The Significance of Ritual

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Aaron, water

Excerpt from Enjoying Exodus: The Bible in Rhyme by Marcia Goldlist

Aaron and his sons and their future generations are to wash their hands and feet before serving God.

Discussion Questions:

• What does spiritual cleansing mean?
• Do you think that the washing was used for a physical or spiritual cleaning?
• Washing before serving would have been a ritual.
  • What is ritual?
  • How could a ritual help people concentrate on their job?

Creative Thinking:

• Give as many reasons as you can for why washing hands and feet would be important?
• Why would the feet and hands be picked for cleansing?

Activities for Homeschool and Afterschool:

• Research how water cleans.
• Research a ritual from another cultural that you didn’t know about before.
• Write a diary entry for the water about how it felt being used to wash the hands and face of Aaron and his sons.
• Write a comic strip featuring the hands and feet talking to each other during the washing ritual.
• Write a tweet or a blog post for a descendant of Aaron being washed for the first time.
• How do you think Aaron’s thoughts would differ from that of a descendant while being washed for the first time?
• Research ways to wash yourself when there is no water available.
• See how many different things you can find that water is good for.

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Taking Over From Aaron

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Aaron

        Excerpt from Enjoying Exodus: The Bible in Rhyme by Marcia Goldlist

Aaron was given special clothes to wear when he went into the tent of meeting. When he died these clothes were to go to his son who took over from him. 

Discussion Questions:

• Which jobs have specific uniforms?
• Why do these jobs have uniforms?
• Why do many schools require their students to wear uniforms?

Creative Thinking:

• Support your reason why schools should or should not have uniforms.
• Explain the advantages and disadvantages of uniforms.
• Do you think that society would be better off if there were no styles and everyone wore the same types of clothes?

Activities for Homeschooling and Afterschooling:

• Did the clothes of the high priest belong to the person (Aaron and whoever took over after him) or to the position? Explain.
• Explain what fashion is.
• What makes some clothes more fashionable than others?
• Which do you like wearing more old comfortable clothes or brand new clothes? Explain.
• Would it bother you to wear your father’s work clothes? Explain.
• The high priest wore special clothes when he went into the tent of meeting. Do you think it would help you concentrate if you had study clothes for when you needed to study for school?
• Design a fashionable outfit. Explain what makes it fashionable.
• Would you feel funny wearing clothes of someone who has died? Explain your answer.

Blood in the Tabernacle

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Aaron

               Excerpt from Enjoying Exodus: The Bible in Rhyme by Marcia Goldlist

The priests were told what to do with the blood of the bull by the altar.

Discussion Questions:

• Are you squeamish around blood?
• Do you think that the priests thought about the blood while performing their duties?
• Do you think that you would be able to perform this function in the tabernacle?

Creative Thinking Questions:

• We are conscious that animals are living and that we kill them for food (and in the past sacrifices). Why do we not think about plucking a vegetable from the ground or fruit from a tree?
• Is there a difference between killing a wild animal for food and killing an animal which was raised for that purpose? Explain your answer.

Activities for Homeschooling and Afterschooling:

• Research blood. What purpose does it have?
• Guess how much blood we have in our bodies. Pick five animals and guess how much blood they have in their bodies. Now find out how much blood we and these animals really have.
• Could you cut open an animal and climb inside of it to keep warm if you needed to survive? Explain how you would feel.
• Do you think that you could be a surgeon and put your hands inside of someone’s body? Explain your answer.
• Write a journal entry for the ground when a carrot gets pulled out from it.
• Write a conversation between two apples: one which fell from a tree and one which was picked from the tree.
• Do you think that people are more squeamish around blood today than they used to be? Do you think that this is related to being able to buy our meat and fish packaged at a store rather than having to hunt and kill it ourselves?

Priesthood Was a Job for Life

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Aaron, priesthood

Excerpt from Enjoying Exodus: The Bible in Rhyme by Marcia Goldlist

The priesthood was a job given to Aaron, and his sons, and his descendants for ever.

Discussion Questions:

• Do you like it when people ask you what you want to be when you grow up?
• How would you feel if you knew what job you would have because you were born into a specific family?
• Would you like not having to think about what you were going to do when you grow up?
• Do you think that you would resent not being able to pick your profession?

Creative Thinking:

• It was common for people to learn a profession and stick with it for life. Today that is uncommon. Write a list of advantages and disadvantages for staying with a profession for life and for frequent changes in profession.
• Do you think that a descendant of Aaron would do a better job than someone else because his family had always done the same job?
• Do you think that it is more important to like a job, be good at a job, or make a good living from a job. Explain your answer.

