Zach Peula

1)  Get the kids sitting in a circle.  You ask them what they would do with their day if school was cancelled. Make sure every kid answers.
(Don’t make these points until the end of the peula)
The kids will probably say something that is a waste of time. Like watch TV.
Most people who don’t really know what they want to do so if suddenly they have free time they are board, the look for time filling occupation instead of thinking of what they really want to accomplish and doing it.

2)  The next game is Simon says.  You have the kids stand up in a circle and tell each kid they have 30 seconds to be Simon.

Helps us strengthen the point that we are being lead around by others.
Ask the chanichim if they enjoyed being led by others? And if they preferred a specific leader or just to be lead.

The point we would like to make is that each person prefers different leadership depending on their personality and the leader’s personality.

If the entire group says they preferred 1 leader so that’s not free thinking and choosing its group pressure.

Now lat each Chanich say one thing he would say as Simon if he were the only player.

This question is leading us to think what our real will is.

3)  The last game/activity you send one Chanich\a out of the room and show the chanichim inside the room the piece of art and tell them that you will be passing this piece of art around and everyone should say something positive about it-itג€™s beautiful, exquisiteג€¦w/e.  Then you call the Chanich\a back in and start passing the art work around.
You will see that the Chanich\a that was out of the room will say something positive about the piece of art even thought it is weird or ugly, because all of their friends said something positive about it.
Now ask them to try and design their favorite picture, what would they want to hang up in their own living room?

These games come together and show the chanichim that most of their actions are being lead by someone else.  Show how each game there was someone controlling them keeping them from being free. 

These games show us a very sad thing, most people don’t really know what their will is.

There is a good reason to that, it’s that Hashem didn’t give us a clear will, and we have to work on getting to know ourselves and finding it. That’s why in school you go through many years before you can choose your preferred subjects. Many people don’t know what they want to do even after growing up, they just live wherever life takes them.

The Tora directs us to think about who we are and what we want to do. Hashem gives us direction to find the best thing that we really want to do.

We are expected to stop our lives 3 times every day and think were we are heading to. Every week we stop for 1 day and every year for a series of chagim which make us think about different aspects of our life.

The tora and Mitzvot are there to direct us to choose what’s best for us as human beings. The best directions can only be given by the creator. Hashem’s rules for life are the best guidance anyone can get.