Chaburat Taryag: Parshas Tazria-Metzora

Hello, dear children! It's Saba Kadisha. Oy, oy, oy! Last week we learned to pay attention to what goes into the mouth. And this week we'll learn about what comes out of the mouth. Sunday after school, the four friends came like every week to Saba Kadisha's room. This week we have a big, special parsha, and it has three things every kid needs to know. Three? Star-counter ready. A star for each one. Easy! Number one: Parshas Tazria begins with the mitzvah of bris milah for a baby on the eighth day. Then the Torah teaches about a special mark called tzaraas. In those days, someone who spoke lashon hara about a friend would see a small sign on the wall of his house: a greenish or reddish spot. As if the wall were saying: Stop! Think about what you said. Why? Because words are very strong. Lashon hara hurts and causes pain, even when it's true. One word can embarrass a friend and make him sad, so the Torah is very careful about it. Children, one word can make someone happy, and one word can hurt. So we pay attention to our words. Words have power. One star! Number two: when someone saw a nega, he called the kohen. The kohen came and looked at the nega very carefully. He didn't rush. He checked everything carefully. And if it was tzaraas, the man sat alone outside the camp for a few days. Not to punish him, but so he could think quietly: Who did I talk about, and how do I fix it? And he did teshuvah with his whole heart and decided: from today, I guard my mouth, and only good words will come out of it. Children, all of us make mistakes sometimes, but when we make a mistake, we stop, think, and do teshuvah. So we stop and think. Two stars! And number three: when the nega was gone, the kohen went out to him and saw that he was clean. And a little bird flew free into the sky. What joy! The man came home, and all his friends and neighbors came out to greet him with hugs and great joy. Nobody reminded him of what happened. Everyone was just happy he was back. From then on, he used his mouth only for good things: a good word, a compliment, and a smile for everyone. And the wall of his house stayed clean and beautiful. Children, when someone does teshuvah, we welcome him with a big smile, and we always look for the good in everyone. So we only speak good. Three stars! The counter is full! And just then, the friends sat with Saba Kadisha and listened to the whole story with wide eyes. They never knew how much power words have. So here is this week's mission: One: pay attention to what comes out of your mouth. Two: if we make a mistake, we do teshuvah. And three: say a good word about everyone. My gadget says: before we speak, we think. Wow, an important mission! I'm starting today! Wait, this isn't nice for him. I won't tell it. My gadget says: one word can hurt. And what did Tanchum do? He kept the story in his heart and didn't tell anyone. And he felt good inside. And the first star lit up. On Wednesday, on the way home, Gadi said to the friends without thinking: Guys, Shmulik fell asleep in class today! The friends looked at him in surprise. Oy, what did I say? Gadi, you can still fix it. Gadi stopped and thought. He asked the friends to forget what he said, and the next day he helped Shmulik learn. And the second star lit up. On Thursday, Saba Kadisha asked: Who wants to say something good about a friend? And all the hands went up. Me! Gadi always helps everyone! And each one said something good about his friend. And Gadi blushed with happiness. And the third star lit up. My gadget says: a good word makes everyone happy. And at the end, the friends and Saba Kadisha sang a happy niggun together. Friends, this week we guarded our mouths, we stopped and fixed things, and we said only good. Three stars! The mission is complete! On Shabbos night, at the table, the friends told about the mark on the wall of the house, about the man who did teshuvah and came home happy, and about the bird that flew free into the sky. Dear children, this week we learned to pay attention to what comes out of our mouth, if we make a mistake, to do teshuvah, and to say a good word about everyone. Hashem loves you. And next week we'll learn what it means to be holy, and how to love every Jew. See you next week! And now, thank you for watching with us, and Shabbat shalom! And next week: what does it mean to be holy, and how do we love our friend like ourselves? We'll find out next week!