Torah Lesson 6 Amos and Isaiah: the Intolerant Prophets

Torah Lesson 6 Amos and Isaiah: The Intolerant Prophets

INTRODUCTION

During the last lesson on Jeremiah and Jonah, the students had their first encounter with the literary prophets. The focus was on Jeremiah and Jonah, who followed God’s instructions but were never comfortable with their role. In this lesson the students will learn through the prophets Amos and Isaiah about injustices that God saw in the world. Like Jeremiah and Jonah, Amos and Isaiah also saw the problems that God saw. However, they felt the full importance of the responsibility of the task God gave them and did not attempt to avoid this responsibility. Amos and Isaiah spoke out and felt compelled to do so because they also saw the wrongs the Israelites were committing. Through the texts the students will see that while the Israelites of the time might still have been worshipping God, they were not treating each other fairly and nicely.

Amos preached in the Northern Kingdom. His message primarily focused on social justice and God’s concern for all people. He tells the people that although they continue to perform the commanded ritu- als for God, God does not approve these actions. God is most concerned about the unjust way they treat other people. Amos tells the people that God says:

I loathe, I spurn your festivals, I am not appeased by your solemn assemblies. If you offer Me burnt offerings—or your meal offerings—I will not accept them; I will pay no heed to your gifts of fatlings. Spare Me the sound of your hymns, and let Me not hear the music of your lutes. But let justice well up like water, righteousness like an unfailing stream. (Amos 5:21–24)

These concepts and ideals are a foundation of Reform Jewry in North America. They were the corner- stone of our social action mission in the 1960s and continue to be the underpinning of our call to justice today.

Although the book of Isaiah is a single entity, many scholars believe that chapters 1–39 and 40–66 can be ascribed to two different prophets with the same name. There are other scholars who believe that chapters 56–66 can be attributed to a third prophet. If you are interested in a discussion of this topic you can consult W. Gunther Plaut’s The Haftarah Commentary (New York: UAHC Press, 1996), p. xxxiv.

Isaiah and Amos had a similar message: you can continue to perform sacrifices and bring burnt offerings to God but they are meaningless when you don’t treat other humans well. According to Isaiah, God says:

And when you lift up your hands, I will turn My eyes away from you; though you pray at length, I will not listen. Your hands are stained with crime—wash yourself clean; put your evil doings

65 66 Torah Lesson 6 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life

away from My sight. Cease to do evil; learn to do good. Devote yourself to justice; aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow. (Isaiah 1:15–17)

As with Amos, while prayer and service to God are important, we are to heed the call to show more com- passion and concern for others.

In this lesson the students will begin to look at the world as God might see it. By sharing the news- paper articles found for homework in the previous lesson, students will have the opportunity to get into the mindset of not only seeing the ills of this world but also determining what needs to be done to correct these problems. Then they will be “transported” back to the time when Amos and Isaiah prophesied. The newsflash from INN–Israelite News Network will provide a historical overview of the Israelites from the Exodus from Egypt to the time in which Amos and Isaiah lived. (For a greater understanding of the time line see pages 98 and 117 in The Gift of Wisdom:The Books of Prophets and Writings, and page 91 in The Gift of Wisdom Teacher’s Guide [New York: UAHC Press, 2001].) Then the students will have the opportunity to look at biblical citations from Amos and Isaiah. Once again they will be asked to hear what God is saying through the prophets, determining what God was disturbed by and what changes the Israelites might need to make to address these injustices. The biblical citation exercise has several options to choose from. You, the teacher, know your class better than anyone and you should determine which of the options will provide the greatest learning opportunity for your students. Finally, the students will complete the lesson with their journal writing.

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 the 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? CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life Amos and Isaiah: The Intolerant Prophets 67

QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED 1. What are some of the problems that God might see in our world today? 2. What problems did God see that God spoke to the Israelites about through Amos and Isaiah? 3. How is the world we live in similar to that of Amos and Isaiah?

EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING • Through a speech, poem, collage, or poster, students will describe the problems God had with the Israelites during the time of Amos and Isaiah.

