Lesson video

Hello there.

My name is Mr. Robertson.

I love RE.

Today, we've got a really interesting lesson.

It's all about the deeper meaning of the Exodus story, and we're gonna be investigating what that story means for Jews today and why, even though it's an ancient story, it's still really important.

And it's part of our unit, which has the big inquiry question: Pesach: how do Jews remember God's covenant? Can't wait to learn with you today.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain why the story of the Exodus is important to most Jews.

We have five keywords today.

I'm going to say the keyword first, and then I'd love it if you could repeat it back to me, please.

So our first keyword is "Exodus." Fantastic.

Our second keyword is "descendants." Amazing.

Our third keyword is "ancestors." Our fourth keyword is "freedom." Amazing.

And finally, "liberation." Well done.

That was a big one, wasn't it? Okay, so what do these words mean? Well, the Exodus is the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt; the second book in the Torah.

Descendants are people related to you who live after you.

Ancestors are people related to you who lived before you.

Freedom means being able to act, speak, and think as you wish.

And liberation means to be set free.

So these words are gonna come up through our lesson, and I think you're gonna be really confident with them by the end of it.

So, in this lesson about the deeper meaning of the Exodus story, we have two questions.

And our first question is this: Why do Jews tell the story of the Exodus today? This lesson has got a social science lens to it, and Izzy's gonna explain what we mean by that in RE.

She says, "Social scientists are interested in how people live their lives.

They often survey or interview people to find out more about the things they 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 what does that mean in the lesson today? Well, in this lesson, we'll be learning why people with Jewish worldviews remember and tell the story of the Exodus today.

Izzy and Jacob are talking about memories.

Izzy says, "I love to hear my parents and grandparents talking about things that happened to them in the past.

I don't mind if I've heard the story before.

Sometimes I ask them to retell one of my favourite stories.

Jacob says, "My friends like to talk about things that have happened to us.

We start with, 'Remember that time when.

' and soon we're all laughing and reminding each other of the funny things we did and said." I wonder, do you have any stories and memories that you like to share and retell with others? Are they things that happened in your family? Are they things that happened to you as a group of friends? It's brilliant to have stories, isn't it? And that helps us remember who we are.

I wonder what's happening in this picture.

It's very dramatic, isn't it? I wonder if we know what story it comes from.

This is from the Exodus.

The Exodus is one of the most important stories in the history of the Jewish people.

Jews believe that Moses led the Hebrew people away from slavery in Egypt towards the land promised to Abraham and his descendants.

And you can see Moses there in the story in the Torah.

The Red Sea is parted by God, and the Hebrew people are led to freedom across the Red Sea.

True or false? A great-grandson is an example of a descendant.

Remember, a descendant is someone who comes after you.

Think about that.

Pause the video; see what you think.

Excellent.

It's true, isn't it? Because a descendant is someone who lives after you, such as a child, grandchild, or great-grandchild.

Amazing if you got that right.

Daniel has a Jewish worldview, and he attends a progressive synagogue.

Daniel says, "The Exodus story has been told and retold in my family over many, many years.

We don't get bored because it's an important story about our Jewish ancestors.

When I was little, I liked the bit about the plagues.

I could imagine the Egyptians getting annoyed with the frogs hopping about.

And you can see all the frogs there in that image, can't you? Daniel explains a bit more.

He says, "The Exodus story shows how Jewish families pass down important stories to their children.

The Hebrews knew about the covenant God had made with their ancestors, Abraham and Jacob.

They had heard all about the promised land, so they wanted to leave Egypt and go there." Let's complete Jacob's sentence.

Think about what we've just been hearing from Daniel: "The Exodus story reminds Jews about God's _______ with Abraham and his descendants." Our choice is A: worldview, B: plague, or C: covenant? Which word belongs in that sentence? Pause the video and have a think.

Brilliant.

It's C: covenant, isn't it? The Exodus story reminds Jews about God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants.

Fantastic if you got that right.

Let's meet Victoria.

She has a Jewish worldview and attends an Orthodox synagogue.

Victoria says, "Jewish families retell the Exodus story every year at the celebration of Pesach.

