Sixth Grade Social Studies: The Exodus, Mosaic Law, and the Ten Commandments
The Exodus from Egyptian bondage and the receiving of the Law at Mount Sinai stand as the foundational events in the history of the Israelites.
The Bondage in Egypt
Following the death of Joseph and his generation, the political fortunes of the Israelites in Egypt deteriorated.
The Rise of a Hostile Pharaoh
According to the Book of Exodus, a new dynasty arose in Egypt that "did not know Joseph." Fearing that the rapidly multiplying Hebrew population might ally with foreign invaders during wartime, the pharaoh subjected the Israelites to forced labor. The Hebrews were forced to quarry stone, make mud bricks, and build the imperial store cities of Pithom and Ramses. When forced labor failed to suppress the population, the pharaoh decreed that all newborn Hebrew boys be drowned in the Nile River.
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| THE EARLY LIFE OF MOSES |
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| 1. THE PAPYRUS BASKET: Mother Jochebed hides baby Moses in a bitumen- |
| coated reed basket among Nile marsh rushes to escape death decree. |
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| 2. ROYAL ADOPTION: Pharaoh's daughter discovers the infant, adopts him, |
| and raises him as an Egyptian prince in the imperial royal palace. |
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| 3. FLIGHT TO MIDIAN: Moses witnesses an Egyptian taskmaster brutally |
| beating a Hebrew slave; kills taskmaster, flees into Sinai desert. |
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| 4. THE BURNING BUSH: At Mount Horeb, God calls to Moses from an unburned |
| flaming bush, commanding him: "Let my people go!" |
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The Call of Moses
Moses was saved when his mother placed him in a waterproof papyrus basket among the reeds of the Nile. Discovered by Pharaoh's daughter, he was adopted into the royal household and educated as an Egyptian prince. As a young man, Moses witnessed an Egyptian taskmaster beating an enslaved Hebrew; overcome with anger, Moses struck and killed the Egyptian and fled into the Sinai desert of Midian, living for forty years as a humble shepherd. At Mount Horeb, God spoke to Moses from a bush that burned with fire yet was not consumed, commanding him to return to Egypt, confront Pharaoh, and lead the Israelites out of slavery.
The Plagues, Passover, and the Exodus
Accompanied by his brother Aaron, Moses appeared before Pharaoh demanding: "Let my people go, so that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness."
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| THE TEN PLAGUES OF EGYPT |
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| 1. Nile into Blood| 5. Livestock Pests| 9. Three Days of Darkness |
| 2. Swarm of Frogs | 6. Boils on Flesh | 10. Death of Firstborn Sons |
| 3. Lice / Gnats | 7. Fiery Hail | |
| 4. Swarms of Flies| 8. Locust Swarms | |
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The Ten Plagues and the Passover
When Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his heart and refused to release the captives, ten plagues struck Egypt. Many plagues targeted symbols associated with Egyptian deities: the Nile River (Hapi) turned to blood, the sun (Ra) was blotted out by three days of darkness, and frogs (Heqet) overrun the land. The tenth plague was the death of every firstborn male in Egypt. To protect their families, the Israelites were instructed to mark their doorposts with the blood of a slaughtered spring lamb. When the angel of death swept through Egypt, it "passed over" houses marked with the blood, sparing Hebrew children. This event is commemorated annually in the festival of Passover (Pesach).
The Crossing of the Red Sea
Terrified by the final plague, Pharaoh permitted the Israelites to leave. Soon after they departed, Pharaoh regretted losing his slave labor force and dispatched his royal chariot army in pursuit. The Israelites found themselves trapped between the pursuing Egyptian cavalry and the waters of the Red Sea (traditionally the Sea of Reeds, Yam Suph). Moses raised his staff, and God sent an east wind that parted the sea, allowing the Israelites to cross over dry sea bed. When the Egyptian chariots charged into the seabed corridor, the waters crashed back together, destroying Pharaoh's army and securing the liberation of the Israelites.
The Sinai Covenant and the Ten Commandments
Following their escape from Egypt, the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness to the foot of Mount Sinai.
