The Early Hebrews and Judaism

The Origins of Hebrews

Explore the historical journey of the Hebrew people, their struggles, triumphs, and their impact on the formation of Judaism.

Multiple Choice

Who was considered to be the father of the Hebrew people?

• Moses

• Jacob

• Abraham

• Joshua

Abraham

• In the Torah, God chose a shepherd named Abraham to be the father of the Hebrew people. 

• Abraham lived in Ur, a city in Mesopotamia. 

• Around 1800 B.C, Abraham led Hebrews, his family, and their herds and made their way to Canaan.

Match

Match the following people to the event

• Moses

• Jacob

• Abraham

Received the 10 commandments @ Mt. Sinai

Had 12 sons that formed the 12 tribes

Led the Hebrews to Canaan

• Received the 10 commandments @ Mt. Sinai

• Had 12 sons that formed the 12 tribes

• Led the Hebrews to Canaan

Jacob

• Over time, the Hebrews in Canaan took a new name-the Israelites. Their name came from Abraham’s grandson Jacob. According to the Torah, he was also called Israel.

• Jacob had 12 sons. ten of these sons and two grandsons were the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Multiple Choice

What is a famine?

• A disease

• Lack of food

• Crime

• Surplus of crops

Moses

• The Torah tells of a terrible famine in Canaan. 

• The Torah tells how God commanded Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. The migration of the Israelites from Egypt is known as the Exodus.

• Moses climbed up Mount Sinai, where God spoke to him. Moses came down the mountain with two stone tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments.

Multiple Choice

Who acted as military leaders and gave advice on legal matters?

• Judges

• Joshua

• Moses

• Abraham

• Moses picked Joshua to lead the Israelites back into Canaan.

• The Israelites returning to Canaan were organized into 12 tribes. The men of these tribes became Joshua’s troops.

Joshua

• During the 200 years of war, no single powerful leader led the Israelites. Instead, they sought advice from many different leaders called judges. 

• The first judges acted as military leaders. 

• Later judges gave advice on legal matters. 

• The judges played a key role in keeping the 12 tribes united.

Judges

Multiple Select

From the video yesterday, what two other major world religions trace their roots to Judaism?

• Christianity

• Hinduism

• Buddhism

• Islam