A Jewish Lifestyle - חיים יהודיים

v     The chanichim will want to be part of the life that goes on in Israel.

v     The chanichim will hear what a Jewish lifestyle in Israel includes.

v     The chanichim will realize that the Jewish life is happening and if they want to be part of it they should start get ready.

Props:

Season clock (secular & Jewish)

Time tunnel episodes cards divided into 3.

Background:

Living in the USA might give a feeling that Jewish life is as good as it can be. That’s only because it is difficult to imagine what a real Jewish lifestyle is all about.

Steps:

v     Opening game – do you like your neighbors (this season)?

v     The Secular Calendar

v     The Jewish Calendar

v     The Time Tunnel

v     The Israel Experience – a virtual tour

v     Life is more than you can think of

Step by Step:

Opening Game – Do You Like Your Neighbors (This Season)?

Play the game “do you like your neighbors?” for a few minutes (instructions attached).

Then change the question to: do you like this season?

If yes so your neighbors change places.

If not so what season do you like? (Summer vacation, spring, winter holidays, thanksgiving…)

All people who like that season will change places.

Play this a few times and then bring out the season clock.

The Secular Calendar:

Ask all the chanichim to get up.

Ask them to stand by the season they like best. (If there are to many in one place so ask them to move to the season they like second best.

Now let them sit down according to the place in the circle that is close to the season they like and are standing by.

Let the chanichim explain what they like about those seasons.

While they are explaining make remarks about the Americanized lifestyle they are liking so much.

The Jewish calendar:

Turn over the clock to the Jewish calendar side.

Now ask them to stand up again and sit in new places according to what season they like.

Let them explain again what they like about the season they chose.

Make remarks about how they change when talking about Jewish lifestyle, and also about how their real life is based on the secular calendar and only when we ask about a Jewish lifestyle we get them to think like Jews.

You might also want to mention how their Jewish examples are all based on the Jewish experience they have out here in the Galut but in other Galuyot, other times or in Israel the experience is very different.

The Time Tunnel:

Tell the chanichim they are in a time tunnel and they will soon come out at many interesting events.

Give each chanich a card with part of an episode, they have to go around and find 2 other cards that make up their full episode.

Once they are together they should prepare a short skit that we will all see when we get out of the time tunnel.

Madrichim – please add info about these events so that it will feel like today we are lacking something in our tradition by not celebrating that way.

After getting to know the Jewish calendar in different periods of history, ask your chanichim which chag would be their favorite, or where would they wish a time tunnel could take them.

The Israel Experience – a Virtual Tour

Ask all the chanichim to calm down and close their eyes, we are going on a tour:

This imaginary tour will try to bring them some of the many Israeli experiences of the chagim, you can choose to do one, some or all of the chagim.

Please read all the chagim and choose your own way to take your Chanichim, on the tour.

You can also ask your group if anyone has a personal experience of celebrating the chagim in Israel.

One thing is sure these days in Israel are real experiences of Jewish lifestyle the way it should be.

Life is More Than You Can Think Of

 Now that you have seen 4 types of lifestyles:

The secular American

The Jewish American

The historical Jewish

The modern Israeli

Does it sound like there is more fun to life than what we already know?

The only way to expand your horizon and think of Jewish life as much more then it is to you today is to go and live it in its fullest. Judaism is about the experience and the fun and not only about rules and regulations, there are so many aspects of life and fun that Hashem thought about for us and he planted in our lifestyle and today all we are left with is the boring rules of what we mustn’t do. We are missing the whole fun and atmosphere of what Judaism is all about because we don’t live in our own land with Beit HaMikdash. Hopefully soon we will all get the chance to fully enjoy our lives in Israel.

Attachments:

 Rules – do you like your neighbors

Time tunnel episodes

A virtual tour

Time tunnel – other option

Hand out cards to all the chanichim 

There are 3 types of cards:

Places – Spain, Israel, Bavel, Rome, Shushan, Yemen, Morocco, Buchara, Russia, Poland, Germany, France,

Years – King David, King Shlomo, end of Bait Rishon, Galut Bavel, Bait sheni, Tanaim, roman empire, Greek empire,

Seasons – Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, Succot, Chanuka, Tu Bishvat, Purim, Pessach, Tisha BeAv, Shavuot (Bikurim)

Tell them they are in a time tunnel and the only way to get out is to have 3 people with cards that will bring them to a time and place where the chag card is celebrated. So they have to get into groups of 3 and choose the chag time and place that they would have liked to experience.

Ask each 3 chanichim to describe what they would have seen if the tunnel would work.