The Secret Of Simcha - ñåã äùîçä
Resource
Type:
Peula
in:
English
Age:
13-15
Group Size:
10-30
Estimated Time:
45
minutes
The goal: To cause the chanichim to understand that Simcha doesn't come from the things we buy, and get. It comes from things that we do for ourselves and others.
For: Grades 7th-8th/Zach
The goal: To cause the chanichim to understand that Simcha doesn't come from the things we buy, and get. It comes from things that we do for ourselves and others.
Peulah:
Part 1: Hand out to each chanich the "How do you feel today?" sheet. Prompt the chanichim to think about how they feel today- if someone wants to say how he feels today, let him share with the rest of the chanichim. Go around the circle, saying why you feel that way and why. (Hadracha tip: If you see that it starts to get really silly or out of hand- stop it!)
Part 2: Before Shabbat, make cards with different values and things that make people happy. A list can be found at the end (appendix #2), and feel free to add your own! During the peulah, spread the cards around the center of the circle so the chanichim can see them, or hang them up on a board. You are the owner of all these things and the chanichim have to buy these things from you. Divide the chanichim into 3 groups, and give each group fake bills that amount to $100. Each group should decide what values and things make people happy, and then they can come up and buy them from you.(What should happen is: When each group buys it's values, there will probably be another group that would want to buy the same thing. They will need to fight for it. The group that gives the higher price for the value- buys it!) .
Pay attention: After all of the groups have bought their values check if some group bought the value of volunteering. If not- you can ask them why not? Is it not important enough to make us happy? Can we have Simcha without it?
Give each chanich a candy. Ask them if the candy makes them happy. If it does, how long does it last?
In this point of the Peula, you can do a short summary: Until now, we’ve spoken about things that make us happy but not for too long. A car, clothes and candies. These are kinds of things that come from the outside and don't stay long enough to make us feel happy forever.
Sicha: Discuss with the chanichim what things really cause people to be in Simcha? Where do those things come from?
Read the story about Dasi Rabinovitch and her life (#3). This part is long and can be optional. Please read it to yourself and if you choose not to read it to the chanichim give them a short summary of what Dasi was and what she did. It is very important to understand where she came from and why she wrote the "Circles of Simcha".
After reading, give each Chanich the story she wrote- "Circles of Simcha" (#4). Hadracha tip: This makes a great chopar!
Discuss with the chanichim. Ask the chanichim, what causes people to be in Simcha, to be happy? Has anyone felt this way in the past? Does anyone identify with Dasi?
Conclusion: The things that cause people to be in Simcha, come when we do things for ourselves and for others, when we create new things for ourselves, and for others. You can definitely live your life being focused on your own goals and objectives, but when you put another person before yourself, and worry about them and what you can do for them, then you learn what it means to really give, and what you receive in return is happiness, and that is something that doesn’t go away or fade. There is no price for happiness- it’s priceless!
More then you give, you get!
îöååä âãåìä ìäéåú áùîçä úîéã!!
Stuff you will need to prepare in advance!
#2
- List of the values:
- Get a hair cut
- Get a good grade
- Buy a new car
- Raise a family
- Have the ability to walk
- Sing
- Buy new clothes
- Volunteer with children
- Go on a vacation
- Travel in the world
- Have friends
- Be successful
- Whatever else you think of
#3
“Life of blessing” / Brurya Rabinovitch
This song that Dasi wrote, reflected her positive way of thinking in life. Dasi lived in our world only 19-years. The terrible cancer killed her body, but not her soul. All her life, until her last breath, she was happy and she made other people happy too. She always gave off a good feeling and gave love to others. She did it with a big smile, with a story, a joke or a short show.
Others gave her love in return, and from that by herself, she learned the secret of Netina, of giving.
Even on her last night, on Rosh-Hashana, a few hours before she passed away, she called us, her family, and told us: “Look, look, I have a surprise! I can move my hand. I will feel better soon. I feel that this year I will be healthy. I will beat the cancer”. We told her: “Great! That's wonderful! Even though we knew she has pain. We kissed her, and she fell to her last sleep”.
She left us here with big sadness about her death, but with big happiness about the big commandment to be in simcha.
The connection between simcha and sadness was very familiar to Dasi. She knew how to take every situation, bad or good, hard or easy, and make it full of simcha, and strength for her to continue fighting the cancer, even in moments that everything was worse.
Dasi had a goal she signed every letter and conversation saying: Health and Simcha.
She said that simcha is much more important then health. What do you have in life, if you are a healthy, but sad person? But a happy person, even if he is sick keeps hoping and smiling, has rich life.
Dasi was like this: Happy for herself and for others, believing and hoping. She gave people strength to go for it! . Her strength came from her faith and her simcha.
Her faith to Hashem was stronger then ever, because her of cancer. She always said: “Since I got this cancer, I can speak with Hashem alone. I can cry to him, I'm praying to him, and he understands and hugs me. Sometimes, he hugs very hard, but always it comes from His love to me…. I'm happy that Hashem gave me this cancer, because of that I learned in a short time, things that would take me a long time to learn, even years. I learned how to look with a perspective on life. To listen to people, to understand them, to learn the strengths I have inside me. How many years or how much time would it take me learn all this???”
Dasi always had big thoughts and dreams. She organized, she was the leader, and she did things in the community. Since she was a young girl, she baby-sat, taught children, and opened daycamps and volunteered before the Holidays. You would always see her running from one place to another, with children running behind her.
Since she was in 8th-grade she did the Youth Minyan for the children, during the Tfilla on Shabbat morning. When the parents went to pray, she took care of the kids. They sang Shabbat songs, she told them stories, asked questions, and put on shows about the Parasha, at the end, they did a Kiddush. She did it for 4-5 years until she got ill. And also then, she did it.
One Shabbat, when Dasi sat in her bed, someone knocked on the door. It was a girl, and she said: “We came to visit Dasi, from the Youth Minyan”. I told her, “You can't visit Dasi today. She doesn't feel good today. But you can stand near the window, and sing to her. They stood near the window, and sang to her the song she taught them: Ani maamin beviat hamashiach”.
Dasi stood up, went to the window, smiled to the kids and said,” Sing stronger and Hashem will hear you. And send the Mashiach soon!”
#4
Circles of Simcha / Dasi Rabinovitch Every person has a circle in his heart- the circle of Simcha, Sometimes, the circle is very small, but you can make it grow and grow and grow. When the circle is big, it sends little circles to places in your body that sometimes hurt. When you will have alot of circles, fewer places will hurt your body. There are people that their circle of Simcha is very small- and we have to help it grow! Are you asking how? Each one can think about a way. You can give him a candy, or a flower. You can sing to him, draw a picture. You can even ask him: Good morning! How are you today? And the most important thing is to do it with fun, with a big smile, and from all your heart. I wish you all, to be able to create a-lot of circles of Simcha, to others, and because of that- Your own circle of Simcha will grow!
Written by- OFRA KOREN AND SHIRA KATZ.
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