Using The Prince of Egypt in a Classroom

Tempting as it may be to insert the video of The Prince of Egypt into the classroom VCR and press the play button, teachers are to be strongly cautioned. There are many images and concepts presented in this film that may not be in concert with those held by the teacher or educational institution. That is to say, some elements of the story deviate and contradict some of the teachings of Torah and other classic sources. Playing the film from beginning to end for a student in a religious school atmosphere (and by a religious school educator) may give a not-so- subtle endorsement of everything the film has to say. Even with proper disclaimers by a teacher, the medium is so strong that its message may be remembered long after the words of the teacher are forgotten.

It is for this reason that it might be more prudent to use selected scenes as a means of introducing the certain teachings. The focus should clearly be placed on the source, rather than the film.

Those who wish to put the entire film into proper context are encouraged to read the wonderful study guides for the film, especially that prepared for DreamWorks by Rabbi Elliot Dorff (pdf file found at the link just mentioned. Please note that the pdf document file size is 500K+, so it may take a while to download).

You should also be aware that the full text of Threads in a Tapestry is available as a pdf document (file size: 215KB). Other tools are the Names Index and References Index, which are search features with hyper-text cross references with co-responding sections of the Threads in a Tapestry website. There is also a version of the film script, provided by Lisa Hamilton, available for download as a pdf file (file size: 306K).

In addition, Using the World Wide Web for Professional Growth, An In-Service Web Quest on The Prince of Egypt for Jewish Educators was created by Nancy M. Messinger, Director of Educational Resources, Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education. This site also has links to material published by The Bureau of Jewish Education of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties.

Companion Materials for viewing DreamWorks Pictures' Prince of Egypt for Grown-ups Seeing the Movie with Children was written by Vicky Kelman, and is available on the Web.

Family Time for Torah: Exodus provides information specifically for those who might plan on seeing The Prince of Egypt and would like relevant Torah-related materials beforehand. It is available on the Web, and is published by the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education. All three of these guides provide useful bibliographies for further reading.

Illustrations from the film have also been incorporated into the text of the traditional prayer book which guides Passover family worship. More information about The Family Passover Haggadah, created by the Orthodox Union, and published by Circa Press, can be obtained on line.