• Students will compare the problems of the world during the time of Amos and Isaiah and the problems of the world they live in today.

• Through class discussion, students will begin to consider what we need to do to correct the problems of our world.

LESSON OVERVIEW • Set Induction (10 minutes)

• INN—Israelite News Network Broadcast (5 minutes)

• Be a Prophet (35 minutes)

• Conclusion (10 minutes)

MATERIALS NEEDED • A copy or copies of Steven E. Steinbock’s The Gift of Wisdom: The Books of Prophets and Writings (New York: UAHC Press, 2001) for background material on the prophets Amos and Isaiah

• Newspapers from the previous week

• Scissors

• Adult or student teacher to be the INN news anchor

• INN Script for news reporter (page 71)

• Time Line of the Prophets (page 74)

• Map of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms (page 74)

• Pointing stick (optional)

• Paper

• Pens or pencils

• Chalkboard and chalk, or whiteboard and markers, or chart paper and markers 68 Torah Lesson 6 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life

• Poster board*

• Glue/glue sticks*

• Magazines*

• Markers*

• Quotations sheets (pages 72–73)

READING RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS Plaut, W. Gunther. The Haftarah Commentary. New York: UAHC Press, 1996.

LESSON PLAN SET INDUCTION (10 MINUTES) Have the students turn to page 9 in their workbooks and share the articles that they found for homework from the previous lesson. They don’t need to read the entire article to the class, just have them:

• Give a synopsis of what the article says.

• Explain why they think God would be unhappy with what is described in the article.

• Describe what we should or could do to correct the wrong action or injustice.

Not all of the students need to share their articles, perhaps only four or five, so that the class gets a feel for looking at our world through God’s eyes. If more students are interested in sharing their articles and you do not have the time, then you might want to consider finding five minutes at the beginning of each of the next few classes so that all of the students might have the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas.

Have a few newspapers from the previous week available in the room so that if a student did not complete the assignment but wanted to look through a paper to find an article, he or she would be able to do the work before class begins or if there is extra time during class.

You might want to have an article prepared so that if the students are nervous or wary about starting, you can be the first to share. After, the students might be more comfortable.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES INN—Israelite News Network Broadcast (5 minutes) Have an adult or student teacher come in dressed as a TV anchor. The volunteer should be someone who is willing to “ham it up” a little. Place a sign reading “INN (Israelite News Network)” in front of the desk that the volunteer will be speaking from and have him or her read the news report on page 71. If possi- ble, enlarge copies of the Time Line of the Prophets (page 74) and the map of the Northern and Southern

*These items are necessary if you choose the alternative activity on page 70. CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life Amos and Isaiah: The Intolerant Prophets 69

Kingdoms (page 74) and display them behind the “anchor.” If the anchor wants, she or he may use a pointing stick to refer to the time line and map during the report. This news report will help the students understand what has been happening to the Israelites up to the point in history when Amos and Isaiah began their prophecies, and will assist them in thinking about the lenses or eyes through which God and the prophets were seeing how the Israelites were behaving.

Be a Prophet (35 minutes) 1. Tell the students:

Last week we learned about Jeremiah and Jonah. Both were asked by God to be prophets but were unhappy with their job. This week we will look at what the prophets Amos and Isaiah had to say to the Israelites. Both Amos and Isaiah saw what God was seeing and were also disappointed and frus- trated with the way the Israelites were treating one another. You will each study a quote from either Isaiah or Amos. You are going to pretend to be the prophet Amos or Isaiah and prepare a speech to give in the marketplace when you know the Israelites will be there and will hear it. You should try to understand what you think God and the prophet were upset about and write a one minute speech. The speech should include the following:

• The problem you think God and the prophet saw.

• The quotation (or part of the quotation) from Amos or Isaiah.

• What you think the Israelites need to do to fix the wrong they are committing.

2. Distribute the quotations on pages 72–73 to the students. There are only six quotes, so depending on the number of students in your class there might be more than one student working on the same quote. Familiarize yourself with these quotes. The students might need assistance in understanding all of the allu- sions in the statements. For those students who will need a quotation that is easier to understand, you might want to give them one of the following: Amos 5:14–15, Isaiah 1:14–17, Isaiah 2:3–4.

