Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mr. Womack, and I'm so excited to be learning with you today.

We're going to have such a great time working together in this lesson, and I just know that we're going to do brilliantly.

Today's lesson is from the unit, Jews: how does Remembering maintain Jewish identity? This lesson is called Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

By the end of today's lesson, we will be able to explain why Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are so important to most Jews.

Here are the key words for today.

They are penitence, the feeling of regret for one's wrongdoing, shofar, a ram's horn that is blown like a trumpet, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and Rosh Hashanah, a festival to mark the beginning of the Jewish New Year.

We're going to revisit these keywords as we go through the learning.

So here's the lesson outline for today.

We'll be learning about what happens after Rosh Hashanah, what story did Jews tell at Yom Kippur, and what did Jews do at Yom Kippur.

And we're going to start with, what happens after Rosh Hashanah? So here's Victoria.

Victoria has a Jewish worldview.

She attends an Orthodox synagogue, and here is some special candles used by her family at Rosh Hashanah to symbolise God's light and God's peace.

At Rosh Hashanah, Victoria lights candles and says some words of blessing.

She says, "I say this blessing after I light the candles, 'Blessed are you, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandment, and has commanded us to kindle the light at the Day of Remembrance.

'" She continues, "The lighting of the candles gives me time to remember God and reflect on what is important.

Rosh Hashanah is a time to look backwards and forwards, remembering that life is full of good times and bad.

It is a time for new beginnings." So now it's time to check our understanding.

Which of these two statements explain why some Jews light candles at Rosh Hashanah? Is it A, it reminds them of God's light.

B, it decorates the table for the symbolic meal, or C, it helps them to reflect on God.

Pause the video and think which two of these statements explains why some Jews light candles at Rosh Hashanah.

The answers are A, it reminds them of God's light, and C, it helps them reflect on God.

Well done if you selected the correct statements.

So let's learn more about what happens after Rosh Hashanah.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year.

It usually takes place in September or October.

Rosh Hashanah is followed by the 10 Days of Repentance.

Many Jews spend this time reflecting on the past year and the year to come.

When we hear Jews explaining the symbolic meaning of their actions at Rosh Hashanah, it helps us to understand Jewish worldviews better.

Victoria is thinking about meaningful things in her life.

She says, "Learning about my identity as a Jewish person is meaningful to me.

During the 10 days of repentance after Rosh Hashanah, I think about how I follow the laws in the Torah and apply them to my life.

I make a resolution to do better this coming year." And here's Michael.

Michael is from a secular Jewish family.

They observe festivals but don't attend the synagogue.

Michael says, "After Rosh Hashanah, my gran always reminds me to look back on my achievements.

Last year, I was proud that I achieved an award for improvement from my football coach.

I've promised myself to keep training really hard and learning new skills this coming year." It's really good that Michael spent some time to look back on his past achievements.

Maybe that's something we could do more of too.

It's good to reflect on the things that we've done in the past year.

So let's think back to what we have learned about and check our understanding with a multiple choice question.

What happens after Rosh Hashanah? Is it A, 10 days of repentance, B, 10 days of fasting, or C, 10 days of eating symbolic food? Pause the video now and think which one of these is what happens after Rosh Hashanah.

So the answer is A, 10 days of repentance.

Well done if you selected the correct statement.

The 10 days of repentance is a time of penance when Jews remember mistakes of the past year and say sorry to God and to other people.

A rams horn, called a shofar, is blown very loudly on each day of Rosh Hashanah and the 10 Days of Repentance.

And you can see a picture of it there on the screen.

It's quite difficult to blow.

The sound of the shofar reminds Jews to return to God and follow His laws.

Rafi's family are Orthodox Jews.

Rafi says, "One of my favourite things at Rosh Hashanah is when the rabbi blows the shofar.

He blows it every day during Rosh Hashanah and the 10 Days of Repentance, so we get lots of opportunities to hear it.

It is so loud.

It reminds me to wake up and think about the things I have done wrong." Let's hear about another Jewish worldview.

Daniel has a Jewish worldview.

He attends a progressive synagogue.

Daniel says, "The sound of the shofar is a loud call to turn away from our sins and follow God's laws instead.

The shofar reminds me that God will judge my actions on the day of atonement." He continues, "Sometimes we walk down the river after the synagogue service on Yom Kippur.

We write down things we've done wrong on pebbles, then we throw them into the water.

This symbolic action reminds us that God forgets our sins when we show penitence.

We can make a fresh start." I really love that as a way of symbolising that God forgets our sins when we show penitence.

So now it's time for a task.

Jun and Laura are wondering if symbolic foods and actions are important during and after Rosh Hashanah.

Jun says, "I think Rosh Hashanah is mostly about eating delicious food and having fun." Laura says, "I think there is more to it than that, Jun." So you need to help Laura explain how Jews use symbols and actions to express beliefs during and after Rosh Hashanah.

You might want to write a short paragraph for this task.

So pause the video and complete your work.

I wonder what you put.

You might have said something like this.

