The Perfect Gift
Written and illustrated by: Aviel Basil
Sometimes our wishes come true, but not exactly as wehad hoped.
The Perfect Gift presents us with the desire to make wishes come true, and the surprise one might feel when they finally do.
It suggests that we find joy in moments of intimacy and collaboration:
To live life as it is at all times. Not to dream of a faraway happiness, nor dream of life as it will be or once was, but to live the happiness and pleasure of life that
is within reach, realistic, and tangible.
[Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, From Childhood to Old Age –The Inner Aspect of Education, Reshafim, 1957 (Hebrew)
Reading together, experiencing together
Discussion
Which perfect gift would youlike to get for your birthday? How would you feel if you did not get it? Have you ever wanted something very badly but did not receive it? This book prompts us to discuss our expectations –why this specific gift? Do we really need it or are we simply jealous because we saw someone else has it? You may also want to discuss disappointments, and the things that help us cope with them.Perfect gifts
?How well do you know members of your own family, and what do you think would be the perfect gift for them –
would it be something you buy or an experiential gift, such as time spent together, or perhaps a trip somewhere? How about playing a game and finding out?
In each round, all participants try to guess what one participant would really like to get as a gift.Those whose guesses are the closest win…the perfect family hug .
A human car game
Whoever said only cars drive round and round with a cord attached? People could too! Two of you could hold the two ends of along cord, leading one another left, right, backwards and forwards. If you get tired, make a pit stop, and start again.Time together "A car with Dad is the perfect gift". And what would you consider to be the perfect gift? What would youlike to do with your father or other family members? You could fix broken items, build or assemble something, or perhapsdraw, bake, plant, or dancetogether.In fact, you can do whatever you want, as long as you get to spend time together.
