BIBLOS - Teaching the Bible - Passover and Exodus

Teaching the Bible

MOSES:
PASSOVER AND EXODUS

Key Questions

Questions for Discussion and Reflection

The Nature of the Material

When dealing with historical material in the Bible, it has to be treated in the same way other history is treated. It needs to be analysed and evaluated in the light of the evidence available, to assess its historicity and value.
However, there is a difference, in that religious history is always written with the God dimension interwoven in it. That part can never be literally pinned down but has to be taken on the faith of those who recorded the events.
Those who wrote the biblical material believed that God was actively involved in history and so they include the part he was believed to have played. This changes the nature of the historical record but it does not necessarily diminish it because it is their genuine interpretation of the events.
In addition, legal material from after the exile has been projected back to the time of the Exodus. This is not an uncommon feature in the writing up of history. It means, of course the material is not authentic to the historical period being described, but it shows the importance and interpretation which later writers gave to the original event, so its significance is emphasised.

Questions

What difference does it make when history is told with a God dimension?
Does the added God-dimension mean the historical material is less or more valuable? To whom?
Can facts exist without interpretation? Are facts or the interpretation of facts more important?
Do people ever read things back into their personal histories? If so, what sort of things and why?
Is later material often read back into social or political history?
Some Jews and Christians do not want the text of the Bible analysed, for example to examine sources and dating etc.. Why might that be?
Why might other Jews and Christians see it as very important to analyse biblical material?
What might be meant by 'taking the Bible in faith'?
Jews and Christians still believe in a God who actively participates in history. Where might they perceive his action?

God's Providence

In a secular, rich society, it is easy to take life for granted. Everything that people need appears in abundance, as if they had a right to it all. But in contrast to this blasé attitude, as soon as things go a little wrong, there is panic! People are caught unawares, as if they had never imagined there could ever be any hiccups in their programmed lives. Perhaps their way of life has dulled their imaginations into a blindness to basic realities about the nature of human existence and the world structure that supports it.
It is clear that as crops depend on the climate, if that goes awry, so do the crops. If people live in a world that accepts the production of bombs, then on occasions those will be used and disrupt life.
Wealth and easy living can lull people into forgetting their vulnerability in the face of danger, their dependency on nature and their interdependence with other nations.
Religious people would emphasis the need to depend on God's providence in nature and in everyday events, especially in this 'sophisticated' world and to develop a sense of responsibility, stewardship and accountability towards others and the planet.
Those who do not believe in God might stress the need to appreciate the delicate balance of life and to avoid exploitation of people and resources. They might encourage also, alertness to changing patterns and avoidance of complacency towards an arrogant treatment of other people and the planet.

Questions

In what ways might a wealthy nation ignore the link between cause and effect?
What evidence is there that people take their way of life for granted? Is there anything wrong in doing that?
What difference is there between taking things for granted and appreciating their value?
What is provided 'free of charge' by God or 'chance' to meet our needs?
What human needs would religious people believe are supplied by God's providence?
What part must trust play for people who believe in the providence of God?
Why doesn't God provide for everyone equally, rather than leave some nations with little?
Can science be regarded as a substitute for a providing God? Or do the two interpretations of life and its purpose have things in common? Are they compatible?

Festivals

If anything is familiar about religions, it will be their festivals. Festivals are full of action, colour, symbols, rituals, music and often feasts. Families and communities participate. They are therefore particularly appealing to children because they can take an active part in their learning, for example in the re-enactment of festivals. However, it is important to bear in mind the following points:
- Check with someone in authority within the particular religion that it is appropriate for you to carry out a re-enactment.
- See if it is possible to join in with the religion itself and share in their celebrations. This gives the authentic experience.
- Invite a member of the religion into school to talk about the festival.
- Use a member of the class or school who belongs to the religion to share their experience with the class.
- Use a video programme to convey the real experience to pupils.
The Passover meal is a particularly appropriate festival to re-enact because the symbolic foods can be made and everyone can participate. It is of course child-friendly because it is children who ask the key questions.
One vital point to remember. Religious practices are the expression of religious belief. It is therefore essential that the beliefs which underpin the rituals are explained to pupils. These are the heart of the matter.
The origin of 'holy' days and the transition from a special time for celebrating a religious festival to the modern concept of holidays is interesting. While there are still similarities e.g. the original and the new version both restore spirits, there are important differences e.g. the God-dimension is often absent from modern holidays.
Whereas the Jewish calendar was changed to start the year off with the religious festival of Passover, now the calendar is being changed to get away from religious festivals e.g. the timing of bank holidays, replacement of Christmas by 'Wintermas' substitutes.

