Lesson Six: Introduction to the Torah

LESSON SIX

INTRODUCTION TO THE TORAH (OLD TESTAMENT)

Lesson Overview:

This lesson is an overview of the literary unity found in the Torah in Jewish tradition and the Old Testament in Christian communities. Students will examine the structure and literary design of the writings and discuss the artistry and purposes of the biblical text. This lesson will focus on the unity of the Torah (Old Testament) by studying the characters, plot, structure, themes, and historical settings of the Hebrew Bible.

Key Concepts:

etiology, Torah, Tanakh, Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, prologue, epilogue, macro frame, Bible structure, Pentateuch, the Law, Suzerain, covenants, the prophets, Tanakh, literary genre

Objectives: Students will:

 examine the structure of the Torah in Jewish tradition.  understand basic biblical terminology used in the Jewish and Christian traditions.  distinguish between the structures of the Jewish Torah and the Old Testament in

Christian Bibles.  examine the unity of the Torah (Old Testament) by an introduction to the characters, plot, structure, themes, and historical settings of the Hebrew Bible.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:  use biblical terms, such as Torah, Old Testament, Pentateuch, and Tanakh.  state differences in the structural content of Jewish and Christian Hebrew Bibles.  explain the literary unity in biblical text by connecting the characters, plot, structure, themes, and historical settings of the Hebrew Bible  cite evidence from an informational text about the Torah to support responses in a collaborative discussion.  develop vocabulary skills relevant to the understanding of biblical text.  write a reflection on the key concepts in the lesson.  correct writing errors.  participate in discussion board collaboration.

Duration: 2-3 hours

Materials:

To complete the lesson, students will need:  Internet access/e-mail/computer editing ability  Notebook/paper/pen  Video: The Torah: A Quick Overview ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e-z1R62FtI)  Video: “Who Wrote the Bible: A History of the Torah” (https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=k8vYLSBCAF8&t=19s  Article: “The Torah/the Pentateuch” by S h a l o m H a v e r i m (http://www.shalomhaverim.org/English/torah/bereshit_english_1.htm )  Article: “The Torah” by Jeffrey Kranz | Aug 16, 2019 |Bible Books (https://overviewbible.com/torah)

Procedure:

 View the videos: The Torah: A Quick Overview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e-z1R62FtI ) and “Who Wrote the Bible: A History of the Torah” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8vYLSBCAF8&t=19s  Respond to the study questions.  Write at least five (5) of the video presentation’s key points/terminology in your notebook.  Explain the purpose(s) of the video presentation(s).  Use a Bible dictionary, Bible encyclopedia, or other resources to define unfamiliar terms.  Study the terms for future assessments (quizzes/tests).  Respond to the study questions that follow. (Note: You may use added credible online resources to respond to the questions. Use a pronunciation dictionary to learn to pronounce unfamiliar words.)

Study Questions (Assignment one)

Directions:  View the video: The Torah: A Quick Overview-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ez1R62FtI.  Respond appropriately to the following study questions/activities.  Write the answers in your notebook.

1. How does the speaker define the Torah? 2. Why is the Torah called “the Law of Moses”? 3. What is the etiology of the word Torah? 4. How many individual books lay the foundation for the Torah?

5. What do the Torah and the Old Testament in Christian Bibles have in common?

Directions: (Assignment two)  View the video: “Who Wrote the Bible: A History of the Torah” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8vYLSBCAF8&t=19s).  Fill in the blanks to the statements below:

6. The Torah is the compilation of the first____ books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and____. 7. In the Book of Genesis, Chapter 12, God chooses a man called Abram, who later becomes the “father” of the nation ____ . 8. God promises Abram that He will ___him and give him a special land on the eastern coast of the Sea. 9. The land called “The Promised Land” is ___, a place that the Canaanites occupied. 10. God promises Abram that he will have descendants and that he will become a blessing to other ___of the world. 11. As the story continues, Abram and his family travel to escape a famine. 12. In the Book of ___, the descendants of Abraham become enslaved to the Egyptians. 13. The second Book of the Hebrew Bible, called____, God rescues the children of Israel from their Egyptian captors. 14. God says to the Israelite leader named______: “Let them (the Israelites) make for Me a sanctuary so that I may dwell among them.” (Ex 25:8) 15. A sanctuary is a place of refuge or_____. 16. God frees Israel from both their human and ____oppressors. 17. God goes to war and executes judgment on the ____of Egypt. 18. In the wilderness, God makes a special pact, or _____, with the Israelites. 19. A wilderness is a place that has not been ____ by human activity. 20. God gives the children of Israel the Ten____ (the Law) while they are wandering in the wilderness. 21. The Law is a series of solemn ____. 22. The Law is a binding agreement between two ____. 23. This kind of agreement, common to the people of Ancient Near East, is a____. 24. In ancient times, mighty kings had suzerainty (rulership) over smaller kingdoms and could exert _____ over them. 25. During biblical times, ____, or landholders, held the smaller kingdoms on conditions of homage and allegiance. 26. To show homage is to give public______. 27. The suzerain would give_____ to loyal vassals, but there would also be curses if vassals were to break the rules of loyalty. 28. The people engaged in rituals so that they would not _____the agreements. 29. A ritual is a religious or solemn ____consisting of actions performed according to a prescribed order. 30. During ancient rituals, people would usually invoke their own national____ to bear witness to the covenant, or agreement. 31. In the case of the Israelites in the Book of Exodus, the God of the cosmos replaces ____kings.

