Counting the Omer

Behar-Bechukotai: The Garden that Needed Shabbat

When Tali becomes personal trainer to a tiny tomato plant, her plan is simple: water it, cheer for it, measure it, sing to it, and help it grow every six seconds. But after Tomato Goldberg Jr. turns into more of a puddle than a plant, Sabba helps Tali, Noam, and Lama ask a surprising Torah question: why does the ground need a Shabbos? In this episode, kids discover the mitzvah of shmita from Parashat Behar — the seventh year when the land in Eretz Yisrael rests. With a polite hungry goat, a very suspicious llama, and one extremely over-helped garden, we learn that stopping is not doing nothing. Sometimes rest teaches us patience, trust, generosity, and how to let go. In this episode, kids will discover - what shmita means - why the Torah says the land gets a kind of Shabbos - how shmita follows a six-years-and-one-year rhythm - why shmita produce is not guarded like private treasure - how letting the land rest can teach people to share, trust, and stop trying to control everything Words we hear in this episode - שְׁמִטָּה / shmita - release, letting go; the seventh year when the land rests - שַׁבָּת / Shabbos - rest, stopping; the weekly holy day of rest - שַׁבַּת הָאָרֶץ / Shabbat ha’aretz - the land’s Shabbos/rest - אֶרֶץ / eretz - land; here, the Land of Israel and the ground that rests - שָׁנָה שְׁבִיעִית / shanah shevi’it - the seventh year - הֶפְקֵר / hefker - ownerless/open for others; not guarded like private treasure - בִּטָּחוֹן / bitachon - trust; relying on Hashem - וַתְרָנוּת / vatranut - generosity, yielding, letting go Try it at home Choose a plant, toy, or project that you really care about. Set a small “do not over-help” timer for a few minutes. While you wait, talk about this question: when does caring mean doing more, and when does caring mean giving something space? You can also make a simple shmita rhythm clap: work, work, work, work, work, work, rest. Try it slowly, then talk about why the seventh beat feels different. Big Question Wh

Lag BaOmer and the Rabbi Who Started at Forty

• Tali and Llama argue over the longest marshmallow stick. • We learn that Lag BaOmer is day 33 of the Omer. • Rabbi Akiva begins as a shepherd and starts learning Torah at age 40. • Rachel encourages Akiva to become a Torah learner and is honored as a real partner in his story. • The dripping water and stone story teaches that small steady steps can change us. • Rabbi Akiva teaches: “Love your fellow as yourself.” • We gently discuss the sadness of Rabbi Akiva’s students and the lesson of treating others with kavod. • Lag BaOmer is framed as a day that can hold both memory and hope. Take-home idea: Pass something kindly today — a marshmallow stick, a pencil, or a turn to talk.

Counting the Omer

hen Tali tries to race all the way to Shavuot by tearing pages off a giant countdown calendar, she accidentally creates a hilarious Omer tornado and discovers that some journeys are meant to happen one day at a time. Along with Noam, Lama, and Sabba, listeners travel from a breezy barley field to a forty-nine-step ladder to find out what the Omer is, why we count it, and how counting days and weeks helps us get ready for Shavuot. In this episode, kids will discover • what the Omer is • why Omer counting starts right after Pesach • why we count both days and weeks • how 10 days can also be 1 week and 3 days • how counting can turn waiting into excitement and preparation Words we hear in this episode • עֹמֶר - the Omer • סְפִירַת הָעֹמֶר - counting the Omer • יוֹם - day • שָׁבוּעַ - week • חַג שָׁבוּעוֹת - Shavuot Try it at home Make your own Omer chart with 49 boxes or steps. Each night, color in one more box and say whether you just added one more day or finished a whole week. Big Question Why do we count the Omer every day, and how do seven weeks of seven days help us get ready for Shavuot? Family Note Customs for counting the Omer can vary. If your family has its own way of counting or saying the blessing, ask a rabbi or parent to show you your practice.

Pesach, Episode 4: The Night We Became Story-Tellers

Join Tali, Noam, and Lama for the finale of our Pesach arc! Tonight, the Question Compass launches the kids into the heart of the freedom story—the very first Pesach night. Was it only a hurried escape, or was it also the beginning of a family ritual?1 Travel with the hosts from a packed-up home in Goshen, where strange meal details become the clues a child can notice, to the impossible shores of the sea, where the biggest miracle is revealed.1 Discover why the act of asking questions (מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה—"What is different?") is not a distraction, but the essential part of the mitzvah (commandment). We explore how retelling the story is the way we keep the miracle from disappearing, carrying the journey forward "in every generation" (בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר). Plus, get your Take-Home מְשִׁימָה (mission) to create a question-trigger at your own family’s table!

Passover, Episode 3: When Pharaoh Still Says No

What happens when you build a giant, room-spanning machine out of toys and spatulas just to avoid putting on your own shoes? Tali finds out the hard way! But her funny failed invention gets Lama wondering about the Big Question: If the miracles are already happening, why do people still need to get ready? Join Tali, Noam, Lama, and Sabba as they buckle up the time-traveling podcast studio and head straight for ancient Egypt! First, the crew investigates Pharaoh’s dusty palace storeroom right after the plague of locusts to see what a "heavy heart" (לֵב כָּבֵד) really looks like. Then, they dash over to Goshen to meet a young Nachshon ben Aminadav and discover that true rescue requires us to take action ourselves—with our belts tied (מָתְנֵיכֶם חֲגֻרִים) and our walking shoes on! In this episode, we explore: The Big Question: Why sitting around and waiting for magic doesn't get you out the door. Real Change vs. Panic: How we can tell if someone has actually changed their behavior for the better, or if they are just scared of a storm. The Power of Choice (רְשׁוּת): Why our personal choice to step up still matters, even when big miracles are happening all around us. Grab your walking staff, leave the soft pillows behind, and get ready to step into the action!