Questions

How might the celebration of festivals engender security and a sense of belonging?
How important is it for people to be reminded of key events in history through festivals?
Festivals are communal celebrations. Why do people need to be part of a community?
Festivals embrace all age groups. Why is that important?
Why is it that religions have a reputation for being dull, boring and miserable? Is this a view held by those with a religious faith or by those with no faith?
What effect does celebrating have on the human spirit?
What difference is there between religious and secular celebrations? Why have some religious celebrations been built on and replaced older pagan celebrations?

The Past, Present and Future

Time is a difficult concept but festivals throw an important light on its nature. It is not just continuous but the arrows of time point backwards and forwards.
Festivals demonstrate just how influential the past can be over the present and the future. They hold these three dimensions of time in their rituals which can be handed on year by year. By tapping into the experiences of the past through festivals, people can be reminded of what was important then, to make sense of the present and allow them to move confidently into the future.
Younger people tend to live more in the present. It takes time to acquire the first-hand experience which demonstrates the intrinsic links the present has with the past and the future. However, young people often want to feel free from the ties of the past to create their own present and build their own future. How possible is that?
Judaism and Christianity both stress God at the beginning and end of time and highlight the need for responsible living because ultimately, in the future, individuals will be accountable for the way they have spent their past time. Their festivals keep these obligations in mind.

Questions

What can the past teach the present? In what ways can it give meaning to the present?
Can the future give meaning to the present? How might a person's life link in to the future?
What is disappointing / worthwhile about the inheritance left by past generations?
What disappointing / worthwhile legacies will be passed on to future generations?
Many people want to live 'for the moment'. Is that possible or desirable?
Is personal freedom to 'do your own thing' a delusion? How are people limited by the past and conditioned by the present?
In what ways might religious festivals be said to hold the past, present and future together? Why is it important for them to be celebrated through an annual cycle?
Why do Jews and Christians believe God is concerned about how they spend their time?

Pilgrimage

Pupils are familiar with journeys and pilgrimages are special types of communal - or sometimes individual - journey where the destination brings prayer, reflection and restoration. The pilgrimage will focus on some special event or person of particular significance in that religion.
Schools may have a local place of pilgrimage or a local person, parent or grandparent may have gone on a pilgrimage and could be invited into school to say what it meant to them.
The Passover pilgrimage might be linked in with Jesus' pilgrimage to the Passover in Jerusalem when he was twelve (Luke 2:41-52).
Life is often symbolised as a journey, with a beginning and a destination and lots of paths taken en route as well as a variety of stopping off places. This concept lends itself to imaginative responses from pupils.

Questions

What might be the benefits for people who go on pilgrimage? What might they have to give up?
How important is it for people to follow in the footsteps of others?
Do pilgrimages always have a religious focus? What secular pilgrimages take place?
For what sort of hero would it be worth going on pilgrimage?
What places might become the focus for religious pilgrimages?
What is significant about the actual travelling to the pilgrimage site?
In what way is life's journey a type of pilgrimage?

Deliverance and Freedom

The theme of Passover is deliverance from oppression to freedom. It is a theme which is ever relevant, although the forms of oppression will vary as well as the type of freedom sought.
Any form of oppression diminishes the human spirit and stands in the way of people being fully human. Oppression can come from an external source e.g. a political force, an employer or from within a person e.g. guilt, fear or depression.
Freedom is often regarded as a positive state but that is not necessarily the case. One can be free to make a mess of life or free to harm others. Freedom in a positive sense should be a facilitator which enables a person to do what they choose to do. But it has strings attached because freedom without responsibility might return a person to oppression, for example if they are unable to make proper judgements about situations.
The exploitative oppression of the Pharaoh had to be tackled. God used Moses as the agent of deliverance to lead Israel to freedom. However, Israel could not cope with its freedom and it took Moses a long time and the help of lots of rules to turn them from the slave rabble to the united group that could enter God's promised land!

Questions

Who and/or what oppresses people these days? From what do they need to be delivered?
Who might be the agents of deliverance in modern life?
Does freedom need to be limited? What are the dangers that can hide within it?
People have to learn how to use freedom. What does that mean?
Are people still oppressed by sin and guilt? How do people who do not believe in God cope with their guilt?
What freedom might belief in God give a person?

Leaven / Yeast a Symbol for Corruption

This key symbol of the Passover is an interesting one to explore with pupils. While yeast is not of much use on its own, it makes all the difference when it is combined with something else e.g. with flour to make bread and cakes rise or to make beer ferment.
As a symbol it was used to represent corruption - an evil force at work secretly. It is found in the New Testament in Matthew 16:5ff; 1 Corinthians 5:5-7; Galatians 5:7-9.
Yeast is a rich source of vitamin B, so it does not need to be seen as evil.

