Adventures in Mama-Land

One of the main differences between Rosh Hashanah and other Yamim Tovim is that we keep 2 days, even in eretz Yisrael. And I think many of us realize this is connected to another difference between Rosh Hashanah and other Yamim Tovim, which is the problem with the bracha shehechiyanu on the second day. On the second day of most chagim, when we lived outside of Israel, we made the bracha shehechiyanu at night on the second day without a problem, because each day is considered a separate Yom Tov. But on Rosh Hashanah, we’re told to wear a new piece of clothing or have in mind a new kind of fruit when we make the bracha (though you should still do it even if you don’t have something new). The reason for this is that Rosh Hashanah is considered

Are your kids bored with typical Jewish children’s books?? I know mine were! That’s actually one of the main reasons I started writing books for Jewish kids.  I was sick of stories that simply repeat the basics:  “It’s Rosh Hashanah, we dip an apple.”  “It’s Sukkos, we sit in the sukkah.”  “It’s Chanukah, we light the menorah.”  I was bored to death of these, and so were my kids, by the time they were two years old or so.  Plus – kids love to read about animals.  I really believe that animals can give us a lot of insight into ourselves and the things we do. That’s how I got the idea for my first animal book – Penguin Rosh Hashanah .  I was sitting on a train wondering what to write for Rosh Hashanah, and I suddenly had the random thought, “Penguins.”  Why penguins?  Penguins, or any animal, really, are the exact opposite of Rosh Hashanah.  And I love it.  Loved the idea of finding connections and creating a very loose, light st...

I confess, it’s been a rocky time, writing-wise.  Not that I’m not writing!  Actually, I’m writing more than ever, probably more than most writers do in a lifetime.  The problem is that most of it is your basic blah writing for clients, translating (from Hebrew to English), or essays for school. (Did I mention I’m a full-time grad student???  More about that later…) But somehow, despite having ZERO time to write the things I truly wish I was writing, I seem to have managed to finish not one but TWO book projects, and without further ado – I present… two gorgeous new books: Oma is 100 :  "It's been almost a hundred years since Oma was born, but she doesn't want a party..."  When a young girl’s grandmother decides she's too old for  a birthday party, the simple act of crocheting a blanket teaches them both an important lesson about love, family, and belonging.  This isn’t specifically a Jewish book, in that there are no Hebrew words or references to...

The words Rosh Hashanah never appear in the Tanach. Nor is the chag referred to except as the shofar-blowing on the first day of the seventh month. The first time we see the term Rosh Hashanah being used is in a mishnah: “There are 4 Rosh Hashanahs…” ארבעה ראשי שנים הם. (Maseches RH 1:1) So the very first time we see the words “Rosh Hashanah,” they’re actually in plural form. This mishna teaches us that there are actually not one but 4 rosh hashanas. 1 Tishri (new year for years), 15 Shevat (trees and fruit), 1 Nisan (kings and festivals), and 1 Elul (animals and cattle). [1] It’s a strange phrase, if you think about it: “The new year for years” (ראש השנה לשנים). It doesn’t seem to make much sense, especially given that in the Torah this is the 7 th month, not the 1st. So why is this Rosh Hashanah the big one, the one we all celebrate every single year? We get a hint in the very next mishna, which says, “there are four times when the world is judged: at Pesach for crops, at S...

Joining the free printable mini-books I have made for Shavuos, Pesach and Chanukah, is this awesome little counting book for Rosh Hashanah.  Specially designed to print, cut out and staple at home. To receive a free PDF of this very simple print-cut-staple easy reader for Pesach, featuring all the usual cute “borrowed” Internet graphics you have come to love from my printables, please sign up for my mailing list (below).  I’ll send it to you within 24 hours. If you’re already on my mailing list, just fire off an email to me at Tzivia@tzivia.com . Here are the others in this series: “On Shavuos” printable easy reader mini-book “On Chanukah” printable easy reader mini-book “On Pesach” printable easy reader mini-book Tzivia / צִיבְיָה Coming soon:  Jewish parenting ideas, inspirations, and freebies (no spam!)

