Introduction Page-Melachim ב

Curriculum Overview | Time Allotment | Introduction | Theme | Key | Bibliography | Acknowledgments

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Curriculum Overview

The overall goal of this curriculum of Melachim II is to complete the book in one academic school year. The book will be studied mainly with classical commentaries and in view of the attitudes expressed by Chazal. The students will analyze the commentaries - comparing and contrasting them. In the course of the studies, students will gain a familiarity with different commentaries, recognizing the style and emphasis of each one, and gaining the ability to study independently.

Special attention has been given in this curriculum to viewing the Bible as one large complementary unit. Studying any book of the Bible properly necessitates looking up phrases and ideas from other books of the Bible; only thus can one analyze any Biblical text. In Melachim II in particular, parallel stories and ideas are found in Divrei Hayamim and Nevi'im Ahronim, and studying them alongside Melachim II greatly adds to the understanding of the text. In addition to that, paging back and forth in the Bible in itself creates a familiarity with its structure, and a feeling of ease in looking up different sources.

The moral lessons to be gleaned from individuals, stories and events in Melachim II are emphasized as well in this curriculum - especially those relating to the destruction of the Temple. Sections of Eichah are also referred to in the course of the study.

Please note: this curriculum is, of course, to be taught according to the particular circumstances that the teacher faces: the level of the students, the time allotted, and the inclinations of the students. Some of the chapters may be given as homework assignments and summarized orally in class, and some can be taught using various didactic methods (see suggestions in the notes on methodology intermingled with the text).

It is my hope that this curriculum will be useful to the teachers, as they are confronted with the task of teaching their students this book, which covers a central part of Jewish history and religious development.

Suggested Time Allotment for Each Section:

Chapter	Verses	Subject	Hours Allotted
1	-	The end of Ahazyah's reign	2
2	1-12	Eliyahu's ascension to Heaven	3
2	13-22	The beginning of Elisha's Prophecies	2
3	-	The war against Moav	4
4	1-7	The miracle of the oil vessel	1
4	8-36	The Shunamite woman and the resurrection of her son	3
4	37-44	The miracles of the poisoned food and the bread	1
5	1-19	The story of Na'aman	3
5	20-27	The fall of Geihazi	2
6	1-7	The miracle of the ax	1
6	8-23	The war against Aram	2
6	24-33	The siege of Shomron	1
7	-	The story of the four Metzora'im	2
8	1-6	The Shunamite woman's field	1
8	7-15	The war with Ben Haddad, and his death	2
8	16-29	The reigns of Yehoram and Ahazyahu	1
9-10	-	Yehu's insurrection	6
11	-	Atalyah and her death	2
12	-	Yehoash's reign	1
13	1-9	Yehoahaz's reign	1
13	10-25	Yoash's reign, Elisha's prophecy, Elisha's death and the fulfillment of the prophecy	2
14	1-20	Amatzyah, king of Yehudah	2
14	21-29	The reigns of Uziyah, king of Yehudah, and Yerovam, king of Israel	2

Suggested Time Allotment for Each Section:

Chapter	Verses	Subject	Hours Allotted
15	1-7	Uziyah and his tzara'at	1
15	8-20	The reigns of Zecharyah, Shalum and Menachem, kings of Israel	1
15	21-29	Pekahyah, king of Israel; The first exile of the kingdom of Israel	2
15	30-38	The reign of Yotam, king of Yehudah	1
16	-	The reign of Ahaz, king of Yehudah	2
17	1-6	The reign of Hoshea, king of Israel; the exile of the Ten Tribes	2
17	7-23	The reasons for the exile	2
17	24-41	The non-Jewish settlers in Shomron	2
18	1-16	The reign of Hizkiyahu, king of Yehudah; the Assyrian siege of the cities of Yehudah	2
18	17-37	The blasphemous words of Ravshakeh to the people	2
19	1-7	Yeshayahu's prophecy	1
19	8-19	More blasphemies, Hizkiyahu's prayer	2
19	20-37	Yeshayahu's prophecy about the Assyrian siege	2
20	1-11	Hizkiyahu's illness	1
20	12-21	Babylon's emissaries to Hizkiyahu; Yeshayahu's rebuke	2
21	1-18	The reign of Menasheh, king of Yehudah	2
21	19-26	The reign of Amon, king of Yehudah	1

Suggested Time Allotment for Each Section - continued:

Chapter	Verses	Subject	Hours Allotted
22	1-11	The reign of Yoshiyahu, king of Yehudah, and the repair of the Temple	1
22	12-20	The prophecy of Hulda, the prophetess	1
23	1-20	A renewed covenant between Hashem and the people; the purification of the land	2
23	21-30	Celebrating Pesach, Yoshiyahu's death	1
23	31-33	The reign of Yehoahaz, king of Yehudah	1/2
23-24	23:34-24:7	The reign of Yehoyakim, king of Yehudah	1/2
24	8-16	The reign of Yehoyachin, king of Yehudah; the siege on Jerusalem, the exile of the leaders of the people	2
24	17-20	The reign of Tzidkiyahu, king of Yehudah	1
25	1-10	The destruction of the Temple	2
25	11-17	The exile of the people, the pillaging of Jerusalem	2
25	18-24	Gedalyah ben Ahikam and his murder	2
25	27-30	Yehoyachin's rehabilitation	1

Melachim II - An Introduction

Nevi'im Rishonim - Time Period:

The entire period covered by the books of Nevi'im Rishonim consists of 850 years (See Rashi on Devarim 4:25). This can be subdivided according to each of the four books as follows:

The Book of Yehoshua: 20 years (approximately)

The Book of Shoftim: 280 years

The Books of Shmuel I and II: 100 years (approximately)

The Books of Melachim I and II: 450 years

In regards to the time of Shoftim, the Mishkan in Shilo served the people for 369 years (see Rambam, Hilchot Beit Habehira 1:2). Forty of these years were the years when Eli was the High Priest, and these are included in the years of the Book of Shmuel.

In regards to Shmuel, the calculation is as follows:

Eli - 40 years (Shmuel I 4:18)