By: Jenn Abrams
PJ Library Coordinator
In Parashat Bo, the Torah pauses the drama of the Exodus to speak directly to the future: “And it shall be, when your child asks you… you shall tell your child on that day, saying: It is because of what God did for me when I went out of Egypt.”
Before the sea parts and before the journey truly begins, the Torah turns its attention to children and storytelling. God commands that the Israelites remember—and continually retell—the story of leaving Egypt. Here, we find the roots of the Passover seder, where each generation recounts how we became a free people and began the journey toward the Land of Milk and Honey.
What’s striking is that the Torah doesn’t say, “Make sure your children know the facts,” or “Teach them the laws.” Instead, it tells us to share a story—and not just the story, but our story: “what God did for me.” Our tradition asks us to personalize our history, to make it lived and felt rather than distant or abstract.
Why stories?
Anyone who has had a child hand them a beloved picture book and plead, “Again, again!” knows the answer. Anyone who has stayed up far too late because a book was impossible to put down knows it, too. Stories shape our identities. They help us make sense of ourselves, our families, our community, and the world. Facts may inform, but stories transform.
This message feels especially powerful today. Our children are growing up in a world overflowing with noise, information, and distraction. What will anchor them is not only what we teach, but what we tell—the stories of our people, our families, our struggles, and our hopes. When we share stories at the Shabbat table, at bedtime, in the car, or on the walk to school, we are quietly fulfilling something sacred and ancient.
The Passover story is just one example of a narrative carried lovingly from generation to generation. When we share moments of kindness we witnessed, challenges we faced, or times of faith or doubt, we invite our children into a living Torah. We show them that Judaism isn’t only something we do—it’s something we live.
As Shabbat arrives and the week begins to ease, may it also bring space to revisit the stories that give you and your family meaning, grounding, and connection. May we continue to honor the tradition of storytelling that guides us from where we have been to who we aspire to become.
Please email Jenn Abrams at jabrams@jewishcolorado.org with questions or comments.