Got Shabbat

Parashat V’zot Hab’rachah, Deuteronomy 33:1–43:12
…The period of wailing and mourning for Moses came to an end. Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands upon him; and the Israelites heeded him, doing as the Eternal had commanded Moses.
 
Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses—whom the Eternal singled out, face to face, for the various signs and portents that the Eternal sent him to display in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his courtiers and his whole country, and for all the great might and awesome power that Moses displayed before all Israel.     —Deuteronomy 34:8-12

V’zot Hab’rachah is the concluding parashah of the Torah; the quote above includes the final phrases in the final chapter and verse. Immediately after this parashah is read on Simchat Torah, we read a second, B’reishit, which is the first parashah of the first book of the Torah. Thus our joyous celebration of Simchat Torah gives us the opportunity to transition from reading the end of the five books of Moses to beginning again with the first book.

The content of this parashah is also rife with transitions. V’zot Hab’rachah recounts Moses giving his final blessings to the tribes of Israel; the announcement of Moses’s death and burial; and the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua. Although this is the “ending” of the Torah, it addresses both the history of the Israelites and what is coming next. Decades of wandering in the desert are coming to an end and the people are saying goodbye to their beloved leader, a source of great strength and stability.

These two examples of transitions are a reminder of the importance of transitions in the lives of young children. Whether they transition from the breakfast table to brushing their teeth or from one activity to another during the school day, what seem like minor transitions to adults can be monumental for young children. Sometimes children are able to deal with transitions with grace, and other times with great difficulty.We can’t change the fact that things must change, but we can help support our kids as they navigate these changes.

Question for Parents:  How do you deal with transition and change in your day to day life? Do you prefer spontaneity or routine?

Question for Children:  How can you help a friend who is having a hard time when they have to stop playing and go do something else?

Read more about Parashat V’zot Hab’rachah.


Each week a new issue of Got Shabbat:  Parents and Young Children Celebrate Together offers a look at the torah through the lense of parenting young children.  Got Shabbat follows the annual reading of the torah that is done in synagogues around the globe in which a portion is read each week, beginning at Simchat Torah and ending a year later.  Got Shabbat is published by the Union for Reform Judaism and the archives can be found on their website.  Join us as we share snipets of the weekly portion each Monday.  Come study torah!