Activities for Homeschooling and Afterschooling:

• Pick a job that you might want to do when you get older. Outline all the steps that you will need to accomplish in order to get that particular job.
• Is there a difference between a job and a profession? If so what is the difference.
• Do you think that you are more qualified for a job if you train for it as an apprentice or if you study for it in University? Explain your answer.
• Write a journal entry explaining how you feel when you get to the age of going into the priesthood like your brothers, father, grandfather, etc.
• Write a journal entry from someone who really would like to be a priest but can’t because he is not of the lineage of Aaron.
• Do you think that you would worry more or less about doing a good job as priest because your whole family is part of the priesthood? Explain.
• Write a song or a poem explaining how you feel about your life being mapped out for you.

Water in the Bible

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Aaron, water

 Excerpt from Enjoying Exodus: The Bible in Rhyme by Marcia Goldlist  

Before Aaron and his sons were brought into the tent of meeting they were to be immersed in water.

Discussion Questions:

• Aaron and his sons were to be immersed in water before they did their work. Think of other instances where there is something done before someone starts doing something. (eg stretching before doing exercise)
• Do you think that getting ready to do something in the above ways is important? Why?

Creative Thinking:

• Why would Aaron and his sons need to be brought to the the tent of meeting? Why would they not be allowed to come themselves?
• What was the purpose of the  water?

Activities for Homeschooling and Afterschooling:

• Research water. Find out:
  • how much of the world is water
  • how much of the human body is water
  • how much of animals is water
  • why some water is salty
  • what exactly water is
• Aaron and his sons were to be immersed in water. Find out how various religions use immersion in water.
• Find at least five times that water is mentioned in the Bible.
• Aaron and his sons were to be brought to the tent of meeting. Write about other official entries (monarchs, prime ministers, presidents, etc.) where someone is brought to a specific place for a specific purpose.
• If so much of the world is made up of water why is it a scarce resource?
• Take a map of the world and see if you could sail around the whole globe returning to your starting point. Try to map out a route. If you can’t get through on a route where are you blocked?
• Why do you think water was used to immerse Aaron and his sons?

 

Discussion Questions:

Tags

Aaron, Children of Israel

Excerpt from Enjoying Exodus: The Bible in Rhyme by Marcia Goldlist

 

God is about to tell His requirements for how Aaron and his sons are to become holy so that they can serve God. 

• Can anyone serve God?
• Why did Aaron and his sons have to become holy to serve God?
• Should we be doing something to become holy?
• Is everyone able to become holy?

Creative Thinking:

• Write a journal entry for God describing how He feels people today do in the holiness department.
• Aaron and his sons had responsibilities to the children of Israel and to God. Read about what was involved regarding Aaron and his sons in the book of Exodus chapter 29 and then write a modern day version.

Activities for Homeschooling and After-Schooling:

• Read chapter 29 in the book of Exodus and record what Aaron and his sons were to do to become holy.
• Why does God give a list of things that have to be done for Aaron and his sons to be holy?
• Describe ways that people today can be holy.
• Write about someone that you believe deserves the title “holy”.
• Describe in your own words what you believe God means by “holy”.
• Why is it important to God that Aaron and his sons serve Him?
• God tells Moses what has to be done. Why doesn’t He speak directly to Aaron?
  • Think of an example in your life where something was told to someone else about how to prepare you for something important. How did this make you feel? Was there a reason that the person did not talk directly to you?

Aaron Approaches God With Care

Tags

Aaron, Children of Israel

Excerpt from Enjoying Exodus: The Bible in Rhyme by Marcia Goldlist

When Aaron entered the holy place of God he was to wear the names of the twelve sons of Israel on a breastplate which was to be placed on his heart. Aaron was to be thinking of the children of Israel when he came before God. He was also to approach God with care.    

Discussion Questions:

• What does it mean by the judgment of the children of Israel?
• Why would wearing the names of the sons of Jacob help Aaron concentrate on the children of Israel?
• Why was it important for Aaron to concentrate on the children of Israel when he approached God?
• What does it mean to approach God with care?

Creative Thinking Questions:

• Why do you think that it would be more effective to place each of the twelve names of the sons of Jacob on the breastplate rather than just write “the sons of Jacob” or “the children of Israel”?
• If you were Aaron what would you do in order to properly “approach God with care”?

Activities for Homeschooling and After-Schooling:

• Aaron was told to come with care before God. This referred to going before God into a special place. Should we treat going before God any differently?
• Aaron was to bear the judgment of the children of Israel. Should we bear the judgment of others? If so, whose and under what circumstances?
• Aaron walked into a special place to be with God. Go to two or three houses of worship in your community and ask about how the people and the clergy talk to God. Note any differences between the religions.
• Why do you think that Aaron wore the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart and not on his head?
• Write a journal entry for Aaron describing how he prepared to enter God’s holy place.
• Find the accounting of how Aaron was to approach God in the book of Exodus and write out an accounting, in bullet points, of what he had to do.
• Aaron carried a heavy responsibility. Do you think that anyone was jealous of him? If so describe why.
• This description of how Aaron was to approach God is in the book of Exodus. Why do you think it is included in this book of the Bible?

