Dr. Emily AronoffShavuot is coming! Let us sing some sweetness. These 10 Shavuot songs for Jewish kids harness the immense power of music to nurture spiritual connections through shared musical experiences. Through these melodies, little ones can discover the joy of Shavuot and forge a bond with the Jewish community. Let’s celebrate this special holiday as we sing, learn, and grow together.
These songs are designed to engage children and their grown ups in creating meaning through music, fostering deeper connections with Torah and Jewish practices while celebrating the joyous festival of Shavuot. By incorporating strategies such as activating context knowledge, fingerplay, movement songs, and interactivity, we provide an interactive and engaging platform for children to learn about the significance of Shavuot.
1. 10 Rules
by: Dr Emily
I wrote this song because young children love to count! I encourage engagement by modeling movements with my hands and fingers, inviting children to participate in a myriad of ways; they can sing, count, listen, point, or move.
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by: Dr Emily
2. Torah So Sweet
by Ellen Allard
I love this simple, sweet zipper song that invites all kinds of movement
Lyrics:
Torah, Torah, Torah, Torah, Torah Torah
So Sweet (kiss)
Torah, Torah, Torah, Torah, Torah Torah
Makes me want to get up on my feet
And __ (movement) (x3)
All day long
And sing my song,
I’m gonna sing my Torah Song
3. Two Tablets
by Elana Jagoda
I share shaker eggs to prompt engagement while sharing this song, the verses are wordy and I don’t expect the children to participate by singing those words, so I want to supply a prop that prompts additional engagement,
I love to prompt children with an animated rendition of the chorus “Oh! No! Oh! No, No!” with exaggerated movements, a surprised face and hands up for “Oh!” and shaking a head “no” looking down and putting a hand to the forehead for “No!”.
The concept of “Two Tablets” is a pretty foreign one to most of our kiddos, so I highly suggest providing a visual example of the 10 commandments on pieces of stone.
Lyrics:
When Moses came down from the mountain
He saw the golden calf When Moses came down from the mountain
He broke the two tablets in half
Chorus: Oh no! Oh no! Oh! No, No! (x2)
The Israelites grew tired of waiting For their leader to return
When they still saw no sign from up the mountain They turned to Moshe’s brother Aharon
They said build us an idol (oh no oh no)
The Israelites rejoiced singing and dancing Offered sacrifices to the golden calf
Little did they know that up there on the mountain
Moshe was trying to lessen God’s wrath v They had built an idol (oh no, oh no)
What God saw was an abomination
He threatened to destroy the Jewish nation
But Moshe pleaded with God
Moshe pleaded with God
He said remember what you promised to Avraham
When Moses came down
from the mountain
He saw the golden calf
When Moses came down
from the mountain
He broke the two tablets in half Yes he broke the two tablets in half
4. Moses went UP, Moses went DOWN
by Dr. Emily
I wrote this scarf story song for babies and toddlers, hoping that their first Shavuot celebrations could be a sensory delight that starts the foundation of their Torah learning. Each part of the Shavuot narrative gets its own movement: scarves stretch up when Moses climbs the mountain, down when he comes back to the people, and throw when he sees the golden calf and breaks the tablets. The hopeful turn comes when Moses goes up again for a second chance, and we land on the line I want every child to hear: when we make mistakes, we get to try again too. Use a Moses puppet on a stool or stepping stone if you want a visual anchor, and lean into the dramatic “oy vey, oh no!” hand-to-face moment. Toddlers will imitate it instantly (and adorably).
Lyrics:
Moses went up, Moses went up, Moses went up to Mt. Sinai!
Moses went up, Moses went up, to get Torah, he climbed high!
…and then what happened? What did he get? …The Torah!
(now stretch down on “down”)
Moses went down, Moses went down, Moses went down to share our special book
Moses went down, Moses went down, he was so disappointed when he took a look
…and what did he see there? What happened? Did the people follow his directions?
(throw scarf out on “throw”)
Moses got mad, Moses got mad, Moses got mad and he started to THROW
Moses got mad, Moses got mad, and the Torah tablets broke, oy vey, oh no!
(with a very dramatic hand on face expression)
…and then he got to try again, the rules were so important…
Moses went up, Moses went up, Moses went up to Mt. Sinai!
Moses went up, Moses went up, Moses got another try!
…and we finally got The Torah, the rules and stories that teach us about being Jewish!…
(I pretend the scarves are pom poms)
We got Torah, We got Torah, We got Torah hip hip hooray!
