Chaburat Taryag: Parshas Va'eira

Hello, dear children! It's Saba Kadisha. Oy, oy, oy! Last week, Pharaoh told Moshe: No! But this week, Hashem will show all of Mitzrayim His power. But first, we learn! Sunday after school, the four friends came like every week to Saba Kadisha's room. This week we read Parshas Va'eira, and it has three things every kid needs to know. Three? Star-counter ready. A star for each one. Easy! Number one: Hashem said to Moshe: I will take you out of Mitzrayim. And He made four promises: V'hotzeisi, v'hitzalti, v'ga'alti, v'lakachti. And at the Seder night, we drink four cups for these promises. Moshe and Aharon came to Pharaoh, and Aharon threw down his staff, and it became a snake. The magicians did the same, but Aharon's staff swallowed all their staffs. The first plague: blood. The whole river turned red. But Hashem said: Aharon will strike the river, and not Moshe, because the river protected Moshe when he was a baby in the basket. And Moshe won't strike someone who did him a favor. And after that: frogs! They jumped everywhere: into houses, beds, and even ovens! And Aharon did this one too, not Moshe. We say thank you to whoever did us a favor. One star! Number two: after that came the plague of lice. And the magicians tried to make lice too, but they couldn't. And then they told Pharaoh: Etzba Elokim hi, it's the finger of Hashem! After that came the plague of wild animals. Lots of animals roamed all over Mitzrayim, but in Eretz Goshen, where Bnei Yisrael lived, there wasn't even one animal. Then the Egyptians' animals got sick: the plague of dever. And after that came the plague of boils, sores on the body. But to Bnei Yisrael in Goshen, nothing happened. Everyone saw that Hashem protects them. Children, the magicians saw the hand of Hashem and said: It's the finger of Hashem! We can see the hand of Hashem too, every day: in the shining sun, in the rain that falls, and in every good thing that happens to us. It's a gift from Hashem. Two stars! Number three: the plague of hail. Big stones of ice fell from the sky, and inside them, burning fire. Fire and ice together did Hashem's will. What a miracle! And Pharaoh called Moshe and Aharon and said: Hashem is right, and I and my people are wicked. Daven that the hail stops, and I'll let you go. Moshe went out of the city and spread his hands to Hashem, and the hail stopped. But Pharaoh didn't keep his promise. He went back and said: No! Because Pharaoh hardened his heart. Children, Pharaoh knew he was wrong, but he was stubborn. Whoever is truly great knows how to say: I was wrong. Sorry. And keeps what he promised. So we need to know how to say: Sorry, I was wrong. Three stars! The counter is full! And just then, Yisrael came in, and with him Dubi, his little brother. And Dubi said: Shmuel, the bus driver, waits for us every morning, but nobody says thank you to him. So here's this week's mission: show gratitude, like Moshe, who didn't strike the river, see the hand of Hashem in everything, and not be stubborn like Pharaoh, but know how to say sorry. My gadget says: whoever does good deserves a thank you. Let's make him a big thank-you card! And I'll draw a bus! In the morning, the friends gave Shmuel the driver a big thank-you card and said: Thank you for driving us every day! And Shmuel gave a big smile. Just like Moshe! We don't forget whoever did us a favor. My gadget says: a small thank you, a big simcha. And Shmuel the driver hung the card in the bus and was very happy. And the first star lit up. The next day, the friends went to a small garden near the shul, and the seeds they planted two weeks ago had grown and blossomed. Wow! Only Hashem can do that! Let's say together: Thank You, Hashem! And the friends looked at the flowers and said together: Mah rabu ma'asecha Hashem! Like the magicians, who saw the finger of Hashem. And the second star lit up. On Thursday, Rubi and Gadi were playing a game. Rubi said: I'm right! And Gadi said: No, I am! And they almost had a fight. Wait, friends! Don't be stubborn like Pharaoh! And Rubi thought for a moment and said: Gadi, sorry. You're right. And Gadi smiled: I'm sorry too. And they kept playing. And the third star lit up. My gadget says: whoever says sorry is the strongest. And at the end, the friends and Saba Kadisha sang a happy niggun together. Friends, this week we did just like in the parsha: we said thank you, we saw the hand of Hashem, and we said sorry. Three stars! The mission is complete! On Shabbos night, at the table, the friends told everyone about Moshe and Aharon and about the plagues of Mitzrayim. Dear children, this week you said thank you, like Moshe, you saw the hand of Hashem, like the magicians, and you weren't stubborn like Pharaoh. And next week we reach Parshas Bo, and Yetzias Mitzrayim is already very close. And now, thank you for watching with us, and Shabbat shalom! And next week, more plagues come to Mitzrayim, and Bnei Yisrael get ready to leave. What will happen? We'll find out next week!