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Avraham Avinu received from G-d a number of promises about how he would have offspring who would inherit him. But this was very difficult for Avraham, because the reality conflicted with G-d’s promise. Avraham saw that he and his wife were aging, and there was no longer any chance of them producing a child. Of course, Avraham still believed in G-d, but he did not see how these promises could be fulfilled given the reality of his life. Avraham expressed this struggle directly, asking, “What can You give me, seeing that I shall die childless?” and “Since You have granted me no offspring, my steward will be my heir!” Avraham did not deny G-d’s existence because of his situation, but neither did he keep these difficult questions in his heart. Rather, he turned to G-d and spoke to Him. G-d showed him the stars, and promised that his biological son would inherit him, despite his advanced age. Avraham was called upon to have faith, and indeed, his response was: “He put his trust in G-d.” We can learn from here lessons relevant to our relationship to the Almighty, as well as our relationships and connections to other people. When there is some difficulty, it is best not to suppress it, but rather to speak, to communicate - whether this is done through prayer to G-d, or through an open conversation with the family member or friend. Similarly, we can learn from G-d’s response that we must have faith, even if we have yet to see the fulfillment of G-d’s promises.
In this unit, we will learn about G-d’s revelation to Avraham, which includes a promise about offspring and the land, as well as a prophecy about his offspring’s future experiences: “Know well that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.” Let us address the various stages in this prophecy, and pay close attention to the responses and also to the emotions expressed over the course of this prophecy, which testify to Avraham’s closeness to G-d which becomes progressively stronger. In the first stage we will address G-d’s words of reassurance to Avraham. We can see this in the words “Fear not,” and also in the actual content of the promise: “I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great.” (It stands to reason that Avraham thought that in the past, he was worthy of the promises of offspring and the land, but now he had “lost” the merit for these blessings.) In the next stage, we will examine Avraham’s response to G-d’s words: “Since You have granted me no offspring…” (This is the first time that we see Avraham responding to G-d.) We will address also the content of Avraham’s response, and ask what we might learn from this response. In the next stage, we will learn G-d’s answer, the comparison to the stars. Finally, we will discuss the promise of the land, which is given in the form of a covenant (the berit bein ha’betarim - “covenant between the piece”). We will discuss the influence of this prophecy on the future of Avraham’s offspring. The main values that arise from this unit: As the promise of the land and offspring which was given to Avraham in the past is not manifest in the reality of Avraham’s life, and Avraham nevertheless chooses to believe, we can learn from here about faith in G-d, and about the value of patience. Additionally, we can learn that when some difficulty arises, it is worthwhile to talk about it - whether it’s through communication with the Creator, or communication with other people. Dialogue brings closeness, and improves Avraham's situation. The same is true in life. An important and honest conversation can solve problems. Another value arising from the lesson is that G-d has plans for individuals (Avraham) and for nations (Avraham's descendants, and also for the Amorites mentioned in the prophecy), and He watches over and delivers justice to His creations.
El éxodo de Egipto. Mapa con explicacionesObjectives of the information taught in this unit:
Interpersonal relationship skills: practicing positive and productive communication skills, teamwork, social engagement and a sense of social belonging.
In this lesson, we learn about the prophetic vision of berit bein ha’betarim (covenant between the pieces). This covenant deals with the future of the entire Nation of Israel, but on the personal level, it also marks an enhancement of Avraham’s relationship with G-d. We can see how G-d introduces this revelation with words of reassurance: “Fear not.”
(Here many commentators note that G-d saw Avraham's emotional state – that he was apparently worried that perhaps his merits were "depleted" due to the war with the kings, or that the surrounding kings would continue to threaten him. G-d addresses him and reassures him.)
Avraham’s direct response to G-d, too, reflects a connection and closeness. Avraham mentions to G-d his difficult situation: “What can You give me, seeing that I shall die childless?” Meaning, Avraham sees that the promise of offspring is not being fulfilled, and he turns to G-d in order to clarify this painful issue. (The Ramban explains that Avraham believed in the first promises about his having offspring, but he feared that his sin may have caused the promise to no longer stand.)
In any case, Avraham turns to G-d with a piercing and painful question, which actually indicates closeness and connection.
G-d responds by showing Avraham the stars and promises: “So shall your offspring be.”
Avraham's response to this promise is: “And he believed in G-d." Avraham has faith that this promise will be fulfilled (despite it being naturally difficult to see how this will happen). And Avraham's faith is preserved as a proper and worthy deed.
Later in the revelation, G-d again promised Avraham that he would inherit the land, and Avraham asked, “How shall I know that I am to possess it?” G-d's response is to make a covenant with Avraham. A covenant has stronger validity than just a promise, and the manner of making the covenant was done in a way that was accepted in those days in the ancient world. The covenant is made by taking a calf, a goat and a ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon, and cutting the animals in half. Many interpretations have been given regarding this ceremony. One approach explains that the entire ceremony did not occur in reality, but only in Avraham's vision (like a dream). But here we won't go into the details of the ceremony and its various possible interpretations. We will discuss the main content of what was told to Avraham: that his descendants would be slaves in a land not theirs for 400 years, and afterward they would leave with great wealth. The vision ended in darkness, with a smoking furnace and a torch of fire passing between the pieces.
