Location:

In your home

Audio (see below for closed captions):

Audio Closed Captions:

Welcome to Temple Israel’s Creation Expedition! We’re so happy you are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, by going on this adventure.

Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the world, so each year we read the story of creation from the book of B’reishit, Genesis. But, before the world was created, everything was empty and messy at the same time. You might not have thought this was possible, and yet, it was so messy and so empty that there was no way to organize it. Then, out of the empty mess, God spoke and the world was created. Now, this didn’t happen all at once. Actually, it took God seven days to create the world, making something new and special on each day.

When we read this story, it helps us remember all the things that are important in our world, the things we might not think about, and might take for granted. Light and Darkness, Heaven and Earth, Land and Sea, Trees, Grass, the Sun, Moon, and Stars, Birds, Fish, Animals, and you and me, people, Human Beings. All the things that make our world beautiful, awesome, amazing.

So, as you learn about each of the seven days of creation, have fun and say thank you for each day.

Day 1 begins in your own home, so scroll on down and start the adventure with the creation of Light!

Creation Day 1: Light

Location:

In your home

Audio (see below for closed captions):

Kindness Rocks

Imagine that you are walking along one day and you find a rock with an inspirational message or quote or question written on it. What might it say? What colors or words might bring light into your day? Before you leave on your expedition, we want you to create a kindness rock – that you will leave for someone else – to bring light into their day. Grab the rock and paint pen from your High Holy Day box that came to your house earlier this month and think about what message you would like to use to send light out into the world.  Keep your rock in a safe place – you’ll need it later on your expedition!

Light as the Beauty of the World

If you think about this world that we live in – it is a pretty awe-inspiring place.  As you walk through this Creation Expedition, you’ll have time to reflect and appreciate all the natural beauty around us. We don’t have to travel to some far off place to be “wow’d.” Instead, we can find those same emotions in our own backyards if we let our minds and our hearts truly look at what’s in front of us. How does seeing a colorful tree make you feel? Does seeing a toddler jumping in a puddle make you smile? When you pick up a piece of trash and toss it in a garbage pail, how do you feel? Before you head out on your expedition, pick up 10 pieces of litter or trash and put them in a garbage or recycling bin.

Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think God created light first?
• What are some ways that the people in your family bring light into your life?
• What about you? What are ways that you can bring light into the world?

Transition:

Listen to This Little Light of Mine by Peter Yarrow as you head to the Great Lawn in Central Park

Audio Closed Captions:

Here we are… All ready for Day 1? In the Torah it says that on the first day, God said “Let there be light” and then there was light! We understand that to be the literal meaning of the word, like first it was dark (close your eyes!) and then (open your eyes!) it was light. But, today light can mean all kinds of things. For some people light means love – what are some things that make you feel loved? And for some things light means beauty – what are things that you think are beautiful in this world? Sometimes people think light means warmth – things that make you feel all warm and cozy inside.

On this first stop on our Creation Expedition, we are exploring some of these ideas of light. First, you’re going to do a little prep work at home. See below to explore light as kindness as we participate in the Kindness Rock Project, or light as beauty as we work together to help our corner of the world stay healthy and clean – or both.

When you’re ready to make your way to Day 2, listen to “This Little Light of Mine” and think about what are some things that bring light into your world.

Creation Day 2: Heaven and Earth

Location:

Great Lawn in Central Park

Audio (see below for closed captions):

Cloud Gazing

To begin, find a comfortable place to cloud gaze! Ideally you might want to lay down or even sit back to back so that you can look up for a good few minutes. Now, relax, take a deep breath and allow your imagination to take flight! Take turns sharing what you see. Describe the cloud, what it looks like, why it reminds you of something else. See if you can find anything that reminds you of the High Holy Days. Do you see an apple? A shofar? A Torah?

Heaven & Earth (like “Coke & Pepsi”)

Remember the Coke and Pepsi game we played at your B’nai Mitzvah? It too was a separation game of sorts! This time play the game using “Heaven and Earth.” Players should pair up and form 2 parallel lines facing each other. One line is called “Heaven” and the other is “Earth”. When one name is called, that side runs to the other side and sits on the knee of their partner. Call out “Shana Tova” (Happy New Year) for fun and nobody runs. If they do, they’re out.

Play a Hydration game!

Everyone should have a water bottle on them. From now on, when someone calls “Heaven”, everyone should drink from their water bottles until the leader says “Earth”. Anyone can call this out while you continue on your Creation Expedition! Stay Hydrated!

Play Heaven, Heaven, Earth!

