The I Think Game

What you’ll need

• Video 1: https://youtu.be/IevGq0ZU9Vo  
• Video 2: https://youtu.be/mdA2sByFX1I
• Scenario list and The Instinct and I Think headbands
• Stapler 

Discussion:

● Play first video. 

● Explain: As a baby, you screamed whenever you were hungry, tired, or upset. No one had to teach you to do that—you did everything on instinct. In Judaism, we call this energy the Natural Soul. 

● Play second video.

● Explain: Now you’re older, you can think before acting and making choices. When you’re hungry, you can make yourself a sandwich. When you’re upset, you can talk about it instead of screaming. You can share with others and do selfless acts of kindness. That’s the G-dly Soul at work!

● The Nefesh Bihamit is the life force within you. It’s called the Animal soul because it animates and gives you life. It’s a self-centered soul. Like an animal, it only thinks about its needs, desires, and feelings. Because the Natural Soul feels so strongly, we sometimes refer to this as our instinct. We also often link our Natural Soul to our hearts. Hold up the “Instinct” headband. 

● The Nefesh Elokit is a G-dly soul. It’s the opposite of an animal that “leaps before it looks.” It’s a thoughtful soul. It always wants to strive to be better and to do the right thing. The G-dly soul is linked to our brains. Hold up the “I think” headband.

● Sometimes, the mind and heart agree, but sometimes they don’t. Sometimes, we are fighting a battle within ourselves and aren’t sure what to do.

Game:

● Call up three volunteer actresses. One stands in the middle, representing the “main character.” This is the person who can take action. The other two volunteers can’t do anything; they can only talk and convince the main character to do something.

● Staple the “Instinct” and “I think” headbands to the two volunteers. 

● Announce a scenario. Both soul voices need to try to convince the main character to take action on their behalf. The voice of the Natural Soul is all about themselves, while the voice of the G-dly Soul thinks about helping others and doing the right thing. 

● Let the acting go on for a few minutes until the scene ends. Clap for the actresses and call up new volunteers. Keep going until everyone has had a chance to act (or time is up). 

Think about it:

● Does it ever happen that our inner voices both agree on something?

● How can you tell whether a thought comes from your Natural or G-dly Soul?

● Is the Natural Soul evil?