Tell the students not to worry if their speeches are not eloquent or perfect. The most important aspect of the activity is for the students to get a handle on what the problem was, why God and the prophet were upset, and what the Israelites needed to do to improve.

3. Some students might have difficulty with this assignment. Consider the following options if the class has trouble:

• Let the students work in pairs.

• Have a teaching assistant or an adult work with a student or students.

• Allow the students to work in groups (like last week) and create one speech for each quote.

4. If there is enough time, have each student give her or his speech. If you do not have enough time for all of the speeches, you might ask for one speech based on each quote and ask the others with that quote if they have any additional ideas they would share with the class. If a student is too uncomfortable to give his or her speech, do not push it. Allow the student to hand in the speech and just share with the class the quote, the problem the student thinks was happening, and how he or she would solve the problem. If the student is still too uncomfortable, you might want to share his or her ideas with the class. 70 Torah Lesson 6 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life

Alternatives to the activity: You know your class. If the above activity will not work for your group, here are two alternatives you might want to consider. 1. Give the students their quotes and tell them that they can complete one of the following options to demonstrate their understanding of the quote. Again, they should pretend that they are the prophet and are “speaking out to the Israelites.” • Write the speech as described above. • Write a poem as if you are the prophet. Be sure to include at least part of the quotation from Amos or Isaiah, the problem that you think God and the prophet saw, and what you think the Israelites need to do to fix the wrong. • Create a collage based on the quotation. Be certain that you put the quotation somewhere on the collage. Through pictures or words show what you think God and the prophet saw that was wrong. In one section of the collage show either what the Israelites should do to make things correct or show how things are better. • Make a poster that would be used by the prophet if he were to have the poster displayed at the marketplace for the Israelites to see his message. On the poster should be the quote, words or illustrations of what the Israelite people are doing wrong, and illustrations or words of how the Israelites need to change. When all of the students have completed their work, have the “prophets” read or show their work. You might not have time for each student to share, so you should be certain that at least one person working on each quote presents so that all of the quotations will be presented to the group at large. 2. An additional option is to divide the classs into groups, each working with a different quote to create two or three of the projects described above.

CONCLUSION (10 MINUTES) 1. Ask the students to list the problems that God and Amos and Isaiah saw in the world based on the speeches of their classmates. You might want to write this list on the chalkboard/whiteboard or on chart paper. Then ask the students the following questions: • Do we still see these problems in our world today? • What do we or could we do to address these issues that have been around for a very long time? 2. Have students turn to page 10 in their workbooks and answer the following questions: • From what you learned in today’s lesson, what do you think was the most important thing the prophets said or did? • What do you think was significant for our world about what you learned today? • What does today’s learning make you think about in your own life? • What was important to Amos and Isaiah? • What is the job of a prophet? CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life 71

INN Script

Good morning (Good afternoon) ladies and gentlemen. This is ______reporting from Ancient Israel, where the prophet Amos began his prophecies in 760 B.C.E. and the prophet Isaiah began his prophecies in 740 B.C.E. To begin, let’s look back to see what has been happening to the Israelite community since we left Egypt. We wandered in the desert following God and Moses for forty years. Finally we arrived in Canaan. With Joshua leading the way we entered the Promised Land. First we were led by Joshua and the judges. But that was not enough for us, no sirree, we wanted a king. God did not want us to have a king because God is really our ruler, but we did not give up. Finally, God told the priest Samuel to anoint Saul as our king. After Saul came King David, a great man with many troubles. Next came King Solomon, known throughout the land as being very wise. Following the death of King Solomon, the kingdom split into two nations: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. This is where we are today. We are still split into two nations, Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Now there arose many prophets who claim to speak the words that God told them. Let’s look at their world and what the prophets are seeing. The Kingdom of Israel in the north is very powerful and is very prosperous. Our land is wonderful with beautiful cities and palaces. Some people have two homes and many of the houses are decorated with many expensive fabrics and furniture. Many people take good care of themselves, bathing in good-smelling oils. But not all of the people are rich. Some people are very poor and are often taken advantage of by those who are wealthy. There are judges among us who we know are not fair or honest. In Judah, in the south, much is the same. There are many wealthy people and we have great military strength. But again, the poor are often treated unfairly and the rich take advantage of them. All would be quiet and people would just go on with their lives, but there are these prophets. They keep telling us we need to follow God’s commandments. These prophets say that God will not pay attention to our prayers, our sacrificial offerings, or our celebrations because we are not treating each other nicely. They claim they are not speaking their own words, just the words that God places in their mouths. They say that God wants us to take care of others, help those who need help, and then worry about our prayers to God. They keep saying that there will be trouble for us. Will there be trouble? Will the prophets succeed? What does it all mean? Perhaps we will find the answers in a later broadcast. This is ______reporting for the Israelite News Network.

