Parashat Chukat-Balak for Kids
A double portion, and what a pair: a mitzvah nobody fully understands, a well that followed a kind woman through the desert, a donkey that talks — and a man who opens his mouth to curse and finds blessings coming out. Told for ages 5–9, with a ready 30-minute lesson.
Torah reading: Numbers 19:1-25:9 · full text on Sefaria
Read on Shabbat: June 27, 2026 · July 17, 2027 · July 13, 2030 (diaspora — see the full schedule)
What happens in this parasha?
This Shabbat we read two portions together — Chukat and Balak — so the Torah-reading year finishes right on time.
Chukat opens with the most mysterious mitzvah in the Torah: the parah adumah, the red cow, whose ashes made people pure. Even King Shlomo, the wisest of all, said he couldn’t fully understand this one. That’s exactly what a chok is — a mitzvah we do out of love and trust, even before we understand it, the way a child holds a parent’s hand crossing the street.
Then the people say goodbye to two great leaders: Miriam, and later Aharon. While Miriam lived, a miraculous well of water travelled with the people in her honor — when she died, the water stopped, and everyone understood at last how much they had been given because of her. The people were very thirsty; Hashem told Moshe to speak to a rock so water would flow. Moshe, worn out by all the complaining, hit the rock instead — water still came, but Moshe learned that a leader’s words matter more than his stick.
Balak is the funny half. Balak, a frightened king, hires Bilam — a real prophet — to curse the Jewish people. On the way, Bilam’s donkey keeps stopping, because the donkey can see an angel standing in the road that the great prophet cannot. Then the donkey talks. (Yes — talks!) And when Bilam finally stands on a hilltop, opens his mouth, and tries to curse — out come blessings instead. One of them we still sing every time we walk into shul: מַה־טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב — Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov, “How good are your tents, Yaakov!”
The 30-minute lesson
Tell the story
Two halves: the mystery (red cow, Miriam's well, the rock) and the comedy (the donkey, the curses that flip). Let your voice change between them — solemn, then delighted.
Wonder together
Ask: “Is there a rule in our house you follow even though you don't totally know why? Who do you trust about it?” That's a chok — for us AND for grown-ups.
Learn the Hebrew
This week: מַה־טֹּבוּ — Mah Tovu, “how good!” Sing the first line together. Tell your child: a man who wanted to say something mean is the author of the song we sing walking into shul. The Torah kept the blessing and let go of the meanness.
Play “the blessing flip”
Take turns saying a grumpy sentence (“This room is SO messy”) and flipping it into a blessing (“This room is FULL of toys we love”). Bilam-style: same mouth, opposite output.
Wrap up with Miriam
Tell them: a whole well of water followed the people because of one kind woman. Ask: “What follows our family around because of something kind someone keeps doing?” End there — gratitude is the landing.
This week’s Hebrew words
| Hebrew | Say it | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| חֹק | chok | A mitzvah we do out of trust, even without fully understanding it |
| פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה | parah adumah | The red cow — the Torah’s most mysterious mitzvah |
| בְּאֵר | be’er | A well — Miriam’s well followed the people in the desert |
| אָתוֹן | aton | A donkey — Bilam’s saw the angel before he did |
| בְּרָכָה | brachah | A blessing — what came out instead of curses |
| מַה־טֹּבוּ | Mah Tovu | “How good!” — Bilam’s blessing, now the song we sing entering shul |
Three questions to ask
- Why do we sometimes follow rules even when we don't understand them? Who has earned that trust from you?
- Bilam opened his mouth to say something mean and something kind came out. Has your mouth ever surprised you — either direction?
- The donkey saw what the prophet couldn't. Who in your life notices things everyone else walks past?
Parashat Chukat-Balak FAQ
Why are two portions read together this week?
The Jewish year changes length (a leap year adds a month), but the Torah must finish exactly at Simchat Torah. In some years, short neighboring portions like Chukat and Balak are paired on one Shabbat to keep the schedule landing on time. Check our schedule table — some years they're read separately.
What is a chok?
A mitzvah whose reason isn't given — like the red cow. We do it out of trust and love, the way a young child holds hands crossing the street before understanding traffic. Teaching kids the word chok actually honors their questions: some answers are “not yet,” and that's part of trust.
Did the donkey really talk?
That's what the Torah says — and it's the Torah's way of making a big point with a smile: the famous prophet couldn't see what his own donkey saw plainly. Kids are allowed to find it funny. It IS funny. The humble see angels; the proud walk into them.
Where do we know Mah Tovu from?
It's the first song in many siddurim, sung when entering the synagogue: Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov — “How good are your tents, Yaakov.” Point it out to your child at shul this week: that's Bilam's blessing, the curse that flipped.
Make the parasha a weekly rhythm
New kid-level parasha pages are published ahead of each Shabbat — the full 2026–2030 schedule shows what’s coming. Pair this lesson with candle-lighting times for Friday night, the Hebrew glossary, and free K–3 Hebrew printables.