—We are here for ourselves today. To be able on a Monday to do something for ourselves. Combo of text study and art.

—This is something we all can access and enjoy without pressure. About inherent creativity. God creates; and we are created in God’s image, so surely this means that we are inherently creators.

—Pleasure of creating.

—Getting started with some text. But first grounding ourselves in our gratitude for doing this together.

—Thanking God for commanding us to immerse in Torah.

—Q: What can you do with Shabbat candles?

use the wax for drawing and then paijnt over

we turn out the lights for a peaceful setting and then watch them dance

pick the wax off them

stick them in playdoh

draw with them

—Daven, or pray. Use the light to see a prayer book. Or just talk to God.

feel the light and welcoming of Shabbat

Enjoy the peacefulness of the light

file:///Users/amandasrere/Downloads/JEP%20November%202020%20Hanukkah%20Source%20Sheet%20(1).pdf

—You can also keep warm from them.

There is the source sheet, everyone.

—According to traditional sources, we are not supposed to use the Chanukah candles for anything.

—If we use it, one source says, then it is just light—not Chanukah light.

—Can’t use their light, but we can look at them to appreciate and praise God’s great name for God’s miracles and wonders.

Here’s the source sheet if you want to look on your own: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GudLssM1WUOxC1-VKWPUInq8_buxKXjQMlSNYHZ8ldQ/edit?usp=sharing

—Why do we do things that are just symbol and without utilitarian use?

<Candle Observation:>--Settle in, get comfortable, full screen--What do you notice? Notice everything…--What do you feel?--What do you remember?

—[It will be quiet, we will be doing this noticing for 1 minute]

The flame is dancing.

—Anyone willing to share? What did you notice?

dancing flames

swaying, dancing, slow movement

a lot of movement

raises up and lowers

The wax is melting and changing colors also

I liked watching the candle flame sway back and forth.

the flame sways… I could feel the warmth..

Heat, light, power

reflection behind the candle

glittering reflection in the inner candle walls

peaceful

There is power in the quiet of just looking at the melting

colors

The wax melted around the outside reminded me of my family standing around the candles, huddled together to bring in Shabbat or holidays. The wax looked like a warm embrace. Comforting.

—Carla says she felt like she could hear the flame. Could feel the movement.

I thought it was interesting how the wax was melting around the wax so unevenly

I was mesmerized by the sheen on the melted wax, which changed everytime the flame flickered

It felt warm

—Re:story of burning bush. Moses walks by and notices that whilst the bush is on fire, it is not being consumed. It would have taken Moses a long time to realize that. Would have required a lot of noticing, curiosity.

—Message here about creativity—there is no inherent utilitarian purpose in this act. Brings up new feelings and curiosity. All kinds of things come up through the slowed down observing. Much like the Chanukah candles. Prompting ourselves to feel or think (as sages say, about miracles and wonders).

This is so much about what we know about process vs. product in the work we do with young children. Love how the focus is just on noticing - how could we use this in our classrooms?

—Question for you as EC educators: Do you give children an opportunity to just play with art supplies without a larger agenda/instructions? Just to play.

everyday

Yes!

we have art materials out always - for creativity

Yes all the time

I love transient art for that purpose

—We notice that adults rarely do this.

(Anna editorializes that sometimes in traditionally Waldorf or Montessori classrooms, this kind of exploration might not happen)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GudLssM1WUOxC1-VKWPUInq8_buxKXjQMlSNYHZ8ldQ/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks, Sasha!

—Back to the text: Concept of Torah Lishma (studying Torah for its own sake). Without expecting to lead to a particular product.

—Broadly speaking “lishma” refers to having a “noble” motivation for action, especially doing something out of “pure” love (love of the activity or the One who gifted it). The concept can be extended to include opportunities we create or seize to engage in an activity without an ulterior motive and without expecting the process to lead to a specific product. For example, you might pick up a musical instrument and just play for 10 minutes, not to improve your skill, not to practice for a performance and not with the hope of composing a song… playing just for pleasure, or out of curiosity.

—Art “lishma,” for its own sake.

Doodling

—Doodling is a great example of that.

I pay better attention when I doodle while on zoom

—Sasha shares that she plays with clay under the table at meetings.

—Kerin shares that she sings.

I put watercolors on the table during the pandemic and during meetings, class, etc. my family just painted.

I agree with Jenna—lots of hearkening back to the beginning of the pandemic.

