Chaburat Taryag: Parshas Vayikra

Hello, dear children! It's Saba Kadisha. Oy, oy, oy! Last week we finished Sefer Shemos, and this week we start a new sefer. Hashem calls Moshe from inside the Ohel Moed. 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: Hashem called Moshe from inside the Ohel Moed. He didn't just talk to him. He called him by name, with love, like you call a beloved friend. And Moshe heard it all alone. And the first word in the sefer is Vayikra. And in the Sefer Torah, the aleph at the end of the word is written smaller than all the letters. And Moshe Rabbeinu was humbler than all people. Hashem spoke with him face to face, and he stayed simple, quiet and humble. Children, Moshe was so humble that he wanted to write the aleph small. We don't need to show off either. Whoever is really great stays simple. So, we stay humble. One star! Number two: Hashem taught Moshe about the korbanos. And the word korban comes from the word karov, close. A korban is a way to come close to Hashem. There's a korban olah, which goes up completely to Hashem, and there's a korban shelamim, which we bring when we want to thank and be happy together. And on every korban they put salt, because salt never spoils, just like the bris between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael, which lasts forever. Children, today there's no Beis HaMikdash, but we have tefillah. When we daven with all our heart, we are closest to Hashem. So, we daven with all our heart. Two stars! And number three, there was also a korban mincha, made of flour and oil. A rich man could bring a big korban, but a poor man who didn't have money brought just a little flour and oil. And about the poor man's mincha, the Torah says: v'nefesh ki sakriv, as if he gave his whole soul. Hashem was happy with the small gift, just like with the big one. What Hashem wants isn't how much you gave. Hashem wants your heart. Children, you don't need to give the most. Give what you can, but give with all your heart. Even a little help and even a little smile, that's what Hashem loves most. So, we give with all our heart. Three stars! The counter is full! And just then, Gadi came into Saba Kadisha's room, and in his hand, a prize. He won first place in the Chumash test. So here's this week's mission: One: be humble and don't show off. Two: daven with all your heart. And three: give what we can, with love. My gadget says: whoever is humble is truly great. Gadi, wow! You won first place? Yes! I'm the best in the class! I'll tell everyone! But at night, Gadi thought about Moshe Rabbeinu. Moshe was the greatest, and still he wanted to write the aleph small. Gadi, so do you still want to tell everyone? My gadget says: no need to show off. And Gadi didn't show off at all. He put the prize aside and helped Tanchum understand the Chumash. And the first star lit up. Later, it was time for Mincha. The friends stood to daven together, but Gadi wanted to finish fast, fast, fast, fast. We daven and we're done! Wait, Gadi. In tefillah we talk to Hashem, slowly and with all our heart. And everyone davened slowly, slowly, and thought about every word, just like a korban that brings us close to Hashem. And the second star lit up. In the evening, Saba Kadisha said: We're going to visit Rabbi Zalman, the old neighbor who lives alone. And every friend brought something. But Tanchum didn't have money. But I only brought a drawing. It's too small. But Rabbi Zalman was happier with the drawing than with anything. He hung it on the wall and smiled, like the poor man's mincha. And the third star lit up. My gadget says: the heart is the most important. And at the end, the friends and Saba Kadisha sang a happy niggun together. Friends, this week we were humble, we davened with all our heart, and we gave with love. Three stars! The mission is complete! On Shabbos night, at the table, the friends told about the small aleph and the poor man who brought a little flour with all his heart. Dear children, this week we learned to be humble, to daven with all our heart, and to give with love. Hashem loves your heart. And next week we'll learn more about the avodah in the Mishkan. What will we discover? We'll see next week! And now, thank you for watching with us, and Shabbat shalom! And next week, what does Hashem command Aharon and his sons, the kohanim, and what's special about their avodah? We'll find out next week!