Chaburat Taryag: Parshas Vayechi

Hello, dear children! It's Saba Kadisha. Oy, oy, oy! Last week, Yaakov Avinu went down to Mitzrayim and finally met Yosef. And this week, the last parsha of Sefer Bereishis. But first, we learn! Sunday after school, the four friends came like every week to Saba Kadisha's room. This week we read Parshas Vayechi, and it has three things every kid needs to know. Three? Star-counter ready. A star for each one. Easy! Number one: Yaakov Avinu lived in Mitzrayim for 17 good and happy years. And when he grew old, he called Yosef and said: My son, I have one request. Don't bury me in Mitzrayim. Bring me to Eretz Yisrael, to Me'aras HaMachpelah, next to Avraham and Yitzchak. Promise me, Yosef. And Yosef promised his father and said: Anochi e'eseh chidvarecha, I will do exactly as you asked. And Yaakov was calm and happy, because Yaakov knew Yosef always keeps what he promises, and what Yosef promises, he really keeps, to the end. That means: what we promise, we keep. One star! Number two: Yosef took his two sons, Menashe and Efraim, and came to visit Saba Yaakov. And Yaakov was very happy, and hugged and kissed them. Yaakov put his right hand on the head of Efraim, the younger one, and his left hand on the head of Menashe, the firstborn. He crossed his hands and blessed them. And he said: With you, Yisrael will bless: May Hashem make you like Efraim and like Menashe. And until today, every Friday night, Abba blesses the children with this bracha. Children, a bracha is a gift we give with love, and you can bless everyone: your friends, your family, and your neighbors. A kind word is a bracha. Exactly! Two stars! Number three: Yaakov called all his sons and gave each one a special bracha. To Yehudah he said: Gur aryeh Yehudah. You are strong like a lion, and kings will come from you. And to Yissachar he said: You will sit in the tent and learn Torah day and night, and Yissachar became great in Torah. And to Zevulun he said: You will live by the sea and trade with ships, and with the money you'll help Yissachar learn, and that way Zevulun also has a share in the Torah. And when Yaakov's days were complete, his sons carried him to Me'aras HaMachpelah in Eretz Yisrael, and Yosef kept his promise. And he told his brothers kindly: Don't be afraid. I will take care of you. So everyone has his own special strength. Three stars! The counter is full! And just then, Yisrael came in, and with him Dubi, his little brother. And Dubi said: Yisrael, you promised me you'd teach me to ride a bike. But today there's a soccer game. So here's this week's mission: keep a promise, like Yosef, bless others, like Yaakov, and find everyone's special strength. My gadget says: whoever promises has to keep it. Dubi, I promised you, and I'll keep it. Soccer will wait. And we'll come help you, Dubi! In the yard, Yisrael held the bike, and Dubi rode slowly, slowly. And after a few tries, Dubi rode by himself! Just like Yosef! He promised, and he kept it. My gadget says: a word is a word. And the friends understood: what we promise, we keep. And Dubi was so happy. And the first star lit up. The next day, their friend Shmulik ran over to them, holding a bag of candies, and shouted: I have a new baby brother! Mazel tov, Shmulik! May you have lots of simcha! And may your little brother grow up to be a talmid chacham! And Shmulik smiled from ear to ear, because a good bracha makes the heart happy, like Yaakov, who blessed Efraim and Menashe. And the second star lit up. On Thursday, the friends made a party in honor of finishing Sefer Bereishis. But what will everyone do? Everyone will do what he's best at. Gadi drew a beautiful sign, Yisrael sang a niggun, Rubi set up the lights with his gadget, and Tanchum said a dvar Torah. Like the Shevatim, each one has his own special strength. And the third star lit up. My gadget says: together, we're the strongest! And at the end, everyone stood and called out together, loud: Chazak, chazak, venischazek! Friends, this week we did just like in the parsha: we kept a promise, we blessed a friend, and everyone gave his own strength. Three stars! The mission is complete! On Shabbos night, at the table, every Abba blessed his children: May Hashem make you like Efraim and like Menashe. And the friends told everyone about the parsha. Dear children, this week you kept a promise, like Yosef, you blessed, like Yaakov, and everyone found his own special strength. And we finished Sefer Bereishis too! Chazak, chazak, venischazek! And now, thank you for watching with us, and Shabbat shalom! And next week, we start a new sefer, Sefer Shemos. A new king in Mitzrayim, and a little baby in a basket on the water. Who is he? We'll find out next week!