Days of Awe, Curiosity, and Play
Exploring the High Holidays at TCEE
by: Emma Hahn, TCEE Acting Director
Next week, on the evening of Monday September 22nd, Jews around the world will begin our celebration of Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish new year. Translating to “the head of the year”, Rosh HaShanah begins a ten-day observance known as the Days of Awe, which starts on Rosh HaShanah and ends with the breaking of the fast at the end of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The focus of these ten days is both reflecting on the year that is coming to an end and setting intentions for the year to come as one full of peace and joy.
Atonement, intentions, repentance - these are big concepts that don’t find a comfortable home in early childhood education. Even the concept of “saying sorry”, the way we often make Yom Kippur accessible to kids, is not a developmentally appropriate expectation for kids under five. So how do we make these days, some of the most important in the Jewish year, meaningful and relevant to our community of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers?
The High Holidays is a period of time in Jewish life that is rich with sensory experiences. We listen to the shofar, the ram’s horn, as it is blown in three different ways: shevarim, a series of three short bursts, teruah, at least nine quick blasts, and tekiah, the long, held tone. We taste apples dipped in honey (for our friends over a year old), the traditional way to start the Rosh HaShanah festive meal, to wish for a sweet year. We braid our challah into a round loaf, rather than the usual long braid, and enjoy the smell as it bakes. We use these experiences as jumping-off points for more in-depth curriculum, taking note of which aspects the children are drawn to and building from there.
Our goal, in exploring and celebrating, is to foster children’s innate curiosity and wonder. These days, after all, are the Days of Awe – and if there’s one thing children excel in, it’s seeing the awe in the world around them, and showing us the same. Shana tova umetuka – wishing a good and sweet year to you and yours from all of us at TCEE. We are honored and delighted to be part of it.