The pageantry of the puppet show is a multi-leveled
production that brings out the creativity of all types of
children. There is a place for children who enjoy being in
the `public eye' as well as for those who flourish best
behind the scenes as is the case in real life. The child who
enjoys writing constructs the scenario and writes the script.
Also needed is a director to keep the production organized
and on schedule, one who has a knack for bringing out the
best in others.
If publicity is involved, another child is needed to make the
announcements and let the `world' know about the special
event who to take place. The child who loves to design, draw
or paint does the picturesque scenery. Someone is needed to
construct the `stage' This may be done by placing a sheet
across two chairs or devising something more elaborate. The
one who likes to sew sits down at the sewing maching to
constuct colorful costumes. Those who speak up well or would
like to speak up are given the parts of the main players.
Still other children may have non-verbal action parts in the
play. And there are the `stagehands' who arrange the seating
for the audience and guests, the one who calls the parents,
family and friends in at the prepared hour, announces the
title of the play, gives the O.K. to begin and serves the
[optional] cookies and drinks. All in all, the children work
together and put their talents together to produce an
entertaining event [perhaps with nominal fee to go to
charity]. However dramatic or humorous the play is, it tells
us, the listeners and viewers, a story, and something about
the talents and abilities of our children, as well.
For small children, the first taste of the wonders of the
puppet show can come from the hands of their mother,
grandparent or older sibling, as they lovingly tell over
bedtime or other-time stories to their impressionable wide-
eyed little children. This is done with a simplified version
of the puppet show called fingertip puppet presentation.
Putting on a spontaneous finger puppet show is not
complicated. Use your hands and let each finger become a
different puppet character. Make up one to ten characters,
animals of inanimate objects such as a tree. Let your fingers
and hands bend in dramatic gestures. Consider each hand to be
a composer leading an orchestra or accent your hand motions
as you talk.
LEVEL ONE is the most basic. Hold up and move each of your
fingers in a dramatic, dancing rhythmic fashion to indicate a
different character in the story. Your children's eyes will
follow your hand movements with glee.
LEVEL TWO - faces. Normally, drawing faces with a pen or
marker on your fingertips is a quick solution to giving a
convincing human quality to your finger puppets. This is fine
if we first explain to the children that normally, we do not
draw on our hands, but for this puppet story, we will put
three dots (two eyes and a nose) and a half of a circle for
mouth to make the puppets look like people. Other options
include using disposable clear plastic gloves or sticking on
pieces of colored tape or dot stickers [a great thing to have
in the house for decorating your child's drawings or for
making dot drawings. These are cheap and come in an abundance
of colors] or pieces of colored tape in place of the facial
features.
LEVEL THREE. Put a hat on each finger. Ask what kind of hat
does "so and so" wear? Hats are easily put on the tips of
fingers with a thimble that becomes a helmet, a cottonball
that transforms into a wig or beard, a piece of tissue paper
or material that becomes a headkerchief. Use bottle caps,
pipecleaners, a piece of felt for a kippa, even a leaf
to suggest a tree. Attach materials with a small ball of
tape, sticky side out.
LEVEL FOUR. Added to the headwear is the addition of
clothing. Wrap a four by four inch square or smaller piece of
tissue paper, crepe paper, wrapping paper, fabric or aluminum
foil around each finger puppet and secure with cellophane
tape. Use a different distinguishing material for each
character. For example, a Roman soldier would have a silver
thimble or wine bottle cap for a helmet and don an aluminum
foil uniform. A married woman would have a two by two inch
piece of fabric for her head covering and a matching three or
four by four inch piece of fabric for her garment.
Optional: A glove puppet. Stuff a cotton ball into each of
the ten fingers of a pair of knit gloves. Tie in place with a
piece of string or yarn. Glue (choose a fabric glue or non-
toxic glue) or sew on cut pieces of felt, material scraps,
yarn etc. to resemble eyes, nose, mouth, hair, head covers,
beards or clothing. This type of hand puppet can be kept on
the book shelf ready to be used along with any storytime
book.
The Jewish lover for writing, words and learning is a
backbone of our people. This charateristic emanates from our
Holy beginnings. Hebrew letters and words have countless
levels of understanding and reach from the simple to the
depths of the soul. Whether you tell your story to your
children in Hebrew, Yiddish or English, the main message is
that Hashem is the Master Creater and without His word,
nothing could exist.
