UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project
UC Davis Jewish Studies Program
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Alison Waterman
Lesson Topic: Torah as Artifact
Lesson Focus Question: How can examining the Torah as a primary source help us learn about the way the
Torah was produced and its teachings?
Lesson Teaching Thesis: Examining the Torah as an artifact enables students to consider questions about the
production of the Torah and the beliefs of those who created it, rather than reading it as either a literal historical
account or as a sacred text with a particular religious meaning.
History-Social Science Content Standard: (6.3) Students analyze the geographic, political, economic,
religious, and social structures of the Ancient Hebrews.
2. Identify the sources of the ethical teachings and central beliefs of Judaism (the Hebrew Bible, the
Commentaries).
History-Social Science Analysis Standard (4) Students assess the credibility of primary and secondary
sources and draw sound conclusions from them.
Common Core Standards:
6-8 Reading Standards for Literacy in History: Key Ideas and Details
1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
6-8 Writing Standards for Literacy in History: Text Types and Purposes
1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
a. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an
understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
Reading Strategies: (1) Retell a story in chronological order. (2) Compare and contrast two Biblical texts
which tell a similar story in order to consider each text’s message(s) and the implications regarding the
formation/canonization of the Hebrew Bible.
Primary Source: Genesis 1:1 – 2:24, 1962 JPS translation, New Jewish Version (NJV), as excerpted in
Learning Torah, a Self-Guided Journey Through the Layers of Jewish Learning, 1990, by Joel Lurie Grishaver,
pp. 47-51.
Primary Source Analysis: Students will read, retell, analyze, and cite evidence from the text. See worksheet.
Writing Instruction: After comparing and contrasting the reading, discussing, and analyzing, students will
write a short paragraph in which they make a claim and support it with evidence from the texts.
Writing Question: Why do you think the Torah contains different stories about how people were created? Cite
evidence from the book of Genesis to support your answer.
Writing Strategy: The writing response is a structured thesis and evidence paragraph.
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
1
Name: ______________________________________________
Date:________________
Class_______
The Torah: An Artifact
Activity 1: Understanding the Stories
Directions: You and your partner will each read one of the attached stories from the book of Genesis, the first
book of the Torah. As you read, answer the questions for your story below. When you finish reading, share and
compare your answers with your partner’s. Then complete the chart on the back.
1. Circle the story you read:
 Story #1 is from Genesis 1:1-2:4 (Genesis Chapter 1, Verse 1 through Chapter 2, Verse 4).
 Story #2 is from Genesis 2:5-24 (Genesis Chapter 2, Verses 5 through 24).
2. What name is used for G-d in your story? __________________________________________________
3. What exists before creation begins? ______________________________________________________
4. What method does G-d use to create things in your story? ____________________________________
5. If you read Story #1, list the things G-d created on each day:
Day 1:___________________________
Day 2:______________________________
Day 3:___________________________
Day 4:______________________________
Day 5:___________________________
Day 6:______________________________
6. If you read Story #2, list the order in which G-d created the following things:
a. ____________________________ earth and heaven
b. ____________________________ the garden of Eden
c. ____________________________ trees
d. ____________________________ animals, including birds
e. ____________________________ man (“Adam”)
f. ____________________________ woman (“Eve”)
7. When you finish reading your story, compare your answers to questions #2-6 with your partner’s. Then
use this information to complete the chart on the back.
_________________________________
Notes about the Hebrew Bible:
 The Hebrew Bible consists of the Torah (Law or Teachings), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Kethuvim (Writings).
In Hebrew, the Bible is called the Tanakh, which is an acronym for its three parts.
 Genesis is the first book of the Torah; the other four are Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
These books are also known as the Five Books of Moses
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
2
Activity 2: Comparing the Stories.
Story Element
Genesis 1:1 – 2:4
Genesis 2:5 – 24
This is important because…
What name is
used for G-d?
What exists
before Creation
begins?
What method
does G-d use to
create things?
What does G-d
create first?
When and how
are human beings
created?
What happens at
the end of the
story?
What is the
story’s message
or teaching?
(Explain AND
provide evidence
from the story.)
Activity 3: Writing a Thesis and Evidence Paragraph
Lesson Focus Question: What can historians learn by comparing the two different stories about how people were created
that appear in the book of Genesis?