(An interesting detail told to Avraham is that only his fourth generation would return to Canaan, and the reason is: "for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete," meaning, the time had not yet come to punish them. Here G-d "shares" with Avraham a bit about the ways of Providence that are not directly related to his offspring. This "glimpse" into the ways of G-d’s providence may also indicate a rare closeness and connection between G-d and man, and emphasize the fact that G-d watches over the actions of other nations, as well.)
The teacher begins with a survey of G-d’s promises to Avraham and the events that Avraham recently experienced:
Where did we see that G-d promised Avraham that he would have children? And that he would take possession of the land?
The answers can be presented in a slideshow in order to summarize G-d’s promises to Avraham until this point.
(Possible answer: No. He has no children; Lot, his family member, separated from him; and there are wars that are shaking up the region. Avraham still hasn’t taken possession of the land. These might likely be some of the tests which Avraham needs to pass.)
Answer: Presumably, Avraham's feelings were not simple, but we can learn a bit more about his feelings in the next part of the lesson.
Thought question: What do you think would cause Avraham to feel more confident and less concerned?
The students will study in pairs about G-d's revelation to Avraham, followed by berit bein ha’betarim (“the covenant between the pieces”).
We will divide the learning into two parts. First, we will learn about the revelation and the promise of descendants ("Look toward heaven and count the stars"), and in the second stage, we will deal with the promise of the land (berit bein ha’betarim).
Direct the students to the worksheet - The Vision of the Stars, where we will focus on the different stages of the dialogue between G-d and Avraham. We will address G-d's relationship and attitude toward Avraham, His seeking to reassure him (“Fear not”), Avraham's direct response, and, finally, the parable of the stars, and Avraham's response to the renewed promise about descendants.
Note: At the end of the two main worksheets in this lesson, we asked the students to write questions that arose from studying these verses. This is an opportunity to practice independent thinking about the sources. We will expand a bit on the importance and method of asking questions:
Students can be guided to ask questions in different areas:
· The student’s basic understanding of the verses. (Students can write something they didn't understand in the verse.)
· Missing information that is not provided in the verse. (Sometimes the Torah doesn't provide details, and the reader is missing information.)
· Repetitions or phrases that raise questions.
· Deep questions about the content that arise following the reading of the verses.
Examples of questions that can be asked were provided in the worksheets to help the students. It is very important to let the students practice asking questions in order to develop curiosity, deep thinking, and connection to the texts.
Their questions can be collected, and selected questions can be answered.
Some of the questions raised might lead to answers that exist in the commentators' explanations of the Torah, and this is a very important way to bring students to active learning and develop curiosity and independent thinking in Torah study and examination of commentators who answer their questions.
We will discuss in depth in class Avraham’s response: “What can You give me, seeing that I shall die childless?” and “Since You have granted me no offspring, my steward will be my heir.” We will emphasize that Avraham does not resort to heresy as a result of his situation, but neither does he keep these difficult questions in his heart. Rather, he turns to G-d and speaks to Him.
Discuss or write on a shared board the following points:
Here is an example of this kind of shared board:
In the second part- the promise of the land – we will relate to the covenant as a concrete ceremony (even if not actually performed) that has additional significance, as opposed to mere speech without a covenantal act.
We will emphasize in particular the prophecy to Avraham's descendants: ““and they shall be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years” - meaning, this is a prophecy that impacts the future of Avraham's descendants across generations.
Direct the students to study the worksheet "Berit bein ha’betarim".
In this lesson, we will focus on the prophecy to Avraham’s offspring which appears in berit bein ha’betarim:
“And [G-d] said to Avram, “Know well that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years;
but I will execute judgment on the nation they shall serve, and in the end they shall go free with great wealth.” (Bereishit 15:13-14)
The teacher will discuss the following with the students about this prophecy:
Avraham Avinu received a long-term prophecy about his offspring.
Answer: Through the Egyptian bondage, and then Yetziat Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt).
We will discuss questions on several different levels:
First option for discussion - The Duration of the Egyptian Bondage:
Was the Egyptian bondage 400 years? (It is known that the period of enslavement likely lasted 210 years).
We will refer the students to the timeline from the world’s creation until the Jews’ return to the land, and direct their attention to the period of Egyptian bondage. We see that the period of bondage was about 200 years. So why does the prophecy say 400?
Of course, there is no calculation error.
Answer: We can explain that the time from which the “slavery" is calculated begins from Yitzchak’s birth. (We will demonstrate on the timeline where Yitzchak was born, which is already a period of 400 years).
Another option for discussion - An Optimistic Look at Slavery and Redemption:
In the Midrash’s discussion of the words ידע תדע, we will see an optimistic outlook even on Avraham’s difficult feelings following the harsh prophecy. On the one hand, it is written “Know well that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.” The Midrash adds an optimistic message, that although G-d will scatter Am Yisrael and enslave them (ידע), in the same breath He will also gather and redeem them (תדע). In other words, along with the harsh prophecy comes a prophecy of comfort and salvation.
At the end of each lesson, students will add an answer to the question: "What did I learn about Avraham in this lesson?" (values, ways of thinking, character traits, interpersonal relationships, leadership)
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