Six Ways to Use David Cards at Your Holiday Table
The Jewish holidays bring families and friends together - but meaningful conversation does not always happen automatically. David Cards can help guests move beyond everyday small talk and share something personal, thoughtful, and memorable.
The Small Set is especially well suited for Rosh Hashanah meals and gatherings in the Sukkah. Its compact size makes it easy to place on the table, pass between guests, or bring as a thoughtful gift to your hosts. Here are six simple ways to use it during the holiday season.
1. A Card Waiting for Every Guest
Before your guests arrive, place a different David Card on each person’s plate. When everyone is seated, invite each guest to look at the card waiting for them and share what it brings to mind. The card may evoke a memory, an emotion, a person, or an idea. Guests do not need to search for the “correct” interpretation - the purpose is is simply to discover what each image awakens in them. This can be a warm and surprising way to begin the evening.
2. Choose a Wish for the New Year
Spread the cards across the table before or after your dessert. Invite each person to choose an image that represents something they wish for everyone around the table in the coming year. Their choice might express hope, courage, connection, peace, curiosity, or a stronger sense of belonging. This activity gives the traditional Rosh Hashanah exchange of good wishes a creative and personal dimension.
3. Give a Card to Someone Else
Ask each guest to choose a card they would like to give symbolically to someone else at the table. They then explain why they selected that particular image and what they wish for that person. This can create be especially meaningful among close friends and family members.
4. Take a Look Back
Rosh Hashanah is not only a time to look ahead - it is also an opportunity to reflect on the year that has passed. Invite each guest to choose a card representing a meaningful moment, challenge, change, or discovery from the previous year. Guests can share as much or as little as they choose. Even a short response can open the door to stories that family members and friends may not have heard before.
5. What Would You Welcome Into Your Sukkah?
The sukkah is traditionally a place of hospitality. Spread the cards out and ask each participant to choose one representing a person, value, community, or idea they would like to welcome into the sukkah. You can also connect the activity to the tradition of the Ushpizin and ask: “Who would you invite, and what conversation would you want to have with them?”
6. Select a Card to Carry Forward
At the end of the meal, invite everyone to choose one final card representing something they want to carry with them into the new year. It could symbolize an intention, a question, a relationship they want to strengthen, or a part of themselves they hope to develop. Guests can share their choices with the group or simply take a quiet moment for personal reflection.
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David Cards activities do not require complicated instructions or extensive preparation. A single image and one thoughtful question can transform a holiday gathering - helping people listen more closely, learn something new about one another, and begin the year with a deeper sense of connection.
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