The Yerusha, Lesson 2
This lesson explores Bereshit 15: 5-8. Students learn about God’s promise for Avram’s descendants to inherit the land of Israel.
Lesson objectives
The student will be able to describe the conversation between God and Avram as follows:
1) God compares Avram’s offspring to the multitude of stars in the sky.
2) Avram trusts God’s word.
3) God reiterates His promise to Avram to inherit Eretz Israel.
4) Avram requests verification or testimony of God’s promise.
Skills
Students will be able to
Identify Biblical words with the root “yerusha.” (inheritance).
Values
Students will appreciate:
Avram’s faith in God.
Resources & Equipment needed
- Highlighters for all students
- Text sheets and worksheets for all students
- Whiteboard and board markers
Procedure
Class Opening (2 minutes)
Begin with a brief recap of the previous lesson.
Then, ask students: How long does a yerusha last? If it is money, it’s just gone after you spend it, but what is an example of a yerusha that can last for a long time?
Ask students to share if anyone in their family has ever inherited something, such as a house, and who it came from. Tell students that Avram’s yerusha is promised to his son.
Silent Textual Reading (3 minutes)
Pass out the text sheets and ask students to quietly read pesukim 5-8, and to try to understand on their own as much as possible.
Acting and Reading (3 minutes)
Appoint four students to come up to the front of the classroom and read/act. One should read the part of the narrator, one to read the part of God, one to read the English translation, and one to play the part of Avram (although he does not have lines, he must be on stage). Make sure the students understand when they are supposed to read. When the reading is finished, students should return to their seats.
Check for Student Comprehension (3 minutes)
Ask students:
- What did God promise Avram in these verses?
- Whom do the stars represent?
- Why are the Jewish people like the stars?
Explain that the stars represent all the Jewish people that have ever existed or will exist.
Ask students to highlight the phrase in the pasuk that explains that the Jewish people are meant to be the stars. (Answer: כה יהיה זרעך).
Tell students that God then gives Avram another promise – to give him the land of Israel as an inheritance.
Ask students to highlight the phrase in the pasuk that explains that Eretz Yisrael will be given to Avram’s children, as an inheritance. (Answer: לתת לך את הארץ הזאת לרשתה).
Explain that the “yoresh” (the heir) of Avram—his unborn son—will be given the land of Israel as a yerusha. Who gets the land after Avram’s son dies? The rest of the Jewish people, who are Avram’s descendants.
Discussion (7 minutes)
Let’s take a closer look at pasuk 6. Choose a student to read it again.
Ask students: In what did Avram believe? Explain that Avram believed that God would fulfill His promise of making his descendants as many as the stars in the sky.
Ask students to look closely at the last phrase of this verse. ויחשביה לו צדקה.
Ask students: Why is Avram considered good? Explain that it is because he believed and trusted in God.
Ask students: Why does Avram’s belief in God deserve special mention here? Explain that until this point, Avram had been through a lot. He just went to save Lot from Sedom, fought a great war against powerful kings, and negotiated with the King of Sedom. He is now becoming a little nervous about his future since he has no children of his own. So his trusting in God is difficult, as therefore considered by God to be very good.
Textual Reading of Paragraph 8 and Discussion (13 minutes)
Read paragraph 8 together with the class. Explain that Avram asks a rather surprising question here – why is he suddenly asking God for proof, if he had so much faith in God?
Explain that Avram understood that he would not be able to inherit Eretz Israel in his lifetime. Not only that, God’s promise only related to Avram’s great-great-grandchildren. God told Avram that they would only inherit the land when there were as many as the stars in the sky, which could take many, many generations. Therefore, while Avram realizes that God finds him worthy of inheriting the land, he has no way of knowing that so many generations later, his descendants will still be worthy.
Ask students to highlight the other forms of the word “yerusha” that they see throughout the text. (Answers: לרשתה and אירשנה). Explain that there are actually two types of yerushot mentioned in these pesukim: One yerusha is the one that Avram is worried about—he wants a child of his own to inherit his property. The other yerusha is the one that God is giving Avram, the Land of Israel.
Pictionary (5 minutes)
Call up two students to the board. Tell one to draw the yerusha that Avram wants. Classmates should guide him on what to draw. Student #2 draws the yerusha that God intended for Avram. Again, classmates should instruct students. Optional: Divide the class into two groups and encourage competition.
Conclusion (1 minute)
Ask students: How many of you feel that Avram liked his yerusha? In what ways can we see that God’s promises to Avram came true? Think of what you know from future parshiot and from Jewish history.