whispering in your child’s ear:
How long will you lie there, lazybones?
When will you wake from your sleep?
A bit more sleep, a bit more slumber,
A bit more hugging yourself in bed… (Proverbs 6:9-10)
Sh’ma Yisra’el Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad.
Hear, O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One.
≥dj;a, y y; ] Wnyheloa‘ y y; ] laer;c]yi [mæv]
]
≥d[,w ; µl;wO[l] wOtWkl]mæ dwObK] µve ˚WrB;
Baruch shem k’vod malchuto l’olam va-ed.
Blessed is Adonai forever and ever.
Incorporate music:
Consider playing songs from one of the CDs listed in
the “Shiru Shir Chadash Sing a New Song” section. Use
the music to wake up, as an accompaniment to the
blessings, or to conclude the ritual and get started on
your day.
Recite with your child:
Úyn,p;l] ynia} hd;/m ÷ hd,/m
] m,
µY;qæw] yjæ ˚l,
hl;m]j,B] ytim;v]ni yBi T;r]zæj‘h,v,
≥Út,n;Wma‘ hB;ræ
Modeh (for boys)/Modah (for girls) ani l’fanecha, melech
chai v’kayam shehechezarta bi nishmati b’chemlah, rabah
emunatecha.
Creative Translation I:
Thank You, God, for the new day. I hope it will be a day
for learning, laughing, playing.Thank You for the love of
my family and for the beautiful world which has awakened me.Today I hope to show my love for my parents
and all my family, to be kind to my friends, and to be gentle with animals. For the power to grow, I give thanks.
You may include this creative translation of the continuation
of the Sh’ma:
We shall love Adonai with our heart, our being and all
our strength.Today, tomorrow and always, when we are
at home and when we are away, from the time we get up
in the morning until we go to bed at night we will live
according to God’s Torah.
Try incorporating some of the blessings below into your usual
morning routine:
As you wake up: Blessed is God, who gives strength
to the tired.
As you put on clothes: Blessed is God, who clothes
the naked.
As you wash your face: Blessed is God, who removes
sleep from my eyes and slumber from my eyelids.
As you start to walk: Blessed is God, who makes firm
my steps.
As you begin your day: Blessed is God, who gives me
all I need.
Talk with your child about what he or she anticipates and
hopes for in the coming day and what you wish for each
other.
(From On the Doorposts of Your House: Prayers and Ceremonies for the
Jewish Home, CCAR)
Creative Translation II:
Thank you, God, for a good night’s sleep and a fresh
chance to learn and grow.
(From Thank You, God! A Jewish Child’s Book of Prayers, Groner and
Wikler)
UNION
FOR
REFORM JUDAISM • DEPARTMENT
OF
LIFELONG JEWISH LEARNING • 3