Mishpatim: Resources and Ideas

An engraving of a scroll of the Penteteuch in ...

This week’s parsha is full of laws: of the indentured servant, the penalties for murder, kidnapping, assault and theft, civil laws, loans, the conduct of justice by courts of law, treatment of foreigners, the observance of the festivals, the prohibition against cooking meat with milk, and the mitzvah of prayer.  And more, of course. Altogether, the Parshah of Mishpatim contains 53 mitzvot (of 613 total)—23 imperative commandments and 30 prohibitions. The people of Israel proclaim, “We will do and we will hear all that Hashem commands us.” “Naaseh Venishma.” Moshe ascends Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights to receive the Torah.

Links: Here are the Aish, Torah.org, and Chabad pages on Mishpatim. Here are some coloring sheets, a parsha song, and a fun video from Itche Kadoozy (my older boys love this silly series). Ideas this week are a little tougher–how do you explain slaves, murder, being gored by an ox, or some of the other more “adult” sections of the parsha? Luckily, there are still a few more kid-friendly sections.

Ideas:

Here’s a Mishpatim workbook from Jennifer at Adventures in Mama-Land. We like these, especially the vocab!

Make a Torah scroll (like Moshe wrote). Here is a nice one with pictures!

How about a “cheeseburger” cake – to talk about what not to do. (Milk and meat is in this parsha!)

Tour a courthouse, either in person or online (here are a bunch from Indiana, along with related activities for kids)

(Old) Greene County Courthouse

(Old) Greene County Courthouse (Photo credit: jimmywayne)

Focus on a specific prayer or the idea of davening (we get that mitzva this week, too)

Siddur Sefat Emet

Siddur Sefat Emet (Photo credit: Chajm)

Sorting the choicest fruit for tithing could lead to a craft or just some good discussion

Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables (Photo credit: nutrilover)

Any other ideas?

 

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