Parshas Va'era
Zechus Refuah Sheleima: Tzvi ben Devorah
Le'iluy Nishmas: Gittel a"h bas Shraga Meir Hakohen
Le'iluy Nishmas Tziporah Chana a"h bas Yaakov Avraham Eliyahu
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Another great Parsha with many ideas for your Parsha Party. REMINDER - THIS IS A SPRINGBOARD OF IDEAS. YOU CAN CHOOSE ONE IDEA OR A FEW. AND HAVE THE KIDS GUESS THE CONNECTIONS.
Parsha Overview (Feel free to skip straight to the Party below - simply click the arrow next to this text and the overview will disappear.)
Hashem speaks to Moshe and tells him “I am Hashem!” The same Hashem that appeared to Avraham Yitzchak and Yaakov but never with this name of Hashem (Yud Kay Vav Kay). He tells Moshe, I heard the cries of Bnei Yisrael and go and tell them that I will bring them out of the slavery. I will save you. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm. I will take you out of Mitzrayim myself and bring you to the land I promised the Avos. (These are the 4 expressions of the redemption that we mention at the Pesach Seder – “Vehotzaisi, Vehitzalti, Vegaalti, Velakachti).
Moshe goes to tell the Bnai Yisrael but they did not listen because of their shortness of breath and hard work.
Hashem then sends Moshe to Paraoh to tell him Let the Jewish People go. Moshe does not want to go. He says “How will Paraoh listen when the people did not listen? They see that my lips are closed.” (Rashi says this is one of the ten “Kal Vechomers” mentioned in the Torah. If Bnai Yisrael won’t listen to me, Kal Vechomer, Paraoh won’t listen to me!)
The pesukim then stop to tell us the family tree of Moshe and Aharon who came from Shevet Levi. Levi has 3 sons, Gershon, Kehas, and Merari. Kehas has a son Amram who marries his Aunt Yocheved daughter of Levi. Amram has his sons Moshe and Aharon. Aharon marries Elisheva bas Aminadav, who is the sister of Nachshon. (Rashi – check out the brothers of a girl when you are looking into a shidduch!) They have 4 sons, Nadav, Avihu, Elazar, and Issamar. Elazar has a son Pinchas.
Also mentioned in the pesukim here is Korach ben Yitzhar, Moshe’s cousin that will come up in a later Parsha.
After telling us the history of who Moshe and Aharon, the pesukim return to tell us that Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon to go to Paraoh, and told Moshe that Aharon will go with you and speak for you. But it won’t be easy… Hashem will harden Paraoh’s heart and bring many signs to show the power of Hashem and wreak havoc on Mitzrayim with the Hand of Hashem.
And so, Moshe and Aharon follow Hashem’s command and go to Paraoh. Moshe is 80 years old at the time and Aharon is 83.
Hashem tells them that Paraoh will ask for a sign. They should take their stick and throw it to the ground and it will become a “Tanin” – snake. They do this. But Paraoh is not impressed. He calls his wise men and magicians and they all throw their sticks to the ground and they turn to snakes. But Aharon’s stick swallows all their snakes (after it already turned back into a stick!)
But Paraoh’s heart remains hardened and the Makkos begin…
Dam -Hashem tells Moshe and Aharon to meet up with Paraoh at the Nile where he went every morning and tell him that since he did not listen to let the people go, Aharon will hit the river and all the water of the land will turn to Blood. And this is what happens. Blood everywhere there was water and the Mitzriyim could not find water to drink. But Paraoh hardened his heart because his magicians were able to do the same. The Makka lasted 7 days.
Tzfardeya – Moshe warns Paraoh, If you refuse to let the people go, frogs will swarm up from the Nile. They will go into your houses, into your bedrooms, into your beds, into your ovens, and food containers and even inside your bodies! Aharon once again hits his stick over the Nile and a large frog came up. Rashi says that the Mitzriyim hit it and swarms of frogs came out of it. But the magicians also were able to bring up frogs from the Nile. However, this time Paraoh is getting a bit nutty from the frogs and calls Moshe to get rid of the frogs by tomorrow and he will let the people go. Moshe davens for the frogs to be gone and they die and are gathered into stinky smelly heaps. And of course, Paraoh hardens his heart and changes his mind.
Kinim – Aharon stretched out his hand over the dust of the earth and the dust became lice that went on all men and animals throughout Mitzrayim. The magicians tried to copy this one but were unable to this time. (Rashi says because their demons could not do magic on something smaller than barley). The magicians told Paraoh “It is the finger of Hashem!” but Paraoh hardened his heart again.
(The first three Makkos were brought about by Aharon because Moshe did not want to hit the water or land that protected him as a baby and from the Mitzri that he killed).
Arov – Next Paraoh is threatened with Wild animals all over Mitzrayim in their houses. Hashem says he will separate Goshen where Bnei Yisrael were. There will be no wild beasts there to be a sign that they are separate. The wild animals come to town and Paraoh calls Moshe for help to get rid of them. He says he will let the people go bring sacrifices to Hashem in Mitzrayim. Moshe says No, only a 3 days journey in the Midbar because our sacrifices will disgust the Mitzriyim since they serve sheep as Gods and will stone us if they see us sacrificing them. Paraoh agrees and Moshe davens and Hashem gets rid of the plague. But, as expected, Paraoh again hardens his heart.
Dever – Hashem tells Moshe to warn Paraoh that if he does not let the people go then their cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, oxen, sheep, will all die of a plague. But the cattle of Bnai Yisrael will not die. And so, it happens. But Paraoh hardens his heart and does not let them go.
