Parsha for Kids Chana Friedman

In the last parsha of the Torah, V'Zot HaBracha, Moshe dies. But what matters is not that he died- rather, the way he died. Moshe approached God alone. There were no adoring crowds. No family surrounding him. It was just the man and his Maker. And this is something that will happen to us all. We will all, ultimately, approach God. The question to be answered is simply this: have we lived a life that we are proud to show to God?

Before he dies, Moshe is called eved Hashem, servant of God. This is the highest compliment a mortal can receive. It means a person was successful in acting as a channel to bring God's presence to this world, and to perform God's will. As we end our series of podcasts here, my hope is that you too will aspire to be and ultimately become an eved Hashem. I hope you find God and cling to Him, and I hope He helps you when you struggle. It has been my pleasure to learn with you, and I hope you continue to learn as we begin the cycle of Torah reading again- with Bereishit.

This week's parsha, Haazinu, is actually a song! Moshe wanted to make sure that the core ideas of Judaism would be accessible to everyone, whether or not they were able to read. In this song, we focus on some important ideas. These include:


The heaven and earth are witnesses to this song, to demonstrate that it is timeless.
God has been involved with the Jews as His people throughout our history, and we owe Him our gratitude.
We will ultimately sin and betray God, and God will punish us.
There will come a time where God will redeem us, and we can always connect with Him again.

In this week's parsha, Vayelech, we learn:


It was important to God that everyone attend Hakhel, the public Torah reading after every Shemitah cycle, including the little children. This memorable experience would bring them closer to Him.
Even when it seems like God is distant and hiding His face, He is still there. He never truly leaves us.
A good way to pass down important information and ideas is in song, which is why Moshe decided to write a song (which we will learn more about in next week's parsha.)

In Parshat Nitzavim, we learn that:


God made a covenant with every single one of us, even those of us who were not physically present when Moshe gave his last speech. We are all in a relationship with God.
The Torah is accessible. It is not far away- is is close to us. We can reclaim our portion.
Since God is our designer, He knows the best way for us to live. That's why, if we follow His commands, our lives will be meaningful (and hopefully filled with blessings.)

In this week's parsha, Ki Tavo, we discover:


God's wisdom in making every single Jew a historian. We all recite a surprising paragraph when we bring up our first fruits- and it reminds us of what we have endured, what we have overcome, and how we will continue to overcome.
How important it is to look at the Torah as a gift from God. We are all in a relationship with God. The Torah is God's exact instructions regarding how to make Him happy and please Him. If we love God and appreciate the things He has done for us, then we will be elated to receive these instructions and to be able to live our lives in a way where we can show Him how much we value Him.
God is the master of experiential education. The blessings and curses at Mt Gerizim and Mt Aival showcase this- reminding us to consider the covenant we made with God, and why it matters.

In this week's parsha, Ki Teitzei, we explore laws that address human dignity and responsibility. These include, but are not limited to:


The law of a beautiful captive. A man must reflect before deciding to marry her, and once he does marry her, must treat her as a full-fledged wife.
The law of inheritance. One must give the double portion to the firstborn son, not the son of the wife one prefers.
The law of a hanged man. Since each human is created b'tzelem Elokim, we are obligated to bury this man before nightfall.
The law of the wayward son. From here we learn the importance of rebuke- it is a parent's job to try to prevent their child's behavior from escalating and getting worse over time.

The big ideas behind these laws still resonate today.