Dear yeshiva.co, Hello! I am a 16 year old non-jewish girl who has questions about Judaism. I was assigned to do a project on Judaism for an AP World Studies course that I am taking but I don’t know much about this religion. I was able to answer most of my questions through websites like Khan Academy, humangeography725, and more but I have a few that I can not find the answers for. I ask these questions with FULL respect and a genuine heart. I am very unaware of what is / isn’t offensive in Judaism so if I have said anything disrespectful, please correct me. I’ve left the questions below and I have provided context to my questions in hopes of making them easier to answer. Context of the question: I was learning about Abraham, according to my sources, most people who follow Judaism believe Abraham was the first and only Jewish person to see God. After seeing God, Abraham was inspired to preach Judaism to his children. When his children matured, they went to spread Judaism into Egypt. Actual Questions: Q1: What did God say to Abraham when Abraham saw God? Q2: Did God’s word inspire Abraham to spread Judaism? Or did Abraham spread it with no outside influence? Q3: Why did Abraham’s children spread Judaism as well? Did Abraham tell them to? Q4: Why did Abraham’s children spread Judaism in Egypt out of all places? Weren’t Jewish people enslaved in Egypt? That’s all! Thank you so much for answering if you have. :) Sincerely, The 16 year old Highschooler

Even before your first question, please allow me to correct you that Abraham was the first but certainly not the only Jew to speak (!) to God. Abraham did not "see" God, for God cannot be seen (He has no body), but God spoke to him, as He spoke to the entire Jewish nation at Mount Sinai. The entire nation of Israel "saw" God's super-natural miracles in Egypt (e.g. the Ten Plagues), in the splitting of the Red Sea, and "saw" His super-natural sights at Mount Sinai. There were many many prophets throughout the Bible who conversed with God, 55 of whom their prophecies are written down in the Bible (what you call the Old Testament). Regarding your specific questions: 1. God told Abraham to leave his parents' home and go to the Land of Israel, where God will make him into a great nation, to bring monotheism and morality to mankind. Afterwards, God revealed that this great nation of Israel will come from his son Isaac who was miraculously born when Abraham was 100 years old and his wife Sarah, 90. 2. Judaism strongly believes in the partnership between man's free-will and God's running the world, both of which together gradually advance mankind morally. Accordingly, God told Abraham his mission (Genesis 12; and most particularly ch. 18, verse 19), and Abraham carried it out with the help of God. 3. As I wrote previously, Israel/the Jewish nation is a nation (with a national language-Hebrew and land-Israel) which biologically descends from Abraham, but our role to this day is to spread goodness (monotheism and morality, as above) to all of mankind (Genesis 12, 3), but not to convert anyone to be Jewish (although anyone who sincerely wishes to, can convert and be Jewish). As opposed to Christianity and Islam, Judaism is extremely tolerant and isn't interested in the least in converting anyone to be Jewish, just that they should be good, believing and moral people. Accordingly, Abraham's children, who have this special mission, were told by God to spread the message of monotheism and morality, but not Judaism, to the nations of the world (which we succeeded, for everyone today accepts and agrees with morality and the Ten Commandments). We, the Jewish people and our State of Israel, continue to do so until this day, 3,700 years later, e.g. Israel, though extremely small, is usually the first country to come to the rescue by sending rescue and medical teams when needed to all world tragedies such as earthquakes and floods (just yesterday, after the earthquake in Morocco, Israel offered sending them aid, even though until 3 years ago, they refused to have relations with Israel), as well as having by far the highest rate (per capita) of altruistic kidney donors, as well as the highest rate (per capita) of Nobel Prizes in the 21st century. 4. Abraham's children did not go down to Egypt to spread Judaism, but rather they were enslaved there (logically: slaves cannot teach their masters, for they are degraded and forced to work all day.). The message of the One and Only God was shown (not verbally or academically taught) to the Egyptians through the Ten Plagues, and they got the message that slavery is wrong, that they should free the slaves, and that there is One God who believes in Freedom, and Who created the Nile, nature, fertility, animals, etc. and they should not believe in those creatures, who are created and not the Creator. All the best! Rabbi Ari Shvat