Chaburat Taryag: Parshas Shemos

Hello, dear children! It's Saba Kadisha. Oy, oy, oy, oy! Last week we finished Sefer Bereishis, and this week we start a new sefer, Sefer Shemos. But first, we learn! Sunday after school, the four friends came like every week to Saba Kadisha's room. This week we read Parshas Shemos, and it has three things every kid needs to know. Three? Star-counter ready. A star for each one. Easy! Number one: in Mitzrayim, a new king arose who didn't know Yosef, and he said: Bnei Yisrael will work for us, carrying loads. And Bnei Yisrael worked hard from morning to evening, building with bricks. They were very tired, but they helped each other and didn't lose hope, because they knew Hashem had not forgotten them. Pharaoh wanted to harm the baby boys, but the two midwives, Shifra and Puah, were very brave. They weren't afraid of Pharaoh, because they feared Hashem. And they protected all the babies and helped the mothers with love. And Hashem was happy with their deeds and gave them a great bracha. That means: we need to be brave and do the right thing. One star! Number two: a son was born to Yocheved, a very beautiful baby. She put him in a little basket among the reeds by the river, and Miriam, his sister, stood far away to see what would happen to him. And Basya, Pharaoh's daughter, went down to the river, saw the basket, and heard a baby crying. She felt sorry for him, took him, and named him Moshe. Moshe grew up in Pharaoh's palace, but he went out to his brothers and saw their suffering. He saw how hard it was for them, and he felt sad together with them. And when he saw someone hurting a Jew, he stood by him and protected him. Children, Moshe didn't say: It's not my business. He saw someone else's pain and felt as if it were his own. And in Midyan too, by the well, he helped Yisro's daughters water the sheep. So if my friend is having a hard time, I care about him too. Two stars! And number three: Moshe was shepherding Yisro's sheep in the desert, and suddenly he saw a bush burning with fire, but the bush wasn't burning up. And Hashem called to him from the bush: Moshe, Moshe! Take your shoes off your feet. And Moshe took off his shoes, with respect. And Hashem said to him: Go to Pharaoh and take Bnei Yisrael out. And Moshe, the humble one, said: Mi anochi? Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh? But Hashem said: I will be with you, and Aharon, your brother, will help you. Moshe and Aharon, his brother, came to Pharaoh and said: Let My people go! But Pharaoh said: No! And he gave Bnei Yisrael even more work. So even Moshe said: Who am I? Three stars! The counter is full! And just then, Yisrael came in, and with him Dubi, his little brother. And Dubi said quietly: The big kids in the yard won't let me play ball. So here's this week's mission: be brave and do the right thing, like Shifra and Puah, see the pain of others, like Moshe, and don't show off. Like Moshe, who said: Who am I? My gadget says: do the right thing, even when it's hard. Yisrael, ask them nicely. And we'll come with you. In the yard, Yisrael went over to the big kids and said politely: Dubi wants to play too. Please let him. And the big kids agreed. Just like in the parsha! We weren't afraid, and we did the right thing. My gadget says: courage is doing good. And Dubi played ball together with them, very happily. And the first star lit up. The next day, the friends saw their neighbor, Savta Chana, carrying heavy bags up the stairs, and she looked very tired. Savta Chana, let us help you! And I'll take the heaviest one. And the friends carried the bags all the way to her home. And Savta Chana smiled and said: Thank you, dear children! Like Moshe, who saw the pain of others. And the second star lit up. On Thursday, the Rav at the Talmud Torah said to Tanchum: Well done! You knew the whole parsha by heart. Who am I? My friends helped me, and Hashem helped me most of all. And Tanchum didn't show off. He said thank you to his friends and to Hashem, like Moshe, who said: Who am I? And the third star lit up. My gadget says: whoever doesn't show off is truly great. 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 were brave, we helped whoever was having a hard time, and we didn't say: We're the best. Three stars! The mission is complete! On Shabbos night, at the table, the friends told everyone about Moshe Rabbeinu and about the brave Shifra and Puah. Dear children, this week you were brave, like Shifra and Puah. You saw the pain of others, like Moshe, and you didn't show off. And now we're in Sefer Shemos, and every week we'll come closer to Yetzias Mitzrayim. And now, thank you for watching with us, and Shabbat shalom! And next week, Pharaoh still says no. But Hashem will show everyone His power, with signs and wonders. What will happen? We'll find out next week!