What can I do in celebration of the Days of Awe?

[Adammi]

What do Jews traditionally do an what can I do to honor these God-ordained feasts?

[Wags]

The "Days of Awe" are the 10 day period between Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah) and Yom Kippur. Traditionally this is a period of introspection, prayer and seeking out those you have wronged and making amends.

I think the most important starting point is to learn about Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur. And of course Sukkot which comes 5 days after Yom Kippur.

Here are a few articles that might be of interest:
Tashlich (http://www.torahresource.com/Parashpdfs/Tashlich.pdf)
Sukkot (http://www.torahresource.com/English%20Articles/Qohelet%20Thots.pdf)
The Fall Feasts (http://www.jewishvoice.org/Magazine/4.php?v=39&i=5)

[Tishri1]

...for Kids

We had a great time inventing ways to teach the Catching Away (Rapture) to the Wedding (a theme for Rosh Ha Shannah)

one way was to play musical chair(s) by using music from both Messianic and Christian sources(themes include heaven, kingship, repenting, wedding,the book of life, victory over sin or satan, royalty, love,opening the gates, ect.

Start the music and march around, and when the music stops the children run to the chair(s) and we lift up the child in the chair and parade them around the room and deposit them on the stairs (if you have a 2 story house) to climb upstairs to a party up there (depending on how many children there are you may want a few chairs and several strong adults to carry them) the Kids see and feel like they are being lifted to heaven for a fun time (wedding).

while upstairs have them have goodies to eat and share bread and juice(in plasic cups) and ,have them break the cup under their foot(something that is done in the Wedding to represent that suffering is always remembered even in a time of joy)and explain that those who's names were not written in the book of life will still have 10 days to repent and that we feel sad for them and pray for them to be saved......

this is a great place to do some craft project too...


one more fun thing to do is to do a tashlick/mikvah game (a game for them but a teaching time for us) by giving each child three or more pebbles and teach about how heavy the feel in your hand and how they represent sin that is so heavy in our hearts and that we can be free of...

have the children throw in two pebbles anouncing two sins out loud that many kids could be carring around like disobedience, lying, stealing, fighting, ect. It is fun to shout them out and throw the pebbles in a body of water (we used a pool) and explain how those sins are never remembered by God and he forgets every sin we confess to him

just in case you have a child that really is feeling bad about a sin they are holding in their heart reserve one pebble for each child teaching them that after they are done repenting it is a great time to feel clean and how do we get clean, by taking a bath....

with your last pebble throw it into the deepest end and very quietly confess to ABBA one sin that you feel is heavy on your heart

now jump in to that fresh water and feel refreshed by dunking three times (my son noticed that we dunk 3 times and that Yeshua was in the grave 3 days)

ask if they can see their pebble over in the deep end of the water....it's hard to see and so now everyone can now just forget about them just like ABBA does, and start brand new and clean...

Our Favorite story to read to them is "Gershon's Monster"(can get it at amazon)

We talk about the next festival that comes in ten days(my kids notised that after the Days of Awe and Sukkot the world celebrates Halloween hmmm eternity without God is NOT something we want to rehearse each year

hope this helps those who have kids....

If you have alot of traditional activities planned these fun games could also be done before or after Rosh Ha Shannah for more teaching support...

[Adammi]

Thank you so much for your posts!!

[visionary]

The 10 Days of Awe (Feast of Trumpets) are a time of deep introspection, reflection, and contemplation leading up to the actual Day of Atonement, which is itself the most solemn of all the days on the Jewish calendar! In fact, this day, the Day of Atonement, though called a "Feast" day, is actually a day of Fasting and humiliation, a day in which they are commanded to "deny" themselves (in fasting and in refraining from all pursuits of pleasure and gratification.) Let's read about it in Leviticus.

Leviticus 23:26-32. The LORD said to Moses, 27. "The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. 28. Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. 29. Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. 30. I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day. 31. You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32. It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath."

The reason we are most familiar with it is that it is on this day that Divine Justice is soon to be meted out to all individuals and to all nations. It is the date on which the cases of all of G-d's creatures come up before the Heavenly Court for a ten-day "trial" beginning on Feast of Trumpets, which is the first day of the Ten Days of Repentance, and climaxing on the Tenth of Tishrei with the Day of Atonement, Day of Atonement, when the fate of each one is sealed.

[plum]

bump. add more, folks!

[Tishri1]

This year I would say to a Brother or Sister to take a journal and go for a walk today and everyday, and pray and ask ABBA to forgive_________ making a list of all the people you can think of and let forgiveness wash you clean...then I would try to find a pool, lake or ocean (thats what we have) and just run out in it and let his water (he created it) wash away all the sin from last year...as I was drying off, I would remember this moment and as some say "burn" this memory into my brain (and heart) and never forget ABBA's grace and mercy for me...



Then as the days grow darker I would call on this memory to help me thru those dark times that are sure to come sometime...

[plum]

I am taking this period of repentance and contemplation very seriously. G-d has prepared me for it for a while... I can tell as I look back and see the thoughts, moments, and encounters in my path so that I was prepared to come and be real, open, vulnerable, and bare with my Father....

[Adammi]

I'm glad to see that this thread was bumped up from nearly a year ago.

[plum]

I'm glad to see that this thread was bumped up from nearly a year ago.

happy to help!

[Torah]

I have notice that as we start drawing near to the High Holy day’s people start getting stirred. one may be felling convicted about something, people might start becoming stirred about relationships wither family, friends, co-workers or people at church. We who understand that we are approaching this time of year understand that it is G-ds appointed time for us. Others are missing the appointment G-d has set up with us.

[plum]

I have notice that as we start drawing near to the High Holy day’s people start getting stirred. one may be felling convicted about something, people might start becoming stirred about relationships wither family, friends, co-workers or people at church. We who understand that we are approaching this time of year understand that it is G-ds appointed time for us. Others are missing the appointment G-d has set up with us.

But let's encourage those who are feeling a stirring of the Spirit to come to G-d and repent, turn, confess sin, and meditate on the work of Messiah. Perhaps they will come to love His Appointed Times. I pray so.