The United Synagogue

Key Stage Middah/Jewish Value Activity
Foundation It's Rosh Hashanah - that's when we listen to the shofar - Learning about the Shofar














After Minchah on the first day of Rosh Hashanah(or the second day if the first day is Shabbat) we symbolically throw away our sins into flowing water, such as a stream, river or the sea. This is called 'Tashlich' - Learning about Tashlich		 Print Pages 1 - 5 from the download section below. These show the different blasts of the Shofar, each one on a separate page, represented as lines or broken lines, and one page showing them all together. Print as many as necessary for the size of your group.
Explain the difference in the length of the blasts and what they are called, the difference between the Tekiah and Tekiah Gedolah especially. Distribute the sheets and then call out the names of the different blasts one at a time e.g. 'Tekiah!' All those with the Tekiah sheet have to mimic that blast.



1.Talk to the children first about the concept of Tashlich, "throwing away sins" - depending on age grouping.

2. Use a large blue sheet. Get adults/children to hold the edges and move it gently up and down (as if it were water flowing) then call the children up to come to the river, to think about what naughty things they have done and to throw away their naughty deeds into the river, (they can tell them if they want or it can be private)
(The same blue sheet can be utilised as a "Crossing the Red Sea activity" at Pesach)


See Bibliography - AJE Publications
3.Teach the children a rhyme to match the
activity:
The bad things I've done
I'll throw, throw, throw them
Into the river
They'll flow, flow, flow then
Down to the bottom
They'll go, go, go

Click here for printable version


Downloads