Yom Kippur Story: Sin of the Golden Calf

Immerse your students in one of the most powerful and important stories in Jewish history!

The Sin of the Golden Calf is a pivotal narrative in the Torah, closely linked to the origins of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This story recounts how the Israelites, waiting for Moses to return from Mount Sinai, lost faith and created a golden calf to worship. When Moses descended with the Ten Commandments and witnessed this idolatry, he shattered the tablets in anger. This transgression led to a period of repentance and ultimately, God’s forgiveness.

The narrative explores themes of faith, temptation, repentance, and divine mercy. It serves as a foundational story for understanding the significance of Yom Kippur in Jewish tradition and practice.

This resource includes a double-sided, illustrated retelling of the story, with an informative Yom Kippur fact box and numerous supporting worksheets.

The Sin of the Golden Calf is a crucial event in Jewish history, recounted in the Hebrew Bible as a testament to human fallibility, the power of repentance, and God’s capacity for forgiveness. This incident led to the establishment of Yom Kippur, demonstrating how even grave mistakes can be overcome through sincere atonement.

A variety of engaging comprehension activities reinforce key details and higher-order thinking skills:

• 2 levels of multiple-choice, SAT-style quizzes
• 4 levels of written response worksheets:
  • 2 levels of traditional written response
  • 2 levels of mixed style (multiple choice, true or false, cloze, vocabulary linking, event sequencing, and written response)
• Story and Yom Kippur cloze summary activity
• 3 versions of vocabulary-building crossword puzzles
• Answer sheets for all activities

Exploring this pivotal narrative develops cultural literacy about the origins of Yom Kippur and the ethical principles that underpin Jewish traditions of repentance and forgiveness. Ideal for years 5-10 across ELA, social studies, and Jewish studies curricula.

Also see:
Yom Kippur Information Text
Moses & Exodus of Egypt
Moses & The Burning Bush
Moses in the Bulrushes
Joseph and His Brothers
Queen Esther’s Story of Purim
Story of Creation
Story of Hanukkah
Judaism Information Text
David and Goliath