Lesson video

Hello, my name's Miss Rivers.

I'm glad you chose this lesson, and I'm looking forward to working with you.

I'll be helping you with your learning today.

Today's lesson is from the unit "Pesach: How Did Remember God's Covenant?" The lesson is called "Moses and the Exodus." In the lesson, we'll be learning about the story that's really important to Jewish people when they celebrate Pesach.

It's the story of how Moses led the people out of Egypt.

This was called the Exodus.

The story of the Exodus is such an important story for Jewish people that they tell it every year.

By the end of the lesson, you will be able to retell and explain the story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt.

Here are the keywords for today's lesson.

Some of these words might be new to you, so let's practise them together.

I'll say the word, and then you say it after me: "Exodus." "Plague." "Hebrews." "Calling." We'll be using these words through the lesson, so let's have a look at what they mean.

Exodus, that's the word for the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt, and it's also the name of the second book in the Torah.

A plague is a terrible disease or great suffering.

The Hebrews were the descendants of Abraham and Jacob.

And a calling is a feeling of duty to take on a special role.

So listen out for the words as we use them through the lesson.

In the first part of the lesson, we'll be finding out all about Moses to help us understand why he's so important to Jewish people.

Who was Moses? This lesson looks at the Festival of Pesach through the lens of social sciences.

Here's Izzy, and she explains how we use social science to help us learn in religious education.

Izzy tells us, "Social scientists are interested in how people live their lives.

They often survey or interview people to find out more about the things people do and the choices they make.

We can better understand people's worldviews by asking for people's opinions and exploring the reasons for their actions." So in this lesson, we'll be learning about the ancient story of Moses and the Exodus, and when we've learned the story, it will help us to understand why this story is remembered and told by people with Jewish worldviews today.

Here's Rafi.

Rafi has an Orthodox Jewish worldview.

He explains one of our key words for today.

It's the keyword: Hebrews.

Rafi says, "There are a lot of names for the descendants of Abraham.

They are sometimes called the Israelites or the Children of Israel.

They're also called Hebrews.

These are all different ways of describing the ancient Jewish people." So Rafi has reminded us of that keyword: Hebrews.

It means the descendants of Abraham and Jacob, and it's another name for the Jewish people who lived a long, long time ago.

Here is a picture showing the Torah, the Jewish holy book.

The Torah is written in the Hebrew language, and you can see Rafi there reading and pointing to the words.

The Torah contains lots of laws and also many ancient stories about God and the Hebrew people.

The Torah has five books in it, and Exodus is the second book in the Torah.

This is where you'd find the story of Moses and the Exodus.

The Book of Exodus explains how Moses became such a great leader for the Jewish people.

Rafi tells us more about the Book of Exodus, and he reminds us that it begins with the story of Joseph.

There's Joseph and his brothers in the picture at the bottom of the screen.

Do you know the story where Joseph and his brothers fell out, and Joseph ended up enslaved? Rafi tells us that "Exodus begins with Joseph inviting his brothers and his father to live comfortable lives in Egypt.

Joseph was Abraham's great-grandson, and he was one of Pharaoh's most powerful officials." You can see Joseph looking very powerful and important in that picture.

Rafi continues the story.

He tells us, "After the death of Joseph, things started to go wrong for Abraham's descendants.

The new Pharaoh did not know of Joseph and did not care about his family.

The Hebrew people were enslaved." You can see in this picture this is the Hebrew people having to do hard labour working for Pharaoh.

Here's a quick check.

Which two of these statements are true of Exodus? A, it's the first book in the Torah.

B, it tells the story of Moses.

C, it tells the story of creation.

D, it's the second book in the Torah.

Pause the video for a moment while you choose two statements that are true.

That's right.

The correct answers were B and D.

Exodus tells the story of Moses, and it's the second book in the Torah.

Well done if you got those correct.

Here's Rebecca.

She has a Jewish worldview, and she attends a progressive synagogue.

She's telling us a little bit more about the story of Moses.

Have a look at the picture.

You can see a baby in the basket.

That's Moses, and there's a princess picking up the basket and looking at the baby.

Rebecca tells us: "Exodus tells the story of Moses.

As a Hebrew boy, he was in danger from the Pharaoh, so his mother hid him.

A princess found him and brought him up in the palace." So this is a story about Moses from the Book of Exodus, all about how his mom kept him safe from the Pharaoh by hiding him in a basket.

