Torah Lesson 5 Parashiyot Va-Eira and Bo: the Ten Plagues

Torah Lesson 5 Parashiyot Va-eira and Bo: The Ten Plagues

The Ten Plagues brought down upon Egypt is one of the most troubling episodes in our Torah text. Though the plagues do seem necessary to lead to our freedom, it is difficult to know the Egyptians suf- fer because their Pharaoh will not give in to God.1 In our Passover seder we have a tradition of pouring a drop of wine from our cups as we recite each plague. In A Passover Haggadah we read:

Though we descend from those redeemed from brutal Egypt, and have ourselves rejoiced to see oppressors overcome, yet our triumph is diminished by the slaughter of the foe, as the wine within the cup of joy is lessened when we pour ten drops for the plagues upon Egypt.2

Following a dramatic interpretation of the plagues (done by the students), the children will explore the tradition of pouring wine from our cups during the Passover seder and how we mourn when anyone is hurting, even our enemies. Some students may struggle with this concept, yet it is important to reiterate to them that all of us are created in the divine image and deserve to be treated with respect and care. This applies not only to those who are respectful to us, but also to those who are not.

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS

• Torah is an ongoing dialogue between the text and its students.

• Torah is real in our daily lives; it is with us wherever we are.

• Developing the skills to study Torah is essential to integrating Torah into our lives.

• The Torah teaches me how to be part of the Jewish people.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS 1. What does the Torah have to say to me and my world?

1 According to the Torah text, God stiffens Pharaoh’s heart, causing Pharaoh to refuse to accede to Moses’s demands (Exodus 4:21). This concept is a challenging one for adults and cannot realistically be introduced to children of this age. Instead, this lesson simplifies the reaction of Pharaoh to “stubbornness.” 2 Herbert Bronstein, ed., A Passover Haggadah (New York: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1994), p. 49.

43 44 Torah Lesson 5 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life

2. Why is the Torah different from other books?

3. How can Torah study help me in my everyday life?

QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED 1. What were the Ten Plagues?

2. Why do Israelites, to this day, take ten drops of wine out of our Passover wine cups when we say the Ten Plagues?

3. What can I learn from this part of the Exodus story that is important in my life today?

EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING • Students will explain why we take wine from our cup while we say the Ten Plagues during the Passover seder.

• Students will identify the teaching on the Some Things Jews Do and Believe poster that relates to what they have learned today. They will explain how it relates to today’s lesson.

LESSON OVERVIEW • Set Induction (5–10 minutes)

• The Ten Plagues (30–40 minutes)

• Spilling Our Wine, Lessening Our Gladness (5–10 minutes)

• Conclusion (10–15 minutes)

MATERIALS NEEDED • Some Things Jews Do and Believe poster

• Va-eira and Bo poster from the Sh’mot/Exodus Journey posters

• Props, such as small toys, plague masks, or other plague toys (optional)

• “Ten Plagues in Egypt Land,” track 3 on the CHAI Level 2 CD

• Letter to parents (page 47)

READING RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS Steinbock, Steven E. Torah: The Growing Gift. New York: UAHC Press, 1994. CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life Parashiyot Va-eira and Bo: The Ten Plagues 45

LESSON VOCABULARY pharaoh A ruler of ancient Egypt. plague Something very bad, like a terrible disease or natural disaster. oh¦n£j©r Rachamim means “compassion” or “caring for others.” We are rachamim commanded to show rachamim toward other people.

LESSON PLAN

SET INDUCTION (5–10 MINUTES)

1. Sing or recite together the blessing for Torah study: /v¨rI, h¥rc¦sC eIxgk¨,I m¦nUb²Um±¨¨J§S¦CUbeu ruh¤J£t 'okIg¨v k¤Q n Ubh¥vO¡²h±t'h v¨T©t QUrC Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu laasok b’divrei Torah. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us through Your commandments and commanded us to engage in the words of Torah.

2. Ask students the following questions:

• Can you think of a time when you knew something was the right thing to do, but you didn’t want to do it. (Examples may include: helping someone with a chore or going somewhere they did not want to go.)

• Have you ever refused to do the right thing when you did not want to do it? What happened when you refused to do what you knew was the right thing? (Possible answers: I got in trouble, my parents told me I was wrong, and I was punished.)

• What if, even after you were punished or you got in trouble, you STILL continued to refuse to do what you are supposed to do?

3. Ask the students if they know what the word “stubborn” means. Explain to the students that “stubborn” is when we refuse to change our mind or do something, even if we know we are refusing to do the right thing.

4. Ask students, “Why do you think people are stubborn sometimes?” (Possible answers: Because they really don’t want to do something; they think they are right; they get “stuck” in being stubborn and can’t break their pattern.)

5. Explain to students that they are going to help tell a story today about someone who is being very stubborn and how he hurt his entire people with his stubbornness. 46 Torah Lesson 5 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life

LEARNING ACTIVITIES The Ten Plagues (30–40 minutes)

In this learning activity, the students will be assigned one of the plagues, which they can then present to the rest of the class in one of two ways, depending upon which you think will work bet- ter in your setting:

• The students can pantomime the plague while the other students try to guess which one it is. (This would work especially well in a class with very few students.)

• The students can be grouped in two’s or three’s and can act out the plague for the other students to identify.

1. Point to the Sh’mot/Exodus Journey Map on your wall and ask students, “What has happened in our story so far?” (The Israelites are slaves in Egypt. Moses has gone to the desert, and God has told him to go back to Egypt and free the Israelites.) Make sure that students understand that Pharaoh is the ruler of Egypt and is the only one that can decide to let the Israelites go free.

