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Who was Yirimiyahu? – Lesson Plan

Grade Level: 3-5
Time: 30 minutes
Setting: Camp or Informal Ed

Objectives:

  • Identify who Yirmiyahu was and when he lived.
  • Define what a navi/prophet is and identify who the other nevi’im/prophets are.
  • explain that Yirmiyahu was a navi who tried to help the Jews make better choices.
  • Connect Yirmiyahu to the time period of the Three Weeks and Tisha B’Av.
  • Reflect on Yirmiyahu’s messages of hope, mourning, and sadness.

Materials Needed:

  • Printed copies of the prompt for all student groups
  • Printed character cards for the skit 
  • Props for skit (optional)
  • Relevant materials for the chosen wrap-up activity

Introduction

Before the lesson, ask the students: What is a navi? Explain that a navi is a person who receives a message from Hashem, often in the form of a dream or an image. 

For students more familiar with nevi’im, ask them to provide examples of other prophets they have learned about before. Explain that in this lesson, they will learn about a navi who is related to the time period of the Three Weeks and Tisha B’Av.

Hook

Divide the students into groups of 2-3. Provide the students with the following prompt on a piece of paper:

Imagine that you were told that the Color War that everyone had been looking forward to was going to be canceled if all of the students/campers did not clean up their bunks/classrooms by the end of the day. Worse yet, you are assigned to deliver the news to everyone else!

  • How would you feel about having to deliver this news?
  • How would you feel if no one wanted to listen to you?
  • How would you deliver the message if no one wanted to listen to you?

Allow each student group to discuss this prompt for a few minutes. Then, gather all groups back together and ask students to share their thoughts.

Connection

Debrief the students’ answers. Then explain to the students that during the time of the first Beit HaMikdash (Temple), there was a navi named Yirmiyahu who was asked by God to deliver the news to Bnei Yisrael that the Beit HaMikdash would be destroyed if they did not fix their ways. Emphasize the courage that Yirmiyahu must have had to do this – it is not easy to deliver bad news!

Skit

Assign four students to act out roles in a skit, and prepare them with the background information below about their character. Pass out the relevant character card to each student actor to help them prepare for their role. If using any props for the skit, divide them among the students as needed and set up the room as appropriate. All other students should act as the general population of Bnei Yisrael during Yirmiyahu’s time, who did not listen to Yirmiyahu’s warnings and even yelled at him for delivering Hashem’s message. 

  • God: Instruct the student playing God that they must go to the student playing Yirmiyahu and tell him/her to warn Bnei Yisrael to stop bowing down to idols and ruining other people’s property, otherwise the Beit HaMikdash will be destroyed.
  • Yirmiyahu: Instruct the student playing the character of Yirmiyahu that he/she will receive a message from God, and now they must tell everyone about the message. Tell him that even when the sinners are mean to him, he should keep trying to convince them to change and express hope that they can change!
  • Sinner #1: Instruct the student playing the character of sinner #1 to pretend to bow down to idols and to be rude to Yirmiyahu when he speaks.
  • Sinner #2: Instruct the student playing the character of sinner #2 to pretend to break someone else’s toy and to mock Yirmiyahu when he speaks.

Ask the students to act out the skit. 

Following the skit, ask the students: How do you think Yirmiyahu felt? What might have been sad for him? What do you think was harder for him – not being able to help the others, or dealing with the news that the Beit HaMikdash may soon be destroyed?

Frontal Teaching

Explain to the students that there is an entire sefer about Yirmiyahu, called Sefer Yirmiyahu, that records all of the times that he tried to warn Bnei Yisrael to improve their actions. Explain that this sefer details how even with all of his attempts, he was unsuccessful in stopping the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. Then explain to students that Yirmiyahu also wrote another book in Tanach, Megillat Eicha. This sefer, which is read on Tisha B’Av, shares Yirmiyahu’s emotional reactions and reflections about the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash.

Explain to the students that something that was unique about Yirmiyahu was the fact that he never lost hope, despite the worst circumstances, and this often came through in the way that he spoke to Bnei Yisrael. Yirmiyahu emphasized to Bnei Yisrael that even the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash would not be the end of God’s connection to Bnei Yisrael, and instead focused on showing Bnei Yisrael how they could behave better to improve their relationship with God. Yirmiyahu also often prayed for the future of Bnei Yisrael.

After learning more about Yirmiyahu, ask students: Why do you think that Yirmiyahu is an important character to learn about in Jewish history?

Wrap-Up

Conclude the lesson with one of the following activities:

Individual Activity: Option 1 

Write a letter to Yirmiyahu, reflecting on how his message is still relevant to your life today and how he inspires you to work to improve your relationship with God.

Individual Activity: Option 2

Draw an image or create a collage that represents Yirmiyahu’s role in Jewish history. Include elements of sadness, destruction, hope, prayer, and bravery.

Group Activity: Option 1

Before the lesson begins, hide objects around the classroom or campgrounds that represent the following elements from Yirmiyahu’s life:

  • An item that symbolizes sadness/mourning/destruction
  • An item that symbolizes hope
  • An item that represents delivering a message
  • An item that reminds you of change or fixing mistakes
  • An item that reminds you of the Beit HaMikdash

Create a scavenger hunt for students that includes clues to help them locate all of the hidden items. Divide students into small groups and have them work as teams to find all of the hidden items using the clues. Present a prize to the team that comes back first with all of the correct items. 

Group Activity: Option 2

Create three scenario cards that are relevant to your students, in which they are faced with a moral dilemma. The scenarios should include the following elements:

  • Situations that require bravery to step up and tell someone they are doing something wrong.
  • Situations where you might have to retell the lesson multiple times
  • Situations where you might be the only one doing the right thing

Write the scenarios on flashcards and pass them out to students, or read them aloud. Have students share their responses to each scenario, then ask students to connect the scenarios to the lesson.