בשלח Questions

Grades 1-2

1. What did Hashem provide in order to lead Bnai Yisrael during the day and night? (13:21)

2. How did Hashem save Bnai Yisrael from the Egyptians at Yam Suf? (14:21‑28)

3. Who had a change of heart thinking that Bnai Yisrael would not escape in the desert? (14:3)

4. What was wrong with the water at Marah? (15:22)

 Bonus - Moshe threw a stick into the water to make it sweet. What is the Hebrew word for “sweet”?

5.   Bnai Yisrael complained about not having any food. What food did Hashem send every morning? (16:1-4)

6. What food fell in the evening? (16:13)

7. What nation attacked the Jewish people at the end of this week’s parsha? (17:8-9)

Grades 3-5 

1. Why didn’t Hashem lead Bnai Yisrael by way of the Plishtim? (13:17)

2. What did Bnai Yisrael say when they saw the Egyptians running after them?  (14:10‑12)

3. How did Moshe respond to Bnai Yisrael? (14:13)

4. What moved behind Bnai Yisrael to protect them from the Egyptians? (14:19)

5. What song that we say daily in Tefila did Bnai Yisrael sing after crossing Yam Suf? (15:1)

6. How much of the Mann was collected every day in the wilderness and how much was collected on Friday? Why? (16:15 - 22)

פרשת בשלח

This week’s parsha, Parshat Beshalach, is chock full of major events for Bnai Yisrael. There’s Yetziat Mitzrayim, Kriyat Yam Suf, and at the end, the war against Amalek. While Bnai Yisrael is clashing with Amalek, Moshe is on the sidelines with Aharon and Chur holding his arms up.

Pasuk yud bet in perek yud zayin states “And the hands of Moshe were heavy and they took a rock and placed it under him and he sat on it.” Rashi finds it strange that Aharon and Chur set Moshe down on a hard rock and not on comfortable pillows. He solves the anomaly by informing us that Moshe would not sit with the small luxury of a pillow while fellow Jews were in trouble. Instead, he sat on the rock to share in their anguish.

The lesson we can derive from this Rashi is the importance of taking action. Instead of feebly imagining another’s hardship, we should follow Moshe’s example and take action to achieve a goal. We should try as hard as we can and go as far as we can to understand a friend’s difficulties.  Once this is accomplished, we have a greater empathy and understanding of what that person goes through on a much bigger level. An example for real life where we can apply this strategy is when people are forced to come to our doors to ask for tzedakah. From Moshe’s actions in this week’s parsha we can learn the importance of taking action.

Shabbat Shalom,

Allison Gellerstein

פרשת שמות Questions

Grades 1 and 2

1. What was Pharaoh afraid the Jewish people might do as their population grew? (1:9-10)

2. What did Moshe’s mother and sister do to save his life? (2:3-4)

3. When Moshe was older he went outside the palace to see how the Jewish people were doing. What did he see? What did he do? (2:11-12)

4. Where did G-d speak to Moshe for the first time? (3:2-4)

5. What 3 miracles did G-d show Moshe to prove to the Jewish People that he was a messenger from G-d? (4:3-9) 

Grades 3-5

1. What was Pharaoh's plan to slow down the population growth of the Jewish people? (1:11– 14)

2. What did Pharaoh tell the midwives in Egypt to do to the Jewish people? (1:15-16). Did they listen to Pharaoh? (1:17)

3. Moshe grew up in the palace. When he was older he went outside the palace to see how the Jewish people were doing. What did he see? What did he do? (2:11-12)