What time is it right now where you are? As I write this, it's early morning here (Israel) and the middle of the night in North America.  Time for all reasonable people to be sleeping.  Are you still awake? It is also Elul, the time before Rosh Hashanah when we make the changes in our lives so we can start becoming the holy people Hashem wants us to be. When we lived in North America, it was nice having friends in Israel because I could chat with them late at night.  For them it was morning; their kids had already gone to school. And I was up much too late. Here, I find the same thing happening in reverse.  When it's late at night here, everybody's running around back in North America, getting supper ready, relaxing during the evening. And I am STILL up much too late. The hour between 12 and 1 is the worst.  Maybe you know the feeling.  The thought that you should just shut down and go to bed?  The sense of diminishing returns. 

Do you have something you’re really bad at? I do, so I’ll go first. I’m lousy at self-promotion.  Not just bad.  Lousy.  Especially in person.  I have been at people’s houses, shown them the parsha book that I wrote, and then, when they ask me where they can buy one, I say something like, “oh, it’s probably not right for you.”  Or, “you don’t want to buy it.” Literally, I have said that.  More than once.  I’m like the ANTI self-promotion force.  I am my own worst critic. But it’s that time on the Jewish calendar (note to self:  buy new calendars!) when we head out – or head online – to buy kids’ books for the upcoming fall yamim tovim.  Whether they’re for our own children, other people’s children, or just to hand out randomly to children we meet on the subway (hey, a struggling author can hope, right?).  We’re all in the mood for books that make Judaism fun, colourful and appealing. So I’m going to take a break to blow my o...

Spoiler alert!  If you are on our “nearest and dearest” list, please don’t scroll down to peek at the craft project revealed below.  It is currently winging its way to you in the mail.  Be patient. (Um, if you feel you are near and dear and considerable time has passed and you have NOT received your very own Craft in the mail – well, oops.  We still love you, but are far from having our act together over here on this new side of the Atlantic.  Better luck to all of us next year.) So my nanny used to get these cards.  Maybe you’ve seen them.  They were all-occasion cards with paintings on the front.  Mediocre paintings of puppies and kittens and clowns and water and boats.  And the only thing that was special about the cards was that on the back, they said they were mouth-painted by people who had no limbs. Mouth-painted.  That phrase stuck with me, maybe because everybody always told me not to put paintbrushes in my mouth.  Or m...

I thought I’d shared this already, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.  Sorry if it’s a duplicate!  This is a one-page tefillah sheet I made for us to use last year in getting ready for Yom Kippur, because I couldn’t find an English song I liked to the tune of Avinu Malkeinu to help give the kids the idea of what it’s all about.  Here’s a link to the tune, so you’ll know how the Hebrew part sounds (if a little schmaltzy). Download this and other Jewish printables from my Limudei Kodesh downloads page here (under Rosh Hashanah). For general studies printables, including science, art and music, click here .

Click for printable PDF version .   רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה Rosh Hashanah [ 1 ] In English, you might know us as the Three T's, But we're talking now about Hebrew words, please The first means to daven, to worship, to pray; The last one involves giving money away. But the middle word's crucial, it isn't a breeze. It's a word that comes out like the sound of a sneeze! What is it??? [ 2 ] Tekiah-Shvarim-Truah are the sounds we love to hear, Singing out so loudly, ringing out so clear. And Tekiah-G'dolah, when the end is near, Blasting from the __________, as we start our brand-new year! [ 3 ] Though beaten and tortured, Amnon was strong He'd lived as a Jew his entire life long. And so to this day, to show he's not wrong, We read _______  ______, his very last song. [ 4 ] On this day, we eat our signs Make our Kiddush over wines; And wait – before we’re off to bed, Please skip the tail, but eat the __________! [ 5 ] BONUS! Dip an apple in the honey, T...

This is a little Rosh Hashanah story I wrote for Naomi Rivka. Ted drew the pictures.  You can download & print it, if you’d like.  It’s not Great Art, but let me know if your kids enjoy it. It’s, um, about a little pocket crumb, deep inside a little girl’s dress pocket, walking down to the river for Tashlich. Click to download:  The Tiny Crumb: A Story for Rosh Hashana

With ten pages of activities and more.  Well, okay, not more.  Honestly, this yom tov season is coming at me far quicker than I’d like, and we have spent ZERO time at home over the last week. But anyway, here are some things I hope to be spending time on (if I can convince my printer ink to keep on working) – including rhyming words, logic puzzles, fill-in & decorate machzor and more.  Well, again – not much more.  I’m a busy, much-distracted lady these days. If this isn’t enough, you can also help yourself to LAST year’s Activity Pack, Logic Puzzles, colouring pages and much, MUCH more.  And this time, I really DO mean much. Download these and other Jewish printables from my Limudei Kodesh downloads page here (look for Activity Pack 5773). For general studies printables, including science, art and music, click here .