Questions

Why is yeast a good symbol for corruption? Why do you think it has been associated with the spread of evil rather than good?
What other unseen forces produce powerful results? Are they for good or bad?
How easy it is to understand the nature and power of evil and corruption?
If people could see the power of corruption at work, do you think they would avoid it?
What makes a person corrupt? What different aspects of corruption can you identify?
In what ways might religions become corrupt?
Is everything open to corruption?
Why is corruption so contagious? What is its appeal? What measures might be taken to limit or eliminate it?
Why are symbols themselves such powerful forces?

Reminders of personal identity!

The Israelites are ordered to keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread and its observance is seen as a 'reminder' of what God has done for them. It is said to be like 'something tied on your hand or your forehead' (Exodus 13:9), to remind them to study and keep God's law. Indeed, the Jews do wear 'tephillin' on their foreheads and left arms still today at special times of prayer. The origin of this practice is said to lie in the custom of early peoples tattooing themselves or branding a mark on their bodies to advertise their devotion to their god.
Pupils might reflect on the modern practice of tattooing and what tattoos might say about what matters to people today.
A further connection can be found in the brand names which young people need to wear - the designer labels. These could be said to show where modern devotions are directed and where people's priorities lie in a consumer society.
Brand names are to do with identity. The Jewish festival of Unleavened Bread was to remind Jews that their identity was as God's 'firstborn'. What is the significance of people identifying themselves by a brand name today?

Questions

What are tattoos advertising?
What is the significance of these being burnt into the body? Does that diminish or add to the value given to the human body?
Why is the practice increasing in popularity?
Are young people slaves to the designer label? Have they been indoctrinated by the fashion world?
Why do people need to have the same identification mark as everyone else? Do they risk losing their individuality to a fashion label? What happens to those who cannot or will not go along with the designer-label syndrome?
Has God been displaced by the fashion icons? What would that say about modern society's priorities?

Uniformity for Solidarity and Unity

Groups of people need some force to unite them and give them strength. The Jews gain their sense of solidarity and unity from their observance of the laws which Moses gave them. Orthodox Jews in particular, believe that it is by each individual Jew practising the same rituals, in the same way, throughout the world that they will develop a sense of identity and be bound to one another and to God. In other words, they live their lives in a similar way - their food, cooking, Sabbath observance, festivals, prayers, etc., are carried out according to the biblical instructions. The thread of Torah binds them together.
Jews acknowledge that in theological doctrine they would have difficulty in being united and that is why a creed was not important to them. So it is through practice rather than beliefs that they can come together.
Uniformity of practice is perhaps frowned on in this age of freedom. Everyone should be free to do as they wish. No authority should seek to chain the human spirit into common action! Young people should find this concept interesting to explore. They are often united in opposing the uniformity of a school uniform and yet find themselves driven to wearing the designer uniforms and labels to look alike!

Questions

Why does this common Jewish practice produce an inner strength and unity?
What is appealing about living in this structured way? What might be daunting in rigid ritual observance?
Why did the Jews need solidarity and unity?
In what other ways might groups find solidarity and unity?
Is it easier to believe the same things or act in the same way as other people? Why?
What sorts of views about uniformity does society hold today?
What examples of uniformity of behaviour can be seen in today's world?
What is the difference between uniformity and solidarity?
When might uniformity be a weakness as well as a strength? Why might diversity be a force for good, too?

Redemption of the Firstborn - the Sanctity of Life

The importance of this ritual was to demonstrate that all life was God-given and therefore sacred. In a secular world that view is no longer held by everyone.
It is important to have a 'belief' about human and animal life, because on that depends the value you give to people and animals and the way you treat them. With scientific developments, the ethical dilemmas are rapidly increasing.
If you do away with God as creator of life, you could find human life reduced to 'a combination of chemicals'.

Questions

Why is the 'meaning of life' so difficult to define?
What is meant by life as 'sacred'?
What are the dangers inherent in defining a human being only in terms of chemicals? Does the way people treat others depend on their definition of 'human life'? What are the implications of that?
Are some human beings of more value than others? If so, why? In what ways does human life get cheapened?
How does belief in God give value to human beings?

Passing on Traditions and Beliefs

Religions have taken care to pass on their traditions to future generations. This is often through their Sacred Writings. However, in the Passover celebration there is another method. It refers to the importance of children asking questions!
Judaism has taken the education of the young into its traditions and faith very seriously. The future of Judaism lies with them. Here at the Passover meal it is the children who ask the questions in order to discover what Passover is all about. Each year they ask the same questions and each year they are reminded of the importance of this festival and the nature of the God who looked after their ancestors.

Questions

How are traditions preserved by societies?
Why might it have been important to involve the children actively in the Passover meal?
Does modern society take children seriously enough? Are they given enough responsibility?
Are children encouraged enough to ask questions? What is the importance of children's questions?
Do people ask enough questions?
Are questions or answers more important for religion?
In an age of answers, does religion stand a chance when it accepts there are no answers to some aspects of life?