Source
Little Gifts
Lyrics: Noam Horev
Melody: Rami Kleinstein
מתנות קטנות
מילים: נעם חורב
לחן: רמי קלינשטיין
זֶה עוֹד יוֹם שִׁשִּׁי
נוֹשֵׁם אֶת הָאֲוִיר
הָאוֹר וְהַצֵּל מְשַׂחֲקִים שׁוּב תּוֹפֶסֶת
הַשֻּׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ
תְּמוּנוֹת יַלְדוּת עַל הַקִּיר
שַׁיָּרוֹת לְבָנוֹת חוֹזְרוֹת מִבֵּית כְּנֶסֶת
וְהָרֵיחַ הַזֶּה שֶׁשּׂוֹרֵט לִי אֶת הַלֵּב
מִתְגַּנֵּב מִתְגַּנֵּב וּפוֹתֵחַ דְּלָתוֹת
אֶל אֹשֶׁר קָטָן
אֶל אוֹתוֹ שִׁיר יָשָׁן
שֶׁעוֹבֵר אֶצְלֵנוּ בְּמֶשֶׁךְ דּוֹרוֹת
מַתָּנוֹת קְטַנּוֹת
מִישֶׁהוּ שָׁלַח לִי מַתָּנוֹת קְטַנּוֹת
רְסִיסִים שֶׁל כַּוָּנָה, עִגּוּלִים שֶׁל אֱמוּנָה
מַתָּנוֹת קְטַנּוֹת
מִישֶׁהוּ שָׁלַח לִי מַתָּנוֹת קְטַנּוֹת
כְּמוֹ הַכֹּחַ לְקַבֵּל אֶת מָה שֶׁאֵין אֶת מָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ
מָה עוֹד אֶפְשָׁר כְּבָר לְבַקֵּשׁ
זֶה עוֹד יוֹם שִׁשִּׁי
מִרְפֶּסֶת וְעִתּוֹן
הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כְּמוֹ הַדְּאָגוֹת לְאַט נִמְחֶקֶת
מַנְגִּינוֹת פְּשׁוּטוֹת
זוֹחֲלוֹת מֵהַחַלּוֹן
וְשׁוּם סְעָרָה כְּבָר לֹא תַּסְתִּיר פֹּה אֶת הַשֶּׁקֶט
מַתָּנוֹת קְטַנּוֹת…
כִּי בָּנוּ בָּחַרְתָּ וְאוֹתָנוּ קִדַּשְׁתָּ
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדוֹנַי מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת
וְהָרֵיחַ הַזֶּה שֶׁשּׂוֹרֵט לִי אֶת הַלֵּב
מִתְגַּנֵּב מִתְגַּנֵּב וּפוֹתֵחַ דְּלָתוֹת
אֶל אֹשֶׁר קָטָן
אֶל אוֹתוֹ שִׁיר יָשָׁן
שֶׁעוֹבֵר אֶצְלֵנוּ בְּמֶשֶׁךְ דּוֹרוֹת
מַתָּנוֹת קְטַנּוֹת…
Here is the link to the English translation
Foundations for Planning
Essential Questions
- How are holidays, rituals, customs, values and traditions important to me, to my family and to my community?
- How do family traditions play an important role in our lives?
- How do Jewish rituals and practices enrich the way I experience my life and the world?
- Why/how might Jewish practices be meaningful for me even if I don’t define myself as “religious”?
Content Questions Related to the Essential Questions
- What can recognition of the things we have (little gifts) and the sense of gratitude add to our lives?
- How can attention to little details enrich our experiences?
- How can sensory experiences influence our attitude toward ceremonies and special days in our family and in Jewish tradition?
Background for Teacher
This song was written by Noam Horev while he was spending time outside Israel and missed the atmosphere on Friday evening as Shabbat approaches. Through different senses, the author describes the special mood on Friday afternoon as people complete their preparations and Shabbat begins....
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This song was written by Noam Horev while he was spending time outside Israel and missed the atmosphere on Friday evening as Shabbat approaches. Through different senses, the author describes the special mood on Friday afternoon as people complete their preparations and Shabbat begins. The author sees these hours, and Shabbat as a whole, as a meaningful gift he has been given. The song invites us to discuss the broader question of the importance of gratitude in our lives.
The idea of Shabbat as a gift appears in Jewish sources:
The blessed Holy One said to Moses: “I have a good gift in My treasure house and it’s called Shabbat. I wish to give it to Israel. Go tell them about it.” (Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 10b).
Optional Hooks 
In-Depth Discussion 
Suggested Activities 
Further Study - Bring a box into class wrapped up like a gift and tell the students that there are several presents inside the box. Ask them to guess what presents you brought. Then take out slips of paper with the names of the “presents” written on them: friends, family, after-school activity groups, etc. Discuss with the students in what way these things can be seen as gifts. Sum up the discussion: although we usually take these things for granted, they are actually important gifts we have received, and we should be grateful for them. At this point, you can pull out the last slip of paper – Shabbat, and explain that we’re going to learn a song that looks at Shabbat as a gift. The writer describes the idea of the gift of Shabbat through little things he encounters with his senses as Shabbat approaches.
- Play the song as performed by Rami Kleinstein. For older students – give them the English translation of the song as you listen to it, and/or give them the Hebrew text if it’s appropriate for their level of Hebrew.
Click here to view our consolidated list of suggested interactive pedagogies for classroom discussion.
- Why does the speaker in the song see Shabbat as a gift?
- Do you also see Shabbat as a gift? Explain your answer.
- What “gifts” does Shabbat bring in your family?
For older students:
- The writer of the song describes Friday and the entrance into Shabbat through several components: sights, sounds, smells, and customs. Give examples from the song for each of these categories.
- Why do you think the writer describes these gifts as “little”?
- Do you also feel that you have “little gifts” in your life? What are they?
- The speaker in the song mentions “an old song that’s been with us over the generations.” Does your family have any traditions that have come down over the generations? What are they?
- Little Shabbat Gifts:After discussing the “gifts” that Shabbat brings to the family, ask the students to draw the nicest gift Shabbat brings to their family on a small piece of card. Hang all the “gifts” on the wall under a gift ribbon.
- Gratitude for gifts (this activity could follow the previous one or stand on its own):Ask the students to say thanks for the gift they chose to draw. This could include the following: why they are grateful for this gift, what it adds to their family, and what’s special about it.
For older students:
- Hand out the attached Shabbat Gifts sheet Ask the students to write down something that they associate with Shabbat under each of the senses, and then choose which ones they are grateful for. Encourage them to write a detailed explanation. For example, if they write down the taste of a Shabbat cake, the details could include what kind of cake it is, how it’s served, when, where, and so on. After the activity, ask the students to share their choice with the class. Ask them how focusing on little details can enhance our sense of gratitude in our lives.
- Point out to the students that the song includes words taken from the Friday-evening Kiddush. Teach them about the traditional components of Kabbalat Shabbat – candle lighting and Kiddush.
- The resources Morning Blessings and Modeh/Modah Ani also discuss the theme of gratitude.
- For older students (4th grade and above): Ask the students to write down for themselves three things they have in their lives that are important to them. Ask them to look at the list again and ask themselves how they treat these things. Do they set time aside to think about them? Do they regard them as gifts? Are they grateful for the important things they have? How can we become more aware of the little – and big – gifts in our lives?