We got Torah, We got Torah, And we still share those stories today!!
(throw scarf in the air and say “yay!”)
5. Shout Em’ Out: Old School Rules
I love this adorable video with ‘SchoolHouse Rock’ vibes that offers simple (not overly graphic) depictions of the commandments that make them more relatable to young children.
6. At Har Sinai
by Eliana Light
I love that this song is all about using our senses! I use Ellen Allard’s “God, God, God” generously, and like to use it as a warm-up for this tune.
7. 613 Commandments
by Debbie Friedman
This one is a nostalgic delight for me, and while it is definitely a bit wordier than the songs I typically choose for young children, I explain that I’ll share a story through the verses while they take a listening turn, and ask them to help me share the chorus, explaining that word and teaching that musical concepts as the part of the song that happens again and again.
I lean into the emotions conveyed in the song, prompting participants to make a ‘mad’ face like Moses might have when he saw the calf, a ‘surprised’ face like the people might have had when Moses lost his temper, or the ‘joyful’ face of being given another chance and getting the Torah.
Lyrics:
CHORUS
Well there were 613 commandments that Moses handed to us
As we stood at the foot of the mountain of Sinai
Our dear Moses started to fuss
He threw two tablets onto the ground
And much to our surprise
The ten commandments broke into pieces
And we couldn’t believe our eyes.
Because the Torah was much too long to describe to all the Jews
Our God decided to write ten commandments that said the don’ts and do’s
Every commandment talked about the way we have to live
When we work or play, cook or clean, borrow, take or give
Cause there were….CHORUS
As we stood at the bottom of the mountain and listened to Moshe
He asked how many wanted the Torah and a bunch of us said, “Yah”;
We thought about the way life was and the way life ought to be
Without the Torah we would have been lost and stuck with idolatry
Cause there were….CHORUS
So when it’s time to celebrate Chag HaShavuot
We all rejoice ’cause the Torah’s ours to study, teach and quote
Had we not made a promise to be chosen and to choose
Remember that there wouldn’t be a people called the Jews
Cause there were….
8. I’m On My Way to Freedom Land
Traditional
The traditional spiritual “On My Way to Freedom Land” connects the moment in the story of Exodus with modern pursuits of freedom. The Jewish people received the Torah at Mt. Sinai after leaving Egypt, journeying toward Israel, their Freedom Land.
Revived by the civil rights movement in the 60s, this spiritual resonates with adult participants, reminding them that while we enjoy freedom, there are still people worldwide who do not. Encourage students to understand this through the song’s ‘call and response’ style, which can be found in various renditions and recordings.
9. Torah Tziva Lanu Moshe
I appreciate the simple song because it encourages children to simply echo the hebrew words that are heard weekly at synagogues around the world “Torah Tziva Lanu Moshe”.
I’ll introduce this song by asking what the Torah is and how the Jewish people got the Torah…that way, I a) get a better understanding of their background knowledge so I can customize my presentation to best meet their needs and b)provide an opportunity for the children to build confidence and reinforce what they are learning. Then, I’ll translate the words one at a time, using my Moses puppet and a plush Torah. Moses gave us (the Jewish people) Torah!
As I sing the song and ask them to echo me, I’ll walk around the space with the Moses puppet, handing children the Torah and holding up the prop when we say the corresponding hebrew word.
Her song features the entire verse from our final Torah Portion, “Torah tziva lanu Moshe, morasha, kehillat Yaakov” which means “Moses gave us the Torah, it is an inheritance to the nation of Jacob.” but I don’t include that part of the song in early childhood settings. Use it if it works for you!
Lyrics:
Torah (Torah)
Tziva (Tziva)
Lanu (Lanu)
Moshe (Moshe)
10. Sweet As Honey
by Dan Nichols
Lyrics:
Sweet as honey, sweet as honey, sweet as honey on our tongue
Sweet as honey, sweet as honey, sweet as honey on our tongue
Ba-ruch A-tah A-do-nai
E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech ha-o-lam
A——-sher k’-di-sha-nu b’-mitz-vo-tav v’-tzi-va-nu
La-a—-sok b’-div-rei To-rah T
La-a-sok b’-div-rei To-rah
I hope sharing these songs feels sweet. May these songs continue to echo in our hearts, guiding us on our journey of nurturing and celebrating the richness of Jewish life for years to come.
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