"During and after Rosh Hashanah, Jews might do many symbolic actions.

They might light candles to help them reflect on the past and the future.

The shofar reminds them that they should show penitence and remember God's laws.

Sweet foods such as apples and pomegranates help them to plan for a sweet new year by making good choices and doing lots of good deeds." Well done for completing that task.

So that's the first part of our lesson complete.

We're now going to look at what story did Jews tell at Yom Kippur.

Jun and Laura are talking about their new year resolutions.

Jun says, "I plan to read a book for half an hour each day.

I've missed a few days of reading because I played computer games instead." Whoops.

Laura says, "I promise to keep my writing neat all the time, but some of the work in my books looks a bit messy." Oh dear, Laura.

Resolutions can sometimes be hard.

And sometimes we don't quite manage to keep them.

Have a think.

Do you always keep your resolutions? Pause the video while you think and discuss.

The 10 Days of Repentance give time for Jews to think about their promise to follow God's laws.

They remember when they made the wrong choices or forgot to keep the laws.

Yom Kippur follows the 10 Days of Repentance.

It is a day of penance.

Jews think about things they need to say sorry for.

At Yom Kippur, the Book of Jonah is Read out loud at the synagogue.

This is a story all about penitence and new beginnings.

So now, let's learn about the story of Jonah.

One day, God spoke to the prophet Jonah.

He said, "Jonah, I've got a mission for you.

Go to Nineveh, that big busy city, and tell the people there to stop behaving so badly.

I have noticed their behaviour and it's time for change." But Jonah didn't like this idea bit.

Instead of heading to Nineveh, he decided to run in the opposite direction.

He went to the port city of Joppa and found a ship going to a far away place.

He paid for his ticket, hopped on board, and thought he was escaping from God.

Well, God wasn't about to let Jonah off the hook.

While the ship was out at sea, God sent a powerful wind, and soon a huge storm began tossing the boat around like a toy.

The sailors were terrified.

They prayed to their gods, and even throw their cargo overboard to lighten the ship.

The captain said to Jonah, "Pray to your God.

Maybe He can save us." The sailors decided to cast lots.

They rolled dice to work out who was to blame for the disaster.

The lot landed on Jonah.

Oh no.

The sailors crowded around him asking, "Who are you? What have you done? Where are you from? Why is this happening to us because of you?" Jonah admitted, "I'm a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven who made the sea and the land, but I'm running away from Him." The sailors were horrified.

"What do we do to stop this storm?" they asked.

Jonah replied, "You have to throw me into the sea.

It's my fault this storm is happening, and that will calm it down." The sailors didn't want to do it.

They tried as hard as they could to get back to land, but the storm only got worse.

Finally, they prayed to Jonas God saying, "Please don't punish us for this.

We don't want to hurt Jonah, but we don't know what else to do." Then, they picked Jonah up and threw him overboard.

The storm stopped instantly.

The sea was calm and the sailors were amazed.

So let's stop there for a moment and check our understanding with a true or false question.

True or false? Jonah tried to run away from God.

Once you have made up your mind, think about why you chose that answer.

So pause the vide, while you decided the statement is true or false, and why.

The answer is true.

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, but Jonah got on a boat and went in the opposite direction.

Well done if you selected true.

So let's get back to the story.

As for Jonah, God had a plan.

A gigantic fish swallowed Jonah whole.

Jonah was inside the fish's belly for three days and three nights.

It was dark and slimy, but Jonah prayed to God from inside the fish.

"When I was in trouble, I called out to you and you heard me.

Even from the depths, you listened to my cry." After three days, God made the fish spit Jonah out onto dry land.

Then God spoke to Jonah again.

"Jonah, go to Nineveh and tell them the message I gave you." This time, Jonah listened.

He got up, brushed himself off, and went straight to Nineveh to do what God had asked.

Well, what a fantastic story.

I just love the story of Jonah.

Now, let's see what Victoria and Daniel have to say.

Victoria and Daniel are interpreting the deeper meaning of the story of Jonah.

Victoria says, "The story is about penitence because Jonah did the exact opposite of what God wanted him to do, but he put things right at the end." Daniel says, "Jonah tried to run away from God, but this is impossible.

God was with him even before he started feeling sorry for his actions." So now let's check how we're understanding with a question.

Choose the right option to finish the sentence.

Jonah showed penitence when.

A, he ran away from God, B, he prayed and said sorry, or C, he did not do what God had asked him to do.

Pause the video and think which one of these statements completes the sentence.

The correct answer is B, Jonah showed penitence when he prayed and said sorry.

Well done if you selected the correct answer.

So it's time for another task.

Jun and Laura are defining penitence after listening to the story of Jonah.

Jun says, "Penitence means feeling sorry for doing something wrong.

If you are really penitent, you'll say sorry and try to put things right, as Jonah did In the end." Laura says, "Penitence means thinking about your actions and deciding whether they are right or wrong, as Jonah did inside the fish." So who has the better definition of penitence? Pause the video now and give some reasons.

I wonder what you put.

You might have said, "Jun's definition is better.

