Traditional Text Study for neurodivergent Students
Kelila Slonim is originally from Melbourne, Australia, where she served as a community educator and received a degree in Psychology. She teaches at Midreshet Amudim, Midreshet Amit, Baer Miriam Seminary, and Jewessence, and leads visitor groups at the National Library of Israel. She is undertaking a Masters degree in Jewish History.
Personal Experience and Motivation
Kelila Slonim
As a neurodivergent student who loved Judaism and Jewish studies, I was shunted into the “lowest” class, based on Hebrew skills, and stuck with students who were not engaged. As an adult in high-level study programs, I experienced doubt and exclusion from teachers who did not recognize my learning style. Now, as a Judaics teacher in multiple seminaries in Jerusalem, it is imperative to me to include all students in my classroom. Working in such seminaries, I often see dispirited students who felt excluded or uninspired by their high school Judaics education.
Rebecca Nussbaum
As an experienced English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, I understand the importance of language for accessing culture, society, and academic learning. I have personal experience implementing different learning accommodations successfully for students with a variety of needs. I believe many of these lessons are applicable in other language-based subjects, such as Jewish studies.
Shared Educational Background and Problem Statement
During our time in school together, Jewish studies classes were streamed based purely on Hebrew language skills. This approach, with its exclusive focus on Hebrew facility, prevented us—and we suspect many other neurodivergent students—from accessing and engaging in the depth and richness of Jewish texts and traditions. Furthermore, by focusing solely on translation and basic comprehension, it denied us the opportunity to apply our own strengths of analytical and creative thinking, which are often reserved for advanced streams.
Traditional textual study privileges neurotypical learning styles. Indeed, it is only a fairly recent development that all Jewish students should be exposed to high-level learning, in order to better ground their Jewish identities in a deeper understanding of our traditional texts. For many neurodivergent students, including students with dyslexia, ADHD, those on the autism spectrum, and those with visual processing disorders, many of the traditional foci of our Jewish classes, learning from the traditional Vilna Shas edition of the Gemara, reading and studying Tanakh with Hebrew commentaries, including those in Rashi script, or the focus on Hebrew language sources, can act as a barrier to their learning.
The mismatch between traditional Jewish learning and the needs of neurodivergent learners raises fundamental questions about what we are doing and why we are doing it. Do we want our students to gain Jewish literacy and competence in Jewish academia, or is our focus on engaging students with the texts and helping them develop analytical skills to better enjoy the texts and their Judaism? These are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but to accomplish either of them we need to be intentional about what we are trying to accomplish and design our learning accordingly. It should seem obvious that an exclusive focus on just textual skill or just enjoyable engagement is deeply flawed, but the question for each community, school, and classroom is where the balance lies for their students’ needs.
Accommodations from the ESL Classroom
Rebecca
As an ESL teacher, I am committed to making accommodations before modifications and presenting my entire class with the same text. We have many texts in our target language, but students are at different language levels and have different needs. Some adaptations I commonly provide include having the text available as audio, providing a larger glossary of translations in the text for certain students, reformatting the text with clear line numbers, and having fewer lines per page so that the text is less visually overwhelming. We work extensively with highlighters, using different colors for identifying different elements of the argument being made, or for breaking down sentences to help identify patterns visually. With advances in technology, students who need support can use technological aids for reading, writing, or recording their responses using speech-to-text apps. These accommodations enable students to understand the base texts used in class and then participate more fully and engage more deeply in class discussions.
I believe that the accommodations made in my ESL classroom could easily be adapted to Gemara classes. The current format usually used for Gemara, a cramped page with no spacing, let alone punctuation or grammar, poses many difficulties for all students, particularly those with learning differences. Anyone with visual processing difficulties, dyslexia, or a shortened attention span would struggle to get past the formatting and grammar simply to access the content of the text. Ironically, many neurodivergent students are especially suited to Talmud study. The analytical, non-linear nature of the text, its use of pattern recognition, and its encouragement of creative thinking often plays to their strengths. However, if students are stuck trying to translate or even read the words, we are missing the opportunity to engage them and enable them to contribute their thinking to our texts.
The translation debate aside, simple changes such as a double-spaced daf (layout of the Talmud page) with paragraphing could make a world of difference for students with reading challenges. Adding punctuation and vowels, though potentially controversial, allows students who struggle with reading or processing, or students with limited attention, to engage in the many stages of learning required to access the text. The beauty of such accommodation is that different hevrutot can be presented with different formats in a differentiated classroom, with the teacher deciding based on each student’s needs. With today’s technology, the creation of such daf formats is a simple activity, easily done through multiple websites, and many of these changes already appear in the Steinsaltz edition of the Talmud. Further accommodations could include bolding topic sentences or highlighting the Talmudic argument in different colors.
Kelila
Recently, I was discussing learning goals with a dyslexic seminary student. I suggested audio resources, but she admitted that she is a visual rather than an audio learner, despite finding it difficult to read. She really wanted to learn Gemara and had attempted to do so, but found the textual layout too difficult to read, even using a modern English translated edition. She showed me the book she was currently reading. It had a basic large font and wide spacing, making it easier for her to read and therefore a good choice for her personal learning. The book was a mussar book, a guide to living a fully committed religious life. While a fantastic book in its own right, this student was limited to simpler topics due to her difficulty with texts.
This conversation prompted a discussion with Rebecca, leading me to believe that the accommodations suggested above could change learning for this student and many others, and motivating me to begin planning for an inclusive Gemara course to hopefully teach in the future.
The Value and Limits of Hebrew Text Study
There is an obvious value to studying texts in Hebrew. Students are exposed to the original texts, which are not filtered or interpreted through translation that may miss complexities or insert additional interpretations. However, this can also create an exclusionary barrier, especially for students with language processing disorders or students weaker in language who may face additional challenges in accessing the texts.
