SESL and Passover
Passover celebrates the Israelites journey from slavery to freedom. Central to the celebration is the Passover seder, which is storytelling at its best!
There are many Passover texts that can be explored through the lens of social, emotional, and spiritual learning. I am sharing the following texts as examples to illustrate the types of questions and activities that can be applied to any text you choose.
Text 1: Exodus 1:15-17
The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shifrah and the other Puah, saying, “When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool: if it is a boy kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” The midwives, fearing God, did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.
Text 2: Exodus 2: 2-10
The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw how beautiful he was, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer, she got a wicker basket for him and caulked it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. And his sister stationed herself at a distance, to learn what would befall him.
The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile, while her maidens walked along the Nile. She spied the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to fetch it. When she opened it, she saw it was a child, a boy crying. She took pity on it and said, “This must be a Hebrew child.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a Hebrew nurse to suckle the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter answered, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who made him her son. She named him Moses, explaining, “I drew him out of the water.”
Self-awareness: the ability to recognize and articulate emotions and understand how emotions influence behavior.
What emotions do you imagine each character feeling (the midwives, Moses’ mother and sister? Pharaoh's daughter)?
How do you think their emotions influenced their actions and decision making?
Self Management: the ability to manage one’s emotions effectively in a variety of situations.
Fear is a powerful emotion—it can paralyze us, but it can also protect us by alerting us to danger. The body’s automatic response to fear is often called the “fight-or-flight” response, which can trigger an increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and muscle tension. In some cases, fear may also lead to a “freeze” response, causing someone to feel stuck or unable to act.
Each one of the characters may have felt fear at some point. Slow deep breathing can help lower the intensity of emotions, including fear, and help us think more clearly before making a decision.
Where in the text might it have been useful to pause and take a few deep breaths before acting?
Reflection and relevancy: What do you do when you feel afraid and what helps you manage it?
Deep belly breathing takes practice. Here is a video that uses a Hoberman sphere to guide your breathing.
Social Awareness: the ability to take the perspective and empathize with others.
Acting:
Role playing can increase empathy and help us understand the perspective of others. Imagine you are Moses’ mother. How are you feeling as you place Moses in the basket? What are you saying to yourself?
Writing:
Using the texts above, create your own conversations between the characters using speaking or feeling bubbles.
Rewrite a part of the story from one of the character’s perspective.
Perspective “seeking” is especially important to do when reading or teaching a text that runs counter to contemporary sensibilities or today’s concepts of right and wrong. How can we express empathy for the “bad guy”? People we don’t agree with?
“Step into their shoes” and consider discussing the following questions:
Pharaoh – What was his reasoning for refusing to let the Israelites go? How did fear and power influence his decisions?
Egyptian Citizens – How did ordinary Egyptians feel about the plagues and the Israelites leaving?
Relationship Skills: the ability to develop and maintain healthy relationships
Communication skills are critical to establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. We communicate our emotions not only with our words, but with our tone and body language.
Ask students to role play the conversation between Pharaoh’s daughter and Moses’ sister, Miriam, while conveying certain emotions with their tone, facial expressions, and body.
For example: Write down an emotion on a piece of paper and show it to the person who is playing the role of Pharaoh’s daughter. Write a different emotion and show it to the person playing the role of Miriam. Ask the students to convey the emotions with their tone and body language when reading the verses. Ask the students observing to guess the emotion).
Show the students various pictures from the story of Passover. Based on the characters’ body language and facial expressions, what do you think they are feeling? Why?
Responsible Decision Making: the ability to make constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions.
The “Traffic Light” tool can guide the decision making process:
Red: Stop, pause, and breathe!
Yellow: Identify the problem and think through possible solutions. Think about the possible consequences of each option and then choose the one you think is best.
Green: Move forward with your decision!
Questions to consider:
Read the texts and identify the problem each character faces.
What are some of the solutions/options they could take to address their problem?
What are the consequences or possible outcomes to each option?
What would have happened if the characters had chosen the option that you selected? How would the story have been different?
Reflection and relevancy: Think of a problem you are currently having. How can you using these steps to help you choose the best option?
Spiritual Awareness & Gratitude
These texts present challenging moments and many difficult decisions. Where in the text might you identity possible moments of gratitude?
Share one thing you are grateful for in your own life.
Further questions to discuss:
How do you find courage when facing challenges?
How can we be there for others who are going through difficult times?
How do we show our gratitude to those who help us or guide us on our own personal journeys?
These activities allow students to connect personally with the themes of Passover while practicing and building social, emotional, and spiritual skills.
