Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, and Respecting Our World
Dear Families,
It was great seeing so many of you at the Shabbat dinner on Friday. This week I look forward to seeing you at Rosh Hashanah services on Friday night and Saturday morning, and at the Tashlich picnic lunch on Sunday. All High Holy Days services will include educational activities for kids. You can register for services and sign up for the Tashlich picnic.
Here are this week’s music and activities for your homes. 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 together during the year!
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.
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
High Holy Days Activities for Your Family
Explore crafts, recipes, and conversation starters for the High Holy Days. We may do some of these activities at services, too.
Discuss: Respecting the World and Our Belongings
How does taking care of your classroom or home show respect to the people who share it?
What are small ways to show kavod to nature, including plants, parks, and animals?
Why should we treat borrowed things with care?
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
Avinu Malkeinu: English Rendition
New this week
Dip Your Apple (The Fountainheads)
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
Songs for Sukkot
Hodu L’Adonai (D. Maseng)
New this week
The recording uses words for Shabbat, but we’ll use the melody for these words from Psalm 118:1–4. We sing them as part of Hallel, a poem of praise, during festivals.
Hodu ladonai ki tov, ki l’olam chasdo.
הֹדוּ לַה׳ כִּי טוֹב, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ
Yomar-na Yisrael, ki l’olam chasdo.
יֹאמַר-נָא יִשְׁרָאֵל, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
Yomru-na beit Aharon, ki l’olam chasdo.
יֹאמְרוּ-נָא בֵית אַהֲרֹן, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
Yomru-na yirei Adonai, ki l’olam chasdo.
יֹאמְרוּ-נָא יִרְאֵי ה׳, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
Translation:
Give thanks to the Eternal, for God is good; God’s lovingkindness endures forever.
Let Israel say: God’s lovingkindness endures forever.
Let the house of Aaron say: God’s lovingkindness endures forever.
Let those who revere the Eternal say: God’s lovingkindness endures forever.
Lulav Shake (S. Dropkin)
New this week
Sukkot is a harvest holiday
The celebration lasts for seven days
We build our sukkah
Then we decorate
A special booth in which we congregate.
Chorus:
Do the lulav shake (shake, shake, shake) (3×)
Do the lulav shake.
The symbols of Sukkot are quite unique
They show God’s presence the entire week.
The etrog’s smell gets into the air
We wave the lulav everywhere.
Chorus
Hadas and aravah on either side
Surround the lulav that we shake with pride.
To the north, the south, the west and to the east
We celebrate and then we feast.
Chorus
Build a Sukkah (J. Black)
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.
Another Resource for Your Family
PJ Library Books and Music
PJ Library is a wonderful organization with quality books on a variety of Jewish topics and holidays. Explore PJ Library’s books and music.
Enjoy!