I think that's his mom and his sister looking at Moses as the princess rescues him from the water.

Rebecca explains more about why the story of Moses is important to her.

She says, "I have always liked the story about the beginning of Moses' life.

God kept Moses safe as a baby because he had an important job to do.

Exodus explains how Moses was called by God to be an important leader for Jewish people." Did you spot that keyword: "called?" Do you remember that a calling is a feeling of duty to take on a special role, and Moses was going to take on a special role as a leader for the Jewish people? The next part of Exodus has a really long story about Moses and how God called him to be a leader.

So let's listen to the story together.

Many hundreds of years after the death of Joseph and his brothers, Abraham's descendants, the Hebrews, were enslaved in Egypt.

They were treated very badly, and their hearts were heavy with sadness.

They cried out to God, asking for help.

God heard their groans and remembered the covenant he made with their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God loved his chosen people and cared deeply about their suffering.

Far away in the wilderness, Moses was looking after his sheep.

Suddenly, something caught his eye.

There was a bush on fire, but it did not burn up.

Moses rubbed his eyes and thought, "How strange.

I must go closer to see this." As Moses stepped nearer, a voice called out from the flames, "Moses! Moses!" "Here I am," Moses answered.

"Do not come any closer," said the voice of God.

"Take off your sandals, Moses, because you are standing on holy ground." Then God said, "I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." When he heard this, Moses hid his face because he was too afraid to look at God.

God said, "I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt.

I have heard their cries, and now I will rescue them.

I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt into the land I promised to Abraham, a land flowing with milk and honey." But Moses was scared.

"Who am I to do such a great thing? If I say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' they'll ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I am who I am, and I will be with you.

Tell the people, 'I Am' has sent me to you.

I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I have always watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.

I have promised to bring you out of your misery in Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey." But still Moses hesitated.

"Please send someone else," he said.

God was angry because Moses doubted him, but he said, "Take your brother Aaron with you.

He can speak well, and he will help you.

Take your staff with you.

You'll need it to show signs of God's power." So this is a really important part of the story of Exodus.

Can you see Moses in the picture holding his staff, and he's taken his sandals off because he's on holy ground, listening to the voice of God? And God's sending him to do something difficult, to go and talk to Pharaoh and say, "Let the people go." Moses is too scared, but God says, 'Take Aaron with you.

' So Moses and Aaron went off to speak to Pharaoh.

Here's a quick check.

It's all about God calling Moses to be a special leader.

How did Moses feel about his calling from God? Was it: A, he was happy to follow God's calling to be a leader? B, he was afraid and wanted God to call someone else? C, he was determined to speak up for the Hebrews? Pause the video while you decide which is the right answer.

That's right.

The answer is B.

When God called him to be a leader, Moses was afraid and wanted God to call someone else instead.

Well done if you chose the right answer there.

Let's carry on with the story of Moses.

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh.

Aaron told Pharaoh, "This is what God says: 'Let my people go.

'" Pharaoh laughed at him and scoffed, "I don't know this God, and I will not let your people go." To punish the Hebrew people, Pharaoh made their work even harder.

He stopped giving them straw to make the bricks and said, "Make the same number of bricks, but go and find your own straw." The people groaned and cried even more than before as they made the bricks and did the building.

You can see in this picture that people are having to work very hard doing the building work, and you can see that they're crying and looking sad as they work.

Moses prayed, "God, why is this happening? Why aren't you rescuing your people?" Then God said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is hard and stubborn.

I will show him my power." Here's Rebecca again.

She explains her understanding of this part of the story of Moses in Exodus.

She says, "I think it must have been difficult for Moses and the Hebrews to trust God.

God had promised to look after them, but everything got worse.

Pharaoh treated the Hebrews even more unkindly after Moses and Aaron obeyed God's calling to speak." So Rebecca is thinking about this difficult part of the story, where everything's going wrong and it looks as though God has forgotten them.

Here's a quick check.

There are three pictures from the story on this slide.

You can see picture A, that's Moses as a baby in the basket.

And picture B, that's the enslaved Hebrew people working hard for Pharaoh.

And picture C, that's Moses listening to God talking from the burning bush.

You have to choose the best picture to go with this caption: God said, "I am who I am, and I will be with you." Which is the best picture for that caption? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right.

