CHAPTER XXI

JOSEPH MEETS HIS BROTHERS

Genesis 41.47 to 42.38

=Interpretation.= In this chapter of the Joseph narrative we find

that Providence has put Joseph's brothers completely in his hand;

their physical sustenance is dependent on his providing them with

corn, they are strangers in Egypt while he is the prime minister

of Pharaoh's court, and, moreover, by reason of his Egyptian dress

and speech and the change which the twenty years have made in his

appearance--he was but seventeen when he was sold--they cannot

recognize him and are therefore thrown altogether off their guard

as to any designs of vengeance that he may cherish. The interest

therefore centers on the attitude that Joseph would assume toward

them.

As the Bible merely tells us what Joseph said or did but not what

he thought, we are left to construe his motives from his deeds

and words. Accordingly, it would seem that Joseph is at first in

doubt, so he plans to detain his brothers in prison for a time on

the charge of being spies, feeling that their actions under such an

accusation might give some clue as to how he should treat them, and

hoping perhaps that the evil of their lot might possibly suggest

the evil that they had done him. His first proposition is that one

of them go back and bring Benjamin, whom he is particularly anxious

to see, but he finally decides to let all but one return. He is not

disappointed in the thought that their affliction might suggest

their sin, as is seen from the dialogue in Genesis 42.21,22, which

also gives him the information that Reuben had espoused his cause.

He therefore selects as his hostage not Reuben the eldest but

Simeon the next eldest. Meanwhile, he shows his real benevolent

intent by giving them the corn and secretly returning the money. But

even this gives alarm to Jacob and his other sons as seeming to be

but a pretext for further charges.

=Aim.= The main object of this lesson is to prepare a way for the

next with its moral of the beauty of forgiveness. It contains

however also a fine study of conscience in that the misfortune of

Joseph's brothers revives at once the memory of their sin and brings

it to their minds in its proper colors.

=Suggestions.= Begin by recalling Joseph's dreams to see whether the

class remembers them and their significance. Then call attention

to the thought of Joseph's brothers that they were putting an end

to his dreams in selling him to the Ishmaelites. "And yet", you

continue, "today's lesson will show how God really brought about

the realization of Joseph's dreams." This will excite the curiosity

of the children and you can then proceed with the story of the

famine and its effect. Make the famine appear as a providential

circumstance and explain its meaning by saying that God, after the

seven years of plenty did not let enough rain fall to water the

corn and wheat, which shriveled up so that the people had no flour

to bake bread, and there was not enough grass to feed the cattle so

that they had not enough meat, etc. The term famine will then not be

a mere abstraction to the child.

At the point where Joseph meets his brothers and they do not

recognize him but he recognizes them, show how the dream has been

already in part fulfilled although Joseph's brothers did not realize

it. The chief difficulty of the teacher will be to make the children

clearly understand the motives of Joseph's conduct towards his

brothers, which is the most important thing in the lesson. This

can be facilitated by questioning the children in a way that would

necessitate their imagining themselves in Joseph's situation. For

instance, one might speak to them as follows:

"Now when Joseph saw his brothers bowing down before him, he

remembered how cruel they had been to him, and he thought of how

wonderfully God had brought about the fulfillment of his dreams so

that now he had his brothers in his power and could punish them

in whatever way he would, for no one would question the acts of a

viceroy of Pharaoh toward a band of strangers whom nobody in Egypt

cared about. If he wanted to, he could have ordered them all to be

killed, as they had thought of doing to him; or he could have sold

them all as slaves, as they had actually sold him; or he could have

put them all in prison, as he had been kept in prison in Egypt for

so long a time; or he could have simply refused to sell them grain

and they would have died of starvation. Now what do you think you

would have done, had you been in Joseph's place?"

Get a number of different answers from the class. In all likelihood,

the answers will propose some severe punishment. Then give a number

of reasons why Joseph rejected these severer penalties, such as, 1.

because his brothers were, after all, his brothers and we should

love our brothers, 2. because their punishment would hurt his father

Jacob and his younger brother Benjamin who were innocent, 3. because

it would affect the families of his brothers as well as themselves,

4. because they might have changed since then and become better and

felt sorry for their treatment of him, 5. because, if he could find

some way of showing them how wickedly they had acted and how good

he nevertheless was to them, it might make them feel ashamed and

resolve to be better. "But," continue your narrative, "though Joseph

did not want to hurt his brothers, he did want them to feel sorry

for what they had done to him, so that they would never do such a

thing again. So he thought 'I am not going to tell them at once that

I am Joseph their brother and that I forgive them, but, without

doing them any harm, I am going to frighten them with threats and

see whether, when they themselves are in trouble, they won't think

of the sin they did and feel sorry for it'". It is necessary to

explain the motive for Simeon's detention as being to insure the

return of the brothers with Benjamin.

In questioning the class about the lesson, try to find out whether

the children understand its underlying ideas by such questions as

these: How was it that Joseph recognized his brothers and they could

not recognize him? Why did not Joseph at once make himself known to

his brothers? Why did Joseph speak harshly to them and accuse them

of being spies? Did Joseph's brothers know that he understood them

when they spoke to each other? Why not? What is a spy? When Joseph's

brothers thought that they would be treated as spies, for what

deed did they think this a punishment? Why did Joseph keep Simeon

prisoner? Why did Joseph return the money of his brothers? What did

his brothers think was his reason for returning it? Why did not

Jacob want to let Benjamin go with his brothers to Egypt? It goes

without saying that one must tell the story in such a way that it

shall contain a clear answer to each of the above questions.

This episode has a great dramatic interest and should be acted by

the children.

CHAPTER XII

JOSEPH REVEALS HIMSELF TO HIS BROTHERS

Genesis 43.1 to 45.28

=Interpretation.= Little need be said in interpretation of this

story. Its lesson of the beauty of forgiveness and reconciliation

is brought out so clearly as to need no further comment. In the

attitude of his brothers to Benjamin, Joseph is able to put to the

test any possible change of heart toward himself. The favor which

he shows Benjamin at the meal that he had prepared for them may

be considered as a test of whether the spirit of envy is still

rife among them, and, inasmuch as they do not seem to manifest any

jealousy on this occasion, they may be considered to have passed

this first test. But the real test came when Joseph proposed to

retain Benjamin as his slave. On this occasion Judah, the very one

who had proposed selling Joseph, makes his eloquent plea in behalf

of Benjamin, a speech which reveals his deep sympathy with his

father's grief, and appreciation of what the loss of Joseph meant

to his father, and the willingness to sacrifice his own liberty for

Joseph's brother Benjamin, who had, as the son of Rachel, taken

Joseph's place in the heart of Jacob. Joseph could wish no further

evidence of his brothers' change of heart and it is no wonder that

he "could not refrain himself" any longer.

=Aim.= The aim of this lesson is to provide a noble example of the

magnanimity of forgiveness and the beauty of filial and fraternal

love.

=Suggestions to the teacher.= The story of Joseph as told in the

Bible is so wonderfully impressive in its simplicity for the child

as well as for the adult that the only advice one feels inclined

to give to the teacher of this story is that he should model his

narrative as closely as possible upon the lines of the Biblical

story itself. Read and reread these chapters of the Bible and try to

discover the means by which the Biblical author produces his effects

on the reader's emotions. Do not permit to escape you the pathos

of such situations as when Jacob reproaches his sons for having

told of their brother Benjamin's existence as though they could

have foreseen what would follow this disclosure; or when Joseph,

brought face to face with Benjamin, cannot control his feelings and

withdraws to another room to weep; or when his brothers, conscious

of their innocence, offer to give their lives if the divining cup

be found in their sacks and then to their consternation find it

in the sack of Benjamin; or when Judah, in pleading with Joseph,

mentions the effect of the loss of Joseph upon Jacob; or when the

brothers bring the news to Jacob of Joseph's glory and he refuses to

believe it until he is given incontrovertible proof; and a number of

similar situations to which it might be possible to call attention.

After the preparation for this climax which the preceding lessons

afforded, the teacher who has made himself fully at home with his

subject will have no difficulty in impressing the child. In this

story, it is particularly important to report all conversation in

direct discourse.

Suggestive questions to ask the children are the following: Why did

not Jacob want to let Benjamin go with his brothers? Why did they

refuse to go without him? Why did Jacob finally let them go? Why

did Joseph give Benjamin a larger portion than the others at the

banquet? Why did Joseph put his cup in the sack of Benjamin? Why

was it Judah in particular of all Joseph's brothers who pleaded for

Benjamin? Why do you think Joseph sent all the Egyptians from the

room when he made himself known to his brothers? When his brothers

were afraid that Joseph would punish them for their sin against

him and were ashamed of what they had done, what did Joseph say to

console them? What did Jacob say when they told him that Joseph was

alive and ruler of all Egypt under Pharaoh?

This story too lends itself to dramatization by the children.

CHAPTER XIII

THE DEATH OF JACOB AND OF JOSEPH

Genesis 46.1 to 50.26

=Interpretation.= In these chapters the center of interest once

more shifts from personal biography to the destiny of Israel as a

people. One is conscious throughout that his attention is being

called to the close of one period and the beginning of another. The

patriarchal period now draws to an end and the period of national

existence commences. God's purpose is no more to be shown in the

choice of individuals, but in his dealings with the people as a

whole. It is not accident that Israel's national life is to begin in

Egypt rather than in its own land; for just as Abraham, the father

of the race, was tested by his willingness to leave his home in

obedience to God, so the nation as a whole was to have a similar

experience. It had to be made to realize its election by being

taken as "a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by

signs and by wonders and by war and by a mighty hand, and by an

outstretched arm and by great terrors". (Deuteronomy 4. 34.) In

these chapters we see the beginning of the fulfillment of Abraham's

prophetic vision recorded in Genesis 15. 12-16.

Let us see how the ideas stated in the above paragraph are conveyed

in the chapters under our consideration. Observe first Jacob's

apprehensive reluctance about going to Egypt, which needs the

assurance from God, "Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will

there make of thee a great nation. I will go down with thee into

Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again." (Genesis

46.3, 4.) Jacob before he dies reminds Joseph of God's promise

given to him at Beth El in anticipation of the exodus from Egypt,

"God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and

blessed me, and said unto me: Behold, I will make thee fruitful,

and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a company of peoples;

and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting

possession." (Genesis 48.3,4.) We may regard Jacob's insistence on

being buried in Canaan as implying the same idea. His blessing to

his children and grandchildren further bears out this thought and

Joseph's instructions with regard to the disposal of his own body

show most clearly that the sojourn in Egypt was not intended to be

permanent, though, as is seen from Joseph's words to his brothers

(Genesis 50.19, 20), it was divinely appointed.

But though, as we have just shown, the main interest of these

chapters is from the point of view of Israel's destiny, they are not

lacking in the personal interest as well. There is a sublime pathos

in Jacob's humble acceptance of the divine decree which makes him,

after life long struggle, end his days in a strange land, with those

ambitions that he had cherished throughout life still depending

on a remote future after his death for their realization. In his

meeting with Pharaoh, he maintains well his patriarchal dignity.

But he shows no sense of triumph in the honors accorded him and his

retrospective glance over his life reveals to him little that is

not disappointing; "Few and evil have been the days of the years of

my life and they have not attained unto the days of the years of

the life of my fathers in the days of their sojournings." (Genesis

47.9.) Pathetic also is the reference of Jacob, when about to bless

the sons of Joseph, to the death of Rachel, which had taken place so

many years ago, as if the thought of Joseph's prosperity awakened

anew his grief that Rachel had not lived to see it: "And as for me,

when I came from Paddan, Rachel died unto me in the land of Canaan

in the way when there was still some way to come unto Ephrath; and

I buried her there in the way to Ephrath--the same is Beth-lehem."

(Genesis 48.7.) Yet he preserves his patriarchal authority over

his children and grandchildren to the last, blessing Ephraim above

Menassah, and not failing in his blessings to his children to

recall their past sins as warnings for the future. The devotion

of his children to him and the renewed relations of affection

between Joseph and his brothers complete the picture of the ideal

patriarchal family where love and reverence and a common faith are

the ties that bind the units together.

Genesis 47.13 to 26 is interesting in the light of what we know of

Egyptian history from other sources than the Bible. The Pharaoh at

the time of Joseph was, it is generally agreed, one of the Hyksos

dynasty, which belonged to a Semitic tribe that had conquered

Egypt. The land before that time had been held in a sort of

feudal tenure by some of the old nobility. These gave constant

trouble, particularly in the south, to the Hyksos rulers. Joseph's

policy therefore was aimed at securing a centralization of power

in the hands of Pharaoh through his obtaining all the land and

reducing all others except the priests to the status of tenants.

This concentration of power in the hands of a single monarch,

intolerable as it would be in a modern state, was often in ancient

times the very best means of securing that measure of peace from

constant strife between petty principalities which was an absolute

prerequisite of progress and civilization. Of course the child is

not interested in such problems and this whole incident should be

omitted, but it is well for the teacher to bear these truths in

mind lest his modern political and economic theories prejudice him

against the character of Joseph.

=Aim.= There are two aims which the teacher should bear in mind in

this lesson, one relating to the historic interest we have shown

it to contain and the other to the personal interest. In accord

with the former the teacher must give to the child those historical

and religious ideas contained in this chapter which summarize the

significance of the patriarchal period and prepare the way for their

next year's work, namely the idea of how God was making a great

nation of Jews in accordance with his promise to the patriarchs by

permitting them to multiply in Egypt, at the same time reminding

them that they were not to become Egyptians but would one day be

brought back to their land. But the aspect of the lesson that can

impress itself most readily on the children is the more personal one

with its picture of the ideal family life as a sort of final tableau

to the drama of Joseph that they have been learning. Of particular

value is the example of reverence for parents which it holds before

them.

=Suggestions to the teacher.= The most valuable help that the

teacher can get in teaching this lesson also comes from the study

of the Biblical story itself. Note that in the Bible although it

is made clear that the settlement in Egypt was brought about in

accordance with a divine plan for the development of the chosen

people, this is nowhere stated in abstract terms but we are allowed

to infer it from the words and acts of the characters and the events

as they shape themselves. In teaching children, who have no power

of forming abstract notions, no other method is possible. It is

necessary, however, for this very reason to take more pains to make

the meaning of the words and acts of the characters clear to the

child. Thus in speaking of God's appearing to Jacob at Beer-sheba

with his reassuring message, one must first state what the Bible

leaves to our own power of inference, Jacob's reluctance to go to

Egypt and the reason for his reluctance. One might say for example:

"So Jacob made ready to leave Canaan and go to meet his son Joseph,

whom he so longed to see once more. And yet, in spite of his anxiety

to meet Joseph, he felt sorry to leave this land of Canaan where

he was born, where his father and mother and his dear wife Rachel

were buried, and where God had promised him that his children

would become a great nation. Perhaps he also felt sorry because

he remembered hearing of a prophecy that God had told to Abraham,

saying that his descendants would become slaves to a strange people

in a strange land, and he thought "Maybe now my children will be

made slaves in Egypt." But that night as he slept God sent a dream

to cheer him. He dreamt he heard God speak to him and say "--etc.

Again, when telling of Joseph's going to meet his father, emphasize

the love that made him hasten to welcome the patriarch and the pride

with which he introduced his aged father to King Pharaoh, as well

as the solicitude for his father's and brothers' comfort implied in

the preparations for their reception in Goshen, the most fertile

part of Egypt, in the delta of the Nile.

In speaking of the desire of Jacob and Joseph to be buried in

Canaan, explain the reason to be their wanting to remind their

descendants of God's promise to bring them out of Egypt to their

own land, Canaan. In telling of Jacob's blessing of Ephraim and

Menassah, it is not necessary to touch upon the preference given to

Ephraim as this is only significant in the light of the subsequent

history of the tribes and, by the time the child gets to that part

of the history, he will have forgotten this incident since there

is nothing in it intrinsically interesting to children, but do

not ignore Genesis 48.20, "And he blessed them that day saying:

'By thee shall Israel bless, saying: God make thee as Ephraim and

as Menassah.'" In this way it is possible to establish a point of

contact between the child's home life and the lesson by pointing out

to him that these very words are part of the blessing with which

his parents bless him on the Sabbath. This will serve to make him

realize that he is one of the people whose history he is learning.

It would also be well to ask how many children say _Ha-mal'ak

ha-go'el_ in their night prayers and to explain that this is part of

Jacob's blessing to Ephraim and Menassah. (Genesis 48.16.)

Help the children visualize the imposing funeral rights in

connection with the burial of Jacob as showing the honor paid to

him by the Egyptians as well as by his own children. They should be

given some idea from the map of the length of the journey and the

route taken. Do not take for granted the children's comprehension

of the renewal of the fear of Joseph's brothers after their father's

death, but explain that they thought perhaps Joseph had failed to

punish them until then merely in order to spare his father, but

that after his father's burial he would have no more scruples, just

as Esau refrained from killing Jacob while his father lived but

threatened to do so after his death.

PART II

ISRAEL UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MOSES

CHAPTER I

THE BIRTH OF MOSES

Exodus 1.1 to 2.10

=Interpretation.= The children of Israel, settled in the rich

pasture land of Goshen, had become a numerous people. At first

they prospered, but then there came a change with the accession

to the throne of the "Pharaoh who knew not Joseph." This Pharaoh

was, in all probability, not only of a different dynasty, but also

of a different race from the Pharaoh of Joseph's day. The Pharaoh

of Joseph's day was probably a descendant of the Hyksos invaders

of Egypt, a Semitic tribe of shepherds like the Israelites. The

true Egyptians, however, who were an agricultural people, and held

shepherds in abomination, perhaps because many of their practices

conflicted with the religious notions of the Egyptians, which

included the worship of sacred cattle (see Exodus 8.22), finally

overthrew this Semitic dynasty. As a consequence, the Israelites

were looked upon with suspicion and hatred as a dangerous element

in the state. The very services that they had rendered to the old

dynasty would now be held against them by the new, and instead

of being a favored race, they came to be looked upon, in spite

of their long sojourn in Egypt, as alien and hostile, and were

subjected to persecution and oppression. Persecution, at first took

the form of enforced labor in the erection of the public works of

the Pharaohs but when the Israelites seemed to thrive in spite of

this, resort was had to the drastic measure of murdering every male

infant. At this point, the Biblical story shows us how Providence

prepared redemption for Israel by sparing the life of the infant

who was destined to become the liberator. Of the general religious

significance of the Egyptian bondage, as interpreted in the Bible,

we have already spoken in preceding chapters.

=Aim.= The aim of this lesson is three-fold, first, to inculcate in

the child the ideal expressed in the words, "And a stranger shalt

thou not wrong neither shalt thou oppress him; for ye were strangers

in the land of Egypt;" (Exodus 22.20); second, to encourage him to

maintain his national Jewish aspirations in the diaspora, as did his

fathers in Egypt, and, finally, to inspire him with faith in God's

providence, as illustrated by the way in which God saved the infant

Moses.

=Suggestions to the teacher.= Begin by recalling the story of Joseph

to the class; how the Israelites who settled in Goshen--point out

its location on the map--became a numerous people, and enjoyed, for

a long time, the favor of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, in gratitude

for all that Joseph had done for Egypt at the time of the famine.

Then dwell on what the children of Israel, who were, for the most

part, simple shepherds, learned from the Egyptians, who were not

only skillful farmers, but great builders as well. This can best

be done by showing pictures of the Egyptian monuments and pointing

to the skill required in order to erect them in an age before the

use of steam and electricity was known. "But", the teacher should

emphasize, "although the children of Israel learned much from the

Egyptians, they did not copy them in everything. In one respect,

they were far in advance of the Egyptians,--in their religion. They

knew that there was one God, whom they could not see, who made the

heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, but the Egyptians

worshipped many gods. They had sacred bulls and sacred cows and

sacred cats, and even a sacred bug--a kind of beetle. The Israelites

in Egypt understood that they were not to become Egyptians, but

that God would some day lead them out of Egypt to their own land of

Palestine, as He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So they

continued to speak their own language, Hebrew, and to maintain their

religion."

Explain how the insistence on keeping up their own religious

practices and their own language, and the refusal to join in the

worship of the Egyptian gods, aroused the hatred of many of the

Egyptians, and paved the way for the edicts of the "new Pharaoh",

that "knew not Joseph". This can best be done by reference to modern

instances of similar antagonism, which may have come within the

range of the child's experience or observation. Speak, for instance,

as follows:

"When the Egyptians saw that the children of Israel would not become

like them, but kept up their own religion and language, many of them

came to dislike the Jews, for there are some people who never like

anybody who is very different from themselves. Some of you may know

boys who like to tease and annoy Chinese, because of their strange

appearance, dress and language, or who are unkind to negroes,

merely because they are black, or who like to torment foreign

children that cannot speak the English language. You well know that

there are some people that are unkind to Jews for no better reason.

In this free country nobody would think of doing us any real harm,

nor would our laws permit it, but there are some countries where

the very laws of the land try to make the life of the Jew unhappy,

merely because he is a Jew. Many of you may have heard something

about how Jews used to be treated in Russia not so long ago. And

that is exactly the way the Egyptians began to feel towards our

forefathers, when they saw that they would not worship the gods of

the Egyptians, and that they kept up their own religious practices

and spoke their own language; and when a new Pharaoh arose who had

forgotten all about Joseph and the good he had done to Egypt, a man

from an altogether different family than the Pharaoh of Joseph's

time and from a different part of the country, the Egyptians began

making laws against the Jews. Pharaoh, who particularly hated the

Jews, made a law that they should all have to work as slaves in the

building of his great treasure cities", etc.

The rest of the story is simple and offers no difficulties to the

teacher. The only thing that needs to be emphasized is that, in

telling of the birth and rescue of the infant, Moses, the teacher

must remember that he is preparing the way for the story of the

Exodus and must emphasize that Moses was saved because God meant

him to redeem His people, not that his rescue was a lucky accident.

He can do this by speaking of God as suggesting the ideas upon

which the characters act. For instance, in telling how Miriam saw

Pharaoh's daughter take up the basket, one might say, "Then God put

a wise thought into the heart of Miriam and she ran up to Pharaoh's

daughter and asked", etc. Again, one might say, "Now when Pharaoh's

daughter saw the little crying baby God filled her heart with pity

for the helpless little infant," and one might conclude the lesson

by saying, "In this way God saved the baby, who, when he was grown

up into a man, was to deliver his people from the oppression of

Pharaoh."

So much for the presentation of the lesson. In discussing it with

the class afterwards, do not fail to suggest by suitable questions

the duty of maintaining our Jewish practices even in the face of

the ridicule and opposition that they sometimes call forth. The

application of the story's moral should be given in terms of the

child's own experience. For instance, one might say: "When our

fathers in Egypt sacrificed to their God and would not sacrifice

to the Egyptian animal gods, did the Egyptians like this? Did the

Israelites, when they saw that the Egyptians hated them, because

they were different in race, language and religion, give up their

language and religion in order to appear like the Egyptians? Do you

think the Jewish child today ought to feel ashamed and give up his

Jewish religious practices, because his Christian friends may think

them strange or may not like them, or may not treat him with as

much kindness if he shows that he is a Jew? Sometimes Jewish boys

go to school on Jewish holidays, because their Christian friends do

not stay at home. Do you think this right? Do you think it right to

sing Christian songs in school, because you are afraid not to do

so? No teacher will ever force you to sing a song that is Christian

if you explain politely that you do not want to do so because your

religion forbids it. If you were asked to take part in a Christmas

celebration at school, what would you do? If a Christian boy offered

you some of his luncheon to eat and you were not sure that what he

gave you was _kosher_, what would you do? In those countries where

the Jews are treated badly today, merely because they are Jews,

as their fathers were treated in Egypt, have they given up their

Judaism on that account, or do they still keep it up? What would you

do if you lived in one of those countries?"

Do not, however, dwell too much on anti-Semitism, as it is not

morally helpful to the child to feel resentment too keenly. It

would be producing the very opposite effect to the one desired if

we were to arouse in our pupils a feeling of animosity towards the

Gentile. The emphasis must be put wholly on the positive virtue of

maintaining religious loyalty in spite of the hostility which it

may, at times, arouse.

CHAPTER II

MOSES, THE FRIEND OF THE WEAK AND OPPRESSED

Exodus 2.11 to 23

=Interpretation.= The chief interest in the narrative contained in

these verses lies in the light they cast on the character of Moses

and the traits that made him the ideal emancipator, leader and

legislator of his people. The first of these is his sympathy with

their suffering and his sense of kinship with them, which leads him,

though a prince of Egypt by rank and education, to go out among his

brethren and look upon their burdens. The second, is his indignation

at anything in the nature of injustice, whether perpetrated by

an Egyptian or an Israelite; and, finally, there is shown his

chivalrous zeal in the service of the weak and oppressed, which

sends him on a mission like that of the ideal knight-errant, "to

ride abroad redressing human wrongs", and which even in a strange

land, leads him to interfere in the cause of the shepherdesses of

Midian against the rude shepherds.

=Aim.= The aim of this lesson is to cultivate in the child, through

his admiration of Moses, those traits in Moses' character which we

have shown the narrative in these chapters to illustrate.

=Suggestions to the teacher.= Try to bring out the nobility of the

course of action that Moses took by calling the attention of the

children to other possible courses that he might have taken. Moses,

having had wealth and luxury at his disposal, might have given up

his life to enjoyment; because of his superior education, he might

have looked down with contempt upon his more ignorant brethren and

held aloof from associating with them; fearing the reproach of his

Hebrew origin, he might have avoided such association for prudential

reasons. But he did none of these things. He felt that if he had

been so wonderfully saved, and he alone been given advantages that

the rest had not received, it was because God intended him to use

these for the good of all his people. It is well, in pointing out

the courses of conduct open to Moses, to use illustrations from

modern life, thus:

"How many children who receive all they need from their parents

and spending-money in addition, think only of spending it on sport

and amusement, and never stop to consider the needs of the poor

children who have not even food or clothing or a warm room and to

share their money with them. But Moses was not like that; although,

being brought up as the son of Pharaoh, he might have lived a life

of ease, idleness and pleasure, he preferred to go about among his

poor brethren and help them with their burdens. Moreover, though

Moses had received the best education that an Egyptian could receive

in those days, he did not let that make him conceited. No matter

how educated or how noble one may be by birth, one should not keep

aloof from the lowly and common people. So Moses, though a learned

prince, was never too proud to associate with the ignorant slaves,

his people."

In teaching of how Moses slew the Egyptian, do not fail to bring

out the heroic character of the action by emphasis on the motive of

Moses, namely, his violated sense of justice, and on the perils to

which he must have known in advance that this act would expose him.

CHAPTER III

GOD SENDS MOSES TO SAVE HIS PEOPLE

Exodus 3.1-4.31

=Interpretation.= The time now being ripe for God's fulfilling

His covenant to redeem Israel from the bondage of Egypt, He makes

His purpose known to Moses and entrusts him with the mission of

announcing the redemption to the elders of Israel and demanding

it of Pharaoh. But Moses hesitates. He doubts his qualifications

for the task, asking, "Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh and

that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

And God's answer is, "Certainly I will be with thee." But this

does not yet satisfy Moses, he wants a guarantee of Divine aid in

God's statement, "I am יהוה." For in asking God for his name, Moses

was not merely seeking information. There is no space in this

book to take up a discussion of the critical questions raised by

these verses. The interpretation given by Wiener[7] seems the most

reasonable. He calls attention to the fact that among primitive

people--and the narratives of the Pentateuch had to be made

comprehensible to a primitive people--the name of a person, and,

more especially, of a god, was regarded as having certain powers

which were conferred upon anyone to whom he revealed his name.

When Moses asked for the name of God, it was, therefore, as a sort

of positive irrevocable guarantee of success, but God, at this

juncture, refuses to say directly, "I am יהוה" and gives the evasive

reply, "I am that I am." Then Moses, dissatisfied, declares that

the people will not believe him, and God replies by showing him

the miracle of the staff turning into a serpent, etc. Still Moses

hesitates, pleading lack of eloquence as an excuse for not going,

and God promises to inspire his utterances and to commission, also,

his brother Aaron, who was eloquent, to assist as his spokesman. The

significance of this dialogue of Moses with God is usually explained

as contained in what it reveals to us of the characteristic meekness

of Moses. It does, indeed, illustrate this conspicuous trait of his

character, but if it were the chief aim of the Biblical author to

commend the meekness of Moses we should scarcely be prepared for

the statement (Exodus 4.14), "And the anger of the Lord was kindled

against Moses." The main purpose of the Biblical author seems rather

to be to emphasize the apparent impossibility of the task which

Moses was asked to accomplish in order that the miraculous character

of the deliverance be the more evident. It is significant that

before Moses goes to speak to Pharaoh, God refuses the revelation of

His name, but after he has gone on his mission God does reveal it

(Exodus 6.2). It would seem that He resented Moses' refusal to go

without a special guarantee. The moral of the narrative is perhaps

most clearly brought out in God's rejoinder to Moses, "Who maketh a

man dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? is it not I, the Lord?" Exodus

4.11.

[7] Essays in Pentateuchal Criticism pages 47-53.

=Aim.= The aim of this lesson should be to inculcate in the child

faith in God's power and providence as revealed in Jewish history.

The teacher should endeavor to make the child, through admiration

of the heroism of Moses in attempting the apparently impossible in

the service of God, feel with deep conviction that in His service,

there can be no failure. He should try to get not only the child's

intellectual assent to the idea that God can accomplish anything

that He purposes, but he should arouse an emotional appreciation of

that heroism begotten of faith which leads great men to undertake

what would, to others, seem impossible.

=Suggestions to the teacher.= Inasmuch as we wish to inspire in

the child by means of this lesson, a faith in divine providence,

we must guard against any attempt at rationalizing the miracles

recorded in this and subsequent chapters. It is faith in God's

power over nature and His use of this power in the interests of

justice and righteousness that this lesson should teach, and no

philosophic explanation can bring home this truth to the child so

well as the simple, impressive narration of the miracle. A belief

in the supernatural and transcendent power of God is essential in

Judaism, and the miracle tale is the best means for emphasizing

this doctrine. To be sure, it may be necessary at an older age, to

modify and deepen one's conception of the miraculous, but the only

means by which the child can conceive of God's transcendent power,

providentially exercised, is through the simple, straight-forward

narrative of miracles He performed. No attempt, for instance, should

be made to identify the voice that addressed Moses from the burning

bush with the voice of conscience. It must remain an objective

voice. God's reply to Moses' inquiry as to His name, "I am that I

am," is sometimes made the occasion for the teacher to indulge in an

attempt at a philosophical discussion of the nature of God. We have

already suggested in our interpretation of the passage that these

words were probably never intended to convey such meaning. They are

not an answer to the question, "What is Thy name?" but a refusal to

answer it, and, therefore, it is not in place to interpret their

significance as revealing anything of the nature of God. Apart from

this consideration, however, such abstract theological discussion is

above the mental power of the child and should always be avoided. It

is, therefore, best to teach the verse without any comment, as this

by itself tends to preserve the atmosphere of mystery and awe which

envelopes the whole episode.

In telling of the dialogue of God and Moses, the Biblical language

can be used almost throughout, and, at any rate, the speeches should

be given in direct discourse. Be careful to aid the child to an

appreciation of the reason for Moses' hesitation, both because this

is necessary to a proper understanding of the character of Moses,

and because it prepares the way for a better appreciation of the

miracle of the Exodus. For instance, in telling of the call of God

to Moses, one might continue somewhat in this wise: "When Moses

heard God say, 'Go and I will send thee to Pharaoh, and do thou

bring my people, the children of Israel out of Egypt', his heart

sank. How could he, one man, and a stranger, go before this cruel

and powerful king of a mighty nation, surrounded by courtiers,

guards and soldiers, and say to him, 'Let these thousands of slaves

who are building your cities go free?' Would Pharaoh pay any

attention to him? So Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should

go to Pharaoh, that I should bring forth the children of Israel

out of Egypt?'" The teacher can also make the emphasis of the

narrative clearer by the questions he asks after the presentation

of the lesson, as, for instance: "What did God ask Moses to say to

Pharaoh? Do you think Pharaoh would let Israel go just because Moses

asked it? Why not? (Draw out the idea that Pharaoh was used to being

obeyed, not commanded, and that the slavery of Israel was profitable

to him.) Did Moses think that Pharaoh would obey him? What did Moses

say to God when God told him to go to Pharaoh? Why did not Moses

want to go? How did God answer Moses when Moses said that he was not

a good enough speaker?"

CHAPTER IV

MOSES' FIRST APPEARANCE BEFORE PHARAOH Exodus 4.29 to 6.8

=Interpretation.= The first step that Moses takes seems to contain a

promise of success. He and Aaron succeed in interesting the elders

of Israel in the prospect of deliverance, but the hope which this

initial success raised in the heart of Moses was soon destined to

be disappointed, for Pharaoh not only refuses the moderate request

of a three days' journey into the wilderness, but also imposes

new and impossible burdens upon the Israelites. This has the

immediate effect of discrediting Moses and Aaron in the eyes of

the people, even in the eyes of the Israelite overseers, who had

sought to intercede for their brethren with Pharaoh, and who now

reproach Moses and Aaron as the enemies of the people. In utter

despair he lays his complaint before God, and at this juncture God

vouchsafes to him that revelation of His name, which He had at first

withheld, and assures him of the fulfillment of the covenant with

the patriarchs. Moses was not to be discouraged by the hardness of

Pharaoh's heart, for even this was but to emphasize the miraculous

character of Israel's escape. This is the significance of the verses

in Exodus 6.1 and 7.3-5.

=Aim.= The aim of this chapter is the same as that of the preceding.

In addition, it should be utilized to teach reverence for the name

of God.

=Suggestions to the teacher.= Before beginning this lesson recall

by a few questions the main points of the previous lesson, laying

especial emphasis on the difficulties of the task Moses was called

upon to perform. Then tell how the hopes of Moses were raised by

his meeting Aaron, and still more by the reception accorded him

by the elders of Israel, who remembered hearing of the prophecy

that Israel was to be led out of Egypt and go to the land promised

to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The conversation between Moses and

Pharaoh must be given in direct discourse, and in the language of

the Bible. The children must be made to realize the dilemma in

which the Jewish overseers of the work found themselves, in that

they were held accountable for the impossible tasks that they were

required to exact from the people. Their petition to Pharaoh and

Pharaoh's retort must also be given in direct discourse and in

language approaching that of the Bible, but somewhat more explicit,

so that the motives are clear to the children, thus: "Now, when

the Hebrew overseers of the work saw that they were being brutally

beaten because the children of Israel could not do the impossible

and make bricks without straw, they thought that they would come

before Pharaoh and reason with him; so they came and said: 'Oh king,

wherefore dost thou do so to thy servants, no straw is given to thy

servants, yet thou sayest to us, see that they make bricks, and when

they do not make the number of bricks thou dost require--for they

cannot make the same number if they must take the time to gather the

straw themselves--the blame is put on us, their overseers, and we

are unjustly punished.' Pharaoh would not listen to reason, but grew

red in the face with anger and said in a blustering voice, 'You are

idle fellows, idle! that is why you look for excuses not to work,

saying: Come, let us sacrifice to the Lord! And now, go to your work

and straw shall not be given to you and you shall furnish the same

number of bricks as before, when the straw was given'."

This prepares the way for the explanation of the change in the

people's attitude to Moses, as shown in Genesis 5. 21. The words of

the overseers to Moses should be paraphrased somewhat, because the

children might not understand the figurative language, thus: "May

the Lord appear and judge you, for you have given us a bad name with

Pharaoh, and instead of keeping your promise to free us from Egypt

you have given Pharaoh an excuse to treat us worse than we have ever

been treated before." Then proceed to describe the feelings of Moses

when he heard these words, how it must have seemed at the time that

the goal for which he was striving seemed farther away than ever.

Not only had Pharaoh not granted his petition, but the one effect of

his pleading was to add to the burdens of the people, which he had

sought to relieve, so that his own people now turned against him.

This brings the teacher to the narrative of God's revelation of

his name to Moses, the significance of which I explained in the

preceding chapter. In teaching it to the child, the chief aim, as

already indicated, should be to inspire reverence for the name of

God. A second aim should be to impress the child with the greatness

of Moses. This can be very easily done by presenting this lesson

somewhat as follows: "Then God told Moses His name, His name which

he had not told before to any other man, not even to Abraham, Isaac

and Jacob. He had made himself known to them as God Almighty, and

by many different names, but His real name he had not told them.

This name, children, you have never heard, though you have probably

all seen it." (The teacher then lets them open their prayer-books at

the שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, or, if they have no books with them, he has a book

ready which he opens at that place. He lets one of the children read

the first verse of the שְׁמַע.) "Now you all know that we read the third

word in this verse 'adonoy', but that is not what the four letters of

that word יהוה spell, is it? You would expect the word to be spelt

יהוה wouldn't you? Well, those four letters that make this third word

of the שְׁמַע spell the name that God told Moses, but we, none of us,

say that name. Instead, we say 'adonoy', which means 'The Lord',

because it is not respectful to call God by His name."[8] The

teacher then asks one of the children what his father's name is, his

mother's. "When you speak to your father and mother, do you call

them by name? What do you call them? When people speak to a king

they never call him by name, but they call him, 'Your Majesty.' A

judge in a law court is never called by name, he is called, 'Your

Honor.' The President of the United States is not addressed by name,

he is addressed as 'Mr. President.' This is all done as a mark of

honor and respect, and for the same reason we do not call God by His

name but speak of Him as the Lord, God, the Eternal, and so forth,

in order to show our respect and reverence for God. But when God saw

how faithfully Moses had obeyed Him, even though this obedience had

brought him nothing but sorrow, He loved Moses so much that He told

him His name, to show that He treated Moses as a friend who might

call Him by name as friends are used to call each other. He wanted

to let Moses feel that it made no difference even if Pharaoh was his

enemy, and if the Israelites themselves turned against him, because

Moses still had one Friend who would always stand by him, God

himself. He told him, therefore, His name, and gave him permission

to use it in speaking to the children of Israel that they might all

know that God was with him and would help him, and He said, 'I am

the Lord; and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac and unto Jacob, as

God Almighty, but by My name I made Me not known to them'," etc.,

to the end of verse 9. In discussing the lesson with the children,

point out the sinfulness of taking God's name in vain, even as

applied to the other names of God beside the tetragrammaton (יהוה).

[8] Do not illustrate this on the blackboard, as Jewish sentiment

considers it irreverent to write the name of God on anything from

which it will be subsequently erased, or which will be cast aside

and destroyed. Instead, illustrate from printed books. If children

are required to write the name of God on the blackboard they should

be taught to write simply the initial "G" in English or ה or ד in

Hebrew.]

CHAPTER V

THE PLAGUES

Exodus 6.9 to 10.29

=Interpretation.= The meaning of these chapters is plain. They

contain the narrative of that contest between Pharaoh and his court

with all their magic devices on the one hand and Moses, armed with

the name of God, on the other. The reader should not fail to note

the dramatic portrayal of the impotence of blind, tyrannical rage

which vacillates between half-hearted concessions that cannot

satisfy opposition and blind fury that merely invites opposition.

With the second plague Pharaoh is ready to satisfy Moses' demand,

but he remains of this intent only until the plague is removed,

then in his apparent security, the habit of tyranny immediately

reasserts itself, and he again refuses to let Israel go. With the

fourth plague, Pharaoh offers as a compromise that the Israelites

may sacrifice to their God in Egypt. This compromise Moses rejects,

stating boldly as his reason that such a course would involve

slaying the "abomination", _i. e._, the gods, of the Egyptians, a

thing which the Egyptian people would not suffer. Thereupon Pharaoh

consents to let the Israelites go, "Only do not go afar off," but

with the removal of the plague this concession is again withdrawn.

After the seventh plague, Pharaoh, in accordance with the insistent

demand of his court, is ready for further concessions. He is

ready to permit the men to go, provided they leave the women and

children as hostages biding their return. When this concession is

rejected, his fury leads him again into a mad defiance. The ninth

plague makes him seek once more to appease Moses and Aaron. He is

ready now even to let the women and children go, only the cattle

must remain in Egypt. But Moses is firm; the cattle were needed for

sacrifice. Nothing less than a complete exodus of all the people

with their possessions for a three days' journey into the wilderness

to worship God on His holy mountain would satisfy Moses. Indeed,

he even suggests that the king himself provide animals for the

sacrifice. Then Pharaoh in a rage commits his final indiscretion,

declaring to Moses and Aaron, "Get thee from me, take heed to

thyself, see my face no more; for in the day thou seest my face

thou shalt die." This closes all negotiations between them. Moses

accepts his ultimatum. "Thou hast spoken well; I will see thy face

again no more." Henceforth, not even a three days' journey into the

wilderness will suffice. Pharaoh had pronounced his own sentence, a

sentence which the arbitrary and tyrannical always pronounce upon

themselves when opposed by the protagonists of reason and justice.

=Aim.= The aim of this chapter, as of all those leading to the

event of the Exodus, is to inspire the child with faith in God's

providence as exercised over Israel in particular, and over mankind

in general, in the interests of liberty and justice.

=Suggestions to the teacher.= It is sometimes suggested in books on

the teaching of Biblical history that the story of the plagues be

passed over lightly, without much attention to detail. This would

be a mistake. The story of the plagues has a great fascination for

young children, the same sort of fascination which the works of

fairies and witches in their favorite fairy tales exercise over

them. The skillful teacher will make the most of the native interest

in the marvelous by employing it to increase the spirit of reverent

awe which he must endeavor to associate with the thought of God. In

telling each of these plagues, it is not enough to describe what

happened, but the teacher must assist in making the child realize

what the plagues meant to Egypt. Thus, in teaching the first plague,

dwell on how indispensable water is and what distress results if

people are deprived of water for any length of time.

The interest of the children in the plagues must not, however, be

merely due to their interest in the marvelous. Endeavor to interest

them primarily in the contest between God and Pharaoh. All the

conversations between Pharaoh and Moses must be told as nearly as

possible in the language of the Bible, so that the child is made to

feel the strength of the firm insistence of Moses and the weakness

of Pharaoh's vacillating and temporizing attitude. Unless at the

end of the lesson the child is filled with admiration for Moses and

contempt for Pharaoh, the teacher has not taught the lesson well.

Inasmuch as there are so many allusions to the ten plagues in Jewish

and general literature, the child should be taught to remember them

in their proper order. This can be done best by naming each plague

in a single word or brief phrase, as in the Passover Haggadah, and

writing them on the blackboard thus:

1. Blood. 6. Boils.

2. Frogs. 7. Hail.

3. Gnats. 8. Locusts.

4. Flies. 9. Darkness.

5. Pestilence among cattle. 10. Death of first-born.

CHAPTER VI

THE EXODUS

Exodus 11.1 to 13.16

=Interpretation.= These chapters relate the climax toward which the

narrative from the birth of Moses until this point has been leading,

the exodus from Egypt. They also contain the laws associated with

the commemoration of this event. The narrative begins by telling

of God's promise that the next plague would be the last, and His

command to the people to prepare for the exodus. Before they

were permitted to leave, some expression of their faith in God's

deliverance and their readiness to follow His guidance was required;

therefore, we have the command to take a lamb on the tenth day of

the month, which was to begin their new era, and sacrifice it on

the 14th, and eat the flesh of it in family groups on that night,

together with bitter herbs and unleavened bread, which thereafter

were to serve as symbols of the bondage and of the liberation from

it. The blood of this sacrifice, they were to sprinkle on the

doorposts of their houses in order to testify by this ritual to

their desire to be included in the "Army of the Lord" that was to

depart on the morrow, and all who did not testify thus to their

adherence to Israel's cause were to meet with the same fate as the

Egyptians with whom they had chosen to identify themselves. The

Israelites were to eat the lamb while standing with their loins girt

and staves in their hands, in readiness for the signal to depart.

The rabbis call attention to the fact that the sacrifice of the

Paschal lamb in Egypt by the Israelites was a very bold expression

of their faith, inasmuch as the sheep was among the sacred animals

of Egypt. When Pharaoh suggests to Moses that the Israelites could

sacrifice to their God in Egypt, he replies, "Lo, if we sacrifice

the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not

stone us?" (Exodus 8. 22.) But by this time Pharaoh and Egypt

had been so humiliated by the plagues which did not even spare

their sacred river Nile, that the Egyptians feared to attack the

Israelites, while the children of Israel had recovered their lost

confidence in Moses, and in the God in whose name he spoke to them.

Among the laws and observances associated with the events of this

chapter are: 1. The law ordaining the first of Nisan, as the "New

Year for months", in commemoration of the inauguration of the new

era in Israel's history; 2. the annual sacrifice of the Paschal

lamb which was eaten in the family circle together with bitter

herbs and unleavened bread to recall the similar observances of the

Israelites before leaving Egypt;[9] 3. the celebration for seven

days[10] of the festival of Passover by the previous removal of

all leaven and abstention from it during the festival and by the

eating of unleavened bread in commemoration of the haste of Israel's

departure that did not allow them to make other provision; 4. the

duty of narrating these events to one's children, which gave rise

to the recital of the Haggadah on the night of Passover; 5. the

sanctification of the first-born of cattle and of men in recognition

of the providential character of the tenth plague, the latter custom

surviving in the practice of "pidyon ha-ben", "the redemption of

the first-born", and, 6. the injunction to make of this command "a

sign upon thy hand and frontlets between thine eyes" which led to

the inclusion of the passage containing these words, and the command

to sanctify the first-born among those enclosed in the _tephillin_,

thus making them a theme for daily reflection. In addition to these

practices, it is noteworthy that the Sabbath and holidays, even

those having other historic associations, are characterized in

our liturgy as מִצְרַים לִיצִואַת זֵכֶר "memorials of the Exodus from

Egypt." The multitude of observances that are thus designed to keep

us mindful of the Exodus testify to the importance of the leading

idea associated with this event for the Jewish people at all times,

namely, the identification of the cause of Israel with the cause of

God, "And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a

God, and ye shall know that I am the Lord, your God, who brought you

out from under the burdens of the Egyptians." (Exodus 6. 7.)

[9] Since the sacrifices have ceased with the destruction of

the Temple, the eating of the meal as part of the Seder service

answers this purpose. At this meal the Paschal lamb is symbolically

represented by the roasted bone, and the _maẓẓot_ and _maror_ are

eaten.

[10] In modern times eight days in the diaspora.

=Aim.= The aim of this lesson should be to make the child conscious

of his identity with Israel and of the debt of gratitude and loyalty

that this imposes upon him in view of God's redemption of Israel.

=Suggestions to the teacher.= The association of the Exodus with

the observance of Passover is the obvious method of establishing

a contact between the subject to be taught in this lesson and the

Jewish child of today. Nevertheless, it is better not to employ the

observances of the Passover as the technical "point of contact"

with which to introduce the original presentation of the lesson, as

that would delay too long the actual narration, but to use them to

introduce the discussion of the topic by the class after the teacher

has told his story.

To introduce the narrative itself a reference to previous lessons

is sufficient, as the last few lessons have all anticipated the

events told in these chapters. This the teacher can best do by a

few introductory questions, as, for instance; "Why did God send the

plagues of which we learned in our last lesson against Egypt?" (Draw

out the answer that it was not merely to punish the Egyptians but

to compel Pharaoh to free the Israelites.) When, after the ninth

plague, Moses refused Pharaoh's offer to let the Israelites go on

condition that they left their cattle and possessions behind, what

did Pharaoh say? How did Moses answer? The teacher then continues:

"When Pharaoh had driven Moses and Aaron from him and told them

never to come before him again or he would have them put to

death, it was plain that there was no use arguing with him any

more. God had given him many chances to change his attitude and

let the Israelites go in peace, to serve Him in the wilderness,

but Pharaoh would not listen and now God decided to send one

more plague upon Egypt, so terrible that Pharaoh would be forced

to let the Israelites go."

In telling of the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb and the sprinkling

of the blood on the doorposts, guard against leaving the child with

the notion that God really required a sign in order to distinguish

the Hebrew from the Egyptian house. This can be done by explaining

that God wanted to test the faith of the Israelites in the expected

exodus by their readiness to make these preparations. The sprinkling

of the blood on the doorposts was to be a sign that the inmates of

the house wanted it to be considered a Hebrew house, but if they

were willing to remain in Egypt and would not trust God to lead them

out, they would naturally not make these preparations, and would

deserve to be treated like all the other Egyptians.

Call attention to the change in the attitude of the people to Moses

and Aaron since God had shown His power in the plagues, for at first

they would not listen to them "for impatience of spirit and for

cruel bondage", and now they obeyed the minutest prescriptions of

Moses in anticipation of the exodus.

After completing the narrative try to bring home its moral

in connection with the celebration of Passover, so that this

celebration in its annual recurrence may, by association of ideas,

reinforce the lesson you are teaching. Speak to the class somewhat

as follows: "Can you imagine how happy our forefathers felt when

they received the signal to leave Egypt? Think of what a change

it meant to them. No longer would they have to rise up early in

the morning, work, work, work all day for Pharaoh, and receive

nothing for their labor. No longer would they have a taskmaster

standing over them with a whip ready to beat them cruelly if they

did not finish the required number of bricks, although they may

have been too old or too sick to do so. No longer would they have

to do whatever the Egyptians commanded them and have to fear even

to sacrifice to their God, lest the Egyptian idol-worshipper might

stone them. To be sure, in the wilderness into which they were

going, and even in the Promised Land to which God was leading them,

they would have to work hard as shepherds and farmers, but they

would be tending their own flocks and herds and working on their own

farms. Nobody now could order them about, for his selfish purpose,

and they could obey and serve their God without interference, could

rest on His holy days and could sacrifice when and where they would.

Do you not think that if you had lived in Egypt in those days, you

would have felt happy and thankful to God and ready always to do His

wishes for having brought you forth from slavery to freedom? Would

you not feel every year, when the fifteenth of Nisan came, that you

would want to celebrate it as a great joyous holiday on which you

would thank God for the happy change He brought into your life, and

do you not think that if you had children, you would never tire of

telling them the story, particularly on the anniversary of the great

event so that they, too, should thank God for the freedom that they

are permitted to enjoy? Well, that is what our forefathers did.

Every year they celebrated the going out of Egypt and they told

the story of the departure from Egypt to their children and taught

them to celebrate it, and so the observance of this day has been

kept up to our own time, and I hope you will one day teach your

children to observe it. Can any of you tell me the name of this

festival? When our fathers told the story of God's deliverance of

Israel from Egypt they tried to have everything at hand that would

remind them of all that had occurred on that great day. In order

to remind them of the lamb that they had slaughtered, they used in

olden times to sacrifice a lamb, and they ate it in their family

groups just as they had done in Egypt; and later, when sacrifices

were no longer offered, they had, as we have today, as a reminder

of the same, a roasted bone of a lamb on their table the first two

nights of Passover. To remind them of the haste in which they left

Egypt without being able to leaven their bread (the teacher must

explain the meaning of the word leaven), they made it a law to eat

_maẓẓot_ during that festival. Can you tell me of some of the other

things on the Seder table on Pesah? (As they are mentioned, let the

teacher explain their significance.) When you saw all these things

at the Seder table, didn't you always feel like asking what they all

meant? How many of you have ever said the נִשְׁתַּנָּה מַה on Seder

night? Well, that contains a number of such questions. When you were

through reading them your father began to read from the Haggadah,

did he not? He read the answer, which explains why we celebrate

Pesah, and this is the way it begins: 'Slaves were we in the land of

Egypt, and the Lord, our God, brought us forth from thence with a

mighty hand, and an outstretched arm, and if the Holy One, blessed

be He, had not brought forth our ancestors from Egypt, we and our

children and our children's children might still have continued in

bondage to the Pharaohs in Egypt. Therefore, even if we were all

great scholars, all men of understanding, all learned in the Torah,

it would, nevertheless, be our duty to tell about the departure from

Egypt, and the more one tells about the departure from Egypt, the

more one is to be praised.'"

The children should be encouraged to discuss very freely the

celebration of the Passover, as observed in their own homes, as this

is an excellent opportunity of correlating their school instruction

with their home life.

CHAPTER VII

ISRAEL AT THE RED SEA

Exodus 13.17 to 15.21

=Interpretation.= With this chapter a new period in Jewish history

begins, the formative period, during which the unorganized horde of

refugees from Egyptian bondage is given the character of a great

nation through the providential circumstances of its history and the

inspired genius of its leader. The period is one that is replete

with miracles. Modern rationalism may attempt to explain them away,

and it is quite possible that events which, had we experienced

them, we might have ascribed to the operation of natural laws,

were felt by our ancestors with their more limited knowledge of

nature to be miracles, and were regarded as such. But, however we

may represent to our minds the incidents that took place, we must

recognize in them the hand of Providence and not merely a historic

chance. We may, if we wish, regard the parting of the Red Sea as a

tidal phenomenon, the pillar of cloud and flame as a volcanic cloud,

but we must, in that case, believe that this tidal phenomenon and

this volcanic cloud were designed for the guidance of our people.

No teacher who lacks the faith that the various vicissitudes of

our people in the wilderness were intended to preserve them and to

prepare them for their historic career, as the standard-bearers

of the Torah, can fittingly teach this period of our history for,

without such a conception, a majority of the events recorded would

be meaningless.

The chapters of this lesson contain experiences and reflections

that are typical of the whole period of the wilderness. Note at the

outset the explanation for the roundabout route of the Israelites,

which states the fundamental reason for this whole period of trial

and vicissitudes. They were not to go to the Promised Land by way of

Philistia, because that way was too short, and they might have been

tempted, at the first rebuff, to return to Egypt, since only that

which has been won at the cost of effort and sacrifice can be fully

appreciated. The importance of taking this psychological factor into

consideration is evident from the conduct of Israel at the Red Sea,

when the first obstacle that comes in their way leads them to murmur

against the leadership of Moses, and to compare disparagingly their

present situation with what had been their lot in Egypt. This is a

state of affairs which we find again and again in the history of

this period, and it emphasizes the providential character of those

events, which could convert this horde of slaves with the stamp of

slavery on their hearts into a conquering nation conscious of a

great historic mission.

=Aim.= The aim of this lesson is to inspire the child with the

belief in God's providence exercised over His people, Israel.

=Suggestions to the teacher.= Begin the lesson by pointing out that

God had fulfilled His promise to free the Israelites from Egypt. But

where were they to go now? Recall by questions, God's promise to the

patriarchs to give Canaan to the Israelites. Recall also Jacob's

desire to be buried in Palestine and Joseph's similar request.

Then locate Palestine and Egypt on the map, and show by the scale

of miles how far apart they are. Observe that if the Israelites

could cover twenty miles a day in their journey, it would take them

a little more than two weeks to complete the journey. "But," you

continue, "God did not lead them directly to the land of Canaan,

because the people were not prepared to keep a land of their own."

One may use the following illustration to make the reason clear:

"If one opens the cage of a canary bird that has been born and

raised in a cage it will not immediately fly out and away; for some

time it will stay in the cage afraid to leave it, then it will

timidly go out a little way and if anything frightens it, will hurry

back into its cage. Now, the Israelites had been in Egypt like a

caged bird. They were not free to go where they would and do what

they would. Then all of a sudden they were free. But they were so

used always to being told by the Egyptians what they should do, that

they were afraid to do things for themselves, and, indeed, did not

know how. God knew that if they came to Canaan, and they saw there

an army of the Canaanites coming against them to battle, they would

be so frightened, that, instead of fighting them boldly and bravely,

they would at once go back to Egypt and become slaves to Pharaoh,

just as the bird goes back to the cage when it is frightened. God,

therefore, decided not to take them at once to their own land, but

to lead them in a roundabout way with many turnings and twistings,

so that they would not know how to return to Egypt if they wanted to

do so." (Show on the map the direct route possible to the Israelites

and the actual route that they took.) "And now I am going to tell

you something that happened which will show you how, at the very

first difficulty, many of the Israelites wanted to go back to Egypt

and how God saved them from their troubles."

Then tell the story of their wanderings, guided by the pillar of

cloud and fire, Pharaoh's pursuit and the crossing of the Red Sea.

Lay emphasis on the dilemma which faced the Israelites at the Red

Sea, and on their consequent state of mind, which is revealed in

Exodus 14.10-12. These complaints should be quoted in the language

of the Bible. The children might be required to memorize Moses'

reply, which sums up the message of the lesson, "Stand still and see

the salvation of the Lord." Read to the class the song of Moses and

encourage the memorizing of favorite verses from the song.

CHAPTER VIII

FROM THE RED SEA TO SINAI

Exodus 15.22 to 18.27

=Interpretation.= The significance of the events which took place

at Marah, in the wilderness of Sin, and at Rephidim is the same

as of those recorded in the preceding chapter. The antagonism

felt towards Amalek, which made him the arch-type of all Israel's

historic foes, is to be explained by the fact that he was the first

to go out of his way to oppose Israel, attacking it where it was

weak at a time and in a manner which, because of the lack of any

obvious provocation, impressed the Israelites as a direct attempt

to defeat God's purpose in having brought them from Egypt. This

is suggested by the words, "The hand upon the throne of the Lord;

the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."

(Exodus 17. 16.) Thus, Ibn Ezra says in his commentary to Exodus

17. 14, "The reason for God's saying, 41 will utterly blot out the

remembrance of Amalek', is because he provoked the Lord, for the

dukes of Edom had been terrified with the dread of Him on account

of the miracles which He had performed in Egypt and at the Red Sea,

and so, too were Moab and Philistia, and behold this Amalek, hearing

of the mighty deeds of the Lord in behalf of His people, Israel,

came from a distant region to fight with Israel, and dreaded not

the Lord, as it is written (Deuteronomy 25. 18), 'and he feared not

the Lord'." The incident of the Israelites being victorious, so

long as Moses' hands were raised, is to be explained as the rabbis

explain it in the Mishnah (Rosh ha-Shanah III. 8). "Could the hands

of Moses in any wise make or break a victory that we are told, 'And

it came to pass when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed'?

