This Week’s Shoafim Story: The Case of the Stolen Hover Car

Shoafim Story: The Case of the Stolen Hover Car

Inspired by Parshat Bo (Exodus 10:1-13:16)

In this Torah portion, God sends the eighth and ninth plagues, locusts and darkness, but Pharaoh still refuses to free the Israelite slaves. God tells Moses that the tenth plague will be killing all the firstborn Egyptians. God commands each Israelite home to slaughter a lamb and spread the blood on their doorposts, in order to protect their firstborns. After the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh demands that the Israelites leave.

 -Summary from www.myjewishlearning.com.  For a more in-depth summary of the Torah portion, please click here.  

 

The Case of the Stolen Hover Car 

 

Two friends are walking home from school and suddenly it starts to rain.

 Jonathan: Oh no, It’s raining!

Chris: I don’t want to walk in the rain anymore!

 They see a hover car parked nearby.

 Jonathan: Look a hover car!

Chris: Let’s see if it’s unlocked.

 They walk over to the car, and find that it is unlocked, with the keys sitting inside.

 Chris: Awesome.

Jonathan: But it’s not ours.

Chris: So what? Don’t ruin my groove.

Jonathan: I don’t think this is a good idea!!

 Chris gets in car and turns it on. The engine churns loudly. 

 Jonathan: What are you doing? Get out of there.

Chris: Dude, let’s go for a ride. This car is sick.

Jonathan: I really don’t think this is a good idea. You don’t even have your hover car license!

Chris: Don’t be a wimp! Let’s go.

Jonathan: Please don’t. I really don’t want to get you in trouble but this is dangerous. If you drive I'm going to have to tell your dad.

Chris: Who cares? I’m leaving you behind!

 Chris drives away in the hover car.

 Alternate Ending 1

Jonathan: I feel really bad doing this, but I have to do what’s right!

 Jonathan calls the police

 Jonathan: My friend Chris stole a hover car! And he doesn’t know how to drive it, and I’m just worried he’ll get hurt.  Not to mention it’s illegal for him to steal it.

Policeman: Thank you for telling me. You did the right thing.

 Police siren sounds. The police arrive. There is a mini chase scene.

 Policeman: You’re going to jail for operating a hover car without your hover car license and for stealing.

Chris: I wish I listened to my friend and didn’t steal that car.

Policeman: You’re lucky your friend told on you. You could have gotten into an accident and gotten seriously injured, or worse, killed!

Chris: Thank you, Jonathan. You may have saved my life.

 

Alternate Ending 2

Jonathan: I guess it’ll be okay. I don’t want to get my best friend in trouble. I’ll just head home and wait for him to call me later.

In background there is a crashing sound.

Jonathan: On no! If that was Chris, he might be seriously injured, or worse, all because I didn’t do the right thing and call the police.  What have I done?  I hope that wasn’t Chris!

 

Discussion Questions

1.  How could someone harden their heart against their own sibling?

2.  How could G-d harden Pharaoh's heart to show G-d's power by killing innocent firstborns?

3.  Innocent people went hungry because of G-d? Were they innocent? What qualifies you to be saved by G-d?

4.  What did G-d want to show by making everything dark? Did it happen to the Jews?

5.  Did any Israelites sympathize with the Egyptians? Should they have?

We encourage you to share your family's responses to the discussion questions, in the comments section of this story's post.