A Very Special Final Shabbat!

The Tel Aviv class walked in the room on Friday to a big surprise: the tables were all covered in yellow paper and they were already set up for Shabbat.! We talked about how it was a beautiful sunny Shabbat day and that I wanted out last Shabbat to be special so I covered the tables with yellow paper to bring some of the sunshine in our class. One the table was a big question, “What are you thankful for this Shabbat?” Markers and crayons were left out on the tables so that each child could draw or write whatever came to mind. Our most popular choices were “Mom” and “Sunshine.” It was great to see everyone contribute to our beautiful Shabbat tablecloth. Later for snack we sat at the tables an admired everyone’s drawings. We lit special tea candles and had a fancy challah cover and kiddish cup that was brought in for our last Shabbat together. As we ate, I asked them to think hard of a favorite memory of being in the Tel Aviv class. They got so exited remembering the original mezuzah hunt, beach day in Tel Aviv, trips to the field, woods and more. It has been a wonderful year together and it was such a special sunny Shabbat where we got to appreciate the memories, experiences and growth that have happened to each of us over the course of the year.