Parshas Shemos for Kids
פרשת שמות
A new king rises who did not know Yosef. A baby is hidden in a basket on the Nile and raised in the palace; grown, he sees a bush burning without being consumed and is sent back to say four words to Paroh: let my people go.
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 Shemos
The family of Yaakov grows into a great people in Mitzrayim, and a new Paroh, afraid of them, makes them slaves. He orders that the baby boys be thrown into the river, but the midwives Shifrah and Puah fear Hashem and save the children; Rashi explains that they were Yocheved and Miriam. Yocheved hides her baby in a little basket among the reeds, Miriam watches from a distance, and Paroh's daughter draws him out and names him Moshe.
Grown up, Moshe cannot bear to see his brothers suffer, and he must flee to Midyan, where he becomes a shepherd for Yisro. Chazal tell us that when one young goat ran away from the flock, Moshe followed it, carried it back on his shoulders, and Hashem said: this is the shepherd for My people. At a bush that burns but is not consumed, Hashem sends Moshe, together with Aharon, back to Paroh to say: let My people go.
Lessons and middos for children
Caring for others
Moshe Rabbeinu lived in the palace, yet he went out to see how his brothers were suffering. We can notice when someone is sad or left out and do something to help.Mesiras nefesh
Shifrah and Puah did what was right even when the king commanded otherwise. Doing what Hashem wants is worth it, even when it is hard.Kindness to every creature
Moshe carried a tired little goat on his shoulders. Being gentle with animals and with small children is a middah Hashem treasures.
Questions for the Shabbos table
- Why do you think Miriam stayed by the river to watch over her baby brother?
- Moshe carried the lost little goat all the way back. What does that tell us about the kind of leader he would be?
- The bush was on fire but did not burn up. What do you think Moshe was thinking when he saw it?
- Have you ever stood up for someone who was being treated unfairly? What happened?
How your child steps into the story
Your child stands among the reeds beside Miriam, watching the little basket float on the river, and later is there at the burning bush as Hashem calls to Moshe Rabbeinu. The story closes as Moshe and Aharon set out toward the palace, with the makkos of Vaera just ahead.