The answer is picture C.

That's the picture of Moses listening to God speaking from the burning bush, and the caption is "God said, 'I am who I am, and I'll be with you.

'" Well done if you chose the right one.

Now, here's a task to do.

We've got two of those pictures that we've just looked at.

We've got the people working hard for Pharaoh, and we've got Moses listening to God.

Can you use these pictures to help you to retell the story of the Hebrews in Egypt and the calling of Moses? You might want to write about the things that happened in the story, but also think about how the people are feeling.

How are the Hebrews feeling in the picture where they're working so hard, and how is Moses feeling when God is calling him? Pause the video while you do your task.

How did you get on with that task? I wonder if you said something like this about the picture of the Hebrews working hard? A long time after the death of Joseph, Hebrew people were enslaved and forced to work in Egypt.

They cried out to God and asked for help.

You might have said something like this about Moses.

God called Moses from a burning bush.

He said, "I have seen your suffering.

I am who I am.

I'll be with you." He told Moses to rescue the Hebrews.

Moses was afraid, so Aaron helped him to speak.

I wonder if you had some similar ideas, or maybe you included some different words and some different ideas.

Well done for working hard on that task.

Now that we've learned all about Moses and his calling, the second part of the lesson is all about the Exodus.

What was the Exodus? Rafi explains more about what's coming up in the story of Moses and the Exodus.

He reminds us: "Exodus tells how Pharaoh hardened his heart against the Hebrews.

He did not want to lose their slave labour, so God sent 10 disasters called plagues to make Pharaoh change his mind and let the Hebrew people go.

Can you see that keyword: "plagues?" So a plague is a terrible disease or disaster, and there are going to be some plagues in the next part of the story.

Aaron pleaded with Pharaoh to let the people go, but still Pharaoh said no.

So God said, "Moses, take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt." Moses stretched out his staff.

All the rivers and lakes in Egypt turned to blood.

The fish died, and the water smelled terrible.

But still, Pharaoh refused to let the people go.

His heart was hard, just as God had said.

Next came a plague of frogs.

Frogs everywhere, hopping on the beds, in the kitchens, even in Pharaoh's throne room.

But still, Pharaoh said no.

God sent more troubles, plagues of gnats, flies, sickness, and darkness, but Pharaoh's heart was still hard.

Then God said to Moses and Aaron, "One more plague will convince Pharaoh.

After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely." Here's a quick check: True or false? Plagues convinced Pharaoh to let the Hebrews leave Egypt and live in freedom.

Is that true or false? Pause the video while you have a think about it.

That's right.

The answer is false.

Pharaoh's heart was hard, and even when he had all of those plagues happening, he would still not let the Hebrews leave Egypt.

Well done if you chose the right answer.

Moses and Aaron told Pharaoh about the final plague.

They said, "At midnight, the firstborn son in every Egyptian family will die.

There will be loud crying and terrible sadness all over Egypt.

Then you will finally let my people go." God gave special instructions to Moses and the Hebrews.

Each family was to take a perfect lamb and prepare it for roasting.

They were to put some of the lamb's blood on the sides and tops of their doorframes so that God would pass over their houses and keep them safe during the final plague.

That evening, they were to eat the roast lamb with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast.

They had to be ready to leave quickly, straight after the meal, with their cloaks tucked in, sandals on their feet, and staff in hand.

Can you see this picture? The family are eating bread made without yeast.

It's very flat because there's no time for it to rise.

You can see the roast lamb and the bitter herbs on the table, and you can see that the family are all dressed, ready to leave, with their staff in their hands and their coats on.

At midnight, God's angel passed through Egypt.

He struck down all the firstborn sons in Egypt.

There was loud crying and sorrow because every family was affected.

But where the blood was seen on the doorframes, God passed over, and the firstborn in those homes was spared from the final plague.

Very early the next morning, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron.

"Go! Take your people and leave Egypt now.

Take everything with you and go." Here's a quick check: What were the instructions for the Hebrews' final meal? Choose two of these answers.

Was it: A, eat slowly and enjoy the meal? B, eat roast lamb, bitter herbs, and flatbread? C, eat roast chicken, peas, and bread rolls? Or D, eat quickly, wearing your cloak and sandals? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right.

The answers were B and D.

They had to eat roast lamb, bitter herbs, and flatbread, and they had to eat quickly, wearing their cloak and sandals.

