Israelites – Adult Reflections
In the Exodus story, the Israelites are a royal pain in the neck! Even though they see awesome miracles, never done before, performed on their behalf, they only complain and never seem to want to take personal responsibility in trying to make things right. They also seem to never support their leader, Moses.
How often do we behave like this?
I am reminded of a quote from the prayerbook Gates of Prayer: “Days pass and the years vanish, and we walk sightless among miracles. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing; let there be moments when Your Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk.”
For me, the essence of being “religious” is to show thankfulness. The ancient Hebrew religion was based on sacrifices. Sacrifice in Hebrew is Korban, the root of the word is Karov, to draw near, so sacrifices were meant to get closer to God by saying “Thank you.” By sacrificing something of value, in those cases, animals, people showed that they were grateful to God for all they had.
Israelites For Younger Children
In the Exodus Story, the Israelites never seem to be happy with all the good things that happen to them.
Even though they see wonderful miracles and receive many blessings, they only complain. And they never mind their leader. They are always getting into trouble!
Have a discussion with the children about how much more fortunate they are then many children in the world. Ask them about their own behavior.
Do you ever act like this?
Do you remember to thank people when they have done something nice for you?
How do you show that you are thankful for all the good things that you have?
Is there one small thing they can do to help some underprivileged children?
Israelites For Older Children And Teenagers
In the Exodus story, the Israelites never seem to be happy with all the good things that happen to them.
Even though they see wonderful miracles and receive many blessings, they only complain. And they often ignore their leader. They are always getting into trouble!
Do you ever behave like this?
There is a quote from the Gates of Prayer prayerbook: “Days pass and the years vanish, and we walk sightless among miracles. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing; let there be moments when Your Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk.”
One of the key aspects of being “religious” is to show thankfulness. The ancient Hebrew religion was based on sacrifices. The Hebrew word for sacrifice is Korban, and the Hebrew root of the word is Karov, to draw near, so sacrifices were meant to get closer to God by saying “Thank you.” By sacrificing something of value – in ancient times, animals – people showed that they were grateful to God for all they had.
How often we forget how much more fortunate we are then many young people in the world. When was the last time you made a real sacrifice to help someone else? Don’t get stuck on the idea that giving tzedakah to help the less fortunate has to be a large amount of money. Give some thought to how you might be able to set aside some of your allowance – money that YOU would really like to have to spend – for three months and give to a worthy charity. This is a wonderful way to celebrate Passover and to show how thankful you are for what you have.