SHTUS KIDS

Kids · For Shabbos Toldos, 4 Kislev 5787 · 1:18

The Quiet Voice on the Mountain

Eliyahu hears a wind, an earthquake and a fire, and then a still, thin voice. This story is not from Toldos. We chose it for the quiet it brings to the week. The wind, earthquake and fire are painted as a storm, a crack in the ground and a small far fire, and the still voice comes last. Nobody is hurt. For ages 5 to 12.

Watch this video before Shabbos starts. Print this page before Shabbos to use at the table. Do not use a screen on Shabbos or Yom Tov. The host, Reb Ari, is an illustrated character, and the voices are AI voices, not people.

Part 1 · For kids

The story

Eliyahu the prophet was at Chorev, the mountain. Hashem told him to go out and stand on the mountain before Hashem.

First came a great, strong wind. It split mountains and shattered rocks. But Hashem was not in the wind.

After the wind came an earthquake. But Hashem was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire. But Hashem was not in the fire.

And after the fire came a voice of stillness, thin. In Hebrew, it is called kol demamah dakah.

Three ideas

  1. Loud is not the same as close

    The wind was strong. The earthquake was big. The fire was bright. The verse says Hashem was not in them. The Sages tell of Rav Sheshes, who could not see. Rav Sheshes went with the people to greet a king. Troops passed ahead of the king. As the noisy troops passed, a man said, "The king is coming!" Rav Sheshes said, "No." When it went silent, he said, "Now the king is certainly coming." He told the man that a king on earth is like the King of heaven, and he showed it with this verse.

    Note. Our observation: the verse never says that Hashem was in the still voice. Rav Sheshes links the king to the verse, and the king comes in the silence (Berakhos 58a).

  2. Do good, and hand back the credit

    The author of the Mei HaShiloach says the wind is like good deeds. The earthquake is like zeal and awe, which means being eager to do what is right, and having deep respect for Hashem. The fire is like a burning love. He warns that a person should not take pride in them, thinking they are all perfectly good, and should not lean on them. He says the still voice is Hashem whispering to a person who truly wanted to do His will: the deed came from Me.

    Note. Our explanation: this is our retelling in simple words. Ours: when a good thing in us gets loud, ask whose name is on it.

  3. Not all noise is bad

    The wind, the earthquake and the fire were real. In the story of Rav Sheshes, the noise came before the king. Ask: does it want the credit?

    Note. Ours: this is our reading. It is not a quote from a source.

Questions for the Shabbos table

  • What good thing did you do this week that you wanted someone to see? What would it feel like if nobody ever knew?
  • When you feel very sure, are you louder? What is a quiet way to say the same thing?
  • Can we leave one still moment before we speak at our Shabbos table?

Activity: The Quiet Minute

Make the card before Shabbos starts. Do not draw or write on Shabbos. Use the card at the table.

  1. Fold a sheet of paper into four parts. Draw wind in the first part, an earthquake in the second, and fire in the third.
  2. In the fourth part, draw something very small and quiet. Leave most of it empty.
  3. At the Shabbos table, put the card down. Everyone stays quiet for a short while. A parent says when it is over. Then each person says one thing they heard.
  4. This week, do one good deed quietly. Do not brag to friends. You can tell a parent.

Part 2 · The piece, explained

The piece in plain words

In I Kings 19, the prophet Eliyahu is told to stand on the mountain before Hashem. A great wind passes, and Hashem is not in the wind. An earthquake, and Hashem is not in the earthquake. A fire, and Hashem is not in the fire. Then comes "kol demamah dakah", a voice of stillness, thin. The verse never says that Hashem was in the still voice.

The Gemara (Berakhos 58a) uses the verse in a story. Rav Sheshes could not see. As noisy troops passed, he said the king was not coming. When it went quiet, he said the king was certainly coming. He says that a king on earth is like the King of heaven.

The Mei HaShiloach reads the three as good deeds (wind), zeal and awe (earthquake), and burning love (fire). He warns that a person should not take pride in them or lean on them. He says the still voice is Hashem whispering to a heart that aimed at His will: the deed came from Him.

Where it comes from

The verse is I Kings 19:11–12. The Gemara is Berakhos 58a. The Mei HaShiloach is the Torah of the Izhbitzer Rebbe, here on Hosea 14:1. This page puts the three side by side.

We add one line of our own, and we mark it as ours: when a good thing in us gets loud, ask whose name is on it. We also keep a caution: not all noise is ego. The test is whether the noise asks for the credit.

Why this Shabbos

This story is not from Toldos. We chose it for the quiet it brings to the week.

A week is loud. Shabbos is the quiet. We chose it for this Shabbos, 4 Kislev 5787, and the last question is a Shabbos-table question: where can we leave one still moment before we speak?

