Rosh Hashanah Torah for Kids

We’ve got at least four meals on Rosh Hashanah, and we all want our kids to participate in the Torah that’s shared at the table. Here are some short Divrei Torah for kids to present at the Yom Tov meals. Feel free to print them out and share them with your children. 

Hayom Haras Olam

On Rosh Hashanah, we say that the world was created on that day - Hayom haras olam - but the world was actually created on the 25th of Elul. So why do we call Rosh Hashanah the day of creation? The first day of Tishrei was actually the day that humans were created. Since people are the purpose of creation, we consider this to be the day the world began. Rosh Hashanah is a rebirth for people, who can start the new year with a clean slate and be who they want to be in the coming year. In this way, the world is created for us again each Rosh Hashanah.

The Meaning of Shofar

What is the meaning of the word shofar? Shofar comes from the word “l’shaper” which means to improve or make something beautiful. On Rosh Hashanah, we blow the shofar to remind us that our purpose in life is to make the world a better and more beautiful place. We do this by spreading chesed, giving tzedakah, learning Torah, focusing on tefillah and keeping other mitzvos. 

How Does the Shofar Encourage Teshuvah?

The sound of the shofar reminds us of the trumpet that was blown when a king was anointed. When we hear the shofar blowing, we are reminded that Hashem is our king and we are his subjects. Once we accept Hashem as king, we can look at our actions and think about whether we have served him properly. This is the first step in teshuvah. After we admit our mistakes, we have from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur to apologize and figure out how we can do better.

Why Eat Pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah?

The minhag of eating pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah night has a few explanations. One is that we want to have as many zchuyos (merits) as the number of seeds in a pomegranate. Another explanation is that we want to be as full of mitzvos as the pomegranate is full of seeds. When we eat the pomegranate seeds, we think about our goals for this new year - to do as many mitzvos as possible and rack up as many zchuyos as we can.

Why We Blow 100 Blasts…and Other Shofar Questions

If you’re looking for more Divrei Torah for Rosh Hashanah, you can find plenty of ideas in the Torah Live Shofar course. It covers questions like: Why do we blow 100 blasts? How can you blow the shofar properly? What should you be thinking about during shofar blowing? - and many other questions. Get a paper and pen and write down all the new things you learn while watching and you will have plenty to share at the Yom Tov meals.