RE:ONLINE Banquet Escape from Slavery!

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Escape from Slavery This is the story of how the Israelites decided to gain freedom from slavery in Egypt. They were led by Moses and his vision of a life of freedom in the ‘Promised Land’. Your challenge is to help the Israelites escape from slavery. To achieve freedom you need to bring together all the items needed for the Pesach (Passover) celebration meal. back next

Escape from Slavery The Israelites had lived happily in Egypt for many generations. After hundreds of years the King of Egypt (Pharaoh) decided to make the Israelites into slaves. He ordered that they build temples and houses for the Egyptians. The Egyptians made the Israelites work extremely hard and treated them badly. God could see how hard the Israelites had to work and how they suffered. Question 1 Why were the Israelites slaves? Pharaoh needed more people in his army to help fight Egypt’s enemies The Israelites had grown in number and Pharaoh was now afraid of them Pharaoh decided to reward the Israelites for their hard work Pharaoh wanted all the Israelites to be killed

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Escape from Slavery  Well done

Escape from Slavery  Correct - Well done. The Israelites had grown in number and Pharaoh was now afraid of them. You now have the Haroset for your Seder plate. Haroset is made from a mix of apple and nuts. It serves to remind Jews today of the mortar the slaves used when they were building temples and homes for the Egyptians. next

Escape from Slavery God did not want the Israelites to suffer any longer and chose a man called Moses to lead them away from Egypt. God spoke to Moses in mysterious ways. Moses was a poor speaker so he asked his brother Aaron to help him. Together Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery and allow them to worship their own God. Pharaoh did not know of the Israelite’s God. He refused to let them go and instead, he ordered that the Israelites should be made to work even harder. Question 2 What did God ask Moses to do next? God told Moses to give up God told Moses to become a slave God told Moses to see Pharaoh and ask him again God told Moses to go to the Promised Land and wait for the Israelites to join him

Escape from Slavery  Correct - Well done. God told Moses to see Pharaoh and ask him again. You now have the Lettuce for your Seder plate. Lettuce (or other leaves) tastes sweet when you first start to eat it. After a few mouthfuls the taste becomes bitter. Lettuce on the Seder plate reminds Jews of how good life was before they became slaves. next

Escape from Slavery The Israelites were working harder than ever before, Moses and Aaron went back to see Pharaoh. They wanted to show him the power of their God. Aaron threw his staff onto the ground in front of Pharaoh. Immediately the staff changed into a snake. Pharaoh however was not at all impressed. He knew his magicians could do the same. So then God sent ten great plagues, one after the after, to Show Pharaoh his power. next

Escape from Slavery The ten great plagues: • The river Nile filled with blood • The houses swarmed with frogs • The dust turned into gnats • People were covered with flies • The animals became sick and died • Ugly sores covered the Egyptians’ faces • Hail pelted hard on the land and the crops were flattened • Locusts gobbled up any crops the were left • Darkness engulfed the land for three long days Darkness engulfed the land for three long days next

Escape from Slavery God spoke to Moses again. He told him of one final plague that would persuade Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt. This final plague would be the death of every male firstborn of both people and animals. Moses was to tell the Israelites to prepare a meal of roast lamb for their family and to use some of the blood to mark the doorway of their homes. Question 3 Why did the Israelites mark their doorways with lambs’ blood? So that Pharaoh could see where the Israelites lived So that the blood would not be wasted So Moses could visit every Israelite So God would know not to kill anyone in that house

Escape from Slavery  Correct - Well done. So God would know not to kill anyone in that house. You now have the Lamb shank for your Seder plate. The lamb shank reminds Jews of the temple where they would make sacrifices to God. next

Escape from Slavery That night, at midnight, God took the life of all the male firstborn of Egypt’s people and animals. A loud cry rose up from the Egyptians because so many of their people had died. Now Pharaoh and all of the Egyptians wanted the Israelites to leave. Some even gave the Israelites gifts of gold, silver and clothing to help them on their way. The Israelites rushed to leave Egypt. Question 4 Why did the Egyptians give the Israelites gifts of gold, silver and clothing? They were afraid that everybody else would be killed if the Israelites stayed any longer They gave them the gifts to persuade them to stay They had plenty to spare and had no further need of these things They wanted the Israelites to exchange the gifts for camels to help them in the desert

Escape from Slavery  Correct - Well done. They were afraid that everybody else would be killed if the Israelites stayed any longer. You now have the Parsley for your Seder plate. Parsley represents the new spring and the initial flourishing of the Israelites. In the Seder meal the parsley is dipped in salt water or vinegar to taste the tears the slaves shed over their suffering. next

