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.

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, 

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, 

High Holidays Activities

Here are a bunch of links to things I have done over the years with my munchkins for the High Holidays- hope it is helpful to you!

  

My Rosh Hashanah Activity Pack 

My Rosh Hashanah Activity Pack for Toddlers

My Yom Kippur Activity Pack

My Sukkot Activity Pack

My Six Days of Creation Activity Pack

Rosh Hashanah

Yom Kippur

Sukkot

Simchat Torah

Wishing you all a wonderful week~

Always,

Getting Organized! by 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 ORGANIZATION is the sixth, corresponding to the month of Elul (August - September.)

For people who have this talent, it is essential that life has a sense of order.  This order  allows them to take action to reach their potential.  Excellent tools for the utilization of this talent are lists, a personal calendar and planned systems.  Having an organized space in which to live and work gives a sense of tranquility. This peace of mind allows them to take charge of daily life in a purposeful way. Utilizing this talent, a person can be like a  CEO who knows where the company is headed, how to get there and how to be on top of the details needed to make it succeed. This person knows how to throw away what doesn’t work in order to make space for what is needed. He / she  loves to grow and develop and is not afraid to fix what is broken or begin anew.

We can be role models to our children by helping them to feel organized. We can let them know the plan when we go out together.  If we see that they thrive on knowing what’s next, we can help them to feel orderly by making their own lists. By being calm when they make a mess, we can encourage them to trust their ability to fix it and have the courage to create their own method of organization.  

Tools For Developing Your Sense of Organization:

1.  Make lists and check off what you have accomplished.
2.  Throw away what doesn’t work in order to make room for what does work.
3.  Never be depressed.  Believe that you can fix the mistakes you have made.
4.  Be willing to let go of old habits that are not positive.  Work on yourself to grow.

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The Kabalah of Organization:

The talent of Organization represents the ability to fix or develop ourselves and our relationships.  The ability to be a good manager includes a magnetic sense of what to draw close and when to let go.  

The month of Elul is the last month of the year which beginning with Tishrei (whose first day is Rosh HaShanah, the anniversary of the creation of man).  At the beginning of the year, we make resolutions on how we will connect with G-d and accomplish our purpose in the world.  When we come to Elul, we need to take stock of the year that has almost ended. We utilize this last month to fix our mistakes and reconnect with G-d in preparation for the coming new year. During this month, G-d shines his qualities of  love and mercy into the world. This strengthens our ability to prepare for the new year.  The letters of the name ELUL have many meanings in Hebrew.  The one that is most well known is Ani L’Dodi, V’Dodi LI.  (I am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine.)

The tribe connected with this month and talent is Gad.

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

Listen Up... by 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 HEARING is the fifth, corresponding to the month of Av (July-August).

Individuals who have this talent are able to stay present, “tune in”, and pick up the nuances of every situation.  They are acutely receptive, absorbing the details of their surroundings. They do this naturally and intuitively. They listen, hear nuances and experience how these details fit into the whole. It is as if their love of music enables them to hear each instrument and appreciate how it is part of the magnificent music of the entire orchestra. In relationships they seek harmony and look for the good in people. They have big hearts and want everyone to be happy.  

We can be role models for our children by “tuning in” and pointing out what is good in the world.  We also need to be good listeners to hear and validate what they want to share.  Sometimes we need to help them use their minds to balance their hearts.  This balance will increase their sense of inner harmony.

Tools for Developing Your Sense of Hearing:

1.  “Tune in” to the present.
2.  Don’t jump to conclusions.  Listen and pay attention to details.  
3.  Be receptive  to what is positive and harmonious.
4.  Understand what you experience by using your mind as well as your heart.

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The Kabalah of Hearing:

The sense of hearing is receptive, integrating knowledge through the heart.  A person with this sense tunes in with a deep understanding.  

Twice each day, morning and night, Jews say “Shema Israel, A-donai E-loheinu, A-donai Echad.”  (“Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One.”) (These words are also written on parchment in the mezuza which we place on our doorposts, and in the tefilin that Jewish men wear on their heads and arms.) This profound meditation (see chabad.org for more information) is a meditation on the Oneness of G-d. The first word, ‘Shema,’ ‘Hear’, means that we are to tune in with all our hearts to the Oneness of G-d.   

The month of Av is the saddest month of the year.  The destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD took place in Av.  The Temple was rebuilt and again destroyed, again on the 9th of Av, by the Babylonians. The 9th of Av is a day of fasting and mourning for the many tragedies that took place on that day.  We pray and look forward to the rebuilding of the Third Holy Temple in Jerusalem, which will be the center of G-dly revelation and world peace.

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

Kids Art Display & Lego Storage

A good friend of ours (who was homeschooled and just graduated from NYU) gave my kids her very treasured and very large Lego collection that she played with as a kid. 

Now there must be hundreds and hundreds of pieces of Lego and up until now we were just keeping them in a large storage bin that the kids go rummaging through to look for whatever it is they need.

My husband had this tool box and so we dumped out the entire bin of Legos on the floor and got to work. We (the kids included) put all the regular Lego building blocks back into the storage bin. We then went on to divide the specialty pieces into the tool box (windows, doors, Lego people, flowers, hats, tools, wheels, very tiny pieces and any other pieces that are different). 

 Its a whole new world for them now as they can see what they have and it works. I have seen numerous Lego storage idea's online (stored by color, types of pieces etc.) but I knew that when my kids clean up, there is no way they are sitting and putting each piece back in the right color box or whatever. So this works for us.

On another note, my daughter LOVES arts'n crafts. She LOVES drawing, painting, coloring, gluing, stickers, you name it. And I find myself putting her stuff all over the house and it is getting a bit much. 

So after much Pinterest searching and inspiration, this is what I came up with:

I took the empty wall in her room and using 2 wooden frames (without pictures or glass), a clip board and a piece of bamboo, hot glued regular wooden pegs onto them and voila- her very own art gallery.

Here's a closer look at the bamboo... it is very inexpensive where I live and we have tons of it around our house.

I have a busy week ahead, hope you are enjoying yours~

Always,