I didn’t post a Rosh Hashanah menu, because it was mostly the same as in past years.  Here’s what we’ll be eating over the next three (!) days. Anything crossed out is already made as of now.  Anything *starred, I’m putting off to make on Yom Tov. As you can see, we have a long way to go… so I probably won’t be updating over the course of the day!  I’ll start with the important part: Desserts – First Days PAREVE Honey Cake PAREVE Blueberry “Buttermilk” Cake PAREVE Prince William Wedding Cake aka Chocolate Ruined Marshmallow dessert DAIRY Tiramisu DAIRY Caramel Graham Cracker Crunch (aka Marcy Goldman’s Matzah Crunch with Graham Crackers)   Meal Wednesday Thursday Friday Shabbos Day   Diamond PAREVE Squash Soup *Mushroom Crepes *Crunchy Cheese Apple Kugel Green Beans Salad DAIRY Desserts S & F Families (Esther no meat or fish) DAIRY Challah *Curried Squash Soup *Fresh pan-fried naan *Potato/carrot/pea curry *Spinach/tomato c...

Finishing up the lapbook … (I just need to attach this to the cover and it’s DONE!)   Delicious yom tov smells… Must run – see you in 5772!!!

Uh-oh… Do I use the word “easy” to describe all my crafts??? This one is based loosely on a “sheep” project in the Literature Pockets: Nursery Rhymes book, but I’m hoping my kids won’t notice its highly derivative nature.  I guess it doesn’t meet the Charlotte Mason criterion of being a “useful object” (so kids aren’t just doing “twaddle crafts” to kill time, but end up with something useful for the home and acquiring real-world skills).  However, it DOES fulfill most of my criteria for a “green” craft, anyway:  when it’s finished adorning your home, you can toss the whole thing in the backyard composter! I haven’t got time for a step-by-step, but really, all you need are, for each ram:  Black construction paper:  FACE, EAR, two LEGS, a TAIL.  Make them any shape you like! A cardboard body – mine is about the size of a piece of construction paper, hamburger-folded. A white or tan SHOFAR that kids can cut out and stick on the side of the head. Yarn ...

(with thanks to Phyllis Sommer’s Ima on and off the Bima for the “Blog Elul” button and meme, which I have not yet participated because I thought I had nothing to say) My friend Sara just wrote an interesting post about strollers , and running after her toddler on Shabbos. Her post reminded me – tangentially – of the olden days, before Toronto got its current eiruv.  I started to write it in her comments, but realized (for once) that my thoughts were totally irrelevant.  “Get your own blog,” I told myself.  But then I realized, “Wait a minute.  I HAVE my own blog.  And this is what it’s for – my random dull reminiscences of bygone eras.”  “Okay, then,” I told myself.  “Why not write it there?” So I am. When YM was a baby, there was no eiruv in Toronto, so young mamas just didn't go out on Shabbos.  By the time we moved to Calgary, also with no eiruv, he was walking, so on Yom Kippur I decided to walk to shul.  The shul was RIGHT across ...

This is our last “normal” week before the roller-coaster of the chagim (MONTH of Jewish holidays coming up).  I’ve found it’s best to cram a lot in the first couple of days of the week, because after that, things tend to fall apart… like this week, when I worked a full day yesterday outside of the home.  Blah. But here’s what we were up to on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and today… Had an “arty” day with Draw Write Now and Mozart!   Did some kinda teary measurement math with JUMP and Cuisenaire Rods.  Not that we don’t love math!  And hopefully, we will love it even more now that we have started reading “Life of Fred:  Apples,” which just arrived this week.  It’s a very, VERY, very strange book.  Naomi isn’t sure she likes it yet, and at first, based only on the cover, she asked me NOT to read it.  But I think she’ll get into it once we’re on our way. Carrying on through First-Time Analogies (we do it during math time).  We’ve move...