This can only mean to tell us that so long as the Israelites looked

upward and subjected their hearts to their Father in heaven, they

prevailed, and when not, they fell."

The visit of Jethro is recorded as a contrast to the preceding

episode. Jethro is the type of the "righteous proselyte" who, seeing

God's purpose in exalting Israel, seeks to identify himself with

Israel's cause.

=Aim.= The aim of this lesson is the same as of the preceding.

=Suggestions to the teacher.= The teaching of this lesson presents

no great difficulties, the events narrated being in themselves

interesting to children. Try to aid the child in realizing the

hardships of wandering through the wilderness by a description of

the geographical features of the wilderness, the lack of roads, of

water, of food for man and cattle, the fear of wild beasts, and

of marauding tribes like Amalek, the lack of housing facilities,

etc. Endeavor to make the child realize how the Israelites felt,

when contrasting these conditions with those that existed in

the fertile Nile valley. This will help them to understand the

murmurings against Moses, and what a thankless task it was that

Moses had assumed in leading the Israelites. Do not fail to appeal

to their hero worship by pointing out the unselfishness of Moses

in continuing to lead the people in spite of their ingratitude. In

teaching of the double portion of Manna, which they gathered on

the eve of the Sabbath, one may associate it with the two loaves

of bread used at the Sabbath meal in the child's home. In telling

the story of Amalek's attack, it is well to mitigate the harshness

of the Biblical injunction to remember what Amalek did to us, by

associating with it the moral taught by the following Midrash:

"To what may the children of Israel (at this juncture) be compared?

To a child, who was being carried on his father's shoulders through

the street and whenever he saw any object he desired he would say to

his father, 'Buy it for me', and his father would buy it for him.

This happened once, twice, thrice. While they were proceeding thus,

the child saw his father's friend and asked him, 'Have you seen

anything of my father?' Thereupon, the father offended, said, 'Fool!

you are riding on my shoulders, and whatever you want I provide

for you and yet you dare ask this man, "Have you seen anything of

my father?"' So what did the father do? He put the child down and

refused to carry him any further. Just then a dog came and bit the

child. Even such was the conduct of Israel. When they went forth

from Egypt, God at once surrounded them with clouds of glory. They

desired Manna; the Holy One, blessed be He, gave it them. They

desired quail; He gave it them. Whatever they needed, He gave them.

Nevertheless, they began to doubt and said, 'Is the Lord among us or

not?' (Exodus 17. 7.) Thereupon, the Holy One, be He blessed, said

to them, 'As ye live, I shall make it known to you. Behold the dog

is coming and will bite you.' And who is the dog? Amalek, as it is

said, 'And Amalek came'," etc.

In teaching this and similar lessons, it is important to locate all

places on the map, as this gives greater reality to the stories. The

association of a legend with a particular place has always had the

effect on simple minds of making it appear more worthy of credence,

and it is well to utilize this psychological fact in order to give

a sense of reliability and reality to the Biblical narrative. To

show pictures of the places mentioned, is even more valuable an aid,

which should also be applied wherever possible.

CHAPTER IX

THE REVELATION

Exodus 19.1 to 20.18

=Interpretation.= The event which is the subject of this lesson is

without exception the most important event in Jewish history, and

from the point of view of Judaism, in the history of the world.

All previous Jewish history leads up to it; all subsequent Jewish

history harks back to it. In the story of the Patriarchs, the

central theme is the choice of the material out of which that nation

is to spring, which will accept the Torah, and commit itself to live

for and by it. The central theme of the story of the exodus is the

preparation of the people for this event, God's purchasing Israel,

to use the Biblical phrase, from his masters, that he might serve

God alone. And the central theme of all subsequent Jewish history

is the struggle to make the principles of this Torah dominant over

Israel and to guard its ideals, and the institutions to which it

gave rise against foreign aggression on the one hand, and foreign

seduction on the other. The event of the great Revelation is

therefore of the utmost significance.

What took place at Mt. Sinai? Something of the awe which set

bounds about the mountain that the people dared not break through,

must be ours, as we approach this subject. We must realize that

an event such as this cannot be recorded in the terms of our

daily experience. We can only guess and guess feebly at what the

experience meant for our forefathers from the records that they

have left us, clothed in all the poetic imagery of our Bible

narrative. At Sinai, in the midst of most impressive natural

surroundings, thunder, lightning, earthquake, fire and smoke, the

people became conscious of God's presence, as they had never been

conscious of His presence before. And while thus impressed with

the infinite power of the God who had led them out of Egypt that

they might worship Him there in the wilderness, they entered into

a covenant with Him. Under the inspired guidance of the greatest

of all prophets, they were made to realize that this God demanded

obedience to law, as the condition of His continuing to be their God

and to lead them as His people, whom He had redeemed from Egypt.

And the content of this revealed covenant is the Decalogue, the most

significant moral code in the world's history, which has exercised

an influence upon mankind more profound and beneficent than any

other. After insisting upon the recognition of the God who redeemed

Israel from Egypt as the sole source of all authority and the sole

object of worship, and endeavoring to secure the acknowledgment

of these claims by enjoining reverence for God's name, this code

lays down laws governing all the most important human relations.

It insists on the sanctity of the home, both in the tie between

husband and wife, and between parent and child. It insists on the

sacredness of human life, and guarantees the right of property,

which is essential to human development. It demands truth and

justice in the administration of law. It concerns itself little with

ceremonial forms, but it insists, nevertheless, on the observance of

the Sabbath, without which man cannot attain to full human dignity

and to the consecration of life but sinks to the level of a beast

of burden or an automaton, mechanically securing the means of life

with no leisure to contemplate its ends. Nor is the Decalogue merely

concerned with man's overt acts, but demands purity of motive, for

it condemns covetousness equally with theft and adultery.

The revelation on Mt. Sinai, meant to the soul of Israel, what the

experience of the prophetic call meant to the prophet, when he first

heard the voice of God appointing him to a mission of which he had

not dreamed before. Israel left Egypt a fugitive horde, it came to

Sinai and was there transformed into a great nation, conscious of

a historic mission that distinguished it from and exalted it above

other peoples, to become "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

(Exodus 19. 6.) Israel has not always been true to this mission, has

perhaps never lived up fully to all its implications, but from that

time to this Israel has never quite forgotten it, has never lost

faith in it.

In emphasizing the significance of the Decalogue, one must, however,

not lose sight of the fact that the Ten Commandments were not

the only laws that were revealed to Moses on Sinai, and that the

Sinaitic covenant involved not merely obedience to the Decalogue,

but obedience to all other laws to which Judaism attributes a divine

origin. According to tradition many of the oral laws, which are

not contained in the Bible, were _halakah lemosheh misinai_, "Laws

revealed to Moses on Sinai". Historic criticism may suggest a later

origin to most of these and even to many laws in the Pentateuch, but

there is nothing in the Biblical narrative that limits revelation to

the Decalogue, and, according to Jewish belief, all of the Torah is

revealed.

=Aim.= The aim of this lesson should be to inspire the child with

reverence for the Law, and faith in its divine origin and authority

over him.

=Suggestions to the teacher.= The teacher may well begin the lesson

by calling the child's attention to the reading of the Sefer Torah

in the synagogue. Ask whether the Sefer Torah is, in appearance,

like any other book, and let the children tell the obvious

differences. Inform them of differences of which they are not aware,

as for example, that it is always written by hand and on parchment,

with ink especially prepared for the purpose, etc. Then continue

somewhat as follows:

"Now, do you know why we always treat this book differently from

other books, why we take such pains in writing it, why we write

it always on strong parchment rather than paper which can tear

easily? Why we dress it, so to speak, in velvet or other beautiful

coverings? Why we decorate it with silver or gold ornaments? Why

we keep it in the most beautiful part of the synagogue? It is

because this book is different from all other books. This book

contains the word of God, which God himself taught to the people of

Israel in ancient times, and which was handed down from father to

son until the present time. It contains the history that we have

been learning, but it contains much more. It contains laws and

commandments that God wants us to keep, and whoever obeys all these

laws and commandments is a good Jew. In the lesson that we shall

take up today, we shall learn how God began teaching these laws to

our fathers, and we shall learn some of the most important of these

laws of God, which are so important that all the civilized nations

have made them a part of their law."