Divrei Torah made for children
Rebbe Alter zt"l is remembered for short, warm divrei Torah made especially for children. His recorded talks — more than fifty of them — walk young listeners through the weekly parsha and the Yamim Tovim in language they can follow, as part of a children's Torah series that met kids where they are. Titles like "It's Sukkot!" and "Chodesh Tov with Rebbe Alter" capture the tone: friendly, seasonal, and easy for a child to sit through and enjoy.
His parsha talks followed the Torah reading week by week — a dvar Torah on Parashas Tetzaveh, recorded in both English and Hebrew, is a good example of how the same idea was offered to different audiences. The aim throughout was not depth for its own sake but connection: giving a child a handhold on the parsha and a reason to look forward to the next one. It is Torah scaled thoughtfully to a young listener rather than borrowed down from an adult class.
The Jewish year, child-sized
Much of Rebbe Alter's zt"l teaching tracked the calendar. For Sukkos he had a talk simply called "It's Sukkot!"; his "Chodesh Tov" greeting marked the start of a new month; and one message offered "Three Things to Keep in Mind to Give Klal Yisroel a Great Year." Each is short enough for a young attention span and tied to something a child is already living through at that very moment in the year.
Teaching the Yamim Tovim to children has its own demands — the ideas have to be true but small enough to hold. Rebbe Alter's zt"l talks lean on the concrete: the season outside, the mitzvos of the moment, the sense of a fresh start. That is why they worked so well as a family resource, giving parents a ready way to bring the parsha and the chagim to the youngest members of the house in a form built precisely for them.
A resource for the youngest learners
Because the talks are brief and recorded, they fit easily into a child's day — before Shabbos, in the car, or as part of a bedtime routine. A parent can play the week's parsha talk and have something to build a conversation on, and a child gets a version of Torah pitched at their level. That accessibility is exactly what helps early Torah learning take hold and become something a child genuinely looks forward to rather than sits through.
Rebbe Alter zt"l left behind a body of children's divrei Torah that continues to serve families looking for age-appropriate, joyful Torah. For a home trying to give its youngest a warm first taste of the parsha and the Yamim Tovim, a series built for children — and only for children — is a rare and useful thing. It is the kind of resource a family returns to year after year, as each child grows into it in turn.
Finding kosher Torah video for your family
FilteredTube is a kosher video service built for Jewish families — every single video is approved against one written standard before it can appear, with no open feed, no comments, and no surprises. It is a calm, safe place to look for the Torah and Jewish music you love.
If your family enjoys Rebbe Alter zt"l's divrei Torah for children, search FilteredTube for the speakers and topics that matter most to you. With a daf yomi shelf, a weekly parsha shelf, topic shelves, audio-only listening for the car, and a kids mode with a PIN, kosher Jewish video is easy to reach — and the approved catalog keeps growing every day.
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Rebbe Alter zt"l left more than fifty short divrei Torah made especially for children.
- His talks follow the weekly parsha and the Yamim Tovim in child-friendly language.
- Seasonal titles like "It's Sukkot!" and "Chodesh Tov with Rebbe Alter" tie Torah to what a child is living.
- A parsha talk on Tetzaveh recorded in both English and Hebrew shows his reach across audiences.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.