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Torah Lesson 7 Elijah: Who Was He? Who Is He?

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Torah Lesson 7 Elijah: Who Was He? Who Is He? Torah Lesson 7 Elijah: Who Was He? Who Is He? INTRODUCTION The prophet Elijah is very interesting and very different from any other prophet we will meet in the Bible. Not only does he have special abilities, but he also seems to continue to exist, at least in spirit, even to this very day. As stated by Barbara Diamond Goldin: Part of the appeal of Elijah the Prophet as a figure in religion and folklore is that he is a symbol of hope, a figure who stands for what is just and good in the world. He is a helper and friend to those in need, a teacher of lessons, a master of disguises and surprises. He is immortal, able to appear at any time, in any place, to any person.1 In The Haftarah Commentary, W. Gunther Plaut writes: He appears in the book of Kings quite suddenly and without introduction; there is only a brief note in 17:1, which gives us not even the name of his progenitor but a mere (and unclear) indi- cation where he came from. The vagueness of these references, his sudden appearances and disappearances, added to the mystique that surrounded him, and legends were spun about his deeds and miracles. His assumption into heaven on a fiery chariot convinced the people that he would return to earth, and the final words of the prophet Malachi stamped him as a forerunner of the day of judgment. [What distinguished him] was not even his purist loyalty to One God, to whom he committed his life. What distinguished him above all was his unequaled courage to stand up to a king and queen who sought his life. Elijah was in every way a war- rior for the common folk.2 In the biblical accounts that we find of Elijah, he, like many others, is seen as a threat. He stands up to kings and queens, stands firm in his belief in Adonai, and has special powers, given by God, to help oth- ers. Throughout our history, Elijah has continued to be a special personality who we look toward for comfort and for peace. During this lesson the students will study texts that show various aspects and characteristics of Elijah. By looking at biblical text, liturgy, midrash, and modern stories they will see that Elijah continues to be a part of our lives. Hopefully, this will help them begin to think about what the prophets said and how they continue to impact us today. 1Barbara Diamond Goldin, Journeys with Elijah: Eight Tales of the Prophet (San Diego and New York: Gulliver Books, 1999), p. x. 2W. Gunther Plaut, The Haftarah Commentary (New York: UAHC Press, 1996), p. 211. 75 76 Torah Lesson 7 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life This lesson contains a full range of texts that depict the prophet Elijah. Some of the texts can be quite challenging for some students, so to be sure that your class receives maximum benefit from your study of Elijah, you may want to consider selecting the approach that is most appropriate for your situation: • Teach the lesson in the way that it is written, making minor modifications where necessary. • Teach the lesson as written, but give each group of students one text instead of two. If they finish the first text, you can distribute a second. • Choose one text from each genre (Bible, midrash, liturgy), study these together as a class, then have the students create the Snapshot of Elijah, based on their impressions. (Students can work in small groups on the Snapshot.) If this option is selected, do not put a copy of any specific text on the poster board for the Snapshot of Elijah. • Select one text and read it together as a class, helping the students understand it as you go along. This will give them the idea of how to approach this kind of text study. Then break the students into small- er groups and assign three texts to each: one from the Bible, one from midrash, and one from the litur- gy. Have the students complete the Snapshot of Elijah poster for their group. 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. 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. Who is the prophet Elijah? CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life Elijah: Who Was He? Who Is He? 77 2. What are Elijah’s unique characteristics? 3. How and why is Elijah important to us today? EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING • Through text study, students will document the different characteristics of Elijah. • Students will consider how Elijah’s messages and the themes of the Elijah stories have the potential to influence our own behavior toward others today. LESSON OVERVIEW • Set Induction (10 minutes) • Chevruta Text Study and Snapshot of Elijah (45 minutes) • Conclusion (15 minutes) MATERIALS NEEDED • Chart paper and markers or chalkboard/whiteboard and chalk/markers • A story about Elijah from a book such as: Goldin, Barbara Diamond. Journeys with Elijah: Eight Tales of the Prophet. San Diego and New York: Gulliver Books, 1999. Maisel, Grace, and Samantha Shubert. A Year of Jewish Stories: 52 Tales for Young Children and Their Families. New York: UAHC Press, 2004. (Recommended: “It’s Not Fair,” “It’s All for the Best,” “The Perfect Seder,” “The Silk Bridegroom”) • Copies of Elijah Text Worksheets (pages 81–95) • Paper • Pencils or pens • Ten pieces of poster board with “Snapshot of Elijah” written across the top, the “snapshot” pasted in the center, and one of the texts on pages 81–95 in the center of each snapshot. • Parent volunteer (optional) LESSON PLAN SET INDUCTION (10 MINUTES) 1. Ask the students: Have you ever heard of Elijah? What do you know about him? List their answers on the chalk- or whiteboard or a piece of chart paper. Answers may include: We hold the door open for him at the Passover seder, we sing about him in the havdalah ceremony at the end of Shabbat, etc. 78 Torah Lesson 7 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life 2. Say to the students: This week we will be studying the prophet Elijah. I want you to listen to the story I am about to read to you. While you listen to the story I want you to write down what you think you learn about who Elijah is based on this story. Read the students a story about Elijah. There are several suggestions in Materials Needed, but this is not an exhaustive list. If you do not have one of these books/stories available to you but you have another, please feel free to use it. This activity is meant to introduce Elijah and his unusual “powers.” 3. Ask the students: What did you learn about Elijah from this story? Write the students’ answers on a different section of the board or another piece of chart paper. LEARNING ACTIVITY Chevruta Text Study and Snapshot of Elijah (45 minutes) 1. Post the ten Snapshot of Elijah posters around the room. Say to the students: “Today we will try to figure out who the prophet Elijah is and why he is so important to the Jewish people. You will get the opportunity to look at a few different texts that give us some insight into Elijah. After you read your texts you will write down what you learned about Elijah, just like we did with the story. When every- one has finished, you will share your answers and see if we can get a good picture of Elijah.” 2. Break the students into chevruta (groups of two to three). Give each group an Elijah Text Worksheet (pages 81–95). Be sure to copy the templates back to back so the students can answer the questions on the back of each text. If they have time to study another text, give them an additional text to read. You will notice that some texts are long and others are relatively short. If you distribute two texts, you might want to initially give each chevruta one longer and one shorter text. If you do not assign all of the texts in the initial distribution, when you assign a new text to a chevruta give them a text that has not been assigned. If all of the texts are distributed at the outset you can give groups any text, but be sure to distribute the various texts evenly among the class. Be sure to go around to each of the groups to see if they need assistance. If you have student teach- ers/madrichim or parent volunteers, they could each be assigned to one group or all of you could float among the groups. For your reference, a summary of key points in the texts and the answers to the worksheets appear on pages 96–98.
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