Modern Mishpocha: When in doubt, Shaboom!

Dara Lithwick

By Dara Lithwick

Near the start of the school year, during the 10 days of repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we received an email from our son’s Grade 2 teacher explaining there had been a few incidents of children not treating each other with respect. Teachers were working with the students to “reinforce positive relationship building and kindness at school,” including modeling positive social interactions and role playing challenging social situations. They encouraged parents to talk with their kids about respect and kindness at home.

My partner Marci and I were taken aback as our children’s school exudes warmth and respect. But we were also heartened the school was treating these incidents as teachable moments and transformative opportunities.

The day we received the email, we had a great sit-down with our kids (our daughter just started junior kindergarten) after dinner about being an ally to any kids who need help, respecting each other, and saying “sorry” when we make mistakes. We talked about being aware when something is awry in class or the playground, and knowing how to step in and be a leader and helper by showing kindness and respect to fellow classmates, and getting a grownup when their help is needed.

That night, I thought about how the timing of the incidents at school meshed well with themes of the High Holidays – about the importance of treating each other well and engaging in teshuvah (heartfelt repentance) when we do something wrong or miss the mark. I wanted to put what had happened in a Jewish frame, as I felt that what was happening could also help show how relevant Judaism is to figuring out how to live and get along.

But I did not quite know where to start.

I turned to my first source of help, “Rabbi” Google, and typed a few words – “teshuvah,” “children,” “respect,” “sorry” – into the search field.

Google nailed the response. One of the first results was a YouTubechannel called BimBam for a series of cartoon shorts titled “Shaboom.”

I was delighted. “Shaboom!” is an animated series geared to four-to-seven-year-olds that combines Jewish wisdom with high quality programming. It is musical, fast paced, sweet, contemporary, addressing universal values through a Jewish lens. It includes 10 episodes plus Passover and Chanukah specials all focused on fixing the world through meaningful acts of loving kindness.

The series stars two magical “sparks,” Gabi and Rafael, who live in a playhouse in the clouds. The reference to “sparks” is intentional, as are their names. In Jewish mystical tradition, following the work of Rabbi Isaac Luria in the 16th century and elaborated through Chasidism, holy sparks are essentially God’s light that shattered into sparks or vessels in the creation of the world. When we engage in acts of tikkun olam (repairing the world), we help redeem the sparks to connect the light back to God, healing God in the process.

The names Gabi and Rafael are also quite meaningful. Rabbinic literature identifies Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael as the four chief angels who surround the divine throne, each of whom has particular attributes. The Hebrew root in the name Gabriel (Gabi) means strength of God, while Raphael means God’s healer.

Gabi and Rafael have different colour skin, and both take the lead in teaching key concepts. Together they accurately represent the gender and racial diversity of what it means to be Jewish.

The next day I showed two episodes to our kids, and they loved them. They found the situations relevant to their lives. They loved the pacing and the characters, and especially loved learning the Hebrew words. I loved how the episodes are also entertaining and educational for me, and serve as great launching points to talk to my children about the issues that are addressed in the videos.

Since then we have watched episodes about welcoming guests, and visiting the sick, and our kids look forward to more.

Of note, digital studio BimBam, that created “Shaboom,” ended active operations in April after 11 years of creating Jewish content online. At that time, ReformJudaism.org became the steward for all digital storytelling content produced by BimBam, including “Shaboom,” many parenting resources, a library of “Judaism 101” content for young adults, animation of the Torah including a new King David series, totalling more than 400 original videos. Family resources can be found by clicking here. 

When in doubt, Shaboom!

Guest Column: May 5780 bring a renewed love of learning

Dara Lithwick leads a learning session during Limmud Ottawa, March 31, 2019.

Guest Column: May 5780 bring a renewed love of learning

By Dara Lithwick

The Jewish people are referred to as the “People of the Book,” but for many of us our formal Jewish education ended back in Hebrew school.

We know, from the Shema prayer that is recited twice daily, that we are commanded to teach our tradition to our children: “You shall teach them with your children, to speak with them, when you sit in your home, when you walk on the way, when you lie down and when you arise (Deuteronomy 11:19).”

American Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz frequently gets asked (from across the denominational spectrum), “Rabbi, how do I get my child (or grandchild) to love Judaism?” His answer is always the same: “You must love it!”

He explains, “The main reason that parents don’t engage their children in rigorous intellectual and spiritual Judaism is because they themselves aren’t being engaged in their own Jewish journeys.” Indeed, “meaningful Jewish experiences for adults have a profound and enduring effect on the psyche and will have a trickle-down effect to children.”

Judaism isn’t a tradition just for kids. Rather, it is a tradition focused on how to improve ourselves and the world by bringing God’s light into the world (think of the prophet Isaiah’s vision of the Jewish people serving as a light unto the nations). For thousands of years, Jews have struggled with how to do this. Our tradition is rich and nuanced, and eminently applicable to what is going on in our world and in our lives today. In the words of the sage Ben Bag-Bag, “Turn it [Torah] and turn it again, for all is in it; see through it; grow old and worn in it; do not budge from it, for there is nothing that works better than it (Pirkei Avot 5:22).”

Indeed, Judaism has survived and thrived over millennia because of its ongoing relevance. It is no wonder that we call the Torah an etz hayim (living tree), precisely because our ongoing engagement with Torah keeps both it, and us, alive, to face our 21st century human condition.

As we approach Simchat Torah, the celebration of the completion and beginning of a new cycle of Torah exploration, I invite us to take advantage of the myriad ways to dive into the wisdom of our tradition. Sign up for a weekly D’var Torah email, take a dip into the deep meanings of Talmud, try some Jewish meditation, explore social justice through Torah, engage in a Mussar workshop on Jewish ethics, explore Biblical stories through a contemporary lens, read up on Chasidism. There are many options online and here in Ottawa between our wonderful synagogues and at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre (SJCC). For example, I’ll be teaching “Foundations of Jewish Family Living” through the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning at the SJCC, where we’ll be probe complex and meaningful Torah stories from a multi-denomination perspective and with ways to bring the lessons home to the children in our lives.

As Rabbi Yanklowitz argues (and I agree), if we as parents find deep meaning in our tradition, there is no doubt that we’ll want our children to love Judaism as much as we do.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful 5780 filled with learning
and love.