We tell the story in the first person as though it happened to us.

We might say, 'When we were enslaved in Egypt' or 'When Moses led us across the Red Sea.

'" Now that's really interesting, isn't it? So this story, for most Jews, is not about something which happened many, many years ago.

This is about something that happened to members of the family, the ancestors.

And so Jews say "we," not "them." Victoria explains how she tells the Exodus story: "We tell the Exodus story in the first person because we see it as our family story about our Jewish ancestors.

The story is part of my identity as a Jewish person.

Even though it's an ancient story, it still holds meaning for Jews like me today." Let's just think about what Victoria's been telling us.

True or false? The Exodus story is only seen as an old story about distant ancestors.

Is that what Victoria was saying? Pause the video.

Have a think.

Excellent.

It's false, isn't it? Why? Because for many modern Jews like Victoria and Daniel, the Exodus story continues to be meaningful.

She said, didn't she, Victoria, that they used the first person.

So it's an immediate story, not an ancient story.

Let's think about this.

Izzy is thinking about this whole idea of why Jews tell the Exodus story today.

She says, I still don't really understand why Jews tell such an old story.

I'm not surprised, Izzy.

This is complicated.

I think we can help her, though, don't you? So, can we think about the word "ancestors," which was really important? And we might say, "Many Jews like Daniel and Victoria.

." What could we say about this story? Is it something they still tell, or do they not tell it? For Daniel, the Exodus is.

Why did Daniel say the Exodus was important? You might want to look back at his words and read them again.

And for Victoria, what did she say was important about the Exodus? Can you remember something special she said about the way that Jews tell the story and when they tell the story? I think you could have a really good go at this.

Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

See you soon.

Wow, you've been doing lots of thinking, haven't you? So you might have said many Jews, like Daniel and Victoria, retell the story of the Exodus every year at Pesach.

You might have said, for Daniel, the Exodus is an important story passed down from his Jewish ancestors.

And you might have said, for Victoria, the Exodus is told in the first person because it's a family story about her Jewish ancestors.

It's part of her identity as a Jewish person.

So if you managed to mention ancestors, if you talked about the fact that many Jews tell this story every year, and if you'd mentioned the idea of identity, brilliant thinking.

Well done.

So for the second part of this lesson, we're going to be asking this question: What is the deeper meaning of the Exodus? Look at that picture there.

We can see an image of the Psalms, of a Jewish scroll of the Psalms. The Exodus story has been retold and interpreted by Jews in different ways over thousands of years.

The story appears in the Torah and in other Jewish texts such as the Psalms, and Jews today find deeper meanings in the Exodus story.

Victoria explains her understanding of the Exodus story.

She says, "The Exodus is mentioned in many Jewish scriptures because it's so important.

For example, Psalm 105 is a song about liberation from slavery in Egypt.

And here's an extract.

It says, "God remembered his sacred promise to Abraham, his servant.

So he led his chosen people out, and they sang and shouted for joy." So a psalm is a poem which is found in bits of the Christian Bible and the Jewish scriptures as well.

Masha has a Jewish worldview, and she attends a Sephardi synagogue.

She says, "The Exodus story shows how the Hebrews were saved from being mistreated.

Psalm 106 is a song about rescue and freedom from slavery." It says, "God led his people across the sea on dry land." It's a bit like that image, wasn't it, we saw earlier? "He saved them from those who hated them.

He rescued them from their enemies." So let's think about this.

True or false? The Exodus story is only mentioned in the book of Exodus.

Is that true or false? Excellent.

It's false, isn't it? But why? Because we saw some examples of the Psalm, didn't we? Masha and Victoria showed us some examples that show that story is told in other parts of Jewish sacred text as well.

Well done if you got that right.

Masha explains the deeper meaning of the Exodus for her family.

She says, "The themes of freedom in the Exodus story are meaningful to my family because we know how it feels to leave home to look for safety and freedom to make choices.

My father had to leave Iran when he was a young man because it was not a safe place for Jews at the time.

Iran is a country in the Middle East, and he had to leave and came to the UK because it wasn't safe to be Jewish." So for Masha, this idea of freedom is really important.