Do Clothes Make the Person?

Tags

Aaron

Excerpt from Enjoying Exodus: The Bible in Rhyme by Marcia Goldlist

The wise-hearted people of the children of Israel were told to make special clothes for Aaron, who was to become the high priest, so that he would be holy. 

Discussion Questions:

• There is an expression, “The clothes make the man.” What does this mean? Do you agree with it?
• The wise-hearted people of the children of Israel were to make special clothes for Aaron. Why would God ask that he wear special clothes?
• Can we speak to God in our everyday clothes? Does it matter what we wear? Do you think that Aaron was different?

Creative Thinking Questions:

• Create a list of times when it is justified to have a dress code only for certain people.
• Explain why you think that it is okay or not okay for God to distinguish Aaron with special clothing.
• What is the difference, if any, of God giving Aaron special clothing and Jacob giving Joseph a special tunic?

Activities for Homeschooling and Afterschooling:

• Do you think that Aaron would be a less effective priest to God if he didn’t have special clothing. Explain your reasoning.
• Design an emblem that would be appropriate for an organization that you belong to.
• Describe a situation in which you felt that you were dressed inappropriately. Explain how you felt.
• Why do people care about how they are dressed?
• Aaron’s clothes were designed by God. Write a journal entry for Aaron explaining how this made him feel.
• Design a piece of clothing that would help you pray to God.
• Write a poem or a song to describe how you would feel putting on a piece of clothing for the first time that was designed by God especially for you.
• Why do we sometimes like new clothes better than old clothes and yet want to buy new clothes?

Helping Others

Tags

Aaron, Christian blog, helping others, Hur, Jewish blog

Excerpt from Enjoying Exodus: The Bible in Rhyme (chapter 17) by Marcia Goldlist

Moses raised his hands to motivate the children of Israel who were fighting Amalek. His hands grew tired and Hur and Aaron helped him.

Discussion Questions Related to Needing Help:

• Have you ever needed physical help?
  • How did it make you feel?
• Have you ever needed help with something that was not physical?
  • How was this different than needing help with something physical?

Creative Thinking:

• Is it harder to help someone with something physical or mental? Why?
• Moses needed support for his arms. This is physical support. People also need mental support. List ways that you can support your friends.

Homeschool Activities (for Language Arts, ministries, youth groups, discussions around the table, and thinking):

• Moses raised his hand to motivate the children of Israel. What are ways that you can help motivate someone?
• Create a campaign for your neighborhood to encourage neighbors to help other neighbors. Use at least two of the following media:
  • local newspaper advertisement
  • flyer
  • twitter
  • billboard
  • door-to-door campaign
  • Facebook
  • school paper
• Write a journal entry for Moses about how he felt to be helped by Hur and Aaron.
• How did the stone feel to be used as a chair to help Moses motivate the children of Israel?
• It is hard to stand for a long time with your hand in the air. Develop exercises to strengthen the arm. Create a memo which you can circulate to people explaining what to do and why.
•  Moses was obviously exhausted. Write about exhaustion.
• We are not told that Hur and Aaron were asked for help by Moses. What are signs that someone needs help?

Water Turns to Blood in the First Plague

Tags

Aaron, first plague, God, Moses, Pharaoh

Excerpt from Enjoying Exodus: The Bible in Rhyme by Marcia Goldlist

God told Moses to tell Aaron to take his staff and stretch it over the water and it would turn to blood. This they did standing before Pharaoh and his servants by the water. All the fish died and the water smelled bad.

Bible Study Tools for Homeschooling, Informal Education, Families, and English Language Arts Programs

Discussion Questions About the Rivers Turning to Blood:

• Which senses of the people were affected by the water turning to blood? How would this affect the people?
• How do your senses affect how you think about something?

Creative Thinking About the River Turning to Blood:

• If there were blood in a river today, what do you think the government would do? Outline the different steps that would be taken.
• Create a case for a lawyer to take before a judge suing Pharaoh for letting Moses and Aaron turn the river water into blood.
• Would the sight of the river being full of blood or the smell bother you more? Why?

Homeschool Activities Related to the First Plague:

• Research what fish need to live.
• Research blood.
• Do senses affect each other? Explain.
• What are things that people can do today if they do not have clean drinking water?
• Which countries in the world today have trouble getting enough clean drinking water?
• What in nature would be affected by the water turning to blood?
• What would be affected by the fish dying?
• Describe the river turning to blood in a newspaper article.
• Write a description of what happened to the river to be read on the nightly news.
• Research different plagues through history.

Check out my book trailer for Enjoying Genesis: The Bible in Rhyme Workbook!