2. Hang up the fourth Sh’mot/Exodus Journey poster, Va-eira and Bo. Explain that today they will learn about what happened when Moses went back and told Pharaoh to “Let my people go!” Ask students to open their workbook to pages 21–24, Our Story: The Ten Plagues. Read the text to the class or have students read portions of the text to the class. After each plague make sure the students understand what occurred.

3. Once you are done reading the text, explain to the students that they will have a chance to “act out” one of the plagues so the rest of the class can guess which one it is. (If you are using the pantomime option, you may want to meet briefly with each student to discuss ideas for demonstrating the plague without words. If you are using the acting option, you may want to let the students figure out what they will do to represent the plague to the class.)

4. Assign each student or group the plague(s) that they will be working on, being careful to select plagues that you think the students of this age can successfully represent and that are not too dis- turbing (such as the death of the first-born). Instruct them to create a short (1–2 minute) skit showing the plague so that the other students in the class can guess which one they are acting out. (Props, such as small toys, plague masks, or other plague toys—which are available at many Judaica shops or online—can be used to enhance the skits)

5. As the students are working on their ideas for their pantomime or skit, circulate among them to offer any assistance they may need.

6. When the students or groups have prepared their skits, bring them back together.

7. Explain that you are going to call each one up to present their “plague” while the rest of the class tries to guess which plague is being represented.

8. When everyone has had a chance to present, congratulate the students on their acting and ask them to turn to page 25 of their workbook “our story in song.” Review the ten plagues by playing “Ten Plagues in Egypt Land” from the CHAI Level 2 CD. Ask the students to point to the picture of each plague in the workbook as it is mentioned in the song. CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life Parashiyot Va-eira and Bo: The Ten Plagues 47

9. Ask the students, “Think about the beginning of our lesson when you told me why you think people are sometimes stubborn. Why do you think that Pharaoh was so stubborn in our story?” (Possible answers: He was just a bad guy, he thought the Egyptians needed slaves, he thought he was right; he got stuck in being stubborn and couldn’t get out of it.)

10. Explain to the students that since Pharoah was so stubborn the Egyptian people had a very hard time.

Spilling Our Wine, Lessening Our Gladness (5–10 minutes) In this activity students examine the ritual at the Passover seder where we pour out a bit from our wine cups for each of the plagues. Students are introduced to the idea that as Jews, we are sad when others are hurting, even if they are our enemies.

1. Remind students that wine is a symbol of joy and happiness. We drink wine on our holidays, includ- ing Passover, to remind us to be happy and joyful. Why do you think we would take drops out of our wine cups when we remember the Ten Plagues? (Possible answers: because we are sad that all of these terrible things had to happen for us to go free; we feel bad when other people are hurting or sad, even if they are our enemies.)

2. Explain to the students that even though we were happy to be free, we still felt bad that all of those terrible things had to happen. Even though Pharaoh was very stubborn, and perhaps brought these things on himself, we still feel bad that there were plagues that affected the Egyptians. As a Jewish community, even today, we remember that the plagues were terrible things that hurt people. They may have been necessary, but we are still sad that people were hurt.

CONCLUSION (10–15 MINUTES) 1. Bring out or point to the Some Things Jews Do and Believe poster. Ask students, “What are some of the things we learned about today?” (We feel sad when bad things happen, even to our enemies.)

2. Ask students to turn to page 26 in their workbooks, When Others Are Hurting. Read the following paragraph out loud to the class:

Our tradition teaches that we should show rachamim, compassion and caring, when someone is upset or hurting. Even if someone does something wrong, and perhaps we feel that they deserve the punishment, we should still show them rachamim.

3. Discuss as a class the following two questions:

• How can you show rachamim if you think someone did something wrong?

• How can you show rachamim to someone who has gotten in trouble?

4. If time allows, ask the students to complete the workbook activity by drawing a picture of themselves showing rachamim, compassion and caring for others, to someone who has gotten in trouble.

5. Congratulate students on their wonderful skits and learning.

6. Tell your students: “Tune in next week, when we find out what happens once Pharaoh finally lets the Israelites go free!”

7. Hand out the letter to parents (page 48). CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life

Dear Parents,

Today we followed Moses back to the Land of Egypt where he told Pharaoh those famous words, “Let My people go!” When Pharaoh refuses, God responds with the Ten Plagues. The Ten Plagues brought down upon Egypt is probably one of the most troubling episodes in our Torah text. Though the plagues do seem necessary to lead to our freedom, it is difficult to watch the Egyptians suf- fer because their Pharaoh will not give in to God. In our Passover seder it is traditional to pour a drop of wine from our cups as we recite each plague. In A Passover Haggadah we read:

Today, your child learned about the Ten Plagues and this Passover tradition. We explored together the concept of rachamim, “compassion” or “caring for others,” and discussed that all of us are created in the divine image and deserve to be treated with respect and care. This applies not only to those who are respectful to us, but also to those who are not.

The students identified “We feel sad when bad things happen, even to our enemies” as the key lesson that we learned today from the Some Things Jews Do and Believe poster.

To explore more about the Ten Plagues, visit http://urj.org/torah/archives/ and choose the Book of Sh’mot/Exodus and the portions Va-eira and Bo.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

______

*Herbert Bronstein, ed., A Passover Haggadah (New York: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1994), p. 49.