Writing Instructions: Suggest a reasonable explanation, and use at least two examples from the book of Genesis as
evidence to support your claim.
By comparing the two different creation stories in Genesis, historians can learn that _______________
________________________________________________________________________________________ .
For example, in Chapter 1 of Genesis, it says _____________________________________________________.
In contrast, Chapter 2 says ___________________________________________________________________.
This shows that there were differences in the details of the stories and perhaps in their messages as well.
Specifically, Chapter 1 presents _______________________________________________________________,
while Chapter 2 suggests that _________________________________________________________________.
In conclusion, by comparing the stories in Genesis, historians may learn _______________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________.
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
3
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
4
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
5
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
6
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
7
Genesis 1:1 – 2:24, 1962 JPS translation, New Jewish Version (NJV), as excerpted in Learning Torah, a SelfGuided Journey Through the Layers of Jewish Learning, 1990, by Joel Lurie Grishaver, pp. 47-51.
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
8
Activity 4: Using Secondary Sources
Directions: After writing a paragraph to answer the focus question, find out what the “experts” think by reading
the excerpts from the secondary sources below. Then answer the following questions:
1. How does reading these secondary sources change your thinking? ______________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. What would you add to (or remove from) your paragraph if you were revising it? __________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
The Hebrew Bible
Many of the events in the Hebrew Bible are far older than the written text itself. Scholars believe that
many sections were passed down by word of mouth for centuries before they were put into writing. Historians
use the Torah to understand the history of the Jewish people and the development of Judaism. In addition to the
Torah, historians look for a variety of other sources of information to learn about early Jewish history. To help
them understand the events and ideas of the time period, they examine archeological artifacts, as well as other
written records.
Adapted from Ancient Civilizations, Prentice Hall, 2006, and The Ancient World, TCI, 2004
Biblical scholars and historians now believe the Bible was written by
many people rather than by one person or by God. Their goal is to understand
how the Bible was written and how it can be used as a historical artifact. The
scholars use clues, such as the writing style and the names for God, to
understand how the different texts within the Bible reflect the historical
periods in which they were written. By studying these clues along with
archeological and historical evidence, Biblical scholars try to understand the
people who created the Torah.
Adapted from Learning Torah, Joel Lurie Grishaver, UAHC Press, 1990
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
9
KEY: The Torah: An Artifact
Directions: You and your partner will each read one of the attached stories from the book of Genesis, the first
book of the Torah. As you read, answer the questions for your story below. When you finish reading, share and
compare your answers with your partner’s. Then complete the chart on the back.
1. Circle the story you read:
 Story #1 is from Genesis 1:1-2:4 (Genesis Chapter 1, Verse 1 through Chapter 2, Verse 4).
 Story #2 is from Genesis 2:5-24 (Genesis Chapter 2, Verses 5 through 24).
2. What name is used for G-d in your story? Story #1: G-d
Story #2: LORD G-d
3. What exists before creation begins? Story #1: darkness over the deep, a wind over the water
Story #2: a flow would well up from the ground and water the surface of the earth
4. What method does G-d use to create things in your story? Story #1: G-d speaks; Story #2: hands-on
5. If you read Story #1, list the things G-d created on each day:
Day 1: Day and night
Day 2: Sky
Day 3: Earth, seas, plants
Day 4: Sun, moon, stars
Day 5: Creatures of sea and air
Day 6: Land animals and man (incl. woman)
6. If you read Story #2, list the order in which G-d created the following things:
a. earth and heaven (1)
a. the garden of Eden (3)
b. trees (4)
c. animals, including birds (5)
d. man (“Adam”) (2)
e. woman (“Eve”) (6)
7. When you finish reading your story, compare your answers to questions #2-6 with your partner’s. Then
use this information to complete the chart on the back.
_________________________________
Notes about the Hebrew Bible:
 The Hebrew Bible consists of the Torah (Law or Teachings), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Kethuvim (Writings).
In Hebrew, the Bible is called the Tanakh, which is an acronym for its three parts.
 Genesis is the first book of the Torah; the other four are Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
These books are also known as the Five Books of Moses.
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
10
KEY: The Torah: An Artifact
Directions: You and your partner will each read one of the attached stories from the book of Genesis, the first book of the
Torah. Answer the questions for your story on the chart below. When you and your partner have both finished reading,
compare notes so you can complete the information for your partner’s story.
