Show Notes
In this week's episode, we focus on blessings. Sometimes these blessings are very unexpected!
According to Midrash, the fact that Yaakov became ill before his death was actually a blessing. It gave him time to set his affairs in order and make sure to convey important information to his sons and grandsons.
Yaakov blessed his grandsons Ephraim and Menashe with the words "Hamalach HaGoel," which we sing till this day.
Even nowadays WE bless our male children to grow up to be like Ephraim and Menashe, using the same sentence that appears in this week's parsha.
Yaakov gave important information- and blessings- to all of the tribes. In many cases he let them know what would happen to their descendants in the future.
Can you think of blessings in your own life? What blessings have you received- and who has given them to you? It may be good to thank and acknowledge anyone who has blessed you.
Based on the questions and discussions in this week's episode, we come up with some very important lessons and takeaways for our own lives!
More from Parsha for Kids
In the last parsha of the Torah, V'Zot HaBracha, Moshe dies. But what matters is not that he died- rather, the way he died. Moshe approached God alone. There were no adoring crowds. No family surrounding him. It was just the man and his Maker. And this is something that will happen to us all. We will all, ultimately, approach God. The question to be answered is simply this: have we lived a life that we are proud to show to God?
This week's parsha, Haazinu, is actually a song! Moshe wanted to make sure that the core ideas of Judaism would be accessible to everyone, whether or not they were able to read. In this song, we focus on some important ideas. These include: