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Torah Lesson 5 Jonah and Jeremiah: the Reluctant Prophets

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Torah Lesson 5 Jonah and Jeremiah: the Reluctant Prophets Torah Lesson 5 Jonah and Jeremiah: The Reluctant Prophets INTRODUCTION This lesson is our first foray into the literary prophets. The books of the literary prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. These books are termed “literary” because they contain speeches, poems, and stories written by various prophets in ancient Israel as opposed to the first four books we find in the N’vi-im section of the Tanach, which tell the history of the Israelites following their arrival in Eretz Yisrael/ the Land of Israel. While many of the prophets in the Bible were reluctant, two prophets, Jeremiah and Jonah, are particularly hesitant to take on this role. Jeremiah loses all of his friends and is jailed for his prophecy against the king and his statement that the kingdom will be conquered. However, he is com- pelled to follow God’s decree and speak to the Israelites of the problems God sees in how they treat one another. Unlike Jeremiah, Jonah is told to speak to a non-Jewish community about their behavior. Jonah attempts to run away from his calling, yet he finds out that one cannot run away from God. After completing this lesson the students should have a greater understanding of the difficult situations in which God often puts the prophets. They are expected to speak out against the injustices that God sees in the world. However, what the prophet says is generally unpopular since he or she is castigating people for their inappropriate, albeit common, behavior. At the beginning of the lesson the students are asked to determine how they would feel if one of their parents asked them to tell their friends to stop their wrong behavior. On the one hand, a student might do what the parent asks, as they know they need to listen to the parent. However, it is not always easy to tell your friends something that might make them mad at you. Through this activity the students will examine the different and conflicting emotions the prophets experienced during their time. Then they will examine two prophets in particular, Jeremiah and Jonah, who experienced this conflict during their entire prophetic experience. Teachers may want to refer to Level 3, Torah Lesson 5, “Parashat K’doshim Session Bet: Tochecha (Rebuking Others),” for an additional perspective about the individual speaking out in the face of wrongdoing. ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS • Torah is an ongoing dialogue between the text and its students. • Torah is real in our daily lives: It goes with us wherever we are. • Developing the skills to study Torah is essential to integrating Torah into our lives. • The prophets were focused on reminding the Jewish people how God wants us to live, and their mes- sages are at the heart of Reform Judaism. 53 54 Torah Lesson 5 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS 1. What does the Torah have to say to me and my world? 2. How can Torah study help me in my everyday life? 3. Why is the Torah different from other books? 4. What is prophecy? 5. What is a prophet? 6. In what ways do the prophets and what they said (prophecy) remind us how God wants us to live? 7. How can I as a Reform Jew understand how God wants me to live through the writings of the prophets? QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED 1. Why would a prophet be reluctant to hear God’s call? 2. How did Jeremiah and Jonah answer God’s call? 3. How would you react to God’s call? EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING • Students will reflect on and discuss what it might be like to be told to speak out against something that others are doing wrong. • Through research and presentations, students will explain why Jeremiah and Jonah were reluctant to be prophets. • Students will compare Jeremiah’s and Jonah’s reactions to their calls from God. • Students will compare the results of Jeremiah’s and Jonah’s prophecies. LESSON OVERVIEW • Set Induction (15 minutes) • Text Study and Prophet Presentations (35 minutes) • Conclusion (5 minutes) MATERIALS NEEDED • Copies of Steven E. Steinbock’s The Gift of Wisdom: The Books of Prophets and Writings (New York: UAHC Press, 2001). • Four signs describing different reactions to scenario (see pages 55–56) • My Reaction Worksheet (page 59) CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life Jonah and Jeremiah: The Reluctant Prophets 55 • Prophet Worksheet (page 60) • Jeremiah and Jonah Background and Text sheets (pages 61–64) • Costumes for presentations (bathrobe or sheet, sandals) •Pens • Pencils LESSON PLAN SET INDUCTION (15 MINUTES) The Set Induction poses a question that students may find very intriguing and significant for their own lives. The teacher may want to allow extra time if student interest in the discussion warrants it. 1. Say to the students: Imagine that your parent comes to you and tells you: I am concerned that your friends might be doing something illegal. Graffiti has been found on the walls of the school. The reason I think your friends are involved is that I have seen some sketches on their notebooks when they have come to do homework with you at our home and the pictures look similar to what has been found on the school walls. This is very serious. I am pret- ty sure that you are not involved because we have spoken about respect for other people’s proper- ty and also because of how you feel about the school. I hope that I am correct. I am not happy that your friends are doing this and I think that their parents should be told, but I believe it would be better if they told their parents, not me. Your friends might also be more likely to tell their par- ents if it comes from you rather than from me. I want you to tell your friends that they need to stop vandalizing school property and that they need to tell their parents and the school, then apol- ogize and make things right. If you are working with older students, you may want to consider presenting the following alterna- tive scenario: I see that your group of friends are being self-destructive. They are stealing beer from their par- ents’ refrigerators and drinking when they think no one is looking. But when I have picked you up from their homes I have seen your friends trying to throw away the cans so I cannot see them. This is very serious. I know that you are not drinking because I have been smelling your breath when you get in the car and watching how you act and react. I am not happy that your friends are doing this and I think that their parents should be told, but I believe it would be better if they told their parents, not me. Your friends might also be more likely to tell their parents if it comes from you rather than from me. I want you to tell your friends that they need to stop drinking and that they need to tell their parents, apologize, and make things right. 2. Say to the students: “Think about how you might react if your parent said this to you. Look around the room and you will find different possible responses.” In four corners of the room, post signs with the following text: 56 Torah Lesson 5 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life • I would ignore my parent and pretend that he or she never said anything to me. • I would argue with my parent and tell him or her that I cannot do this. • I would do what my parent told me to do. • I would . (I have a different response than the other three options). Tell the students to go to the area of the room with the sign that best describes how they would react. Give the students time to think about their reaction and to move to the area. 3. Hand out copies of My Reaction Worksheet (page 59). Tell the students to complete the worksheet individually, then discuss their answers with their groups. Circulate around the room to help the groups and listen to what they are sharing. If you have a teaching assistant, he or she could be valu- able in assisting with this as well. 4. Allow the students to stay in their groups but have them focus on you. Pose the questions from the worksheet and ask different people from the four groups to share their thoughts so that they can learn from each other. Not everyone needs to share their thoughts and ideas for each question, but try to allow each student who would like to share a thought or idea to express him- or herself for at least one question. To compare and contrast, it might be helpful if you or a student records the answers either on the board or on chart paper. When each of the questions has been explored, take a few moments to review and show how the different reactions lend themselves to different (or similar) results. Again, be cognizant of the time, as this activity can certainly last longer than the suggested time. 5. You might want to conclude by asking the following questions: • Was it difficult for you to decide where to go? • What was difficult for you in deciding where to go? • What did you think about that helped you make your decision? 6. Conclude by saying to the students: Today we are going to look at two prophets who were reluctant to heed God’s call.
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