Well done if you chose those two answers.

Rafi explains more about the 10 plagues and why the final plague was so terrible.

He says, "The final plague was the worst of all.

The firstborn sons of the Egyptians died, but the Hebrews were saved by the lamb's blood on their doorposts.

It's no surprise that Pharaoh told Moses and the Hebrews to leave after that terrible event." God led the Hebrews away from Egypt through the desert towards the Red Sea.

Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to chase them.

The Hebrews saw Pharaoh's horses and chariots rushing towards them.

They were terrified and cried out to Moses, "Why did you bring us here to die in the desert?" Moses told them, "Don't be afraid.

Stand firm.

God will rescue you.

The Egyptians you see now will never catch you.

God is on our side, fighting for us." God told Moses, "Lift your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea." Moses stretched out his hand, and a strong wind blew, pushing the sea back, making a dry path through the water.

The Hebrews hurried through safely on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

But when Pharaoh's army followed and tried to chase the people, God caused the waters to rush back, washing the Egyptians away.

That day, God saved the Hebrew people from the hands of the Egyptians.

The people praised God and put their trust in Moses as their leader.

They were ready for the new journey ahead of them.

Rebecca explains how she feels about the end of this Exodus story.

She says, "The image of the Hebrews being led through the Red Sea on dry land makes me feel so happy when I think of it.

Moses led them away from slavery in Egypt, and they were heading to freedom and the promised land!" So Rebecca's explanation gives us a clue about why this story is still so important to Jewish people today.

It's all about going away from terrible things, like being enslaved in Egypt, and going towards something wonderful, like the promised land.

This story makes Rebecca feel happy because she has a Jewish worldview, and this story is important to her.

Here's a quick check: Is this true or false? The Exodus is an ancient story, and it has no meaning for today.

Pause the video while you decide whether that's true or false.

That's right.

The answer is false.

The story of the Exodus is an ancient story, but it continues to be remembered and celebrated by Jews today, just as Rebecca explained.

Well done if you chose the right answer.

Now here's a task to do.

This time, you have four pictures from the long story of the Exodus.

We've got Moses and Aaron with Pharaoh and the plague of frogs.

We've got Moses leading the people through the Red Sea.

We've got a family putting blood on the doorposts of their house.

And we've got a family eating a meal, ready to leave.

Your task is to choose two of these pictures and use them to explain how the Exodus from Egypt happened.

So think about all the things that happened in the story, such as the plagues and the special meal and the blood on the doorposts and the journey through the Red Sea.

Choose the parts of the story you want to concentrate on.

Pause the video while you complete your task.

How did you get on with your task? I don't know which pictures you chose, so I've suggested some answers for all of the pictures.

You can see if your answers are similar to mine.

You might have chosen the picture of Pharaoh with Moses and Aaron and the plague of frogs.

Maybe you said something like this: Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh to ask for the release of the Hebrews from slavery.

Pharaoh did not listen, so God sent 10 plagues to Egypt.

You might have chosen the picture of the family with the blood on the doorframes.

Maybe you said something like this: Despite all the terrible plagues, Pharaoh refused to free the Hebrews.

The final plague was to kill the firstborn sons of the Egyptians.

The Hebrews painted blood on their doorframes to protect them.

You might have chosen the picture of the meal and said something like this: The Hebrew people were given instructions to prepare a meal of roast lamb.

They were saved from the final plague by the lamb's blood on their doorposts.

After this, Pharaoh told them to leave Egypt.

Maybe you chose the picture of the Red Sea and said something like this: Moses stretched out his hand, and the Red Sea parted so that the people could walk on dry land.

God had saved the Hebrews.

They praised God as they followed Moses towards the promised land.

I wonder which pictures you chose.

Maybe you had some ideas similar to mine, or maybe you chose some different words.

Well done for working hard on the task.

So we've learned a lot in our lesson today about Moses and the Exodus.

We've learned that at the time of Moses, the Hebrew people were enslaved in Egypt.

We've learned that the book of Exodus tells the story of the calling of Moses.

He was called by God to lead the Hebrew people to freedom.

We've learned that God brought plagues onto the Egyptian people.

However, Pharaoh would not set the Hebrews free.

And we've learned that after the death of the firstborns, the Hebrew people were led to freedom by Moses.

Well done for working hard.

I've enjoyed working with you today.