The Lag B'Omer story of R' Shimon bar Yochai is but one of
the many occurrences in Jewish history that has shown us
Divine Providence at work. Essentially, it is about a great
man, one of the Tanoim, R' Shimon Bar Yochai and his
son, Elozor, who hid in a cave from the Romans for thirteen
years while they learned the secrets of the Torah and came to
write the great Kabbalist work, the Zohar, which he later
taught to his students.
On Lag B'Omer after the children come home from the bonfires
or while the older children are out, take the little ones and
tell them a bright, spirited story about the miracles of R'
Shimon Bar Yochai and use your hands to show the action. Put
a cap, helmet or kippa on each finger and begin...
The characters are: R' Shimon Bar Yochai, R' Yehuda bar Ilai,
R' Yossi, Yehuda ben Gerim, the Roman King Caesar, Eliyohu
Hanovi, the wife of R' Shimon bar Yochai, R' Pinchos ben
Yoir. Also featured are the cave, the carob tree and the
stream of water.
SCENE ONE: Kerem B'Yavne. This place was so called because
everyone used to sit in rows while they learned, like the
rows of grapevines planted in a vineyard.
SCENE TWO: A cave at Kfar Pekiin at the top of the Galil in
the north of Eretz Yisroel.
In the days of the tanoim, after the death of R'
Akiva, Rome acted as king over Eretz Yisroel (show the
Caesar). In the city of Kerem B'Yavne, three Sages sat
discussing the kings who ruled the Jews. They talked about
how the Romans ruled the Jews.
R' Yehuda said, "All that the Romans do is good and they do
it for our sake. They built bridges, markets and
bathhouses."
R' Yossi was silent. He didn't say a word.
R' Shimon bar Yochai spoke up and said: "Whatever the Romans
did, they only did for their own sakes."
Yehuda ben Gerim head all this and told his friends and
relatives. "I overheard the conversation of three Sages and
this is what they said..." He repeated what he had heard. He
didn't know that his words would reach the ears of Caesar.
His words spread to the rulers of Rome.
The Caesar became angry. He decreed that R' Yehuda who said
good about them would be the head of the speakers at every
gathering. R' Yossi who did not say anything would go to
Tzipori - he would have to leave his home and go into exile.
R' Shimon bar Yochai would be killed because he had spoken
against the Romans.
R' Shimon bar Yochai hid with his son, R' Elozor, in the
beis knesses and studied there. His wife brought them
food every day. When it beame too dangerous to stay there,
they went to a cave in the north of Eretz Yisroel. A miracle
took place near the cave and a carob tree suddenly sprang up
from the ground. Normally, a carob tree takes seventy years
to grow from a seed and produce fruit. They ate from the
carob tree and on Shabbos, the fruit of the tree turned to
dates. A fountain of water also suddenly sprang forth from
the ground.
During the week, they covered their bodies with sand to save
their clothing, and wore them only on Shabbos. Eliyohu Hanovi
came twice a day to teach them the secrets of the Torah. This
is how R' Shimon bar Yochai came to write the Zohar.
R' Shimon bar Yochai and his son hid in the cave for twelve
years. Eliyohu Hanovi came once again; this time he stood by
the entrance of the cave and called out, "Who will tell R'
Shimon that the Caesar is dead?" When R' Shimon and R' Elozor
left the cave and beheld people living regular lives and
working in the fields, fire shot out of R' Shimon's eyes. He
said, "How can people not devote all their time to the study
of Torah?"
Hashem said, "I did not take you out of the cave to burn up
all My children!" He told them to return to the cave for
another twelve months. They heard a heavenly Echo telling
them to go out. This time they saw a man carrying two bunches
of myrtles (hadassim) in honor of Shabbos. They also
saw a man trapping a bird and realized that if Hashem had not
decreed that this bird be trapped, the man would not have
succeeded in catching it. Similarly, they had remained safe
from the Romans only because Hashem had protected them.
When they left the cave, their bodies were full of sores from
sitting covered with burning sand. R' Pinchos ben Yair saw
this and was distressed. "Had I not had all these sores,"
explained R' Shimon, "I would never have acquired all the
Torah knowledge that I learned."
Use this story from Shabbos 33, Yerushalmi, Shevi'is
chapter 9 or any reliable version adapted to the level of
your children. Adapt into a play and have a memorable time
together.
