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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The Kabalah of TOUCH- with Guest Blogger Chana Rachel Schusterman


The Power of Using our G-d Given Talents (and Helping Our Children Recognize Theirs.)

There are twelve months in the Jewish calendar. The talent of TOUCH is the seventh, corresponding to the month of Tishrei (September - October.)

People who have this talent are great connectors.  Whether it is through sensory perception, physical touch, or spiritual connection, they have an intuitive sense of how to reach out in the way that will be most effective. They can reach out and touch in a myriad of ways. They love to bond and create meaningful friendships and relationships. This talent draws people to them. Their touch can often be transformative or healing. Their desire to be close and to create deep connections with others needs to be channeled so that it is expressed appropriately.

When we have children with this talent, we can help them to experience expansiveness by giving them opportunities to experiment with tactile games. When they feel sand running through their fingers, or the joys of finger painting or molding clay, they feel touch as a gateway to a deeper connection to themselves and then to others.  

A touch on the arm or on the cheek lets this child know that there is a loving parent nearby.  We can be role models to our children by showing an example of appropriate touch. When we don’t touch what is not ours, they learn that this sense (as with all the senses) has boundaries.  

Tools For Developing Your Sense of Touch:
1.  Recognize that how and whom we touch can bring harmony or the opposite.
2.  Develop boundaries to be “in touch” with appropriateness in relationship.
3.  Develop the desire for closeness with family and good friends by keeping in touch.
4.  Being in close touch with a friend helps us to give as well as to receive. This creates intimacy in friendship.
5.  Sometimes it’s necessary to wait for the right time to touch or to be in touch.

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The Kabalah of Touch:

The talent of Touch is based on the desire for closeness. It is really a desire for spiritual union. The hands can reach above the head (the mind) to reach for connection with what is Above, for G-d.

The month of Tishrei is full of holidays which connect us to G-d and to our people.  The first two days of Tishrei are Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. This is a time to pray for a blessed year and to recognize G-d as our King and the ruler of the Universe.  The tenth of Tishrei is Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year.  It is a day of fasting and deep essential union with G-d.  Soon after is the week of Sukkot in which we dwell in a sukka (see chabad.org for more information about Tishrei its many holidays), shake lulov and esrog and celebrate with great joy.  Simchat Torah is the holiday when we complete the yearly cycle of Torah reading of the Five Books of Moses (the BIble) and then begin again.  On this holiday we dance with the Torah scrolls and rejoice in our legacy of the Torah that guides us.  

The tribe connected with this month and talent is Ephraim, whose name is related to fruitfulness.

Chana Rachel Schusterman is a Jewish spiritual counselor and coach. If you would like to contact her, please email me at Jewishmontessori18@gmail.com.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

And the winner is...

 ***Sheina***

Please send me the best email address to reach you so I can send you the gift card!
(Jewishmontessori18 AT gmail DOT com)

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, wonderful and sweet new year!

Always, 

Monday, September 10, 2012

TORAH TOY Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

Okay, my wonderful readers- this is just for you!

In honor of Rosh Hashanah and to start your New Year off on a really sweet note, TorahToy.com  has generously given me a $25 gift card to give to one lucky reader! 

Yes, by this Sunday, YOU and your munchkins could be the lucky owner of this:



I know, how awesome is that?

But first, let me tell you a bit about this company. 

Torah Toy.com  contacted me a few weeks ago and I agreed to do a review of some of their products, which they sent me free of charge. I am sure you have seen lots of cool different Jewish toys that my kids use for different holidays and Jewish events on this blog. Well, Torah Toy.com pretty much has all of those toys and SO much more. I finally chose a few products and made the order. They were so professional and enjoyable to deal with. Any questions I had were answered right away. Their prices are SO reasonable. I get SO many emails asking me where I buy my Jewish toys/books/activities and its always a bunch of different websites for each different product. The beauty of Torah Toy.com is that all these products are on ONE website. 

They carry a FANTASTIC selection of Jewish books for all ages as well as Jewish Arts'n Crafts projects, Alef bet activities, CD's, Jewish Toy's, DVD's- they have so many products, in fact, just CLICK HERE real quick and go check them out for yourself - but come RIGHT back here to find out how to win the gift card:)


Nice... welcome back:)

Okay, now that you've seen their awesome website, here are the rules of the Giveaway:

1. Go to www.TorahToy.com and tell me ONE product you would buy if you won the $25 gift card
2. LIKE A Jewish Homeschool Blog on Facebook
3. Subscribe to A Jewish Homeschool Blog
4. Share this Giveaway on Facebook
5. Tweet about this Giveaway

Let me know in the comments below which of the above you have done.
You can leave a different comment every day telling me the different products you would buy until the Giveaway is over. 
Remember, every comment you make on this post is an entry into the Giveaway.  

The winner will be announced this Sunday morning, September 16. I know it's Erev Rosh Hashanah, but if you enter, just check back here first thing Sunday morning to see if you won.

The winner will receive the Gift Card right away via e-mail, so you can start shopping the second Yom Tov is over:) 

GOOD LUCK and have fun!

Always,