Masha explains why the Exodus story is meaningful to her family.

"When he arrived in the UK, my father must have felt like Moses and the Jewish people when they crossed the Red Sea to freedom and safety.

When we tell the Exodus story, it feels very real to us because of our family history." So it's not just an ancient story about Masha's distant ancestors.

It's also a story about her own family history.

Which of these gives the best definition of freedom? Is it A: going to live in a promised land? B: being able to act, speak, and think as you wish? Or C: having enough food to eat and water to drink? What do we think? Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent.

It's B, isn't it? Being able to think and act as you wish.

Congratulations if you got that right.

Sherri has a secular Jewish worldview, and although she doesn't believe in God, the Exodus story is important to her.

She says, "The Exodus story shows how the Hebrews felt like 'strangers in a strange land' when they were in Egypt.

They believed they were God's people, and they belonged in the land promised to their ancestor, Abraham.

Sometimes, being Jewish makes me feel different from the people around me, just as the Hebrews must have felt different from the Egyptians.

The story of the Exodus reminds me I belong to a global community of Jews with shared stories." And there are Jews all over the world, so when Sherri hears that story and retells that story, she feels connected to Jews around the world like her.

Daniel explains that the Exodus story is about liberation.

He says, "There would've been no liberation if the Hebrews had not trusted God's promises.

Moses had to trust God's call to be a leader and do some new and difficult things.

The Hebrews had to trust God by leaving the life they knew." So there's a lot of trust going on here as well.

He says, "I read the Exodus story as God's promise of liberation from things that hold me back.

I wonder if I'm brave enough to do new and difficult things like Moses and the Hebrews?" Which of these gives the best definition of liberation? Is it A: being set free; B: belonging; or C: being kept safe? Think about what Daniel was saying about being brave.

Excellent.

It's A: being set free, isn't it? Fantastic if you got that right.

So for Masha, the Exodus story reminds her family about her father and how he left home to find freedom and safety.

Sherri, the Exodus story reminds her that she belongs in the Jewish community and shares the story with Jews around the world.

Daniel, the Exodus challenges him to find liberation by trusting God for the future and making brave choices.

So three different Jews, and they remember slightly different things about the Exodus story, and it means slightly different things to each of them.

Laura and Jacob have been learning about the Exodus story.

Laura says, "I think all Jews find the same meaning in the story of the Exodus." Jacob says, "I think Jews find different meanings in the story." Do you agree with Laura or Jacob? You might want to choose two of the case studies to explain your ideas.

Can you remember why Masha said the story was important to her? Can you remember why Sherri said the important story was to her? Can you imagine what Daniel said was important to him? Did they all have the same meaning, or did they find slightly different meanings? I'd like you to think about how you can explain this.

Use some of their ideas to help you, and I really look forward to seeing what you come up with.

So you might have said that you agree with Jacob because Jewish people find different meanings in the story of the Exodus.

For example, Masha said she thinks about how the Hebrews were rescued from danger and found freedom when they left Egypt, just as her father found freedom and safety in the UK.

Sherri is reminded that she shares the Exodus story with Jews around the world, and telling the story helps her to feel that she belongs in the Jewish community.

And Daniel also talked about how that story helps him to make brave choices.

So hopefully you've managed to pick out some of the deeper meanings of the Exodus story.

And you can see, although it was a really ancient story, for many Jews today, it is really important.

They tell the story in the first person.

It's told every year at Pesach, and it means a lot about ideas of freedom and liberation.

Brilliant work if you've managed to think about all of this.

We've been thinking about the deeper meaning of the Exodus story.

We said that the story of the Exodus is one of the most important stories in Jewish history.

Jews have told it to their descendants over many thousands of years.

Every year at Pesach, Jewish people retell the story of their Jewish ancestors in the first person.

The Exodus story has deeper meanings, such as freedom to make choices and liberation from danger.

And finally, many Jews who are not religious would see this story as important 'cause it's shared by all Jewish people.

Fantastic work.

It's really been brilliant learning with you today, and I look forward to seeing you in another lesson soon.

Thank you.