"Avraham" by Sarah Burnick
I am Avraham. I have a family of my wife Sarah, and my son, Isaac. We now live in Canaan after my journey from my home in Mesopotamia. It is around 2,000 B.C.E. in my tent. I have had a very special time in my life about a connection of God and me. When I still lived in Mesopotamia, God and I made an agreement-if I moved to Canaan, God would bless me. Sarai and I packed up to make to Canaan. God blessed me by saying: “They who praise you, will be praised. They who cursed you will be cursed.” God told me “I will change your and Sarai’s names. You will now be Avraham, and your wife will be Sarah.” God also told me that He was giving me a son, and I was going to name him Isaac. I did not think Sarah could give birth to a son. She was 99 years old! But sure enough, we had a son, and we named him Isaac, “child of laughter”. My role model is God. He taught me to believe in myself because when God told me he would give Sarah and I a child, at first I didn’t believe it. I now do not disagree with God. My journey from Mesopotamia to Canaan taught me that I could do anything. Now I believe in One and only One God. In addition, God told me to believe in myself. I want the future people to learn that to be hospitable makes your guests comfortable and happy.
"Isaac" by Elliot Sasson
My name is Itzhak. My name means son of laughter. I live in the land of Canaan, but my parents are from Mesopotamia. Avraham and Sarah are my parents. When they were almost 100 years old, God said they were going to have a baby in one year. Avraham and Sarah didn’t believe this. They laughed. That is why they named me “the child of laughter”.
When I was an older child, my father was ordered by God to take his favorite son, me, to the land of Moriah, to a mountain to burn me as a sacrifice. Avraham made an altar there and was about to burn me, but suddenly an angel came and said “Avraham, Avraham, do not hurt the boy. For now I know that you love God. You have passed the terrible test. You would even give God your son, your favorite son.” This was a huge event in my life.
Later I married Rebecca and had a child named Jacob. Having Jacob was very special to us. I lived for very long.
My role model is my dad, Avraham, because he has taught me throughout my life. I would like future generations to learn to give their children tests, but not the kind I was given. I really enjoyed my life. It has been a long journey for me both physically and mentally.
