Parshas Devarim for Kids

פרשת דברים

Moshe begins his final words to the nation - forty years remembered out loud, the meraglim, the wars, and the lessons of a generation that grew up in the midbar.

In a Torah Tale book, your own child is the hero of this story - drawn from their photo, on every page, in their own name. Written under rabbinical guidance with strict tznius, printed and shipped to your door in English, Hebrew or Yiddish.

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What happens in Parshas Devarim

In the last weeks of his life, on Rosh Chodesh Shevat of the fortieth year, Moshe Rabbeinu gathers Bnei Yisrael on the far bank of the Yarden and begins his final speeches. The people in front of him are the children who grew up in the midbar, and he wants them to remember everything before they enter Eretz Yisrael.

Rashi teaches that Moshe opens his rebuke only with hints, naming places where mistakes happened instead of spelling the mistakes out, so no one would be embarrassed. He recalls appointing judges, the sad story of the meraglim, the long years circling Har Seir, the nations Bnei Yisrael were told not to fight, and the victories over Sichon and Og. Devarim is always read on the Shabbos before Tisha B'Av, and Moshe's word "Eichah," how can I carry you alone, echoes the Eichah we read on that day.

Lessons and middos for children

  • Gentle words

    Moshe corrected the people with hints so no one felt ashamed. When we need to tell someone they made a mistake, we can say it softly and kindly.

  • Remembering the journey

    Moshe retold forty years so the children would learn from them. We can remember the good things Hashem did for our family and talk about them together.

  • Fairness

    Moshe told the judges to listen to the small person exactly like the big person. We can be fair to everyone, even when a friend is on the other side.

Questions for the Shabbos table

  1. Why do you think Moshe Rabbeinu used hints instead of saying the mistakes out loud?
  2. Moshe told the judges not to be afraid of anyone. What does it mean to be fair even when it is hard?
  3. If you could tell the story of one trip our family took, what would you want to remember?
  4. How would you tell a friend about a mistake without hurting their feelings?

How your child steps into the story

Your child stands in the great crowd on the bank of the Yarden, listening as Moshe Rabbeinu remembers forty years in the midbar, and helps an older neighbor find a place to sit and hear. The story ends with the people waiting to hear Moshe's next words in Parshas Vaeschanan.