Life Cycle
Searching for some words to mark a special moment in someone's life? Here you will find articles about rituals, new and old, that can help us mark those moments in our lives when we celebrate, grieve, or transition.
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Starting School…
As each of our children neared the end of summer vacation before starting first
grade, they sensed a new stage of life lay ahead. Before there was no
homework; now there would be. Before school felt like play; now it might feel
like work. To start them off on their very important journey, we developed rituals to ease
the transition. Together, we packed away swimsuits, shovels, and sunscreen and set out the
equipment that had been carefully selected for the upcoming journey – the new
backpack, the new lunchbox. Finally, the ritual that has become traditional in our family:
the night before first grade, you receive your own alarm clock, because now you’re
big enough to wake up on your own.
Meditation:
Teach us to use all of our days so our hearts will be full.
(Psalm 90)
Ritual:
On the evening before the first day of school, put away the things of summer
and collect all the new equipment for school, placing it carefully in a very
special backpack (don’t forget the lunchbox, which might hold a note saying, "I
love you!")
Blessing (for parents and children, the night before school starts):
Blessed are You, Eternal God, who makes us holy with mitzvot and commands
us to search for, gather and prepare all that we need in order to learn.
Barukh atah she-asah li kol tzarki
Blessed are You, who provides me with all I need.
Teaching:
Ben chamesh lamikra.
At the age of five, serious study begins.
(Pirkei Avot)
Your teachings are precious…they live forever. For our ancestors, for us, for
our children, for every generation, for all ages from the first to the last. Your
teachings are true, everlasting.
(Morning Prayer)
Barukh atah chonen ha-da’at.
Blessed are You who endows us with knowledge.
(CLAL Faculty)
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