Part 3 · Connections and go deeper

Every source, with its link

  • Core I Kings 19:11–12
    Wind, earthquake, fire, then a voice of stillness, thin. Hashem is not in the first three.
  • Core I Kings 19:8
    Eliyahu comes to Chorev, the mountain of God.
  • Core Berakhos 58a:10–11
    Rav Sheshes and the king: noise means not yet, silence means now. He proves it from the Eliyahu verse.
  • Core Mei HaShiloach, Hosea 14:1
    Wind, earthquake and fire as good deeds, zeal and awe, burning love. Do not take pride in them. The still voice: from Me the deeds came.
  • Deeper I Kings 19:10
    Just before, Eliyahu says "and I alone am left." Our reading: the loudest voice was already his.
  • Deeper Sotah 5a:14
    The Gemara on haughtiness of spirit: "He and I cannot dwell together in the world." Our reading: the Gemara's name for ego. For adults.

How they connect

The verse gives the scene and leaves a gap: it says where Hashem was not, and it does not say that He was in the still voice. The Gemara fills the gap with a king. Noise announces troops. Silence announces the king.

The Mei HaShiloach fills it with the heart. Our good deeds, our zeal and our love are real, and he says to hold them lightly. The still voice is the sign that the deed came from Him.

We tie them together with one question and one caution. Ours: whose name is on it? And not all noise is ego. The test is whether the noise asks for the credit.

A path to learn it

  1. Kids, ages 5 to 12. Watch the video before Shabbos. Make the Quiet Minute card before Shabbos. Use it at the table.
  2. Parents. Read "The piece in plain words." Then read the verse in Hebrew below, then the line from the Gemara, then the line from the Mei HaShiloach.
  3. Learn it. Open I Kings 19:8 to 19:13 on Sefaria and read the whole scene. Then Berakhos 58a:10 and 11. Then Hosea 14:1 in the Mei HaShiloach, and underline the three pairs: wind and deeds, earthquake and zeal, fire and love.
  4. Go deeper. Read I Kings 19:10, then Sotah 5a:14. Ask: is my loudest voice a good deed that wants credit?
Video words

Wind that breaks rocks. An earthquake. A fire. Then something quieter than all three. What?

A great, strong wind split mountains and shattered rocks, as Hashem was passing by on the mountain.

But Hashem was not in the wind. Then an earthquake. Hashem was not in the earthquake. Then fire. Hashem was not in the fire.

A voice of stillness, thin, came after the fire. Eliyahu heard it, and covered his face.

The Sages tell of Rav Sheshes, who was blind. When the troops passed, noisy and loud, he said: the king is not here yet. When it went quiet, he said: now! He learned it from this very verse.

The Mei HaShiloach says: the wind is like good deeds. The earthquake is like being eager to do good, and full of deep respect for Hashem. The fire is like burning love.

Good things! But do not take pride in them. The still voice is Hashem whispering to a heart that truly aimed at His will: this came from Me.

Put simply: when a good thing in you gets loud, ask whose name is on it. Not all noise is bad. Ask who gets the credit.

Our takeaway: this week, do one kind thing quietly. No bragging.

Reb Ari is an illustrated host. The voices are AI voices. No person is reading.

Read the Hebrew

All translations are ours, verified against the fetched Hebrew. The Hebrew is cut word for word from Sefaria.

A note or line marked Ours is our reading. No source says it. A note or line marked Our explanation is our simple retelling of the source beside it. Our explanations are labeled separately.

This page has Hashem's Name in the Hebrew. If you print it, keep it in a safe place and put it in shaimos afterward. Ask your rav if you are not sure.

The verse says that Hashem was not in the wind, the earthquake or the fire. Children may ask where Hashem was. Ask your rav or teacher how to explain it.

The Talmud tells more about Rav Sheshes. A man mocks him, and the story has a hard ending for that man. We left it out. It is not for young children. Ask your rav or teacher.

A rav has not reviewed this page yet.

  1. I Kings 19:11–12

    וַיֹּ֗אמֶר צֵ֣א וְעָמַדְתָּ֣ בָהָר֮ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָה֒ וְהִנֵּ֧ה יְהֹוָ֣ה עֹבֵ֗ר וְר֣וּחַ גְּדוֹלָ֡ה וְחָזָ֞ק מְפָרֵק֩ הָרִ֨ים וּמְשַׁבֵּ֤ר סְלָעִים֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה לֹ֥א בָר֖וּחַ יְהֹוָ֑ה וְאַחַ֤ר הָר֙וּחַ֙ רַ֔עַשׁ לֹ֥א בָרַ֖עַשׁ יְהֹוָֽה׃ וְאַחַ֤ר הָרַ֙עַשׁ֙ אֵ֔שׁ לֹ֥א בָאֵ֖שׁ יְהֹוָ֑ה וְאַחַ֣ר הָאֵ֔שׁ ק֖וֹל דְּמָמָ֥ה דַקָּֽה

    Our English: And He said: Go out and stand on the mountain before Hashem. And behold, Hashem was passing by. A great and mighty wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks before Hashem; Hashem was not in the wind. After the wind, an earthquake; Hashem was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, fire; Hashem was not in the fire. After the fire, a voice of stillness, thin.

    Our explanation: Hashem tells Eliyahu to stand on the mountain. A wind, an earthquake and a fire come, and Hashem is not in them. Then a thin voice of stillness. The verse does not say Hashem was in the still voice.