Circle the story you read:
 Story #1 is from Genesis 1:1-2:4 (Genesis Chapter 1, Verse 1 through Chapter 2, Verse 4).
 Story #2 is from Genesis 2:5-24 (Genesis Chapter 2, Verses 5 through 24).
Story Element
What name is
used for G-d?
What exists
before Creation
begins?
What method
does G-d use to
create things?
What does G-d
create first?
Genesis 1:1 – 2:4
G-d
Genesis 2:5 – 24
LORD G-d
darkness
water (“the deep” -- may be
the sea?)
wind (“a wind from G-d over
the surface of the deep”)
G-d speaks, saying, “Let
there be _____, and there was
_____”
light and darkness
(Day and Night)
dust
a river? (“a flow would well
up from the ground and water
the surface of the earth”)
Hands-on: G-d formed the
man, blew into his nostrils,
planted a garden
Earth and heaven (or man,
depending on how you read
the first verse)
 G-d creates man from
dust
 creates everything else
(garden of Eden, trees,
animals)
 creates woman last, from
man’s rib
When and how
are human beings
created?

What happens at
the end of the
story?
G-d punishes the snake, Eve,
and Adam for eating the
forbidden fruit, then exiles
them from Eden
The world is a good place
Knowledge of good and
(“G-d saw all that He had
bad is dangerous (“but as for
made, and found it very
the tree of knowledge of good
good”)
and bad, you must not eat of
People are good, with divine it; for as soon as you eat o fit,
qualities or potential (“And you shall die.”)
G-d created man in His
Labor is a punishment for
image”)
disobeying G-d; men must
work to get food; women
G-d makes people to rule
over/care for the earth (“Fill must work to give birth
the earth and master it; and
(“…To the woman He said, ‘I
rule the fish of the sea, the
will make most severe your
birds of the sky, and all the
pangs in childbearing’…To
living things that creep on
Adam He said, ‘Because you
earth.”)
did as your wife said…by the
sweat of your brow shall you
get bread to eat’”)
What is the
story’s message
or teaching?
(Explain AND
provide evidence
from the story.)
G-d creates people last,
after creating everything
else
 He says, “Let us make
man in our image”
 G-d creates both male
and female
simultaneously
G-d rests on the seventh day,
after completing the work of
Creation
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
Why this matters
Different groups of people may have
referred to G-d by different names
More water before Creation in Story
#1
More land before Creation in Story
#2
Stories may come from diff. places?
Creation method focuses on G-d’s
powers: language in Story #1,
hands & breath in Story #2
What is created first may be
considered most important by
storytellers
 The relationship between man &
woman seems more equal in
Story #1
 In Story #2 woman was created
so man would have a helper and
companion
Story #1 focuses on G-d’s Creation
Story #2 focuses on humans, and the
consequences of their disobedience
Story #1 emphasizes G-d’s role in
creating the world by speaking,
shows humankind’s responsibility to
rule over the world, suggests that
man and woman are equal, and
establishes the reason for the
Sabbath (G-d rested on the seventh
day)
Story #2 focuses on the creation of
man and woman, suggests that man’s
job is to tend the Garden of Eden,
while woman’s role is to help man
and be his companion, and
emphasizes
the importance of obeying G-d, and
the consequences for disobedience
11
Lesson Focus Question: What can historians learn by comparing the two different stories about how people were created
that appear in the book of Genesis?
Writing Instructions: Suggest a reasonable explanation, and use at least two examples from the book of Genesis as
evidence to support your claim.
By comparing the two different creation stories in Genesis, historians can learn that the Torah does not present
just one version of how the world was created. For example, in Chapter 1 of Genesis, it says that God created people last,
after creating everything else. In contrast, Chapter 2 says that God created man first, then everything else, and woman last.
This difference shows that there were differences in the details of the stories and perhaps in their messages as well.
Specifically, Chapter 1 presents a more equal relationship between man and woman, while Chapter 2 suggests that woman
was created as a helper and companion to man. In conclusion, by comparing the stories in Genesis, historians may learn
that the Torah does not present a single account of how people and the world were created.
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
12
Lesson Extension: Overview of the Hebrew Bible
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
13
Cultural Histories of the Hebrew Bible Summer Institute
Lesson Application #1: Torah as an Artifact by Alison Waterman
14