"I saw a world upside down" (Bava Batra 10b) Shufon the owl has a strange problem: he sees the world upside down! When the difference between him and other owls is revealed, an individual's difficulty turns into the entire community's gain. A story about different perspectives, accepting others, and rich language.
Age Group: FIRST GRADE
Book-Related Family Activities
generalThe story about Shufon and the owl community may be viewed as an allegory for human society. Should the individual change in order to integrate into the community? And if so, when? Under which circumstances, if any, can the community adapt itself to each of its members’ unique needs? Jewish tradition regards diversity and dissimilarity between people as a given, appropriate and even desirable characteristic in society, for it contributes to its beauty and wealth. “Individuals belonging to a community complement one another. Each person has something unique, rare, unknown to others; every individual has something special to say, a special color to add to the community color spectrum. Therefore, when an individual joins a community, they add a new dimension to its awareness. They contribute something that no other person could have contributed. They enrich the community. They are irreplaceable. Judaism has always regarded the individual as a small world… for this uniqueness, individuals come together, complement one another, and achieve unity” (Joseph B. Halevi Soloveitchik, Besod Hayachid Vehayachad).
Book-Related Video
Copies Distributed:
40,000 | 300
Publishing:
הקיבוץ המאוחד
Year of Distribution:
1977 2016-2017, Nine d 2013-2014
