The Torah Lesson of the Binding of Isaac, the Akeydah, is read during Rosh Hashanah. Avraham is about to assume a position of great responsibility. He will become the first leader of the Jewish people. His skills and his decisions will set the stage for future leaders as well as all the Jews. In this lesson, Avraham’s faith in God is tested. God asks Avraham to sacrifice his son Yitzchak. When you sacrifice something, you give up something very special. In the time of the Torah, it was a common practice to make an animal sacrifice as a gift to God. God asks Avraham to do something that is very difficult, to sacrifice his own son, Yitzchak. Avraham follows God’s request. Before any harm comes to Yitzchak, God intervenes and blesses Avraham.

An article that may be helpful as you share this story: The Akedah, Camp Ramah Darom Blog

 **The concepts in this story from the Torah are very sensitive and may be difficult for the young child to comprehend. Use your discretion when presenting the materials. When you do present the story, assure the children that God would never let Avraham actually kill his son.

Materials

Cast:

• Avraham 
• Yitzchak 
• Ram 
• Angel of God 

Scenery and Props

• Cana’an backdrop 
• Tent
• Robes for Avraham, Yitzchak and Angel
• Belt with paper knife tucked in for Avraham
• A white beard for Avraham
• A fur pinnie for ram, and rams horns attached to kippah or hat
• Big rock fashioned from a table covered with cloth
• Wood for fire using wooden blocks or sticks gathered outdoors
• Fire fashioned from crumpled yellow, orange, red tissue paper
• Bush fashioned from very large plant or easel covered with green cloth
• Gold sequined headband for angel

Suggested Costumes:
    
You may collect adult sized new or used T-shirts, old nightgowns, and pajamas. They are perfect for the long robes worn by men and women of biblical times. Long robes and vests can be easily fashioned from large pieces of all different kinds of fabric or old pillowcases.

You may also fashion a “no sew” pinnie:


Seder Costumes-Directions Video (Good for any story from the Torah!)

Suggested Scene and Narration
For purposes of dramatizing the lesson, the teacher will be the Narrator or facilitator of the story for young children. As the story is told by the teacher, the children will follow the action in mime and movement. The teacher may elicit dialogue through prompting, questioning, and directing. Generally, however, the teacher will need to recite all speaking parts, touching or looking at the person who would be doing the speaking.

Older children may read from a script, with minimal prompting from the teacher. After reviewing the appropriate materials and gathering the necessary costumes, scenery, props, etc, the teacher will help the children dress as specific personalities and bring the individuals into the scene as the story unfolds. You may use the suggested dialogue/narration or create your own, trying to remain true to the text.

The scene takes place against the Cana’an backdrop. The ram is hidden behind the bush.
Narrator: Avraham is sitting in front of his tent in Cana’an. Yitzchak is sleeping next to the tent. Avraham hears God talking to him.

God: Avraham!

Avraham: Here I am. Hineini

God: Avraham, I would like you to take your son to the top of the mountain and sacrifice him as a gift to me.

Avraham: (Turning toward Yitzchak) Yitzchak, we need to climb the mountain and make a sacrifice to God. Please carry this wood that I have gathered. (Avraham and Yitzchak walk around the room, as if climbing the mountain. They stop near the big “rock.”)

Yitzchak: Father, where is the animal for the sacrifice?

Avraham: God will provide a ram for us. We’ll make a fire for the sacrifice. (Yitzchak places the wood near the “rock” and places the tissue-paper fire on top.)

Narrator: Avraham places Yitzchak on the rock. Avraham raises his knife slowly. All of a sudden, Avraham hear an angel of God say, “Stop! Don’t hurt your son. Now I know that you truly believe in Me.” Avraham looks up and sees a ram caught in a bush. (The ram crawls out from behind the bush.) Yitzchak and Avraham put the ram on the rock and Avraham takes out his knife to sacrifice the ram.

Angel of God: Avraham, because you have trusted so deeply in God, I will bless you. You will have as many descendants (children and grandchildren and great-granchildren) as there are stars in the sky and sand on the ground.

Narrator: Yitzchak and Avraham go back down the mountain.

Discussion Questions

• Why was God testing Avraham? *(Avraham was being tested to see if he would make a GREAT first leader of the Jewish people. Other leaders would need to emulate him.)
• Why did God send the ram from the bushes?
• What kind of qualities does it take to be a good leader?
• Who are the descendants of Avraham? *(The Jewish people)
• Why do we read this Torah lesson on Rosh Hashanah? *(Perhaps, reading this Torah lesson makes us think of the personal sacrifices we need to make during the year. What kind of sacrifices do we make? 
• The ram is a central figure in this lesson. What makes us think of a ram during the holiday?)

Personal picture of God’s blessing for Avraham and Sarah.
• Construct Avraham’s tent. Cut a square of fabric approximately 7” x 7”. Then, cut a slit up the center bottom about 4”-5”. Cut the 2 top corners off. Staple the tent to a 9”x12” sheet of black construction paper, stapling the doors open.
• Glue a picture of Avraham and Sarah, drawn on a piece of paper about 2 x 3 inches, in the doorway of the tent
• On the top part of the black paper, affix stars.
• On the bottom of the black paper, spread glue and pour on sand (like glitter).


 
Torah Collage


On mural paper, outline a mountain. Children color or paint the mountain. Add a ram fashioned from cotton balls, Avraham, Yitzchak, bushes, sun, birds, clouds, arranging and gluing the pictures collage style.

 





Special Snack: “Star and Sand” Cookies

A yummy way to remember God’s blessing that Avraham will have as many descendants as “stars in the sky and sand on the ground” is to cut our star shaped cookies using your favorite rolled cookie dough recipe. The children may used star-shaped cookie cutters or shape the dough themselves. They will have fun decorating the stars with tiny sprinkles to look like sand.

* PJ library Books