Exodus Presentation For Yavneh

ANCIENT EGYPT AND ANCIENT EGYPT AND THE ISRAELITESTHE ISRAELITES

FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOMFROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM

EGYPT WAS UNIFIED IN PRE-EGYPT WAS UNIFIED IN PRE-DYNASTIC TIMES, C. 3200 BCEDYNASTIC TIMES, C. 3200 BCE

• UPPER EGYPT AND LOWER EGYPT REFER TO THE WAY THE NILE FLOWS

• MEMPHIS AND THEBES ARE TWO FAMOUS ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CITIES

Palette of Narmur, Hierakonpolis, Upper Egypt, Palette of Narmur, Hierakonpolis, Upper Egypt, slate, c. 3150 BCEslate, c. 3150 BCE

Wall painting at Hierakonpolis, Wall painting at Hierakonpolis, 3200 BCE3200 BCE

WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!ANYMORE!

Treatment of SLAVES in Egypt was cruel throughout Egyptian history, including the time of B’nai Yisrael’s enslavement.

In this wall painting from a 15th century B.C. tomb, a farm overseer is thrashing a slave while another slave begs for mercy.

In Shemot, it was treatment like this that caused Moshe to kill an Egyptian and run away from Egypt.

FOR IT’S WORK, WORK, WORK FOR IT’S WORK, WORK, WORK EVERY DAY AND EVERY NIGHT EVERY DAY AND EVERY NIGHT

This fresco, or wall painting, is from a 15th century B.C. tomb in Egypt.

If you study this painting

closely, what types of work can you see the slaves performing?

This is the type of work B’nei Yisrael did while they were in captivity in Egypt.

• King Khafre wears the Egyptian nemes and has the false beard of the Egyptian pharoahs

• The pharoahs were also shown with a uraeus, a serpent protruding from the forehead. The serpent spat destruction at the pharaoh’s enemies

WHY DO MOSHE AND WHY DO MOSHE AND AHARON DO MAGIC AHARON DO MAGIC TRICKS WITH SNAKES?TRICKS WITH SNAKES?

On left: Pharoah death mask with uraeusOn left: Pharoah death mask with uraeusOn right: Amulet in the shape of a uraeusOn right: Amulet in the shape of a uraeus

GOD HAS TO SHOW THE GOD HAS TO SHOW THE EGYPTIANS WHO’S EGYPTIANS WHO’S BOSSBOSS

* ALL THE PLAGUES ATTACK WHAT THE * ALL THE PLAGUES ATTACK WHAT THE EGYPTIANS THINK IS HOLYEGYPTIANS THINK IS HOLY

* THE PLAGUES ALSO BRING LIFE IN * THE PLAGUES ALSO BRING LIFE IN EGYPT TO A HALTEGYPT TO A HALT

THE NILE WAS THE MAIN SOURCE OF LIFE IN THE NILE WAS THE MAIN SOURCE OF LIFE IN EGYPT SO THAT’S WHAT GETS ATTACKED EGYPT SO THAT’S WHAT GETS ATTACKED

FIRSTFIRST

• The Egyptians felt the Nile was a god and that their lives were a gift from the Nile

• God has to show the Egyptians and B’nai Yisrael that God controls everything in the world, even the Nile

WHY A PLAGUE OF FROGS?WHY A PLAGUE OF FROGS?

• Since frogs came from the Nile, they were associated with fertility, rebirth and therefore childbirth

• The Egyptian goddess Heqet was shown as a woman with a frog head

• So the plague of frogs attacks the Egyptians’ belief in the Nile and in fertility and childbirth – good midah k’neged midah for the Egyptians’ trying to kill all the Israelite males

Why Why KinimKinim – Lice? – Lice?

