The TipToe Through The Torah Game

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Learning Torah is meant to be a sweet experience! Tiptoe Texts become a game when you add a sweet treat for all players who answer the discussion questions. 
  • Choose your sweet treat or provide more than one so players can choose. It doesn’t have to be food and it doesn’t have to be big.  It only has to be an earned reward.   When in doubt, go with fun cookies or candy or ice-cream. (In our house, we transformed our halloween candy into Torah Treats.)
  • Print out the Tiptoe Torah Texts by clicking here.  Best to start at the beginning, Book 1 - Genesis, Chapter 1 - Bereshit.
  • In a group, have one person read the portion out loud (and with expression, please!)  Others may also have a copy of the Chapter to follow along and/or you can pass it around and take turns reading.
  • After each reading there are questions.  Each person, even the youngest, must be given an opportunity to answer these questions.  Everyone’s commentary counts.   (Hint: There are no wrong answers, only honest ones!)
  • After the questions are illustration ideas and children love illustrating their own Torah. (Note: Some adults may find that fun too.)  Just remember, this is not an art contest.  It is a time to be together.  (Some prefer to do the reading and discussion on Shabbes and the illustrations are done after Havdalah.)
All done? Not yet! Treats for everyone!
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Click Logo To Go To Tiptoe Through The Torah on Facebook page. Follow for weekly portion quote and link.
Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take?
Usually about 15 to 30 minutes. With illustrations, maybe 1 hour.

What do I do if my child doesn’t want to Tiptoe? 
Before you begin, make sure your child chooses his or her own special treat. Make a big deal of it, especially those first few times!
  • Have the child be the one who reads it out loud
  • Have the child be the first  to answer the question.
  • The child can also make up  his or her own questions into instead of using the ones provided.
  • For teenagers, integrate the reading of the Torah text and the questions into a Shabbat dinner discussion and/or over a meal in a restaurant of their choosing, etc.

How do I  handle it when my children get squirmy? 
Let them know that it is okay to draw the illustration while the chapter is being read out  loud.
  • It  is okay to play with Plado or some other thing with their hands as long as it is not disruptive and  they can answer the questions and participate nicely in the discussion.
  • Remind  them that if they can  just hang in there a little longer they will get their treat.
  • When necessary—speed them up.


What  if I  don’t like or agree with an answer? 
The most important thing is  not whether you agree or disagree with someone’s answer but whether or not you  can respect, their answer.  You will get your chance to  answer the question too.  Try to find  something encouraging and positive to say about their answer — “I hadn’t thought about it that way” or  “interesting idea”.  If you can’t find anything nice to say then say nothing at all and think about what they did say.  You will be surprised how much you will learn from your children.

What if I have missed a few weeks? 
Don’t worry.  Just begin where you left off.
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