Milchemet Hamelachim – Lesson 4
Four-lesson unit on Bereshit 14: 1-24. Students participate in multiple intelligence exercises in order to understand the Battle of the Kings.
Lesson objectives
Students will be able to describe how
1. The King of Sedom and Malki-Zedeq greet Avram after he defeated Kedorlaomer.
2. Malki-Zedeq blessed Avram and honored him with food and drink.
3. Melech Sedom asked Avram to return the captives from his kingdom, and offered Avram the spoils of war.
4. Avram refused the spoils of war, so that the King of Sedom would not be able to take credit for Avram’s wealth.
5. Avram only accepted pay for his soldiers.
Skills
Students will be able to
1. Match Biblical characters to important Biblical phrases.
2. Draw Biblical characters in text-based scenes.
3. Sequence the events of perek 1
Values
Students will be able to appreciate:
The just behavior is seen in Avram’s and Malki-Zedeq’s behavior.
Resources & Equipment needed
- Chumashim or Sefaria link to text for all students
- Whiteboard and board markers
Procedure
Teacher Preparation
Write the following words on the board: יט: קונה שמים וארץ – Creator of heaven and earth כ: מגן צריך בידך – handed over your enemies to you מעשר – a tenth כא: הנפש – the people כב: הרימתי ידי את ד’ – I swear כג: מחוט ועד שרוך נעל – as little value as is in a thread or a shoelace העשרתי – I made him wealthy כד: בלעדי – Not including me
Class Opening
Explain that Avram returned victorious from war. What kind of greeting do you think Avram gets upon return from war?
Textual Reading
Read pasuk 17, pausing at each etnachta for translation.
Ask students: which king came out to greet Avram? Melech Sedom. He’s angry.
A student should then read pasuk 18, pausing at each etnachta for translation.
Ask students: who came out to greet Avram this time? Malki-Zedeq, king of Shalem, which is Yerushalayim. What did he bring Avram? Wine and bread. This tells us that he was respectful, coming to greet Avram with food and drink, as a symbol of celebration – he was happy Avram defeated Kedorlaomer and the other kings.
Ask students to look at his name: Malki-Zedeq. What does this mean? What is Malki? What shoresh do you see in the word? מלך – king. And what is Zedeq? Justice, righteousness. What did Malki-Zedeq do for a living? Read the last four words of pasuk 18 again. והוא כהן לאל עליון. He was a priest – this means that he was a religious man, he believed in the one God of Avram. This was a time when Avram’s own father worshipped idols, and most people worshipped idols in those days.
Sketch and Speak
Ask a student to come to the board and draw Malki-Zedeq. We said that he was a religious man, a priest. What kind of clothes would he be wearing? Long robes.
Ask: what did he tell Avram? Let’s look at pasuk 19. Difficult words are translated on the board. Choose a student to read in phrases, stopping at psikim (etnachtot and shva na) with teacher’s direction. Translate words and phrases together.
Then ask a student to read pasuk 20, pausing at phrases and translating together. Difficult phrases are on the board. Ask: how does the Torah phrase Avram’s success on the battlefield? …אשר מגן צריך בידיך.
Ask students: Who else went out to meet Avram? The King of Sedom. Choose another volunteer to sketch Melech Sedom on the board. What does he look like? What happened to him when he ran away from war? He fell into a pit. What happened to his clothes? They probably got all dirty. What was he wearing? He was a king after all. Some royal robes and a crown, which were likely broken and dirty, Ask the student to draw this on the board.
Ask students: what did he say to Avram? Read pasuk 21. Explain that the King wanted his people back, so he is offering the spoils of war to Avram in exchange for his people back.
Vote
Ask students: do you think Avram will accept the offer? Vote thumbs up or thumbs down. Ask a few students to state why they feel that way. Don’t offer a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer. This is an opinion question.
Read pasuk 22 to see Avram’s response. He feels very strongly about not taking ANYTHING from the King of Sedom. He doesn’t want to be associated with him AT ALL. He says he won’t even take a thread or a shoelace. That’s like saying he won’t even take a penny or a bottlecap from him. How does the Torah phrase that? אם מחוט ועד שרוך נעל.
Ask students: what reason does Avram give for not accepting even little things from the King of Sedom? Avram doesn’t want the King to think that he made Avram wealthy.
Tell students to sketch Avram on the board, in fighting gear, and with a sword in hand.
Ask students: who is with him? ענר אשכול וממרא.
Explain that Avram also says that he will accept food for his men because that is what’s fair and just. There is nothing wrong with him keeping the spoils of war – he won the war! But if he doesn’t want to take shoelaces from them, that’s his business.
Conclusion
Ask students: which two people acted based on ‘doing what’s right?’ Malki-Zedeq, who went out especially to greet Avram with food and drink; Avram, who refused to take the spoils of war from the King of Sedom; Avram again when he made sure to feed his men when they came back from war.