Just like Duck, Duck, Goose – except those animals haven’t been created yet! Sit your group in a circle and nominate player one. They hold their hand over the head of all the seated players (no touching heads necessary!) and say “Heaven, Heaven, Heaven…” – until they are ready to be chased around the circle back to the tagged player’s spot – for that to happen the player just needs to say “EARTH”!

Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think it was so important for God to separate the water from the sky?
• What things do you appreciate about the water and the sky?
• What is your favorite kind of skyline to look at (Sunset? Sunrise? City buildings? Ocean for as far as the eye can see? Other?)

Transition:

Listen to Adama V’shamayim by Melita and Isaac as you head to the Arthur Ross Pinetum in Central Park

Audio Closed Captions:

Look at you! You made it to the second day of creation! Before we uncover the magic of Day 2, answer me this… Who in your family likes to have things in order? Who is the person who likes the shoes organized by the door, who wants the drawers in your dresser nice and tidy? Who wants all the socks to match? And who wants the forks, knives, and spoons all in their proper place? Well – God is in the business of getting organized as we journey into the week of creation! On Day 2, God takes all the water and makes a giant separation between sky and water. On this day, the earth experienced all the things associated with water and sky, like wind, clouds, and waves! 

Look up at the sky. What do you see? Are there big fluffy clouds, or thin designs from a passing plane? I love when I stand on the beach – it looks like there is no separation at all between the water and the sky. It almost looks like they are kissing – and if I got in a boat and sailed for a few days, I might just see where they meet. 

But we could sail for weeks and we would never see that. God wanted them to be separate! We look up and wonder about all we cannot see or touch. We look down and splash around in the salty waves we can feel. On this day, God makes sure to make a big difference between what we see above and what we have down here – in other words, on the second day of creation, God created Heaven and Earth!

The sky has always been a source of inspiration for poets, writers, and dreamers. There are a couple of ways we can think about the second day of creation. Look below to find some interactive games like cloud gazing, or Heaven and Earth “Coke and Pepsi” game, and others! While you travel to your next destination, click on the song Adamah V’shamayim (Earth and Sky)!

Creation Day 3: Land, Sea, and Vegetation

Location:

Arthur Ross Pinetum in Central Park

Audio (see below for closed captions):

Sense of Touch

Take off your shoes and socks and let your feet feel the grass. As you walk or run, make sure you feel how the soft grass tickles your feet.

Sense of Sight

Lay down in the grass and look up at the sky. Feel nature all around you as you take a few moments and just breathe.

Sense of Smell

Smell the flowers and trees. As you do, gently touch each so that you can feel the texture of God’s creation.

Protect the Earth

Clean up a piece of trash or litter to protect the beauty of God’s creation.

Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think God called the land Earth?
• According to Torah, God partnered with the Earth to produce grass and trees. What is so important about this partnership?
• What did it feel like to literally touch God’s creation?
• How can you help protect nature in the future?

Transition:

Listen to This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie as you head to the Obelisk at the Met

Audio Closed Captions:

Let’s recap. So far we have explored the Light that God created and the Heavens and Sky. It’s been a busy first two days for God, huh? If you’re ready for something a bit more “down to earth,” then Day 3 is right up your alley!

You may remember from yesterday’s creation events that God likes to keep things organized and neat. So, the Torah tells us that it’s on the third day of creation that God began to make the Earth look like the planet we know today. First, God took the waters and turned them into seas and oceans. And then God took the dry land that appeared and called it Earth. And the last step, God told the Earth to create grass and trees to give us herbs, fruits, and vegetables.

When I think about the third day, I’m reminded of March when we started spending a lot of time at home. From the windows of my apartment, I could see the trees outside just starting to grow their leaves. Each morning I’d look out, and there would be more and more color. Buds turned to leaves and then flowers started to appear. Seeing the trees grow back was such a wonderful treat, it left me feeling happy and it put me in a good mood.

Think about this summer and all the time you spent outside. Did you ever feel like you had too much sun? Did you ever wish you could find a tree to relax under and get some shade? What did that feel like? Maybe you got to enjoy some time at the beach and jump into the water, helping you cool off. Maybe you tasted some delicious fresh fruit or vegetables. All of these things are part of the third day of creation.

We can still continue to appreciate all that the third day has to offer to us.

So, as you walk in the park, make sure to take a few moments to enjoy God’s creation. Let your bare feet touch the grass. Lay down and look up at the sky. Feel nature all around you as you smell and touch all of the flowers and trees around you. Taking a few moments to appreciate the natural beauty can really change our whole perspective. And as you move on to Day 4 of creation, check out the discussion questions on the website, or check out “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie, a song that is kind of like this third day of creation.

