Parshas Va'eschanan for Kids

פרשת ואתחנן

Moshe davens to enter the land and is told to look instead. The Aseres HaDibros are said again, and Shema Yisrael is given - the words a Yiddishe child learns first and says last.

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What happens in Parshas Va'eschanan

Moshe Rabbeinu tells the people how he pleaded with Hashem to be allowed into Eretz Yisrael. Chazal tell us he davened 515 tefillos, the number hidden in the word Vaeschanan. Hashem answered that it was enough, and told him to climb to the top of the mountain and look at the land with his own eyes. Even knowing he would not enter, Moshe set aside three cities of refuge on the eastern side of the Yarden, because he would not miss a chance to do a mitzvah.

Moshe then repeats the Aseres HaDibros and reminds the people of the day they stood at Har Sinai. In this parsha we find Shema Yisrael and the paragraph of Ve'ahavta: to love Hashem with all our heart, to teach the words to our children, and to put them in tefillin and on the mezuzah of every doorway. It is always read on Shabbos Nachamu, the Shabbos of comfort right after Tisha B'Av.

Lessons and middos for children

  • Never stop davening

    Moshe davened again and again for something he wanted very much. We can keep asking Hashem for what we need, and trust His answer.

  • Shema with kavanah

    Shema Yisrael tells us Hashem is One. We can cover our eyes and say it slowly every night before we sleep.

  • Learning at home

    The Torah says to speak words of Torah when we sit at home and when we walk on the way. We can share something we learned at the Shabbos table.

Questions for the Shabbos table

  1. How many tefillos did Moshe Rabbeinu daven to go into Eretz Yisrael?
  2. Why do you think we cover our eyes when we say Shema Yisrael?
  3. Where in our home is there a mezuzah, and what is written inside it?
  4. If you davened for something and the answer was no, how could you still feel close to Hashem?

How your child steps into the story

Your child sits close by as Moshe Rabbeinu teaches Shema Yisrael for the first time, saying the words softly along with the families around them and helping a younger child cover their eyes. The book closes with the people looking forward to Moshe's next lesson in Parshas Eikev.