Grade 1 - Early world Civilizations

242 Early World Civilizations: Supplemental Guide 14A | Judaism

Presenting the Read-Aloud 15 minutes

Judaism

 Show image 14A-1: Miriam

Hi, I’m Miriam. I am Jewish. Jewish people practice a religion

called Judaism. Judaism began long ago with the Hebrew people,

descendants of Abraham. You’ve already heard about Abraham.

Jewish people believe that God made a covenant, or agreement,

with Abraham. In this covenant, God promised to take care of

Abraham and his descendants, and Abraham promised to worship

only God instead of following the common practice of worshiping

many different gods.^1

Long after Abraham died, the Hebrews had to leave the

“Promised Land” of Canaan because there was not enough food

to eat. They moved to neighboring Egypt, where they were made

to work as slaves for the king, or pharaoh, of Egypt.^2

 Show image 14A-2: Moses^3

After many years, God sent a prophet^4 named Moses to help

free the Hebrew people and lead them back to Canaan, “the

promised land.”^5

 Show image 14A-3: Moses and the parting of the Red Sea^6

Moses asked the Egyptian pharaoh to free the Jewish people

from slavery, but the pharaoh refused. God punished the pharaoh

for enslaving the Jewish people.^7 Finally, the pharaoh let the

Jewish slaves leave Egypt and return to Canaan. Moses led them

to freedom by obeying God, who parted, or pushed back, the

waters of the Red Sea so the Jewish people could walk through to

Canaan. This journey out of Egypt is called the Exodus.^8

1 Abraham left the land of Ur. Where
did he go to live?

2 [Using a world map, point to the
area known as Israel and then to
Egypt. Explain that the Hebrews
went from Canaan to Egypt to
live, and they worked as slaves for
the pharaoh.] Slaves are made to
work for someone without pay or
freedom.

3 What do you see in this picture?
[Explain that this is a sculpture
of Moses done by a famous artist
named Michelangelo.]

4 or one who teaches others about
religion

5 Why was Canaan was called “the
promised land”?

6 This is someone’s depiction of what
Moses did to help lead the Hebrew
people out of Egypt. Listen to see
what Moses did.

7 or for making them slaves

8 [Using a world map, point to Egypt,
the Red Sea, and then to Israel
(Canaan). Explain that the Jewish
people, led by Moses, left their life
of slavery in Egypt and went back
to “the promised land” of Canaan.]