Young Abraham
Encyclopedia
Young Abraham is a CGI animated film portraying the early years of biblical Abraham
.
chief stargazer. He witnesses one star consuming four surrounding stars, after which an ethereal light emanating from the remaining star bathes one house in the city of Ur Kasdim
, the seat of Nimrod's kingdom. Inside this home, a baby has been born to Nimrod's general Terakh
and his wife, Amaslei. Spurred by his stargazer's warnings of impending rebellion by this infant, Nimrod orders young Abraham put to death.
Terakh deceives Nimrod and furnishes the baby of his servant girl to take Abraham's place. Amaslei flees, and for the next several years she rears Avraham in hiding. Early on, Avraham displays high intelligence and he quickly arrives at the conclusion of a
Singular God. Emboldened by his discovery of God
in a pervasively polytheistic
land, he returns to Ur Kasdim where he assumes a janitorial position at his father's idol shop. One day, Utz
visits the shop to buy an idol. Abraham innocently asks Utz to explain how an inanimate idol of stone can provide for and he urges Utz to disavow idolatry. Then, after destroying all the idols in the shop, Avraham places the mallet into the hand of a stone likeliness of Nimrod, the largest idol in the shop and attempts to mollify his father Terakh, insisting that the idol of Nimrod was the perpetrator of the iconoclasm
. Enraged by the carnage of his idols, Terakh permits Nimrod's men to frogmarch his son to Nimrod to be condemned for his blasphemous and treasonable actions.
But Abraham breaks loose of the guard's grip en route the palace, and finds himself on the run once again. After a fortuitous encounter with an angel who saves Abraham from certain death in the desert, Abraham is led by the angel to the Yeshiva
of Noah
. Noah takes Abraham under his wing and eventually instructs a now matured and grown up Abraham to return to Ur Kasdim and smash the pyramid of Mesopotamian idolatry.
The final scene of the film is classic showdown in which Abraham defiantly refuses to acknowledge Nimrod's bald self declaration as God of the world. An infuriated Nimrod hurls Abraham into a bonfire, but Abraham miraculously survives before a the eyes of a repentant Nimrod, who now recognizes God and instructs his people to convert to Abraham's monotheistic beliefs.
, Midrash
and numerous commentaries, Rabbis Yisroel Bernath and Zvi Hershcovich researched and wrote the first draft of the script.
A production of Bible Kids Club, the film was produced for direct-to-video release by Big Bang Digital Studios. The film was directed by Todd Shaffer and produced by Oliver Cohen, Charlie Cohen, Moshe Dayan and Sidney El Hadad. The four year-long project was produced at a budget of $1.8 million. The film was pre-released in April 2011, and is set to be officially released in time for the new school year of 2011.
The Dove Foundation
awarded Young Abraham five doves, their highest rating.
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
.
Plot
The film opens with a portentous observation by King Nimrod'sNimrod
Nimrod means "Hunter"; was a Biblical Mesopotamian king mentioned in the Table of Nations; an eponym for the city of Nimrud.Nimrod can also refer to any of the following:*Nimród Antal, a director...
chief stargazer. He witnesses one star consuming four surrounding stars, after which an ethereal light emanating from the remaining star bathes one house in the city of Ur Kasdim
Ur Kasdim
Ur Kaśdim or Ur of the Chaldees is a biblical place mentioned in the Book of Genesis that refers to a location that the Patriarch Abraham may have been from...
, the seat of Nimrod's kingdom. Inside this home, a baby has been born to Nimrod's general Terakh
Terakh
TerakhDesignersTerence WongAkhil PatelPublisherStoneplayPlayers2–6Setup time5–10 minutesPlaying time15 mins – 2 hours GenreAbstract game, a genre of its ownRandom chanceMedium...
and his wife, Amaslei. Spurred by his stargazer's warnings of impending rebellion by this infant, Nimrod orders young Abraham put to death.
Terakh deceives Nimrod and furnishes the baby of his servant girl to take Abraham's place. Amaslei flees, and for the next several years she rears Avraham in hiding. Early on, Avraham displays high intelligence and he quickly arrives at the conclusion of a
Singular God. Emboldened by his discovery of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
in a pervasively polytheistic
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
land, he returns to Ur Kasdim where he assumes a janitorial position at his father's idol shop. One day, Utz
Utz
Utz may refer to:*UTZ Certified, worldwide certification program for responsible coffee production and sourcing*Utz , one of the two sons born to Milkah and Nachor, the brother of Abraham*Utz , Bruce Chatwin's 1988 novel, his last...
visits the shop to buy an idol. Abraham innocently asks Utz to explain how an inanimate idol of stone can provide for and he urges Utz to disavow idolatry. Then, after destroying all the idols in the shop, Avraham places the mallet into the hand of a stone likeliness of Nimrod, the largest idol in the shop and attempts to mollify his father Terakh, insisting that the idol of Nimrod was the perpetrator of the iconoclasm
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
. Enraged by the carnage of his idols, Terakh permits Nimrod's men to frogmarch his son to Nimrod to be condemned for his blasphemous and treasonable actions.
But Abraham breaks loose of the guard's grip en route the palace, and finds himself on the run once again. After a fortuitous encounter with an angel who saves Abraham from certain death in the desert, Abraham is led by the angel to the Yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
of Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
. Noah takes Abraham under his wing and eventually instructs a now matured and grown up Abraham to return to Ur Kasdim and smash the pyramid of Mesopotamian idolatry.
The final scene of the film is classic showdown in which Abraham defiantly refuses to acknowledge Nimrod's bald self declaration as God of the world. An infuriated Nimrod hurls Abraham into a bonfire, but Abraham miraculously survives before a the eyes of a repentant Nimrod, who now recognizes God and instructs his people to convert to Abraham's monotheistic beliefs.
Production
Drawing on the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, Midrash
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
and numerous commentaries, Rabbis Yisroel Bernath and Zvi Hershcovich researched and wrote the first draft of the script.
A production of Bible Kids Club, the film was produced for direct-to-video release by Big Bang Digital Studios. The film was directed by Todd Shaffer and produced by Oliver Cohen, Charlie Cohen, Moshe Dayan and Sidney El Hadad. The four year-long project was produced at a budget of $1.8 million. The film was pre-released in April 2011, and is set to be officially released in time for the new school year of 2011.
Reception
Young Abraham has been well-received by audiences and has garnered positive reviews. In a feature article for Lubavitch News Service/Lubavitch.com, Mendy Rimler wrote, "...the climax and message of the CGI (computer generated imagery) animated motion picture, a vivid and compelling retelling of the biblical and Midrashic story of Abraham’s discovery of G-d: At last, kosher entertainment with Jewish and visual depth."The Dove Foundation
Dove Foundation
rightThe Dove Foundation is a registered United States tax deductible non-profit organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan known among other programs for its activities of rating, reviewing and endorsing films and for campaigning against the portrayal of sexual activity and violence in Hollywood...
awarded Young Abraham five doves, their highest rating.