Respecting Differences and Songs for the Holidays
Dear Families,
I hope we’ll see many of you at the Shabbat dinner this Friday night at 6 PM at Grand Living at the Grove. Participating in community events—including dinners and holidays—is part of our education program. You can also register for the High Holy Days, which are fast approaching!
Here are the music and activities for your homes this week. Feel free to send me feedback or stories about how things are going with your kids. I’d also love to hear about topics you’d like to explore with them during the year.
Some songs will repeat from week to week so families have more opportunities to learn them. The activities and discussion questions will be new each week.
Weekly Music and Activities
Listen to these songs all week long—as lullabies or car music, or as background music for dancing and art activities! Integrate the activities into mealtime, nighttime preparation, or daily play and family time.
Slichah, Todah, B’vakashah (C. Paley)
Excuse Me, Thank You, Please/You’re Welcome
Slichah, Todah, B’vakashah, with them you’re always right
Slichah, Todah, B’vakashah, it’s good to be polite
My father gets me a new toy, I say todah to show my joy
I give a chair to my Grampa and I say b’vakashah
Slichah, Todah, B’vakashah, shalosh milim yafot (three nice words)
Slichah, Todah, B’vakashah, shalosh milim kalot (three easy words)
Aba notein li matanah (Dad gets me a gift)
Ani omeir todah, todah (I say thank you)
Ani magish kisei lasav (I offer a chair to my grandfather)
V’omeir b’vakashah (and say please/you’re welcome)
Slichah (סְלִיחָה): Sorry or excuse me
Todah (תּוֹדָה): Thank you
B’vakashah (בְּבַקָּשָׁה): Please or you’re welcome
Alef-bet Song (Hebrew Alphabet)
David Melech (David, King of Israel)
This song helps children learn some basic vocabulary: kein (yes), lo (no), ima (mother), aba (father), geshem (rain), and shemesh (sun).
David Melech Yisra-eil
דָוִד מֶלֶךְ יְשׂרָאֵל
Chai, chai v’kayam (3×)
חַי חַי וְקַיָם
Ken / Lo (yes / no): כֵּן / לֹא
Ima / Aba (mother / father): אִמָא / אַבָּא
Geshem / Shemesh (rain / sun): גֶּשֶׁם / שֶׁמֶשׁ
More Songs and Activities
Morning Rituals for Your Jewish Family
Read about morning rituals with young children
Discuss: Respecting Differences
Everyone is made differently. How can we show respect for how other people look, speak, or live?
Why is it a good thing that not everyone likes the exact same things?
How can you include a classmate who feels left out?
Be a Mensch (Cantor Wally Schachet-Briskin)
What should you do when you hurt someone?
What should you do when your playing’s done?
How should you act, do you have a clue?
Just ask yourself what a mensch would do.
Be a mensch, (be a mensch) be a mensch. (be a mensch)
Think of other people, be a mensch.
Be a mensch, (be a mensch) be a mensch. (be a mensch)
Act before you’re asked, be a mensch.
(Spoken: Beep beep! Get out of my way! Oops! I should behave like a mensch! Excuse me. Could you please let me through? Thank you!)
A mensch is kind, a mensch is polite.
A mensch will always try to do things right.
Act like a mensch, show the best that’s in you.
Just ask yourself what a mensch would do. Be a mensch...
(Spoken: Hey, give me that toy! Uh-oh, I know better. What would a mensch do? Excuse me, may I please play with that toy when you’re finished? Thanks a lot!)
So say you’re sorry when you hurt someone.
Put your toys away when your playing’s done.
Use your words saying “please” and “thank you,”
That is what a mensch would do. Be a mensch...
Songs for the Upcoming High Holy Days
Dip Your Apple (The Fountainheads)
New this week
Avinu Malkeinu (Traditional)
God is our parent (Avinu) and our ruler (Malkeinu)—different ways we can view or experience God. We want God to be compassionate (choneinu) like a parent and answer us (va’aneinu). Listen for the word tzedakah (justice). Our “deeds are wanting”—we want to do better in our actions.
This is closely related to the task of “returning” during the High Holy Days: we come humbly before God to ask forgiveness.
L’shanah Tovah (High Holy Days Niggun)
May you be written in the Book of Life for a good year. In this song, Bikel adds v’tichateimu: “and may you be sealed” for a good year.
Shofar Blast Song (Ellen Allard)
V’al Kulam (Traditional)
In the Al Cheit, we list missteps that we or our community might make. Then we sing v’al kulam—“for all of these”—and ask God to forgive us, pardon us, and grant us atonement.
Apples and Honey (Julie Silver)
If you’re gonna eat an apple apple apple
Don’t forget to have some honey honey honey
Apples and Honey, it may sound funny
But you can make the New Year sweet and sunny
Eating apples and honey
Don’t forget to ask the Rabbi Rabbi Rabbi
Why we bid the old year good-bye good-bye good-bye
We start a new year, the shofar we hear
Every year it’s in the month of Tishrei
Don’t you know that it’s the first day
Tell your sister and your brother brother brother
Tell your father and your mother mother mother
L’shanah Tovah it’s Rosh Hashanah
We’re spending the New Year with each other
Sister brother father mother
Apples and Honey, it may sound funny
But you can make the New Year sweet and sunny
Eating apples and honey
A Song for Sukkot
Build a Sukkah (J. Black)
New this week
You get the boards, I’ll get some gourds
We’ll put some leaves on the roof on top of 2-by-4’s
Chorus:
Build a sukkah, build a sukkah,
We’re gonna build a sukkah, gonna live in it all week long
You get the popcorn, I’ll get the string
When we build our sukkah, yeah, we’ll dance and sing.
Shake your lulav to the ground, shake your lulav in the air
You know you shake it north, you shake it south
You shake it east, you shake it west—God is everywhere
We sleep in our sukkah, see the stars up above
It makes us thankful for all God’s love.
Enjoy!