4.  Pharaoh was chasing Moshe.  To where did Moshe flee? Who was in charge of this land? (2:15-18)   

5. In the first meeting between Moshe, Aharon and Pharaoh, what did they ask of Pharaoh? (5:3)

6. Why did Moshe claim that he was not the right man for the message? (4:10)

7. What was the result of the first meeting that Moshe and Aaron had with Pharaoh? (5:2-8) 

פרשת שמות

In the beginning of parshat Shemot, a new Pharaoh rises to power in Mitzrayim. Since Bnai Yisrael have multiplied and filled the land, he fears that they will take over, so he enslaves them. The harsher they are treated, the more the Jews multiply and Pharaoh commands the Jewish midwives, Shifrah and Puah, to kill all male, Jewish babies who are born. Later, that all male babies should be thrown into the Nile.  When the daughter of Pharaoh finds Amram and Yocheved's baby boy floating in the Nile, she adopts him and names him Moshe, which means, “I drew him out of the water.”  When Moshe is grown up, he is forced to flee to Midyan, because he kills a Mitzri who was beating a Jew.  Then, Bnai Yisrael cried out to Hashem to save them from their years of suffering. Hashem remembers them and calls to Moshe to come to a place with a burning bush where Hashem tells him that he will be with him and his nation, and then commands him to go tell Pharaoh that the Jews must leave Mitzrayim to sacrifice to their God. Moshe is nervous that Bnai Yisrael won't listen to him, so Hashem gives him three signs. First, Moshe’s staff turns into a snake and then back into a staff. Then, Moshe sticks his hand in his robe to get leprous, and then takes it out and it's gone.  Also, Moshe turns the water of the Nile to blood. Moshe and Aharon, his brother, go to ask Pharaoh for permission for the Jews to leave, but Pharaoh responds saying “Who is God that I should listen to Him and let you go?” and he does not let them go.

If this Parsha is mostly the story of Moshe, why is it called Parshat Shemot, which means “names,” and not Parshat Moshe? Although most parshas get their names from the first few words of the parsha, there are some, like Yitro, that are named for the person who the story is about. This parsha is all about the story of Moshe, from the time he was born, to his trip down the Nile, to Moshe killing a mitzri and running away, to the burning bush, and eventually talking to Pharaoh.

Rav Hunah explains that the reason Parshat Shemot is named “Shemot,” is because the Jews’ names are what really saved them.  For over 200 years, as the Jews were forced to be slaves in Mitzrayim, they never became influenced by the Mitzrim. Bnai Yisrael kept their Jewish names, and stuck with their Judaism, which is what eventually made Hashem realize they were ready to be freed. As important and as big of a role as Moshe did play, this was even more noteworthy, and an impressive thing that Bnai Yisrael did as a whole. That is why the Parsha is called Shemot or names.

The whole concept of the Jews keeping their names can very much be connected and compared to our lives today. In our day and age, there is so much technology and the world is constantly changing. As Jews, we are given the very hard task of sticking with our Judaism. There are so many influences in the world today and it can be very easy to be swayed and completely go off the path. Our challenge is to stick with Hashem, and to stick to our Judaism, no matter what. If we do this, like Bnai Yisrael did in Mitzrayim, Hashem will be with us as he was with them, and He will then reward us, too.

Shabbat Shalom,

Kineret Leben

פרשת ויחי Questions

Grades 1 and 2

1. What did Yaakov ask of Yosef before he died?  (47:29-30)

2. What strange thing did Yaakov do before blessing Yosef’s two sons? (48:14)

3. What were the words of the blessing that Yaakov used to bless Ephraim and Menashe? (48:20)

4. Where is Yaakov buried? (50:13)

5. What words do we say in shul after we complete reading an entire sefer from the Torah?

Grades 3-5

1. How old was Yaakov when he died? (47:28)

2. Yaakov asked Yosef to bury him in Maarat Hamachpela. According to Yaakov, who else is buried there? (29:29-31)

3. What strange thing did Yaakov do before blessing Ephraim and Menashe? (48:14) Why? (Rashi)

4. After Yaakov’s sons buried him, they were afraid of Yosef. Why? (50:15)

פרשת ויחי

In this weeks Parsha, Parshat Vayechei, Ya'akov is preparing to die. He calls to his sons and grandsons to give them blessings. Then he dies, and is embalmed, then buried by his sons next to his fathers and Leah, in Marat Hamachpelah. After the death of their father, the other brothers were afraid that Yosef might take vengeance on them, but he assures them otherwise. Then, at 110 years old, Yosef dies and is buried in Egypt.

We see Ya'akov give brachot to all of his sons, starting with eldest Reveun. Reveun was supposed to get the bechor, however it was taken away from him and given to Yosef. Was this still the remnant of Ya'akov’s favoritism? Or was it a wise decision based on who was more worthy? In that case why wasn't Revuen worthy?

We see in the bracha, that Ya'akov addresses that Revuen should have gotten the firstborn rights, but lost them. He is compared to restless water, that keeps flowing pushing everything in its path. Rashi elaborates on this, by saying that Rvbuen made hasty decisions and often let his anger control him. This was not a show a favoritism, rather a lesson to  a son.

So we see that Ya'akov was trying to teach Reuben, that letting your anger control you is not wise. We all get angry or upset we are human. But we don't have to let our anger control us, and force to make hasty choices. We all must be calm and not rush like the water.

Seela Langer