Creations Come Together to Create New Creations

Creations Coming Together: A Grade 1 Journey Through Shabbat Symbols

At The Toronto Heschel School, Grade 1 students immersed themselves in the magic of Shabbat through hands-on activities that connected them to the idea that creations come together to create new creations. The children learned that when we, human beings, make a blessing over each symbol, we are making shabbat קֹדֶשׁ (holy). 

Rolling Beeswax Candles

To understand the importance of light, the students made their own Shabbat candles using beeswax. As they rolled the wax, they said in Hebrew: אֲנִי מְגַלְגֵּל/ת שַׁעֲוָה (“I am rolling wax”). They learned how bees, flowers, and sunlight work together to create beeswax, and how lighting the candles ushers in the holiness of Shabbat.

Furthermore, the children also practiced the blessing for the Shabbat candles:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שַׁבָּת

Crushing Grapes to Make Creations of Grape Juice

The students had a fun, hands-on experience making grape juice in the traditional way—stomping grapes with their bare feet! As they pressed the grapes, they practiced saying in Hebrew: אֲנִי דּוֹרֵךְ / דּוֹרֶכֶת עֲנָבִים (“I am stomping grapes”).

This activity helped the children understand how the Days of Creation relate to making grape juice. On Day 1, light was created, giving grapevines the energy to grow. Day 2 brought water, which nourishes the vines. Day 3 gave us earth, seeds, and plants, including grapevines. On Day 4, the sun, seasons, and time help the grapes ripen. By Day 6, people harvest the grapes and turn them into juice. On Shabbat, the juice is blessed, making Shabbat קֹדֶשׁ (holy). 

By stomping the grapes themselves, the students connected to this process in a fun and meaningful way. Moreover, they also practiced the blessing over wine:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Kneading Dough to Create Challah

The students got their hands sticky and floury as they kneaded dough to make challah, saying: אֲנִי לָשׁ / לָשָׁה בָּצֵק (“I am kneading dough”). They learned how the wheat from Day 3 of Creation becomes flour, and how eggs from Day 5’s chickens and water from Day 2 come together to form the delicious bread we bless on Shabbat.

As they shaped their challah, they also learned that when we make a blessing over the challah, we are making Shabbat קֹדֶשׁ (holy). The children practiced reciting the blessing:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ

Each child experienced the joy and pride of creating something special, knowing that their efforts are part of what makes Shabbat קֹדֶשׁ (holy). 

A Multi-Sensory Shabbat Experience

Through stomping grapes, kneading dough, and rolling beeswax candles, the children engaged deeply with the process of creation. Each hands-on activity allowed them to see, feel, and experience how the elements of the world come together to make Shabbat קֹדֶשׁ (holy).

By actively participating in these traditions, the students gained a personal connection to Shabbat, understanding its significance not just as a concept but as something they can help create and celebrate with their own hands.