Transition can be hard on people of all ages—going from the office to home, from home to school, from being cared for to being the caretaker, and from summer into fall. We go through endless transitions each day and throughout our lives.
When our children are little, we have bedtime routines, morning routines, and rituals that help children feel more secure. We’re working on finessing a new transition routine here at Makom Community.
Around here, Friday afternoons look VERY different from the rest of our week. We braid and bake challah, clean up, and welcome in Shabbat together. Then we play games, welcome visitors, and adjust to a difference pace and environment than our other afternoons.
This past week, we looked at this series of pictures of the sun setting from the Greenfield Elementary School playground—where we had just been playing. We noticed the sun going behind the horizon, how that made it get chillier and chillier outside, and talked about the quality time we were all looking forward to with our families over Shabbat and the whole weekend.
We gathered around our brand-new (but not quite finished being painted) Shabbat candlesticks. Each student lay down and took a teddy bear to put it on their stomach. We use these teddy bears to help notice the movement of our bodies, andand watch them move up and down as we take deep breaths in and out. This is a mindfulness technique we’ve been teaching our students to use after they finish their own personal thoughts, wishes, and prayers in Tfilah. While they breathed deeply, I asked the students to think about the best thing that happened to them this week. A few students shared—a field trip, challah baking, and extra recess. Then we let those things go, took a few more deep breaths, and thought of what we were all looking forward to about Shabbat—extra family time, challah, and sleeping late!
After appreciating what the work of the week brought and anticipating the beauty and quality time of Shabbat, we were ready. We were ready to light Shabbat candles and welcome in Shabbat together. It was a calm and meaningful trainsition ritual—one we’ll continue to develop together in the weeks and months to come.
Transition is really hard for people. We’re hoping that learning to have Jewish ritual in transitional moments will help our Makom Community students and families face life’s inevitable transitions with a few deep breaths and a sense of preparedness. Join us on Friday at 5pm and check it out for your family!