Adventures in Mama-Land

In this week’s parsha, Moshe proves he’s ahead of his time, most strikingly in the first question he asks when he starts addressing Hashem. When Hashem calls to Moshe from the bush, Moshe responds with “Here I am,” hineni. In Hebrew, it’s one word, one concept, הנני מוכן ומזומן–I’m here and I’m ready. Not just presence, it’s total presence. But what’s the next thing Moshe says? Hashem first tells him all about the plan, that Moshe’s going to go to Paroh, going to bring out bnei Yisrael. And suddenly, Moshe isn’t so sure. What does he say? “Who am I?” מי אנוכי / mi anochi? He thought he knew, but now all of a sudden… he isn’t so sure. Which of us haven’t been there? In that spot where we thought we were brave, we stepped up, put up our hands, applied to make aliyah or signed up for grad school. Whatever it was, we are about to take that leap, and then suddenly, we wonder. Is this the right thing to do? Is this really who I am? This is actually a very modern question. Throughout most o...

Someone once told me, “If there is a God, then certainly he is much too busy with wars and everything to care whether you eat kosher food.” This is interesting, but it is not what I believe about Hashem. Many more people say, “There is no God, because if there was, he wouldn’t allow ____ to suffer.” With the blank being whoever in the world is currently suffering, whether it is Yezidis or Tibetans or Sudanese, or, in this week’s parsha, us. But this week’s parsha tells us he did indeed allow us to suffer. It says that, right there in the pshat. For years, and years, and years, we suffered as slaves. Some say until we cried out, until we begged him in exactly the right way. But as a parent, this feels petty to me. Sure, sometimes I make my kids apologize “properly” – no sarcasm allowed. But I’d like to think Hashem is a lot less petty than me. My friend Nina pointed out that twice, Moshe calls Hashem on this, face to face. Asking Hashem what kind of God he is that he’s doing this ...

Why were the Jews redeemed from Egypt? I’ve heard 2 answers that seem to conflict, and a third that we’ll look at in a minute. The first answer, from a midrash, is that bnei Yisrael were redeemed by the merit of three things: they kept their Jewish names, clothing and language. Very, very nice. We like this answer. We teach it to our kids. The second answer, from the Zohar, is that bnei Yisrael had reached the 49 th level of tumah, impurity. If Hashem had waited another minute, the Jewish people would have been lost completely. We definitely know that the Jews were comfortable in Mitzrayim. They they did avodah zarah, and it seems like they were almost totally assimilated. So which is it? Were the Jews impure and totally assimilated? Or were they like some kind of holy Chassidim, wearing special Jewish robes and refusing to integrate into Mitzri society? Moshe, by the way, asks the same question. When he says to Hashem at the burning bush, “And Moses said to G-d: 'Who am I ...

Here, for your convenience and great edification, is an up-to-date index of all parsha resources at this site – including Parsha Overviews, Poems and Riddles.  Some of the links aren’t linked up yet; I plan to get all the keywords in place someday soon.  If you find a broken one, please leave a comment and I’ll fix it. Genesis Bereishis בראשית : Exodus Shemos שמות: Leviticus Vayikra ויקרא: Numbers Bamidbar במדבר : Deuteronomy Devarim דברים: Bereishis Noach Lech Lecha Vayeira Chayei Sarah Toldos Vayeitzei Vayishlach Vayeishev Mikeitz Vayigash Vayechi Shemos Vaeira Bo Beshalach Yisro Mishpatim Terumah Tetzaveh Ki Sisa Vayakhel Pekudei Vayikra Tzav Shemini Tazria Metzora Acharei Mos Kedoshim Emor Behar Bechukosai Bamidbar Nasso Behaaloscha Shlach Korach Chukas Balak Pinchas Matos Masei Devarim Vaeschanan Eikev Re’ay   Shoftim Ki Seitzei Ki Savo Nitzavim Vayelech Haazinu VeZos HaBracha And don’t forget… You can access all my Jewish ...

