Apple Tree Fun & Learning for Kids
A New Year! Apple Tree Apple Tree Aug. 26, 2021, Issue 3
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Shanah Tovah
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Make Your Own Shofar
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Holiday Traditions
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Apple Craft
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Yom Kippur
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Yom Kippur Maze
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Coloring Page
Apple Tree is compiled and edited by Karen Schwartz.
LEN RADIN VIA FLICKR
Fun & Learning for Kids
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et ready for a sweet new year! It’s the season of round challahs, apples and honey, shofars and so much more. At this time of year, we gather with family and friends and take a look at our own lives to see how we can make the next year even better. Jews around the world will welcome year 5782 on the Jewish calendar starting at sundown on Monday, Sept. 6. The holiday runs until Wednesday, Sept. 8, at nightfall. Rosh Hashanah literally means “head [of] the year.” In the Torah, it’s known as Yom Teruah, which translates to “day of shouting or blasting.” We blow the shofar, a ram’s horn, 100 times during the Rosh Hashanah service. The noise wakes us up and reminds us to pay attention to our lives and how we act in the world. We blow it again at the end of Yom Kippur, which takes place 10 days later, to mark the end of the holiday.
LISTEN FOR THE SOUNDS OF THE SHOFAR:
THE DETROIT
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Tekiah — A single blast Shevarim — Three medium-length, connected sounds Teruah — String of staccato notes Tekiah Gedolah — A long, unbroken blast
A Special Calendar D
ifferent cultures have different calendars! On the Jewish calendar, the year changes in the fall at Rosh Hashanah, instead of on Jan. 1. It’s a lunisolar calendar, determined by the moon and the sun. The month starts at the new moon. As a result, the months are always 29 or 30 days. That’s shorter than the months in the calendar you might see at the supermarket, where all months except for February are 30 or 31 days.
13? FUN FACT: On leap years, instead of just adding a day, as happens in February once every four years, the Jewish calendar needs to add an entire month! This coming year, 5782, will be leap year, so there will be 13 months instead of 12. This happens 7 out of every 19 years.
Make Your Own Shofar
YOU’LL NEED: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Paper plate Tape Yarn Construction paper Markers Paint Ribbon
STEP 1: Roll the plate into a cone shape. Use tape to close it up. STEP 2: Decorate! Glue construction paper around the cone and cut off the edges. Pick your favorite paints or markers to decorate it. Add ribbon or yarn if you want to get fancy.
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n Rosh Hashanah, many people make an extra effort to eat sweet foods for a sweet new year. Popular choices include apples dipped in honey, or raisin challah. On Rosh Hashanah, the challah is often made round to represent the cycles in our lives and world. It has raisins in it so it’s extra sweet — and some people even drizzle honey on top of that! On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, it’s common to eat a new fruit in recognition of the new year. Many families choose a pomegranate, but there are also tons of other new fruits to try. Ever heard of a lychee, dragonfruit, starfruit or rambutan? This is a great time to give one a try while taking part in a fun holiday tradition.
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The Bockneks, of Farmington Hills, have a Rosh Hashanah tradition of going apple picking as a family. They also gather with family in the area for meals — both sets of grandparents live nearby — and plan to attend services on Zoom, as well as to attend Temple Israel’s outdoor family service. Mom, Erika, and dad, Andy, say they love the way the holidays connect them to their community, and hope it’s a sweet new year for all. Kefira, 3 Favorite Rosh Hashanah food: Cake with honey
Ethan, 10 Favorite part: I get to see all my friends and family and we get to have a big dinner together.
Lielle, 6 What the holiday celebrates: The new year. I hope everyone I love has a sweet new year!
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AppleCraft YOU’LL NEED:
Apples Fork Paint (red or green for apple colors, but you can pick any color you like) Construction paper
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HERE’S WHAT TO DO:
1. Cut the apple in half lengthwise. 2. Stick a fork in the skin, so it’s easier to use as a stamp. 3. Dip it in the paint and stamp it on your construction paper. *Want to try another pattern? Cut the apple in half the other way, across the middle, and see what happens!
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Activity from https://reformjudaism.org/apple-printing AUGUST 26 • 2021
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n Yom Kippur, the “Day of Atonement,” we think about our actions and ask forgiveness for the mistakes we’ve made. This year, Yom Kippur will start in the evening on Wednesday, September 15, and end Thursday evening, September 16. It lasts 25 hours. Jewish adults don’t eat on Yom Kippur so
they can focus on the spiritual parts of the day. Adults and kids spend a lot of time this day and over the High Holidays thinking about their behavior over the past year, and how they can improve themselves. To do: Ask your parents about what the holiday means to them.
Holiday Greeting
Tashlich
Ahead of the holiday, Ethan Bocknek goes with kids from Temple Israel to participate in Tashlich, which literally translates to “casting off.” They throw a giant challah into the nearby pond. “It’s about throwing away the bad deeds,” he explains. “If you, let’s say, hit your sister, hit your brother, you’re throwing all that away, and forgetting about it, but still remembering it because it’s in your heart, but it’s not with you. You have to remember it, because it’s still in your heart, and make better choices.”
During the High Holidays, you can greet your family and friends with “L’Shanah Tovah” to wish them a good year. You can also say “Happy New Year” or wish them a sweet new year.
Preschoolers at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield take part in a tashlich ritual at the temple’s pond.
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COURTESY OF TEMPLE ISRAEL
More Fun!
JCC’s JFamily Detroit provided the fun coloring activities on pages 7 and 8. These activities and so much more will be featured in “High Holidays: It’s in the Bag!” being distributed around town on Sunday, Aug. 29. Register here or for more details: jlive.app/events/757.
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