Creation Day 4: Sun, Moon, and Stars

Location:

Obelisk at the Met

Audio (see below for closed captions):

Sundial

You can start a simple sundial to tell the time of day. Just find a stick, a couple feet in length. Stick it into the ground, tilted a little to the north. Then, find another small stick or rock to mark the end of the shadow. As the Earth spins, the sun will move across the sky and the shadow will move on the ground. And there you have it, a sundial. If you want, you can repeat this at home and mark the position of the shadow every hour, on the hour, to use it as a clock.

Skyviewer app

You can download and play with a fun skyviewer app, such as SkyView (iPhone or Android) or Sky Map (iPhone or Android) or a number of others. How many constellations can you find? What other planets do you see? And, be sure to spot the moon. Hint: If you’re having trouble finding it, try looking below you.

Watching the Moon

On Erev Rosh Hashanah, the night of Rosh Hashanah (Friday, September 18), go outside and look for the new moon, at its dimmest. Then, on Erev Sukkot, the first night of Sukkot (Friday, October 2), go out and compare it to the brightness of the full moon. The New Moon indicates a new month, while the full moon tells us that it’s the middle of the month, day 15.

Questions for Discussion:

• How do you think the Moon felt in the story as she was being punished for asking a question?
• What mistake did God make in this story?
• How do you think the Moon felt at the end? What was more important, that the stars were created for her or that she would tell time?
• Why is the Sun important? Why is the Moon important? Why are the Stars important?

Transition:

Listen to Hallelujah (Psalm 148) by Nava Tehila as you head to the Turtle Pond in Central Park

Audio Closed Captions:

Day number 4, the Sun, Moon and Stars. Though Light and Darkness were created on the very first day of creation, the Light used to just wander about as it pleased. Not until the 4th day of creation did Light find its source, when the Sun, Moon, and Stars were created.

There’s a fun midrash, a story which tells of how the Sun, Moon, and Stars came to be. So sit on down, relax, and I will tell you this tale.

On the fourth day of creation, the Sun and Moon were created. At first, they were created equal, both great lights in the sky. Equal size, equal brightness, equal power. But the moon wondered about this arrangement. She thought to herself, “Is it best that the Sun and I are of equal strength? Might the world mistake us for each other? What makes each of us uniquely ourselves?” So, she decided to ask God.

“God,” the Moon said approaching the Source of the Universe, “Is it good that there are two great lights in the sky, the Sun and I? Would it be better for one of us to be brighter and larger than the other, in that way we would both be unique and serve different purposes?”

“Oh ho!” replied God, barely hearing the question. “And, I suppose that you think you should be the greater, brighter light, do you Moon?” Without waiting for a reply, God chastised the Moon, saying, “No, as punishment for your arrogance you shall be the lesser light. Now, go! Diminish yourself, make yourself smaller.”

Knowing God’s decrees to be final, the Moon, with a tear in her eye, did as God had told her. She slowly unwound the beautiful silvery thread which made up her light, making herself smaller and dimmer. But, she would not be diminished. While she was working, she said to God, “Oh Merciful One, why so great a punishment for a simple question. I only wished to know the purpose of two great lights.”

Recognizing the error, mistake in judgement, and feeling the Moon’s pain, God scooped up the fallen thread, divided it into millions and millions of specks and spread the points of light throughout the Heavens. And God replied, “You, Moon, are right. And do not allow this to be a punishment. From this moment on, though you will be the lesser light, let this make you unique. For now, while the Sun travels the sky by himself, you will never be alone. You will always be surrounded by these millions and millions of stars, as they keep you company in your sorrow and your joy.”

“Moreover,” God said, “It is by you that the Israelites, the Jewish people, will tell time. While the Sun will mark the hours, you, oh Moon, will dictate the months and decide when the holidays fall. This is your strength; this makes you unique.”

Looking to the Stars and the Earth below, the Moon smiled.

Thus, we, the Jewish people have told time by the Sun, the Stars, and, above all, the Moon for thousands of years.

While you’re here take some time to engage with the Sun, Moon, and Stars. You might make a sundial or download and play with a fun skyviewer app, and on Sukkot, be sure to check out the full moon in the night sky.

Now that you know how to tell time by the Sun and the Moon, it’s time to head off for day number five. While you walk, talk about the special times and holidays you know in Judaism or listen to the song “Hallelujah” by Nava Tehila. See you up in the air or under the sea in Day number 5!

