We are in the midst of the Yamim Noraim, the High Holy Days, so this week’s column should be about the holidays. Instead, I’d like to tell you how the year is going to begin next week in the library. Trust me. It is closely connected to the themes of the holidays: tefillah (prayer), tshuvah (repentance), tzedakah (charitable giving).
The Preschool children come to the library regularly for about a half hour of stories and discussion centered on a variety of themes. Sometimes we will discuss a Jewish or American holiday; other times we focus on a theme that the teachers are presenting in the classroom. Often I will read stories that show examples of a Jewish value that has relevance to the children’s everyday lives.
This year I am starting the year with a broad concept that can be woven into many other topics.
Next week, at our first library session, we are going to talk about pillars and how their strength holds up a roof or porch. Every child has seen pillared houses in his or her neighborhood. From there we will go on discuss – at their level, of course- the three pillars that Judaism rests upon: Torah and the study of Torah, tefillah (prayer) and gemult hasidim (deeds of loving kindness)
Showing the kids pictures, from both the Jewish and secular world, will help them recognize and concretize these concepts.
We will focus on gemulit hasidim and stories- from both Jewish children’s literature and secular children’s books- that illustrate acts of kindness that kids could understand: various versions of the story of the brothers who thought of each other’s welfare; a giant who gave away his beautiful new clothes to those less fortunate than he; a little girl who soils her beautiful new, white Sabbath dress when she helps an old man carry fuel for his fireplace; a bear who finds a toy rabbit and his predicament as to what to do.
See if you can match the correct pillar with the pictures above.
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