Escape from Slavery The Israelites rushed to leave Egypt as quickly as possible. Question 5 Why do you think the bread dough they took with them had no yeast? They preferred to bake their bread this way They didn’t have enough time to wait for the bread to rise before they left They forgot to include it in the recipe They didn’t have any because yeast was too expensive in Egypt

Escape from Slavery  Correct - Well done. They didn’t have enough time to wait for the bread to rise before they left. You now have the Matzotfor the Seder meal. Next to the Seder plate will be 3 pieces of matzah wrapped or covered in a cloth. Matzot are made from unleavened bread dough. They are used to remember the haste in which the Israelites left Egypt. next

Escape from Slavery All the Israelites, maybe two million of them, decided to follow Moses out of Egypt that very night. Moses told the Israelites that God would bring them into the land he had promised them – a land flowing with milk and honey. Question 6 Why do you think the Israelites followed Moses? Because they were afraid of the Egyptian gods Because they couldn’t get milk or honey in Egypt Because they wanted to worship the Egyptian gods in the desert Because they believed Moses had been appointed by God to lead them to their promised land

Escape from Slavery  Correct - Well done. Because they believed that Moses had been appointed by God to lead them to their promised land. You now have the Egg for the Seder plate. A roasted egg symbolises the cycle of life – even in the most painful of times there is always hope for a new beginning. next

Escape from Slavery The land around Egypt was full of enemies that they needed to avoid. As Moses led the Israelites away from Egypt and into the desert God sent some signs to guide them. Sweet Publishing distantshoresmedia.org Question 7 What did God send to guide the Israelites? A host of angels singing hymns Signposts made of wood and stone, saying ‘This way to the promised land’ Desert animals like guide dogs to lead them past their enemies A pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night

Escape from Slavery  Correct - Well done. A pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. You now have candles for the Seder meal. Candles are lit to bring light and joy to the occasion of the Seder meal. It may remind Jews of the light that guided the Israelites through the wilderness. next

Escape from Slavery But Pharaoh had changed his mind and wanted the Israelites to return to Egypt. He set out with horses and chariots to recapture them. The Israelites had reached the shores of the Red Sea when they saw Pharaoh’s army coming towards them. The Israelites were terrified. Sweet Publishing distantshoresmedia.org Question 8 What should the Israelites do next? Trust that Moses will come up with an answer to save them from the Egyptians Try to swim across the Red Sea to get to the other side Prepare themselves for battle against the Pharaoh’s army Surrender and allow the Pharaoh to bring them back to Egypt as slaves

Escape from Slavery  Correct - Well done. Trust that Moses will come up with an answer to save them from the Egyptians. You now have Horseradish for the Seder plate. Horseradish represents the bitter taste of slavery. This is dipped into the Haroset to associate the bitterness of slavery with the hard work that went with it. next

Escape from Slavery Moses raised his staff and stretched out his hand. God parted the waters of the Red Sea and the Israelites went across on dry land; a huge wall of water on either side of them. As the Israelites reached safety on the other side the Pharaoh’s chariots tried to follow them. The wheels and heavy armour weighed them down in the mud. Suddenly, the water crashed in on top of them and they were all drowned. The Israelites had escaped. Question 9 What did Moses and the Israelites do next? They baked bread, this time with yeast They started to construct a bridge across the Red Sea so they could return to Egypt They sang a song of thanks and praise to God for saving them from slavery They set off immediately for the promised land

Escape from Slavery  Correct - Well done. They sang a song of thanks and praise to God for saving them from slavery. You now have Wine for the Seder meal. A sip of wine is drunk, even by children, four times during the Seder meal. Wine symbolises how the Israelites celebrated their escape and their new freedom. Jews say, ‘Next year in Jerusalem’ at the end of the meal. next

Escape from Slavery After many trials and tribulations over the next forty years the Israelites finally reached their promised land. Moses saw the Promised Land from the top of a mountain but he did not go with the Israelites into the land. There were many disputes amongst the Israelites along the way. Some wanted to turn back but each time God saved them from hunger, thirst and enemies. There were also arguments about how they should live a good life and how they should resolve their differences. Question 10 What do you think God gave Moses that would help them live a good life? He gave Moses a golden calf for the Israelites to worship He told Moses to build a prison to keep the troublemakers in He gave Moses a special power that would make bad people good He gave Moses ten commandments for the Israelites to keep

Escape from Slavery  Correct - Well done. He gave Moses ten commandments for the Israelites to keep. You now have Cushions for the Seder meal. Each seat has a cushion or pillow. At the Seder meal Jews can sit back in comfort and relax. This may remind them of the freedom the Israelites experienced when they finally escaped from slavery. Now they were free to live according to their own laws and commandments. next

Escape from Slavery Congratulations, you have collected all the items needed for a Seder meal and helped the Israelites reach the Promised Land!

RE:ONLINE Banquet Escape from Slavery!