• The Egyptians were very clean people

• They shaved their heads and wore wigs

• They worshiped the cat because cats were clean animals

Barber shaving the head of a soldierTomb of Userhat, 18th dynasty

DEVER: DEVER: CATTLE WERE CATTLE WERE SACRED AND VERY SACRED AND VERY

IMPORTANT TO EGYPTIAN IMPORTANT TO EGYPTIAN LIFELIFE

• CATTLE WERE USED FOR MILK, MEAT, HIDES, AND MANY OTHER THINGS

• GOD SENDS A PLAGUE TO MAKE THE CATTLE SICK

• THE PLAGUES AGAINST THE CATTLE AREN’T DONE YET; HAIL- BARAD - WOULD HARM ANY LIVESTOCK LEFT OUTSIDE

THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS CELEBRATED THEIR CELEBRATED THEIR

HARVEST IN THE SPRINGHARVEST IN THE SPRING

• GOD MESSES WITH THE EGYPTIANS’ HARVEST BY SENDING LOCUSTS TO EAT THE EGYPTIANS’ CROPS

• GOD TELLS B’NAI YISRAEL THEY WILL BE WORSHIPPING HIM IN THE SPRING!

WHY IS THERE A PLAGUE OF WHY IS THERE A PLAGUE OF DARKNESS?DARKNESS?

• PYRAMIDS AT GIZA WERE BUILT CIRCA 2500 BCE AS TOMBS FOR THE PHAROAHS KHAFRE, KHUFU AND MENKAURE

• KHAFRE’S PYRAMID IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE ANCIENT WONDERS OF THE WORLD

• THE SHAPE OF THE PYRAMIDS WAS MEANT TO MIMIC THE SUN’S RAYS

• THE EGYPTIANS WORSHIPPED THE SUN AND OFTEN THE PHAROAHS SAID THEY WERE SUN GODS

JUST A COOL PICTURE OF HOW THE JUST A COOL PICTURE OF HOW THE PYRAMIDS MAKE THE SUN LOOK BEAUTIFUL PYRAMIDS MAKE THE SUN LOOK BEAUTIFUL

AND LIKE SOMETHING TO WORSHIPAND LIKE SOMETHING TO WORSHIP

THE EGYPTIAN PHAROAHS THE EGYPTIAN PHAROAHS DEPICTED THEMSELVES AS DEPICTED THEMSELVES AS POWERFUL PEOPLE/GODSPOWERFUL PEOPLE/GODS

• The Sphinx is thought to be the face of Khafre and is another way the ruler presented himself in a powerful way

• Imagine how powerful your God would have to be in order to defeat these important-looking rulers that all Egyptians and their slaves looked at all the time

SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE RAMSES II IS THE RAMSES II IS THE

PHAROAH IN THE TORAHPHAROAH IN THE TORAH

Colossal Enthroned Ramses II, façade of rock-cut temple, Colossal Enthroned Ramses II, façade of rock-cut temple, Abu Simbel, Egypt, rock, New Kingdom, c.1270-1212 BCEAbu Simbel, Egypt, rock, New Kingdom, c.1270-1212 BCE

THE TOMB OF RAMSES’ THE TOMB OF RAMSES’ SONS HAS BEEN SONS HAS BEEN

FOUND IN RAMSES’ FOUND IN RAMSES’ TEMPLE!TEMPLE!

• WHY DOES GOD GIVE MAKAT BEKHOROT?

• THE EGYPTIANS WANTED TO PASS THEIR KINGSHIP DOWN TO THEIR SONS, WHO WOULD THEN BE CONSIDERED GODS

THE EGYPTIANS GAVE OFFERINGS TO THE EGYPTIANS GAVE OFFERINGS TO THEIR PHAROAHS/GODSTHEIR PHAROAHS/GODS

• Offering Procession, Tomb of Ounsou, Thebes, Egypt, wall painting, New Painting, 1500 BCE

• God tells B’nai Yisrael to bring HIM the PASCHAL LAMB

MAP OF POSSIBLE ROUTES MAP OF POSSIBLE ROUTES OUT OF EGYPTOUT OF EGYPT

Why Does the Exodus End with a Yam Suf,Why Does the Exodus End with a Yam Suf, a Sea of Reeds? a Sea of Reeds?