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| THE STRUCTURE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS |
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| DUTIES TOWARD GOD | DUTIES TOWARD FELLOW HUMANS |
| (Vertical Relationship: 1 - 4) | (Horizontal Relationship: 5 - 10) |
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| 1. No other gods before Me. | 5. Honor your father and mother. |
| 2. Do not make or worship idols. | 6. You shall not murder. |
| 3. Do not take God's name in vain.| 7. You shall not commit adultery. |
| 4. Remember and keep the Sabbath | 8. You shall not steal. |
| day holy through rest. | 9. No false witness (lying). |
| | 10. Do not covet your neighbor's |
| | possessions, house, or spouse.|
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The Decalogue (The Ten Words)
At Mount Sinai, amidst thunder, lightning, and thick smoke, Moses ascended the mountain and received two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, known in Hebrew as the Aseret ha-Dibrot (the "Ten Words" or Decalogue). Unlike the casuistic "if-then" laws of Hammurabi's Code, the Ten Commandments are apodictic—absolute moral commands stating "You shall" or "You shall not." The first four commandments govern humanity's relationship with God (affirming monotheism, forbidding idolatry, commanding reverence for God's name, and mandating a weekly day of rest, the Sabbath). The remaining six commandments govern ethical interactions among human beings, forbidding murder, adultery, theft, perjury, and covetousness.
The Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle
To house the sacred stone tablets, the Israelites constructed the Ark of the Covenant—a gold-plated acacia wood chest topped by a solid gold mercy seat flanked by two winged cherubim. The Ark was placed inside the Mishkan (the Tabernacle), a portable tent sanctuary that traveled with the Israelites during their forty years of wandering in the Sinai desert. The Ark symbolized the presence of God among His people.
Mosaic Law: Ethics and Social Justice
The Ten Commandments formed the foundation for a broader legal code of 613 commandments (mitzvot) that defined Israelite society.
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| PRINCIPLES OF MOSAIC SOCIAL JUSTICE |
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| CARE FOR STRANGERS| "You shall not oppress a stranger, for you were |
| AND MARGINALIZED | strangers in the land of Egypt." |
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| ECONOMIC RELIEF | Forbade charging interest (*usury*) to the poor; |
| AND THE SABBATH | mandated release of Hebrew debt slaves every |
| | seven years (*Shmita*). |
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| THE JUBILEE YEAR | Every 50 years, all agricultural land returned to |
| (*Yovel*) | its original family owners to prevent permanent |
| | landless poverty. |
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| CORNERS OF FIELDS | Farmers forbidden to reap the edges of fields so |
| (Gleaning Rights) | the poor, widows, and orphans could gather food. |
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Compassion for the Vulnerable
Mosaic Law differed from contemporary ancient Near Eastern legal systems, such as the Code of Hammurabi, by placing human life and moral responsibility above property rights. The law repeatedly instructed: "You shall love the stranger as yourself, for you were strangers in Egypt." Landowners were legally forbidden from harvesting the outer corners of their grain fields or picking up dropped grapes, leaving the gleanings for the impoverished, widows, and orphans. To prevent permanent poverty, debts were cancelled every seventh year (Shmita), and in the fiftieth Jubilee year (Yovel), ancestral land was returned to its original clan owners.
Review Exercises
Exercise 1: Describe the circumstances that led to the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt and the events surrounding the birth and early life of Moses.
Exercise 2: Explain the significance of the tenth plague and describe how it led to the institution of the Jewish festival of Passover (Pesach).
Exercise 3: Contrast the ethical structure of the Ten Commandments with the Code of Hammurabi, explaining how Mosaic Law protected marginalized members of society.
Solutions
Solution 1: After Joseph's death, a new Egyptian pharaoh feared the growing Hebrew population might ally with foreign invaders during war, so he forced the Israelites into hard labor building storage cities and decreed that newborn boys be drowned in the Nile. Moses survived when his mother placed him in a reed basket among the river rushes. He was discovered and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, grew up in the royal palace, and later fled to Midian after killing an abusive taskmaster before God called him from the burning bush.
Solution 2: The tenth plague was the death of every firstborn male across Egypt. The Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a spring lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood, signaling the angel of death to "pass over" their homes and spare their children. When Pharaoh's own firstborn son died, he ordered the Israelites to leave Egypt. This liberation from slavery is celebrated annually in the spring festival of Passover (Pesach) through symbolic family Seder meals.
Solution 3: While Hammurabi's Code was conditional ("if-then") and imposed unequal penalties based on class status, favoring nobles over slaves, the Ten Commandments were absolute moral duties ("You shall not") applying equally to all people. Furthermore, Mosaic Law placed human dignity above property, commanding care for strangers, widows, and orphans, forbidding interest on loans to the impoverished, and requiring that field edges be left unharvested so the poor could feed themselves.