The new moon has given us reason to celebrate. Marking the beginning of the Jewish month of Tishrei, it is our school's sign to mark our progress. At the beginning of each Jewish month, the school has a treasured tradition of coming together for a joyous celebration of singing and dancing, and a chance for children to demonstrate their learning. This year, a year of innovation, we added new customs to our gathering. We added in components of a lesser-known ceremony called Kiddush Levana - the Sanctification of the Moon. The ceremony is held on a Saturday night in the dark when the moon first appears in the sky. Key components, which the children re-enacted this morning, include:
1)recitation (three times) of four rhyming phrases which each proclaim God as the Creator. Barcuh yotzreich;Baruch ohseich;Baruch koneich;Baruch Boreich.
2)jumping up to reach the moon and proclaiming (three times in Hebrew), "Just as I dance in front of you and cannot reach you, so shall my enemies not be able to reach me to do harm."
3)greeting one another (3 times)
4)singing songs of praise.
In the corner of the room we hung a moon made from construction paper. With the ceiling lights off and black lights on, the moon lit up the room!
Through song and dance, the children led us through the calendar for the upcoming month, showing on which day in the month the holidays will fall - Rosh HaShana (New Year), Sukkot (Holiday of the Booths), Simchat Torah (Rejoicing with the Torah).
We also celebrated student birthdays that fall within the month of Tishrei, and within the previous month of Elul.
Wishing you all a New Year of bright lights that shine your way and that inspire you to sing and dance and give thanks for all the good that you have.
Dina
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