Sharing Blessings: Children's Stories for Exploring the Spirit of the Jewish Holidays

What is the spiritual message of each of the Jewish holidays?
How do we teach it to our children?

Many books tell children about the historical significance and customs of the holidays. Now, through engaging, creative stories about one family's spiritual preparation, Sharing Blessings explores ways to get into the spirit of the holidays all year long.

Musleah, mother and journalist, and Klayman, father and rabbi, gently give our children the spiritual message and help adult and child explore it together. For 13 different holidays and festivals, there is a story about David, Ilana, and their mom and dad�a story focusing on the spiritual value embodied in each holiday.

Being afraid of the dark, taking a walk in the woods with Grandpa, arguments between David and Ilana, sharing family photos; all become opportunities for learning about how each holiday's meaning is related to our daily life. Each story begins with a brief explanation of the holiday and concludes with a special prayer that child and adult can share to bring the spiritual meaning of the holiday into their own lives.

Shabbat Family • Rosh Hashanah Responsibility • Yom Kippur Prayer • Sukkot Peace • Simchat Torah Joyousness • Hanukkah Convictio • Tu B'Shevat Wonder • Purim Gratitude • Pesach Continuity • Yom Ha-shoah Free Will • Yom Ha-atzma'ut Community • Shavuot Education • Tisha B'Av Rebuilding

Why I wrote Sharing Blessings.
The thud of a parcel falling through the mail slot is a common sound at my house. That thud keeps me running to the door and, like a child who can't wait to unwrap a present, I impatiently strip open the padded envelopes.

Inside, I have discovered books of all kinds. Since one of my specialties as a journalist is reviewing books with Jewish themes and reporting on trends, I have amassed a shelf-full of beautiful children's books. Hanukkah books predominate–there are historical accounts, silly tales, miraculous happenings, poignant Holocaust memories. Latkes sizzle, dreidels twirl, menorahs flicker and gifts abound in these books, each telling the Hanukkah story in a slightly different way. Passover books follow a close second, trailed by folk tales and stories about the other holidays on the Jewish calendar.

Despite the satisfaction I felt in reporting on the avalanche of Jewish books that authors and publishers were turning out, despite the delight my children and I took in sharing the books together, I felt something was missing. Most of the books faithfully told the story of the holidays and instructed parents and children how to celebrate, but few focused on the deeper spiritual values embedded within.

When I determined to write a holiday book, I tried to make the leap between simply imparting information to sharing deeper values. Long ago, our rabbis described these two levels as p'shat--(the simple level) and d'rash (the deeper meaning). Rosh Hashanah, for instance, is not just about apples dipped in honey; it's also about taking responsibility for our actions. Hanukkah is not just about candles, gifts and dreidels; it's also about standing up for our beliefs. Passover is not just about matzah and macaroons; it's also about continuity. These are some of the concepts I emphasized in Sharing Blessings: Children's Stories for Exploring the Spirit of the Jewish Holidays, which follows a contemporary family through the cycle of 13 holidays, including Shabbat. Discussing values in the context of stories can go far in modeling behavior, teaching ethics and exploring the passion of Judaism without hit-`em-over-the-head didacticism.

I also wanted to guide others in fusing Judaism with the details of the ordinary. Instead of celebrating holidays as separate from everyday life, we can weave the concepts they teach into the texture of daily existence. If Hanukkah extols the Maccabees' conviction and dedication, what situations of our own can we apply those standards to? Should we protest when a favorite playground is about to be torn down? Should we stand up to a bully in school? In Sharing Blessings, being afraid of the dark, taking a walk in the woods with Grandpa, arguments between siblings, sharing family photos--all become opportunities for learning about how each holiday's meaning relates to our daily life. The holiness of Jewish tradition is not limited to holidays. It should permeate the spirit of everyday living.

That was the motivation behind the book. I hope you'll take the opportunity to judge the final product for yourself.

Of course, many others have registered their reaction in reviews. Most were satisfying, although I did agonize over one or two. Some of the publicity was funny. One article and review before Passover was titled "Send the Passover Message with the Help of Hallmark's Tree of Life Cards." Oops. Someone pasted in the wrong headline!

I've done quite a few book signings, and I've realized that you have to be prepared for all eventualities–including small audiences. If it's pouring with rain, nobody wants to venture outside. If it's a gloriously sunny day, nobody wants to be inside! But as I've traveled around the country, it's been lovely to hear that kids--and their parents, grandparents and teachers--enjoy Sharing Blessings among their favorite books. Those are the best reviews of all.

I hope you'll enjoy the stories in Sharing Blessings--and that you will always share special blessings of all kinds with friends and family.