Introducing...Parsha for Kids, the Podcast
There’s a lot of great Parsha content out there for kids. There’s Hadar’s Devash, Shazak.com, and many books - whether The Little Midrash Says or later content. But I haven’t found much audio content that talks about the parsha and is specifically geared to children. (Let me know if you know of excellent Parsha CDs for children in English or Yiddish - I’m willing to buy them.)
After complaining to Heshy incessantly about the many excellent podcasts that exist for kids and the seeming dearth of Torah-focused ones, he told me to create my own. So I did.
While I eagerly await the all-frills Laurie Berkner-esque Parsha podcast I hope a production company will come out with some day, I don’t have the budget or time for that.
So my podcast, ‘Parsha for Kids,’ is focused on addressing at least one idea from the parsha per week and a takeaway based on that idea. It treats children seriously- because they are people. I’ve designed it with my seven year old in mind, but feel free to give it a listen and decide whether this is appropriate for the children in your life. Age isn’t important- understanding is.
You can give it a listen on Spotify, Apple or Audible.
Below you will find the transcript for the trailer and for Parshat Bereishit. If you like what you hear, I would very much appreciate it if you would be willing to rate the podcast, share it, and perhaps leave a review. I also welcome your feedback in general!
Trailer: Hello, and welcome to Parsha for Kids! My name is Chana and I love learning Torah. I am so excited to learn the Parsha with YOU! Each week we will learn a key point or idea from the Parsha, and maybe you can teach it to a friend or family member, too.
Episode 1:
Hello! My name is Chana, and this is Parsha for Kids. The Parsha of the week is Bereshit. The word Bereshit means “In the beginning” in Hebrew.
In the beginning of what, you might wonder? I’m so glad you asked! This parsha talks about the beginning of God’s creation of the heavens and the earth. At first, the world was empty, filled with darkness. The spirit of God was floating over the water.
But then God used words to create the world. He said the Hebrew words “Yehi Ohr,” let there be light- and there was light!
The fact that God uses words to create the world shows something very special in our religious tradition, Judaism. You see, in the time that the Torah was given to the Jews there were people that had many different beliefs about how the world was created. Some of these people thought that there was more than one god who made the world. And some of them thought that the gods fought with each other and used violence to make the world. In fact, some people thought that god made human beings out of a god’s blood.
Can you think about how the world would be different if it had been created out of violence and force? With fighting gods? That would mean that from the very beginning, power and how strong someone was would be what was most important in the world. But that is not what WE believe. Since we are Jews, we believe that God - and only ONE God- created the world with words. And His words were kind words. They were not angry words or fighting words. They were words like “Yehi Ohr,” let there be light.
Why do you think God wanted the world created with words?
I think it was because God wanted to show us- from the very beginning- how important our words were. You see, every single human being is created ‘B’tzelem Elokim,’ in the image of God. That means that every single one of us is like God in some way. And because we are like God, we are supposed to ACT LIKE God. A good way to act like God is to use our words to create meaning and beauty. We should use our words to create and not to destroy.
Later on in the Torah this idea will be developed even more. A human being is compared to a world and it is so important to use our words to help other people and to be kind to other people- not to hurt them!
I mentioned before that some humans thought that there were different gods who fought with one another and that humans were made out of a god’s blood. We learn in this week’s Parsha that this is NOT what the Jewish God did. So, how were human beings created?
I’m so glad you asked!
God made the first man, Adam, out of the dust of the ground. Earth. And then he blew a soul into man’s nostrils, which means into the little holes in your nose. So all human beings come from a person who was made out of earth and a soul.
Why do you think it is important that Adam was made out of earth?
Here’s an idea! Earth and soil is what makes everything grow. God made us out of a substance that can make and create life. Wheat, which is ground up to make your bread, grows from the ground. Apples are plucked from fruit trees that grow from the ground. Berries come from the ground.
But the ground on its own is not enough. The ground has to be nurtured. It needs water and sunlight, for example. And guess what? Later on, we will see that the Torah is called water. Mayim Chayim- living water. Jewish people need Torah in order to grow to their full potential. And God is often compared to light, because we need God, too.
So it is not random that God made human beings out of earth! He made us out of earth because just like the earth, we can make beautiful things grow. No, we can’t sprout apples or oranges or strawberries from our fingers and toes. But though our actions and our behaviors, we can bring joy and kindness into the world. In the Torah, God gives us mitzvot, which is translated as commandments and good deeds. Why does God give us these commandments? To help us live lives where we can make sure we are using our body, made of earth, to make good things grow. Things like happiness, kindness and caring about other people.
Now, back to to the parsha. God gave a commandment to Adam and his wife Chava, the first man and woman. When they were first created, He placed them in a garden called Gan Eden. He told them they could eat any of the fruits in the garden EXCEPT for the fruit from the Etz Ha’Daas Tov v’Ra, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Does that seem nice to you? Why would God tell them there is one tree that is off limits?
A rabbi called Rabbi David Fohrman answers this question. He asks that you imagine that you are invited over to your friend’s house. Your friend’s mother says that you are welcome to eat any of the snacks in the house- pretzels, chocolate bars, Gushers and more. But she asks that you please DON’T eat the chocolate cake that is sitting in the fridge. That is being saved for later.
Why do you listen to your friend’s mother? Because you understand that she is the hostess and you are the guest. You understand that you do not OWN the food in your friend’s house- it doesn’t belong to you. You are grateful for the snacks you do get and don’t expect your hostess to also give you the special chocolate cake.
When God told Adam and Chava not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, he was making sure they understood that he was the Host and they were the guests. Since He is the Host, they should be grateful and happy to eat from all the other fruits in the garden.
But Adam and Chava did something wrong. They thought that they were the hosts and could decide to eat even from the special fruit that God was saving for later. This was not the right way to behave. It was ungrateful. It was just like if you as the guest decided that you were going to slice into that special chocolate cake after all and eat it! That would not be nice.
Adam and Chava ended up needing to leave the garden, just like you might be asked to leave your friend’s house if you behaved that way.
So here’s what we learned today!
There is only ONE God and He made the world through words. This was very important because it shows us that we need to be careful and kind with OUR words.
Human beings were created out of earth and a soul. Earth is special because it makes things grow, and human beings will also need to make certain things - like joy and kindness- grow.
Adam and Chava got confused about whether they were the host or the guest. It’s important to remember which one you are so that you can act correctly.
If you have any questions or comments on this week’s episode, please email me at parsha4kids (at) gmail.com. That’s parsha the number 4 kids at gmail.com. Good Shabbos!