Creation Day 5: Fish and Birds

Location:

Turtle Pond in Central Park

Audio (see below for closed captions):

Counting the Fish You See

How many can you see? Are they different colors, shapes, and sizes? Can you guess the kind of fish you are looking at? Or can you look up the species? What do you notice about their movement? Every creature is special; what do you notice that is unique or special about the fish you see?

Feeding the Birds or Turtles

There are special foods you can find for birds and turtles, but truth be told, they sometimes like the food we eat. The birds will love your breakfast cereal (Cheerios!) or some old bread leftover from the week. Turtles love veggies and fruit, so grab some lettuce and see if they go for it. Remember to be kind to these creatures – they share our planet with us and we should do all we can to keep them safe. What do you notice about how these animals eat? What foods do they like? Which foods do they not like? Are you a picky eater? What do we have in common with these animals? How are we different?

Questions for Discussion:

• What did you learn about this particular day of creation that you didn’t know before?
• How can you do your part to help birds and sea creatures practice God’s command to them – to be fruitful and multiply?
• What do you appreciate about these creatures?
• If you are not a fan of some of these creations, can you think of a reason why they might be important?

Transition:

Listen to Under the Sea from the Little Mermaid as you head to the Cedar Hill in Central Park

Audio Closed Captions:

Okay. We have Light, Darkness, Earth, and Sky, we have the Moon and Stars. Hmm what’s missing? You guessed it, the Earth was ready to support animal life and God was ready to fill the Sky and the Water with incredible creatures!

The text reads… “And God said, ‘Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the Earth in the open expanse of the heavens.’ And God created the great sea monsters, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.’”

Can you believe it? The sea was suddenly swarming with every kind of creature from the tiniest of creatures called krill to the largest creatures we know like the blue whale. And everything in between; small fish like sardines, medium-sized fish like salmon, bigger fish such as marlin and swordfish, and so much more. God also made jellyfish and eels, corals and crabs, octopuses and porpoises, and all others too. Think of all the colorful beauty under the sea!

Suddenly, too, at God’s command, there were all sorts of flying creatures. Birds like parrots and pigeons and poultry; flying insects like butterflies, bees, and bugs. What a marvelous sight it must have been. What a symphony of sound there must have been when the birds began to sing!

God was pleased when the work was done. Not only did God look around and say “Oh yeah, this is some good stuff,” God also blessed the fish and the birds, and commanded them to reproduce—each to make a baby animal just like itself. God wanted the magic of this day to continue. Can you blame God? These were phenomenal creations! Did you know that the vast majority of fish don’t eat each other, but eat underwater plant material like seaweed, and algae, and drifting tiny plants called plankton? Or that when a bird raises its wing, the feathers move apart to let the air through and reduce resistance, but on the down-stroke the feathers close completely, thus greatly improving liftoff? Unbelievable! I think God deserves a little praise for that – can I hear a Halleluyah? Cool right?

If you’re like me, you too marvel over all these amazing animals, how vast and different they are and what they can each do! So let’s spend some time appreciating their splendor. You can give your own pet some love, but if you are outside, and we hope that you are, you can count the fish in the pond, feed some birds, or visit the turtles with some fun treats. By the way, they love fruits and veggies. While you travel to your next destination, you can enjoy some Day 5 creation music. Click on the song “Under the Sea” from Disney’s Little Mermaid.

Creation Day 6: Land Animals and Humans

Location:

Cedar Hill in Central Park

Audio (see below for closed captions):

Kindness Rocks Part 2

Take your Kindness Rock that you made way back on the beginning of this Creation Expedition and bring it with you to a public outdoor space. Find a great hiding spot and leave it there for someone else to find. Maybe it will be another Temple Israel family or maybe it will just be a stranger walking along who will find your beautiful message of friendship or love or happiness. How do you imagine this person will feel when they find it? How do you feel about bringing that kind of light into someone else’s day? As you’re walking along maybe you will find a kindness rock hidden for you to see. What impact do you think that would have on you?

Animal Hunt

This world is FULL of incredible animals. So many, in fact, that scientists had to divide them into categories: mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, invertebrates, amphibians… and even within those categories, it’s broken down further. What do you know about each of these types of animals? Here are a few characteristics of each. As you’re walking along, see how many you can find!

Amphibians: cold blooded (which means they rely on their surroundings to keep their body temperature), absorb water and breathe through their skin, like frogs, salamanders, and toads

Birds: have wings (but they don’t all fly – did you know that?), have a beak to help them catch and swallow food, have 2 legs

Fish: live underwater, have fins, cold-blooded

Mammals: most have hair, their jaw is connected to their skull, babies get milk from their mother

Habitat Creation

Now that you’ve found some animals, we want to leave something for them too. Go on a nature hunt and collect leaves, sticks, grass, acorns – anything you can find and build a habitat for an animal to live in. Maybe it’s for a squirrel or a bird? Maybe it’s for a frog? See what you can build and then leave it so that an animal can use it!

Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think that God waited until the end to create humans?
• What do you think it means that God said that Adam and Eve would “rule over the earth”? What kind of power does that imply? What kind of responsibility?

Transition:

Listen to B’tzelem Elohim by Dan Nichols as you head to the Temple Israel

Audio Closed Captions:

Wow, you have been on quite an adventure! And the world, and our expedition, is almost done. The 6th day is really the last day of heavy lifting. As a recap, God had already created Light and Dark, Heaven and Earth, Land, Sea and Vegetation, Sun, Moon, and Stars, Birds and Fish. Phew! I’m tired just saying it all! But finally, we come to Land Animals and Humans.

God started with animals that live on the land. How many animals can you think of? There were lions and tigers and bears, oh my, as well as elephants and monkeys and dinosaurs, dogs, cats, horses, the really big, ginormous animals and the teeny, teeniest animals as well.

After all the animals were set and walking all around the land, exploring the amazing things God had created, it was time for a very important creation – people. Now, the story goes that God wanted humans to be created in God’s own image – b’tzelem elohim and this was something very special. Only humans were created in God’s image and God even created a special place on earth for them to live, called the Garden of Eden.

It says in the Torah that God created Adam first, from dust, and made Eve, the first woman, from Adam’s rib. He blessed them and told them that they were to rule over the earth and fill it with children. I mean how amazing is that? Could you imagine taking some dirt and creating a person?

So now we have this whole world, each thing so carefully interconnected with the other. We take care of the Earth and the Earth takes care of us. This amazing world that we live in is a gift, but we also have a responsibility to do our part to take care of it and all of its inhabitants. While you’re visiting Central Park, or whatever outdoor space you’re currently exploring, see how many animals you can find. How many different species live in the area where you are? Once you’ve found some, check out these activities to help you do something nice for the Land Animals and the People!

Creation Day 7: Shabbat

Location:

Temple Israel

Audio (see below for closed captions):

Family Photo

Stop at the front gates of Temple Israel. Take a family photograph with a smartphone or camera and and be sure to tag us on Instagram at @tinyeclc and @education_tinyc using #creationexpedition

Questions for Discussion

• Why do you think it’s important to mark Shabbat?
• How does your family observe Shabbat? What new traditions can you introduce?
• A great Jewish poet once said, “More than the Jewish people has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jewish people.” What do you think the author meant by this?

Transition

Listen to Beautiful Day by U2 as you head home

Audio Closed Captions:

Phew! What a crazy week. No wonder God needed a day off after six busy working days, right? How do you feel on Friday afternoons after a long week of work or school? I bet you can sympathize with God!

You know, Shabbat is such a special time, and there’s so much symbolism about it. Different people observe Shabbat in different ways, but at the heart of all these different customs and traditions is the idea that we make a distinction between Shabbat and the rest of the week. People who follow the traditional laws try to refrain from doing anything that could be deemed work, inspired by God’s rest. Those of us who maybe practice more liberal interpretations often see Shabbat as a time to do something different than we would do during the rest of the week. Either way, we mark Shabbat as a sacred time.

There’s a famous Midrash, or story. It says: ‘When the Jewish people were gathered at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, God told them that Heaven would be their reward for keeping the commandments. The Jews asked God, “How do we know that Heaven is so great? We don’t know what we are agreeing to? How about a free sample to see if it’s worthwhile?”

God wasn’t upset. ‘Cause God knew the truth about Heaven and wanted to make sure the Israelites did too. “No problem, God said. I’ll give you a sample: it’s called Shabbat.”‘

Thus our sages say that Shabbat is “a taste of Heaven on Earth.” Each Shabbat, as we enjoy time with family, sleep late, or do something that brings us joy, we are reminded of how special this day can be.

As you begin to head home on this final day of our Creation Expedition, make sure you stop at the front gates of Temple Israel. Many of us spend our Shabbats there anyway. Take a family photograph with a smartphone or camera and and be sure to tag us on Instagram at @tinyeclc and @education_tinyc using #creationexpedition. Check out the website for some discussion questions about Shabbat, and check out “Beautiful Day” by the rock band U2, a song that evokes lots of emotions about how awesome the special Shabbat can be.

Shabbat Shalom, Shana Tova, and thank you for joining us on this Creation Expedition.