The Tanakh is our earliest source of Jewish history. It is the text that, at its core, guides all of the rituals that we practice and decisions we make in our Jewish lives today. In this scavenger hunt, we will travel throughout the Tanakh in order to remember our history and learn where we came from, so we can understand how we ended up where we are today.
Here is how to run the activity:
1. Give the students the link for the first sheet. You can send the URL or they can also search for it by name (Journeying Through the Tanakh - Introduction & Clue #1).
2. Students open the sheet and read the clue for something to find in the Tanakh.
3. The students search the Tanakh on Sefaria to find the section that contains the answer.
4. When they find the section, they click on the text to open the resource panel and click on "Sheets".
5. Scroll down to find a sheet with the title "Journeying Through the Tanakh Clue #2". This sheet will contain the next clue.
6. Students Continue from clue to clue until they find the treat at the end.
Clue #1 (www.sefaria.org/sheets/269277)
In this first book of the Torah, God makes a covenant with Abraham, promising him that he will be the father of a multitude of nations. God says to Abram, "Lech Lecha - go forth". Find the verse where Abram's name is changed to Abraham.
Answer #1: Genesis 17:5
Clue #2 (www.sefaria.org/sheets/269281)
In the middle of Exodus, the Israelites celebrated their freedom after having crossed the Red Sea and escaped the Egyptians. After the Israelites proclaimed, "Mi Chamocha b'eilim Adonai - Who is like you amongst the Gods?" The Israelites were led by Moses' sister Miriam. Find the verse that tells you who and how Miriam led the Israelites in celebration.
Answer #2: Exodus 15:20
Clue #3:
In Torah, we learn a lot of stories about our history, but we also learn what it means to be a chosen people. Inherent in that is the idea of holiness. In this seventh parasha of the book of Leviticus, we see the beginning of the Holiness code. A set of verses that teach us what it means to be holy. Find the verse in this parasha that proclaims that you shall be holy.
Answer #3: Leviticus 19:2
Clue #4 (www.sefaria.org/sheets/269301)
It is no accident that social justice is a large component of our identities as Jews. We read, in Torah and in the Prophets, a call for justice. Find the verse of Torah, in the book of Deuteronomy, that tells is to pursue justice.
Answer #4: Deuteronomy 16:20
Clue #5 (www.sefaria.org/sheets/269302):
In the book of Samuel (you guess which one), we learn the story of Samuel's birth. Like Sarah, Samuel's mother Hannah was barren and cried out to God, praying with all of her will to become pregnant. Samuel, like Isaac, has a special name that provides an explanation of how Samuel came to be. Find the verse that explains Samuel's name.
Answer #5: I Samuel 1:20
Clue #6 (www.sefaria.org/sheets/269312)
On Yom Kippur morning, we read an excerpt from Isaiah, Chapter 58. In 58:5, Isaiah asks, "Is this the fast I desire?" He then goes on to explain the fast that he desires and the connection between food and eating and holiness. Find the verse that tells us what we will be called, if we offer compassion to the hungry and satisfy the famished creature.
Answer #6: Isaiah 58:12
Clue #7 (www.sefaria.org/sheets/269317)
The public reading of Torah, something you have all participated in when you became b'nai mitzvah, is a tradition that we first learn of in the book of Nehemiah. In the 8th chapter of Nehemiah, we learn how the first public Torah reading came to be, and who was involved. Find the verse that tells us what they did when they read from the scroll.
Answer #7: Nehemiah 8:8
Clue #8 (www.sefaria.org/sheets/269325)
The Book of Psalms, a part of the Writings, is attributed to King David, although scholars believe that he did not write all of them. Psalms 92, 93 and 95-99 are traditionally included in our Kabbalat Shabbat liturgy. Find the verse in these psalms that tells us to sing unto God a new song.
Answer #8: Psalm 96:1
Clue #9 (www.sefaria.org/sheets/269355)
If you've ever heard the phrase, "To everything there is a season, and a time and a place" or any variation of this, it originates from the Book of Ecclesiastes. There, in Chapter 3, we are told that there are times for many different things - crying and laughing, loving and hating, silence and speaking. Find the verse that tells us what the they really what the only worthwhile thing is in our lives.
Answer: Ecclesiastes 3:12
Clue #10 (www.sefaria.org/sheets/269365)
Find the book that you will read from during Confirmation. In this book, we learn the story of two women - the book's title character & Naomi. The title character has a son. Find the verse that tells us the name of her son and his grandson. The first team to bring back this answer to Rabbi Wainer wins!
Answer #10: Ruth 4:17