Quotations from Amos and Isaiah

You cheated the honest men to get their silver, You cheated the poor man because he needed a pair of shoes. You push poor people into the dirt on the ground And step on them as if they were not important. You made fun of humble people. (Amos 2:6–7) (Basic idea: The rich people are taking advantage of the poor and also the honest people and treating them badly just because they are poor or honest and easy to take advantage of.) Try to do good deeds and not evil ones Then God will truly watch over you. Hate evil and love good, and bring justice in the town square where people are judged. If you do this then maybe God will be good to the people of Israel. (Amos 5:14–15) (Basic idea: Try to do good things and God will watch over you. You need to help bring justice to your community. If there is justice and people are good then God will watch over the people of Israel.) Let justice rise up like overflowing water, And righteousness have strength like a powerfully moving stream. (Amos 5:24) (Basic idea: Justice needs to grow and take over where there is injustice. Things that are right and just need to be powerful in the community and move ahead like a stream continues to move.) Your celebrations bother Me, I cannot stand them. When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will look the other way. You pray a lot, but I will not listen. Your hands are dirty because you treat people unfairly. Wash yourself clean, Stop doing evil,

Learn to do good. Devote yourself to bringing justice into the world. Help those who have been hurt. Guard the rights of those who don’t have someone to speak up or stand up for them like the orphan and the widow. (Isaiah 1:14–17) (Basic idea: God is upset because the people all continue to pray, and pray a lot. But they are not nice people. They do not worry about others, especially those who need the most help like orphans [children whose parents have died] and widows [women whose husbands have died]. They need to do good, not evil, and take care of others.) God’s word and teaching will come from Jerusalem. God will judge over many nations And give advice to many different people. They will beat their swords into plows And their spears into farming instruments. Nation will not lift up a sword against another nation; They will never know war again. (Isaiah 2:3–4) (Basic idea: If all the people of the world listen to God, there will be no more need for war.) The idol-makers They all work for nothing. The thing they worship Can do no good. They know that idols don’t look or think, Why would anyone design a god Or carve a stone, That can do no good? (Isaiah 44:9–10) (Basic idea: There are still people making and worshiping idols. God has proven that these idols/statues have no power, so why are people still making them and praying to them? There is only ONE God.)

Time Line of the Prophets c. 1300 B.C.E. Joshua c. 1200 Deborah 933 Death of King Solomon; kingdom divided 873–843 Elijah active as a prophet c. 760 Amos begins prophesying c. 750 Hosea c. 740 Isaiah c. 725 Micah 722 Israel destroyed by Assyria c. 630 Zephaniah 626–586 Jeremiah c. 615 Nahum 597 First Babylonian exile c. 593–571 Ezekiel 586 Nebuchadnezzar conquers Jerusalem; second Babylonian exile c. 540 Second Isaiah 538 Jews return to Judea, end of Babylonian exile c. 520 Haggai and Zechariah c. 500 Obadiah c. 460 Malachi 400 Joel c. 300–250 Book of Jonah written

Map of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms

From Sondra Leiman, The Atlas of Great Jewish Communities (New York: UAHC Press, 2002), p. 9.