32. For the ancient Israelites, the God of the cosmos had a special____. 33. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, God reminds the children of Israel that He rescued them from the Egyptians to take them into the land that He promised ___ . 34. God expects the children of Israel to keep the sacred ____. 35. If something is sacred, expect it to be _____ to a religious purpose. 36. The Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy focus of God’s_________ with the Israelites. 37. In summary, God wants love and _____from the nation of Israel. 38. Israel is not to worship other ______beings. 39. God also wants a relationship with other_____. 40. The Ten Commandments forbid the people to murder, steal, covet, or ______their parents. 41. As He dwells among the people, God manifests (reveals) His presence as a fiery_____. 42. God moves alongside this nomadic nation of mortals in a portable _______or place of worship. 43. The Book of Leviticus explores the different rules and rituals that the ancient Israelites believe would make it possible for them to coexist with_________. 44. The Book of Numbers records the famous forty-year journey from the Mount _______outside Egypt to the edge of the Promised Land. 45. During the journey, the children of Israel _______against God. 46. Because of their recalcitrant (stubborn) disposition, the children of Israel must wait forty years for a new ________ to remain loyal to God. 47. God disciplines the disobedient Israelites, but He also preserves them and _______them from their enemies along the way. 48. In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses acts as a __________between God and the people. 49. If the people break the________, they will not remain in the Promised Land. 50. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, prophets remind the Israelites of the covenant between them and God.

Study Questions (Assignment three)

Directions:  Read the article: “THE OLD TESTAMENT: A Christian Name for the Jewish Bible (My Jewish Learning “(https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-old-testament .  Use the article to respond to the study questions below.  Review the answers for discussions and assessments. (Note: You may use added credible online resources to respond to the questions. Use a pronunciation dictionary to learn to pronounce unfamiliar words.)

Are the following statements (A) TRUE or (B) FALSE? 1. In Jewish tradition, the Hebrew Scriptures consist of the Torah, the Books of the Prophets and the Books of the Writings. 2. Within Judaism, this trio is known simply as the Hebrew Bible, or the Tanakh.

3. Tanakh is an acronym derived from Torah (Teaching), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). 4. In Christian tradition, the term Old Testament differs from the New Testament. 5. The Old Testament is the first division of the Christian biblical canon. 6. The term canon refers to a general rule for categorizing, which is based primarily upon the twenty-four (24) books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh. 7. The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh is a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings. 8. The second division of Christian Bibles is the New Testament, originally written in the

Greek language. 9. The order and categorization of the books in the Christian Bibles are different from the traditional arrangement in the Jewish Bible. 10. According to Jewish tradition, the Tanakh comprises of twenty-four (24) books including narratives, law codes, short stories, etiological tales, prophecies, exhortations, poetry, and wisdom writing. 11. An etiological tale is a short story, with a simple structure- the story answers the “why” question in the beginning. 12. A prophecy is a message inspired by God, or a divine revelation. 13. An exhortation is an address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something. 14. Exhortations are meant to encourage someone. 15. Wisdom literature is a literary genre that consists of statements from sages or wise men that teach about life, virtue, and the nature of God.

For Reflection:

View the video: Who Wrote the Bible: A History of the Torah (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8vYLSBCAF8&t=19s ). Briefly explain the “Documentary Hypothesis.” (Write 3-5 paragraphs. Employ terminology from this lesson in your response. Document sources. Edit your work to remove writing errors. Post your reflection on the discussion board. Label the post: The Torah and the “Documentary Hypothesis.”)

A Closing Thought:

"The book to read is not one which thinks for you, but the one that makes you think. No other book in the world equals the BIBLE for that."

- James McCosh