Teaching with teddy bears towards Torah health

Games are just one way to forget about our anxieties of the unknown Corona Virus 2019. This story writing game is based upon a) the counts; 1) the daily Omer count in the Jewish tradition, 2) the daily quarantine count since I have been home from work, b) any feelings that surface during the quarantine, c) how to cope and integrate those feelings, and d) how to grow towards Gd's light.

Below is a sample of story writing and story telling that your children might like to join in. Some feelings that have been raised so far to share in a safe space; feeling confused, anxious, sad, lonely, tired of isolation, bored, wanting answers...you can add your own feelings and join in in creating your own drama and ending. Enjoy.

Day 12 in the Counting of the Omer, Day 40 of the Covid-19 Quarantine
By Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein, the Torah Morah

A towering yellow candle to light that day. That’s what Amir thought. For what? To let the neighbors know that Shayna’s owner was aware of remembering the Holocaust, a war fought so long ago supposedly? Or was Shayna’s owner doing it for herself? Who could tell? Amir didn’t understand human language. He did understand their actions though, or how he had responded to them. It wasn’t always positive either.

The three sat on their shelf, watched. Shayna scrunched down low in awe. It was her owner, she claimed, to be the one to light the candle. She wanted to be respectful. Amir pulled himself to his full 18 inches in height. Yes, he was that tall for only being a teddy bear, a Vermont teddy bear after all. He had teddy bear pride of where he had come from, yichus, as they called it in Yiddish. He knew where he was made! Liam, straightening out his shoulders, after all he was supposed to graduate from teddy bear school.

Roe steadied the candle on the living room table. She walked over to the living room blinds and opened them ever so slightly. She wanted to allow a bit of evening light to shine upon the darkening room. The light hit the candle, right where she had wanted it to. It cradled the candle. She bent slightly over the candle and struck her match. Whosh! The candle was lit. She straightened back up to admire the dancing flame.

She gingerly picked up the remote and pressed the buttons to find the correct station. She would watch the Holocaust Remembrance Show. She would do it right. Even if no one else around her seemed to be interested at that moment, she was.
She plopped down on the couch to settle in. With the candle lit, her yellow star placed properly next to the candle, her “Am Yisrael chai” bookmark bookmarking the ceremonial objects, she was now ready for the ceremony.

Shayna watched from her perch above, looking down at Roe. Why was Roe so intent on performing the ceremony? Should she say anything? And if she did, what would come of it? Could Roe think like a teddy bear and understand her reasoning?

Amir glanced at Roe and took in the entire scene as he understood it. He had never lived in a Jewish household before. He was amused and interested in how they marked Jewish time. Everything seemed so trivial to him since he didn’t have the context. It seemed as if she was performing for the sake of performing. Was she? Should he say anything? What would come of it?

Liam thought he knew it all. After all he was graduating from teddy bear school. He had learned a bit about Judaism while studying. This was his first time being shelved in a Jewish home. He wasn’t certain yet of how it felt or what it should feel like. It just felt different from what he had imagined. Should he ask Roe for an explanation and appear stupid? Shouldn’t he know the answers already? What was his degree worth if he didn’t know yet. If he kept quiet, then everyone would think that he knew something. But lighting a yellow candle, on a Monday night, for what? What did it mean? What did it mean to Roe? What did it mean to the rest of her family?

And then, ……….
(finish the story) What do you think happened next?

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