JCC Association's Early Childhood Curriculum Project 'This New Month'

Genesis Chapter 8, Verse 21 and Chapter 9, Verse 13

After the Great Flood

Chapter 8, Verse 21

"Vayomer Hashem El Libo: Lo Osif Likallel Od Et Ha'adama Ba'avur Ha'adam"

"And G-D said in His heart: I will no longer continue to curse the ground because of man"

Chapter 9, Verse 13

"Et Kashti Natati Be'anan, Vihayta Li'ot Brit Baini Uvain Ha'aretz"

"I have placed my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth"

Overview of the Biblical Text:

After the waters subsided and the ground was once again dry, G-D commanded Noah and his family to leave the ark and blessed them to be fruitful and multiply. The animals, birds, and crawling things in the ark received this blessing as well.

G-D promised Noah that He would never again flood the world and destroy it. As a sign of this promise G-D showed Noah a rainbow. This was the first time a rainbow was seen since the creation of the world. It was a symbolic gesture by G-D of his promise to mankind.

Discussion Questions:

When Noah and his family left the ark, they were the only people on earth. How do you think they felt when they exited the ark?
What are some of the lessons that we can learn from the story of Noah? (Good deeds are rewarded; It is important to do the right thing at all times, even when others aren't; It is important to take care of G-d's creatures, etc.)
What does a rainbow look like? Have you ever seen one? If so, when? (After it rained?) What do you think of when you look at a rainbow?

Activity Ideas:

Visualization exercise- Have students close their eyes and imagine that they and their classmates (or they and their families) are traveling together to another place. There is a lot of rain outside. It rains and rains and rains. They are completely surrounded by water. One day the rain stops and they arrive on dry land. When they arrive on dry land, they find that there is no one else around. Have the students open their eyes and discuss how they would feel if they, like Noah, were the only people around and had to try to create a new home, new school, new community, etc.
Colors of the Rainbow- Discuss primary colors and how they are used to produce all of the colors in the rainbow. Give children empty egg cartons to use as palettes in which to experiment with color mixing.
Make Rainbows- Try making rainbows at your school. Cooking ideas- Make your own rainbow jello.