I agree

—Debbie shares art journal, cutting up magazine.

Doing it now

—Love the cutting out of things

Agreements

Expectations!

—Instructions: Make marks on paper. Whatever gives you pleasure or interest. Take your writing implement and play.

Norms

Guidelines, B'rit

Guidelines

Agreements

—What would it be like to have a “no comment” rule as part of your work?

—Shirt halashon, conscious communication, in traditional sources, suggests that we should avoid talking about a third party even if it is something nice. Because it can lead to a negative response.

*Shmirat halashon

—Enjoy the tunes while we make marks

I missed a few minutes what are we doing now

Hi R, I will private message you

Free write:--What do you notice? Notice everything…--What do you feel?--What do you remember?--Did you find anything valuable about the experience of making marks on paper?

—What value did you find or why did it not go that direction?

It can be empowering, freeing, soothing, liberating

For me, I felt free; that is, I saw myself experiencing boredom or stress with what I was doing and then I surprised myself by letting the pen move in a different direction that was more interesting.

For me it felt as though I could take all that I have been holding and release it...

It felt very relaxing and grounding to me

it's been a rough several days. Nice to have the interrupted time to not think about some of it and a lot about some of it!

I liked doing it with music. I felt sofocused in a relaxed way.

I also think about what a gift it would be for us to give children the time and space to reflect on their feelings as they created art….

freely doing art without self-judgement definitely takes practice ( use it like a muscle)

I personally find mark making liberating but notice my own my writing about it its more constrictive…..I am harder on myself though journaling than through art…

—So often I find myself asking, Why bother? Why do you bother teaching? Why do YOU bother? What does it do for you? Why are you there?

(Take a few minutes to consider and then we will come back together)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GudLssM1WUOxC1-VKWPUInq8_buxKXjQMlSNYHZ8ldQ/edit?usp=sharing

—Text: In considering the miracle of the cruse of oil, our Rabbis asked why the holiday of Hanukkah was celebrated for eight days rather than for seven days. Since there was, by all accounts, sufficient oil for one day, only seven of the eight days of burning may be designated as miraculous days. Though several ingenious explanations were offered, what strikes me as being the miraculous feature of the initial day was the community's willingness to light the lamp in spite of the fact that its anticipated period of burning was short-lived. The miracle of the first day was expressed in the community's willingness to light a small cruse of oil without reasonable assurance that their efforts would be sufficient to complete the rededication of the Temple. Hanukkah celebrates the miracle expressed by those who lit the lamp and not only the miracle of the lamp's continued burning for eight days.

—The miracle was 7 days, so why have an 8-day holiday? The miracle was that they bothered to light at all!

—That is, why start something you can’t finish? Why does anyone bother? The miracle of the oil is the first night—that they bothered to light at all.

Such a connection to Early Childhood!

—Education as a leap of faith.

—Go back to the paper you have been working with: put one word or phrase that will remind you why you bother.

I love being on gallery view and seeing you all!

—Think about the pieces we have talked about today; what is meaninggful for you? What will you take back to your life, to your schools and communities?

—Other things you noticed or want to share?

feel free to add to the chat as well - your thoughts and ideas about this process

We feel the need to multi-task!

—How a little bit of light can push away a lot of darkness.

—The time to stop. Never do this as leaders right now. We need this time to stop and reflect.

—How we see things so differently when we are not multitasking.

—The process, having the art along with the question of “why bother” allowed me to get to an answer.

—"You can’t finish if you don’t start”

Thank you! This was wonderful!

—The word Chanukah comes from the root word that means to dedicate. Chanukah as a rededication of the Temple. How might we rededicate ourselves to why we bother?

Thank you!

Wanted to Share Upcoming Events:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMuc-GrrD0qEty2JJ42BQ5u5l979K4glLe2

—It is a miracle that you do what you do.

Chanukah Exploration: Found Papers & Light, with Robin Koo

Thank you…. it was so nice to take the time out to think deeply like this

Thank you Rachel for this wonderful experience today

thank you so much.

Amazing projects!!!

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpcOGqpzorHNWXsoNkJ7-XnMV--6juGSgc

Cultivating Mindfulness and Emotional Well-Being in Early Childhood

Thank you Rachel. This was wonderful….An amazing Monday start

Thank you Rachel

thank you

Thank you!

Thanks

Thank you!! This was great!