It is Abraham in Genesis and Moses in Exodus whose experiences that pave the
            
             way for the beginning of the Jewish culture. These two books, give both a history and
            
             culture to the Jews. Through Abraham's covenant with God, and Moses leading the Jews
            
             out of Egypt, the Jewish people gain a sense of individualism for the first time. Steering
            
             free from oppression, and inheriting a new confidence, the Jews are finally ready to
            
             cultivate a nation.
            
             In Genesis, after chapter 11, God promises Abraham that his decedents will
            
             forever be his "Chosen People", and that He will make Abraham the father of a multitude
            
             of nations through his descendants. God tells Abraham, at the age of 75, that Sarah, his
            
             wife, would bear a child. God also has Abraham and Sarah migrate to Canaan. On a trip
            
             to Egypt for food, the Egyptians notice Sarah's beauty and order her to go before the
            
             Pharaoh. Abraham lies and says that Sarah is his sister to escape a possible death, but the
            
             Pharaoh soon realizes the truth. Luckily, before the Pharaoh could react, God intervenes
            
             by strickening the Pharaoh and his household with a disease until the Pharaoh has to let
            
             them go. However, if these hardships and adversities were not enough to deal with,
            
             several decades of waiting passes as the fulfilling of God's promises begin to look bleak.
            
             How could this man, Abraham, continue to believe?
            
             Abraham's two characteristics, which are both extraordinary, are his patience and
            
             his faith. His patience guides him through the grueling task of waiting for God's plans to
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             develop. His faith is remarkable as he believes that not only will his wife give birth, but
            
             also that his children will carry the torch as "The Chosen People". God obviously did
            
             act on his promises as Abraham and Sarah finally had Isaac, and eventually their children
            
             were r...