Whole lotta glue sticking going on! This week’s project:  to wrap up Sefer Shemos and the various bits and pieces we have learned through the weekly parsha that have to do with building the Mishkan (desert tabernacle), Naomi Rivka and I are working on this super-jumbo Mishkan “tabernacle” building project from the book Pillars of History. When I bought this book online , I thought it might be a mistake – learning Torah from a non-Jewish point of view???  The book itself has put my mind at ease, somewhat.  There are still surreal bits, like a mini-book that points out – hurrah! – that the Torah is still read in synagogues around the world. I like that the book uses the word Torah.  As a whole, however, the lessons have a definite “goyish” feel.  For one thing, the lessons don’t respect parsha boundaries:  some span two or several parshiyos, while the “Baby Moses” story is a lesson in itself.  Since Jews follow the parsha order, Moses grows up in t...

שְׁמוֹת / shemos / shemot / Exodus 1:1-6:1 Printable PDF versions:  Ashkenazi , Sefardi .  (PDF help here !) Parsha narrative overview here . Copywork sheet and parsha activities available here . This week’s parsha poem is dedicated in memory of my father, Yechiel Pinchas ben Chaim Zev and Chana Rivka, niftar 18 Teves, 5769 – two years ago this Shabbos.  It happens to contain one of his favourite Yiddish expressions.  (This was also – 29 years ago – my bat mitzvah parsha:  yes, I lained!) Take sticks, take dry branches, a bushel of wood And bundle it, tie it up, bunch it up good Now set it aside and toss in a spark You’ll find that your room is a lot less, well, dark.   And after a while, if there’s air enough, Then all you’ll have left is some ashes and stuff. There’s nothing left over of the wood that you burned. (And a chemistry lesson we hope you have learned!)   But ...

Five pages, five activities, for Parshas Shemot/Shemos (but be warned:  we are Ashkenazi, and the file only says “Shemos”!)  Download it here .  TROUBLE DOWNLOADING from Google Docs?  See this post for possible helpfulness.  And if it doesn’t work, please tell me what you DO see, not just what you CAN’T see.  :-) As always, if you use it, I’d love it if you leave a comment to let me know who you are!  Here’s what’s inside: Maze: Help פרעה’s daughter find baby משה. Mapwork – Moshe’s journey to Midyan. Baby משה and מרים coffee-filter craft. Burning Bush hand “tree” of fire Copywork – single passuk with easy English translation. Enjoy! You might also be interested in: לימודי קודש/Limudei Kodesh Copywork & Activity Printables Hebrew עברית & English Science (Animals / בעלי חיים) Worksheets

This is a basic overview of the continuation of the parsha story in a “Q&A” format adaptable for kids of any age.  Answers in brackets are traditional responses, from parsha text and midrash.  But be open to anything your child might have to say! Please see the Vayeishev overview for how we use them in our homeschool!  There are also copywork sheets to go with the weekly parsha… enjoy! At the beginning of this parsha, t he בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל are still in מִצְרַיִם . יַעֲקֹב , יוֹסֵף , and all of יוסף ’s brothers had died.   בני ישראל did well there and had lots of children! But then there came a new פַּרְעֹה , who forgot that יוסף had saved all the מצריים during the famine.   The new פרעה made בני ישראל work hard as slaves! Two women from בני ישראל were midwives.   Their names were ( שִׁפְרָה and פּוּעָה ). פרעה told the midwives that they must… (kill all the baby...

Welcome to my Limudei Kodesh / Jewish Studies copywork and activity printables page.  As of June 2013, I am slowly but surely moving all my printables over to 4shared because Google Docs / Drive is just too flaky for me. What you’ll find here: Weekly Parsha Copywork More Parsha Activities More Chumash / Tanach Activities Yom Tov Copywork & Activities Tefillah Copywork Pirkei Avos / Pirkei Avot Jewish Preschool Resources Other printables! For General Studies printables and activities, including Hebrew-English science resources and more, click here . For Miscellaneous homeschool helps and printables, click here . If you use any of my worksheets, activities or printables, please leave a comment or email me at Jay3fer “at” gmail “dot” com, to link to your blog, to tell me what you’re doing with it, or just to say hi!  If you want to use them in a school, camp or co-op setting, please email me (remove the X’s) for rates. If you just want to say Thank You,...