  2. I Kings 19:13

    כִּשְׁמֹ֣עַ אֵלִיָּ֗הוּ וַיָּ֤לֶט פָּנָיו֙ בְּאַדַּרְתּ֔וֹ

    Our English: When Eliyahu heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak.

    Our explanation: Eliyahu hears the still voice and covers his face.

  3. I Kings 19:8

    עַ֛ד הַ֥ר הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים חֹרֵֽב

    Our English: to the mountain of God, Chorev.

    Our explanation: Eliyahu comes to Chorev.

  4. Berakhos 58a:10

    רב ששת סגי נהור הוה

    Our English: Rav Sheshes was blind.

    Our explanation: Rav Sheshes could not see.

  5. Berakhos 58a:11

    דמלכותא דארעא כעין מלכותא דרקיעא

    Our English: For the kingship of earth is like the kingship of Heaven.

    Our explanation: Rav Sheshes tells the man how he knows. He then quotes the Eliyahu verse.

  6. Berakhos 58a:10

    כי קא אוושא אמר ליה ההוא צדוקי אתא מלכא אמר ליה רב ששת לא קאתי

    Our English: When it grew noisy, the Tzeduki said to him: The king is coming. Rav Sheshes said to him: The king is not coming.

    Our explanation: As the noisy troops passed, a man said the king was coming. Rav Sheshes said no.

  7. Berakhos 58a:10

    כי קא שתקא אמר ליה רב ששת ודאי השתא אתי מלכא

    Our English: When it was silent, Rav Sheshes said to him: Certainly now the king is coming.

    Our explanation: When it went silent, Rav Sheshes said that now the king was certainly coming.

  8. Mei HaShiloach, Volume II, Prophets, Hosea 14:1

    רוּחַ רוֹמֵז עַל פְּעֻלּוֹת מַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים וְרַעַשׁ רוֹמֵז עַל זְרִיזוּת וְיִרְאָה וְאֵשׁ רוֹמֵז עַל הִתְלַהֲבוּת בְּאַהֲבָה עֲצוּמָה

    Our English: Wind alludes to good deeds, earthquake to zeal and awe, fire to burning love.

    Our explanation: Wind is like good deeds. Earthquake is like being eager to do good and having deep respect for Hashem. Fire is like burning love.

  9. Mei HaShiloach, Volume II, Prophets, Hosea 14:1

    שֶׁאֵין לָאָדָם לְהִתְפָּאֵר עַצְמוֹ בְּאֵלּוּ הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁיִּדְמֶה לוֹ שֶׁהֵם כֻּלָּם טוֹבִים בִּשְׁלֵימוּת

    Our English: That a person should not take pride in these things, imagining that they are all perfectly good.

    Our explanation: He warns that we should not take pride in our good deeds, zeal and love, as if they were perfectly good and Hashem simply dwells in them. We quote only the first part of his sentence.

  10. Mei HaShiloach, Volume II, Prophets, Hosea 14:1

    שֶׁאֵין לוֹ סְמִיכָה מִפְּעֻלּוֹתָיו בְּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים

    Our English: That he has nothing to lean on in his own deeds.

    Our explanation: We should not lean on our good deeds as if they were enough.

  11. Mei HaShiloach, Volume II, Prophets, Hosea 14:1

    שֶׁהַשי"ת לוֹחֵשׁ לְהָאָדָם בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁבָּזֶה הָרֶגַע כִּוַּנְתָּ בְּעוֹמֶק לִבְּךָ לִרְצוֹנִי וּמִמֶּנִּי יָצְאוּ הַדְּבָרִים

    Our English: That Hashem whispers to the person in his heart that in this moment you aimed, deep in your heart, at My will, and from Me the deeds came.

    Our explanation: The still voice is Hashem whispering to someone whose heart truly aimed at His will: the deed came from Him.

How we made this

Host and voices
Reb Ari is an illustrated host, an original character and not a real person. His voice and the storyteller's voice are AI voices (OpenAI text-to-speech). No person is reading.
Pictures
Painterly pictures and short motion clips made with AI tools (Higgsfield, with Nano Banana, Kling and MiniMax). Named Biblical figures are shown without faces, and Hashem is never shown. The Hebrew and English cards are drawn by script.
Texts
All texts are from Sefaria. The Hebrew was checked against it word for word by script. Hebrew Tanakh: Miqra according to the Masorah, on Sefaria (CC BY-SA). Hebrew Talmud: Wikisource Talmud Bavli, on Sefaria (CC BY-SA). Mei HaShiloach: Sefaria Vocalized Edition (CC0).
Our English
The English lines are our own translations and readings. A line marked Ours or Put simply is not in any source. Our English lines of CC BY-SA texts are shared under CC BY-SA.
How we checked
The scripts, English lines and pictures were made with AI tools. They were checked against Sefaria by script and by an AI reviewer. A person at Shtus approves each page before it goes live. A rav has not reviewed this page yet.

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