It is important to think about your actions, but penitence is more than that.

It means feeling really sorry for what you did wrong and trying to put it right, as Jonah did at the end of the story.

It might mean making a resolution to do better next time." Well done for completing that task.

So we've now completed the first two parts of our lesson, and we're going on to look at what the Jews do at Yom Kippur.

Here's Victoria again.

Victoria is an Orthodox Jew.

She has a Jewish worldview.

Victoria says, "I love to listen to the story of Jonah at Yom Kippur.

I have heard it being read at the synagogue many times since I was very little.

The story has a deeper meaning.

It reminds me that it is possible to make a fresh start even if you have run away from God , as Jonah did.

The story helps me to show penitence so that I can start again." Yom Kippur is the most solemn and serious day in the Jewish calendar.

Yom Kippur means the Day of Atonement.

Atonement means making amends for something you've done wrong.

Here, you can see prayers happening at an orthodox synagogue.

Let's hear more from Daniel.

Daniel is a progressive Jew.

He has a Jewish worldview.

Daniel says, "Yom Kippur is a very quiet and serious day for me.

I go to five services at the synagogue.

It is a holy day of reflection and penitence.

It makes me feel sad, but determined to do better.

Daniel continues and reflects on his mistakes at Yom Kippur.

He says, "On Yom Kippur, I pray for God's forgiveness.

Sometimes I need to ask forgiveness from my friends and family members too, if we've fallen out.

We talk together and try to put things right." So let's do a quick check for understanding.

Complete the definition.

Atonement means.

A, making a new year's resolution, B, reflecting on your choices in life, C, making amends for something you have done wrong, or D, lighting a candle for peace.

So pause the video and think which one of these completes the definition for atonement.

So the answer is C, atonement means making amends for something you have done wrong.

Well done if you selected the right answer.

Many Jews mark Yom Kippur by fasting from sunset to sunset.

Some Jews wear white to symbolise purity.

As well as fasting during Yom Kippur, many Jews do not wash or wear makeup or perfume.

They do not wear any symbols of luxury, such as leather shoes.

As an orthodox Jew, Victoria observes many of the religious traditions at Yom Kippur.

She says, "I choose to fast from eating and washing during the 25 hours of Yom Kippur.

The fast helps me to focus on being clean on the inside rather than worrying about my clothes, hair, and makeup.

At the end of Yom Kippur, we break our fast by eating honey cake at sunset.

It tastes lovely and sweet after a day without food." She continues, "Observing The fast at Yom Kippur is a way of feeling connected to the wider Jewish community across the world.

When we break our fast at sunset, I know that everyone is celebrating in the same way at the same time as Jewish people have done for thousands of years." Let's hear from Rafi.

Rafi's family are Orthodox Jews.

Rafi says, "My favourite part of Yom Kippur is hearing the sound of the shofar.

I go to the synagogue with my family at sunset the evening before Yom Kippur so that we can hear the Rabbi mark the start the festival by blowing the shofar.

He blows it again at sunset the next day to show that Yom Kippur is over.

We are forgiven and can make a new start." Let's check our understanding with some different images.

Which of these images show something Jews do at Yom Kippur? Now, here's a little hint.

It might be more than one of the images.

Pause the video now as you think about which of these images shows something Jews do at Yom Kippur.

So the answers were A and C.

Well done if you selected A, which is a picture of someone blowing the shofar, and C, which is a picture of prayers happening at the synagogue.

You might have spotted that B is actually a Seder plate, which is something that Jewish people use as part of telling the story of Passover.

So now it's time for a task.

Jun has written a description of Yom Kippur.

Check it carefully and correct any mistakes.

He says, "Yom Kippur begins with the sound of trumpets to remind everyone that it is time to celebrate with songs and dancing.

During Yom Kippur, Jews spend three days in the synagogue eating honey cakes.

Some people wear their best clothes and expensive shoes.

The story of David and Goliath is read aloud to remind people that it is important to fight for what is right." Well, I don't know about you, but I've certainly spotted just a couple of mistakes that Jun has made.

You might be able to spot some more.

So now pause the video whilst you correct any mistakes that Jun has made.

I wonder what you put.

You might have said, "Yom Kippur begins with the sound of the shofar to remind everyone that it is time to reflect on God's laws and show penitence.

During Yom Kippur, Jews spend the day in the synagogue praying and fasting.

Some people wear white clothes and simple shoes not made from leather.

The story of Jonah is read aloud to remind people that it is important to show penitence and make a new start.

Well, we've reached the end of our lesson, so let's summarise what we've learned.

We've learned that Rosh Hashanah is followed by 10 days of penitence, leading to the festival of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Both festivals are about new beginnings and a fresh start.

People reflect on the past year and ask forgiveness for things that they have done wrong.

They also think about the year ahead and what is important.

We've learned that special readings and praises are said at services and the so far horn is blown.

Well done for working really hard on this lesson about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

You've done a fantastic job and I've enjoyed learning with you.

And I look forward to working with you again next time.

Bye for now.