On Rosh Hashanah Jacob listens to the music of the Shofar with his family. Then he sits under a rainbow and reflects on the year that is ending. He thinks about what he will do in the coming days to help him start the New Year after Yom Kippur with a feeling of peace and happiness. The story unfolds as each morning Jacob picks up his blanket bundle and takes it to where one of his animal friends lives. Each day he takes a useful item from the bundle to help him make up for a something that he had not managed to do with this friend. Each day the blanket bundle becomes lighter, and each night Jacob rests in the light of the ripening moon. The Story ends at Yom Kippur, with Jacob sleeping happily and peacefully in the light of the moon, covered by his now empty blanket.

 

This story gently enlivens the Days of Atonement with simple awareness offered through Jacob’s relationship with familiar creatures. Time is cradled through the image’s reflection of the growing moon and rhythm and repetition is used to engage the child’s sense of identification.