Category Archives: Intertextual Resource

Intertextual Sources: Exploring the meaning of אות

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Intertextual Sources: Exploring the meaning of אות

Exploring the meaning of אות

Is there any difference between the meaning of אות in the following passage and the way it is used in Noah?

  • Read together Shemot 12:13 (God telling the Israelite to mark their door frames during the plagues)
  • Discuss the ways in which this is similar and different from the rainbow. (for example: What is the function of the אות (to show? tell? remind? something else?). Who is doing the actions? Is this to help the Israelites also remember that they will be safe from God’s actions – is this the same as the rainbow?)

Drama Activities: The meaning of אות

  1. Divide into small groups – half the groups will work with the Exodus text (Shemot 12:13) and half the groups with the in the rainbow text – they should create a skit that shows what they think putting the sign up (on the door, in the sky) is about in light of their discussion.
  2. Divide into small groups – create a skit that shows how you understand the rainbow text in light of some of the distinctions you explored in your community of inquiry / in these discussion plans

Intertextual Sources: The meaning of אות – MS, HS, A

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Intertextual Sources: The meaning of אות

Using a Tanach, Look up the following references. Is there any difference between the meaning of אות in these passages? What do you think the function of the אות is in each case?  (to show? tell? remind? something else?)

  • Bereshit 4:15 (Cain and Abel)
  • Shemot 31:13 (Shabbat)
  • Shemot 31: 17 (Shabbat)
  • Shemot 8:18-19 (Plagues)
  • Shemot 12:13 (Blood on the doorposts)

Intertextual Sources: Deciding when to leave – Reasons not to leave – MS, HS, A

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Intertextual Source:  Deciding when to leave – Reasons not to leave

Look up these further references in the Torah: What do they tell us about reasons people have for leaving and reasons they have for staying? In what ways do they involve ‘going from’ and in what ways are they a matter of ‘going to’?

  1. Bereshit 12: 10 – Abram goes to Egypt
  2. Bereshit 27: 41-45 Ya’akov leaves the family home
  3. Bereshit 30:25 – 31:18 – Ya’akov decides to leave Laban.
  4. Ruth1:12-19 – Story of Ruth. Orpha decides to leave Naomi, but Ruth decides to stay with her.

Intertextual Sources: Kinds of Laughter

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Intertextual Source Comparisons:  Kinds of Laughter

  • Compare Sara’s laughter with Avraham’s laughter when he is told that Sarah will have a son. Bereshit 17:17
    • Do you think it is the same kind of laughter?
  • Compare Sarah’s laughter with God’s laughter in Tehilim 34:13
    • Do you think it is the same kind of laughter?
  • Compare Sarah;s laughter at 18:12 with Sarah’ comment about laughter when Yitzak is born – Bereshit 21:6
    • Do you think this is the same kind of laughter?

Intertextual Sources: Deciding when to leave – Reasons not to leave – UPS

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Intertextual Source:  Deciding when to leave – Reasons not to leave

Look up these further references in the Tanach: What do they tell us about reasons people have for leaving and reasons they have for staying?

  1. Bereshit 30:25 – 31:18 – Ya’akov decides to leave Laban.
  2. Ruth1:12-19 – Story of Ruth. Orpha decides to leave Naomi, but Ruth decides to stay with her.

Intertextual Resources: Adam & Noah

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Intertextual Resources: Adam & Noah

To Adam and Chava:  To Noah and his sons:
כח  וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, אֱלֹהִים, וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ, וְכִבְשֻׁהָ; וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם, וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְכָל-חַיָּה, הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל-הָאָרֶץ.
כט  וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת-כָּל-עֵשֶׂב זֹרֵעַ זֶרַע אֲשֶׁר עַל-פְּנֵי כָל-הָאָרֶץ, וְאֶת-כָּל-הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ פְרִי-עֵץ, זֹרֵעַ זָרַע:  לָכֶם יִהְיֶה, לְאָכְלָה.		 א  וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים, אֶת-נֹחַ וְאֶת-בָּנָיו; וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ, וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ.

ב  וּמוֹרַאֲכֶם וְחִתְּכֶם, יִהְיֶה, עַל כָּל-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ, וְעַל כָּל-עוֹף הַשָּׁמָיִם; בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תִּרְמֹשׂ הָאֲדָמָה וּבְכָל-דְּגֵי הַיָּם, בְּיֶדְכֶם נִתָּנוּ.

ג  כָּל-רֶמֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר הוּא-חַי, לָכֶם יִהְיֶה לְאָכְלָה:  כְּיֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב, נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת-כֹּל.

ד  אַךְ-בָּשָׂר, בְּנַפְשׁוֹ דָמוֹ לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ.

ה  וְאַךְ אֶת-דִּמְכֶם לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם אֶדְרֹשׁ, מִיַּד כָּל-חַיָּה אֶדְרְשֶׁנּוּ; וּמִיַּד הָאָדָם, מִיַּד אִישׁ אָחִיו–אֶדְרֹשׁ, אֶת-נֶפֶשׁ הָאָדָם.
And God blessed them [Adam and Chava], and said to them: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply [be many], and fill the earth, and bring it under your control [subdue it]; and have command over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and all living things that crawl upon the earth. And God said: ‘Here, I give you all plants that  bear seeds, that are upon the face of all the earth, and all trees, in which there is fruit of the tree  that bears seeds—for you they shall be for eating. And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply [be many], and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon all the wildlife of the earth, and upon all the fowl of the heavens, and all that crawl on the soil, and all the fish of the sea – into your hand are they given. All things crawling about that live, for you shall they be, for eating, as with the green plants, I now give you all of it. However – flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat.

The meaning of ‘אות’ in the Torah

Inter-textual exploration

Using a Tanach, Look up the following references. Is there any difference between the meaning of  ( אות ) in these passages? What do you think the function of the ( אות ) is in each case?  (to show? tell? remind? something else?)

  • Bereshit 4:15  (Cain and Abel)
  • Shemot 31:13 (Shabbat)
  • Shemot  31: 17 (Shabbat)
  • Shemot  8:18-19  (Plagues)
  • Shemot 12:13 (Blood on the doorposts)

Note for educators about the intertextual activity on ‘טוב’

 Note for Educators:

N.B. This could also be organized for students by putting each of these passages on a card and writing the translations of ‘tov’ from different English translations on the back of the card. First the students look at the passage and think about it themselves, then turn the card over and see the way ‘tov’ has been translated across different translators. Some examples are:

Translations found in English translation of the Bible

2:9:       good

2:18:     right

6:2        Fair, beautiful

15:15    ripe

16:6      right, appropriate