4. For many years, Hebrew, as Jews were once called, lived
peacefully among Egyptians in Ancient Egypt. However,
when their population grew to the point that the Egyptians
found them a threat, the leader, Pharaoh, enslaved the
Hebrews, forcing them to build cities and pyramids.
He also ordered all newborn Hebrew boys, the firstborn
sons in their families, to be taken away and drowned in the
Nile. One mother, Yocheved, along with Shifrah and Puah,
the midwives helping her to deliver her son, refused to let
the Egyptians harm her baby.
5. She placed him in a basket, and watched from afar
as he floated down the nile. She sent her daughter,
Miriam, to watch over him from the reeds.
Behind the Pharaoh’s palace, at the Nile’s edge,
stood his daughter Bat Pharaoh. She saw the baby
and took him from the water, naming him Moses,
“pulled from the water”, and raised him as an
Egyptian Prince.
6. Meanwhile, the slaves, in their desperate situation,
cried to God for help. Moses, now a young man, saw
an Egyptian slave master treating a Hebrew slave
badly. He stopped the Egyptian, and feeling as
though he too was a Hebrew, runs away from Egypt.
He spent 40 years as a simple shepard in the desert,
until God, sending a message through a burning
bush, told him he must return to help free his people.
7. Moses returned back to Egypt, and, with his brother Aaron,
went to the Pharaoh and declared “let my people go”.
“Never!” says Pharaoh, and in response God unleashed 10
plagues upon the Egyptians in an attempt to get them to
relent.
After each plague, Pharaoh agreed to let the Hebrews go
free. But each time, he changed his mind. After the 10th
plague, he relented. The Hebrews left in a hurry, so fast
that their bread didn’t even have time to rise, and raced to
the Red Sea.
8. The heard Pharaoh’s army racing after them; he
changed his mind again! But, miraculously, the sea
parted, and the Hebrews crossed safely. Just behind
them, Pharaoh’s army was swallowed by the waves.
The Jewish people were free! They sang songs of
exaltation, and danced and celebrated! Each year,
we remember the miracle of freedom.
10. In 610 CE, there lived a man named Muhammad. He
was 40 years old and worked as a merchant.
Muhammad was well-respected in the city of Makkah.
The people called him “Al-Ameen” (the Trustworthy) for
his upright character. Despite this, he was troubled
by the lifestyle of his arrogant, unjust idol-
worshipping society and his complicity within it. He
often went to the cave of Hira’ just outside of the city
to meditate and seek meaning in his life.
11. One day in Ramadan, the ninth month of the Arab lunar
calendar, Muhammad was meditating in the cave when the
angel Jibreel (Gabriel) appeared. His wings filled the entire
sky so that Muhammad could see nothing out of the cave’s
entrance but the angel. He commanded Muhammad, “Read.”
Muhammad was illiterate and so he replied, “I cannot read.”
Again Angel Jibreel commanded and again Muhammad
refused. This happened one more time, then Jibreel said,
“Read in the name of your Lord who has created.” This was
the first verse of the Qur’an to be revealed. Over the next 23
years, God would reveal thousands more.
12. Muhammad was completely overwhelmed by this
experience. He rushed home to his wife Khadijah, who
consoled him as he wept. He doubted his sanity, thinking he
might have imagined the whole episode, but Khadijah
reminded him: “You take care of the orphan. You look after
the widow. You give charity to people in need. And you help
the oppressed. How could your Lord abandon you?”
Khadijah recognized in her husband the signs of a prophet
and she became the first Muslim. She stood by his side for
the rest of her life.
13. PASSOVER RAMADAN
● fast from food and
drink everyday for
the whole month
○ fast is broken
with an iftar
● give zakat (charity)
● pray taraweeh (an
extra prayer unique
to Ramadan) every
night
● community dinner
called a (usually on
1st night) seder
● the passover story
is told using a
haggadah
● seder plate full of
foods representing
concepts in the
story
● hiding the afikoman
14. ● What does your family do for Passover/Ramadan?
Is there anything specific to:
○ Your family?
○ Your culture?
● How has COVID affected your experience?
● What are the vibes? What emotions or ideas do
these holidays bring?
● Any special memories or funny stories?
● When celebrating these holidays, have you ever
heard of the women leaders in these stories being
highlighted?