Shechin – Hashem tells Moshe and Aharon to take double handfuls of soot from a furnace and throw it up to the sky in front of Paraoh and it will come down as dust and bring boils that blister on all the people and animals. The magicians were not able to come before Moshe because they were covered in boils. But Paraoh hardens his heart.
Barad – Moshe again is sent early in the morning to warn Paraoh about the next plague. All the plagues are being sent for them to know that there is no one as great as Hashem. If Paraoh doesn’t let the people go then Hashem will rain down a heavy hail like they’ve never seen before. Any animal that they don’t want to die they should bring into their house. The Mitzriyim that now feared Hashem brought in their animals but those who did not left them in the field and of course they died. Moshe stretches out his stick to the sky and a loud thunder crack bringing with it hail that was ice mixed with fire. Anywhere it touched it destroyed. But it did not hail in Goshen. Paraoh calls Moshe and says he sinned and will let the people go if he gets rid of the hail. The Flax and the Barley crops were destroyed now but the wheat and the spelt were not ripe yet so they didn’t get destroyed. Moshe goes out of the city and davens for the hail to stop and it stops.
And Whaddaya know? Paraoh changes his mind again. This time Hashem hardens his heart.
This concludes the Makkos for this Parsha.(Adapted partially from In a Nutshell by Chabad.org, The Pesukim and Rashi)
And now for the fun part
PARSHA PARTY
SNACKS LISTED FIRST SO YOU CAN TRY AND GUESS TOO!
Mini Grape Juice bottles and Kiddush cups | Go Go candies or Applesauce | Dum-Dum Lollies | Dots Candy |
Breath Mints | Lip Candies | Finger Cookies | Grapes |
Animal Crackers | Red Punch or Powerade and Blue Punch or Powerade | Huggy Bears | Boiled Sweets |
Blue Sour Belts and Red Sour Belts | Fizz Candy / Powder Candy | Gummy Frogs (Haribo) | Hot Sauce Chips |
Jelly fish | Red Gushers | Dunkees | Frozen Cherry Sours in Ice Blocks |
Mike and Ikes | Candy Spray | Pesach Candies | Sour Drops |
Snake Spray candy | Soursticks with a lion picture | Air Heads | Ice pops |
Pretzel Rods | Wild Cherry Pepsi / Seltzer | Frootie Animal Sours | PopCorn |
Oodles | Heart Lollies | Sprinkles or sprinkle cookies or nonpareils | Green Sour Sticks |
Popping Candy | Green Jelly beans | Cherry Sours | Flappy Taffy |
Sour Hearts | Gummy rattle snakes | Laffy Taffy Ropes | CornPops |
This week’s Candy ideas were also contributed by Tzvi, Shalom, and Avigail Wahl
THE PARSHA PARTY ANSWER LIST!
Mini Grape Juice bottles and Kiddush cups – The 4 expressions for the 4 cups at the seder
Breath Mints – They had shortness of breath
Go Go candies or Applesauce – Let my people Go
Lip Candies – Moshe said his lips were closed
Heart Lollies and Sour Hearts – Hashem will harden Paraoh’s Heart
Pretzel Rods (chocolate with sprinkles if you can make) and Laffy Taffy Ropes – The sticks turned into snakes
Gummy rattle snakes and Snake Spray candy – The sticks turned to snakes. Also for Wild animals.
Dum-Dums – Dam is Blood
Blue Sour Belts and Red Sour Belts / Red Punch or Powerade and Blue Punch or Powerade
– The blood for Mitzriyim and Water for the Jews
Red Gushers – the water turned to blood that “gushes”
Jelly fish – the fish died in the water
Gummy Frogs (Haribo) - Tzfradeya
Green Jelly beans – Jumping Frogs
Popping Candy – The frogs were popping everywhere. Also for the popping Hail.
Sprinkles or sprinkle cookies, Nonpareils – Tiny little lice
Candy Spray – Spray the lice to try to get rid of them
Oodles – Small like barley – the magicians couldn’t make kinim because they were smaller than barley
Mike and Ikes – little lice
Fizz Candy / Powder Candy – the dust of the earth became lice
Soursticks with a lion picture – Arov wild animals
Animal Crackers, Wild Cherry Pepsi / Seltzer, Frootie Animal Sours, Huggy Bears, - Wild animals
Dunkees – Donkeys died in Dever
Marshmallows – (Make sheep out of them) Sheep died in Dever
Air Heads – The animals died and their heads were full of air
Cherry Sours and Boiled Sweets – Boils for Shechin
Dots Candy – Dots all over their bodies from boils
Grapes – Round like Boils
Finger Cookies – The magicians said it is the Finger of Hashem
Sour Drops – Barad dropped on their heads
Hot Sauce Chips – The hail had hot fire and ice
Frozen Cherry Sours in Ice Blocks – The fire and ice mixed together. (You can also just freeze Cherry Sours. Or simply put into an ice tray and add water and freeze)
Ice pops – The ice hail popped on their heads
PopCorn and CornPops – The hail popped on their heads
Green Sour Sticks – The grass that got ruined from the hail
Multi-Grain Cheerios or snacks – Some of the grains got ruined (Flax and Barley) while some did not (Wheat and spelt).
Flappy Taffy – Paraoh was Flippy Flappy with changing his mind about letting the people go!
THE FAMOUS FROG CAKES
I have seen many people do Frog Cup Cakes for this Parsha as well. Make a cupcake. Frost it with green frosting. Chocolate chip on white marshmallow fluff or frosting for eyes and a red candy or sourstick for the mouth.
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Have a wonderful Shabbos!
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