Kelila
My goals differ from seminary to seminary. I teach in a number of them, and the students entering my classroom in each place bring very different challenges. One of my classes contains highly intelligent girls, almost all of whom are neurodivergent with learning differences. As girls who crave intellectual stimulation and want to connect with their religion on a deeper level, they expressed frustration at feeling misunderstood and not catered to in high school. In this class, I made the decision to send out the source sheets digitally rather than physically. The students are able to zoom in and out, change spacing or formatting, and type their own notes inside the source sheet. This has helped them follow along and keep track. We also read all sources aloud, despite having hevruta beforehand, to allow time for processing and to clear up confusion from the first read. The biggest adjustment in this class is that all sources are in English. This has allowed me to bring in long and complicated sources, such as a two-page midrash, that we can still cover in one class. The girls became highly motivated once they realized they could discuss deep topics and treat Tanakh philosophically and theologically. In order to maintain authenticity, when a particular Hebrew word or its meaning is the focus of the source, I leave that word untranslated, allowing the students to explore its meaning and still create an appreciation for the wonder of the Hebrew language. While it would be ideal to study such sources in Hebrew, I have decided that engaging frustrated students in high-level intellectual analysis is worthwhile in a compromised format if the alternative is reverting to a low-level language translation class. In teaching this class, I realized that in my own seminary experience, where it was prioritized to present texts in Hebrew, I was never able to experience a Tanakh class that would analyze sources as long or in depth as we engage in the class mentioned above because even with somewhat decent Hebrew skills, a class of English speakers could not handle these texts in the original.
I had a different experience teaching a small Tanakh class aimed at improving textual skills, with students of drastically different language abilities and textual backgrounds. I did away with source sheets and instead posed only questions or challenges for each verse. Most questions were those dealt with by many commentaries, allowing each hevruta to choose which commentaries to learn based on their own ability. I included questions dealing with obscure grammar or the meaning of particular words, explaining the question and its focus in detail to the students. Even students with little-to-no Hebrew can understand the isolated language concepts when explained, which are vital to any Tanakh commentary and maintains a level of authentic language analysis. Students had access to Sefaria, AlHaTorah, and traditional Mikraot Gedolot editions for those comfortable in Hebrew. As the teacher, I guided them towards commentators of varying lengths and difficulty, while allowing space for some students to analyze translated English sources as well or instead. Having each hevruta present the answers they found led to vigorous classroom discussions and allowed for a natural comparison of different commentaries and different styles. This format allowed all students to engage in hevruta and class analysis, while independently growing in their own skills with oversight and guidance, not being held back by language skills.
Moving away from traditional formatting used for tradition’s sake, such as Rashi script or the Vilna Shas, is different from discussing learning Hebrew itself, which makes a qualitative difference to students’ education and reflects community values. Learning in Hebrew or Aramaic often requires sacrificing deeper analysis for language acquisition, with the hope that fluency will allow deeper learning later. However, the reverse may also be true. By engaging students in intellectually rigorous analysis in English, we may spark motivation to build language and textual skills later. While we are not advocating removing Hebrew altogether, teachers can reconsider sequencing and emphasis to suit their students and communities. Experience shows that realizing one can engage with Jewish texts in any language can be genuinely life-changing.
Conclusion
Jews have always challenged tradition in order to preserve tradition, from the writing of the Mishnah to the Steinsaltz Gemara revolution. Rethinking our classrooms and challenging traditional textual techniques is not a betrayal of tradition. Each community, school, and teacher should examine their attachment to textual practices in light of student needs. This process should be undertaken with seriousness and respect for tradition, alongside an open mind. In an age where education is recognized as a right for all, and where research increasingly highlights the strengths of neurodivergent learners, it is imperative that the Judaics classroom adapt accordingly. Doing so allows broader engagement with Jewish texts and enables diverse voices to contribute meaningfully to our tradition.
Kelila Slonim is originally from Melbourne, Australia, where she served as a community educator and received a degree in Psychology. She teaches at Midreshet Amudim, Midreshet Amit, Baer Miriam Seminary, and Jewessence, and leads visitor groups at the National Library of Israel. She is undertaking a masters degree in Jewish History.
From The Editor: Winter 2026
For many years I believed that I was a good educator. Students, alumni, and parents told me so. I was mostly effective at exciting my students to learn, drawing them in, and teaching them content and skills they remembered for a long time. Students thought that I was fair and sensitive and really committed to their success. Hey, I even learned how to admit my mistakes and learn from them.
And then I got married and started raising children.
From Scaffolding to Independence
I run a progressive N-8 Jewish day school (Luria Academy of Brooklyn) committed to inclusion of children with a broad range of abilities and needs and backgrounds. One of the questions I get asked frequently by parents is when we are going to build a high school. Truthfully, it’s not currently part of our plan and we are blessed to be in New York City where Jewish high school options abound. What prompts the parental requests for a high school is their very reasonable concern for how their child will transition from our student-centered, individualized, supportive classroom to a more traditional, less flexible environment.
What Mainstream Schools Can Learn From a School Like Mine
I recently had a conversation with a faculty member at a school of education which is part of a local university. He teaches a course titled “Learning and Cognition” and finds himself under pressure from students every year not to teach it. The students, as they enter the classroom, understandably want practical tools, and do not see the connection between how people learn and what they do in a classroom.
Choice in the Middle School Beit Midrash
In a small Jewish day school, differentiation is a fact of life. Some of our students have diagnoses which explain why they have challenges in learning and some do not; some need lots of repetition of material in order to synthesize ideas and others seem to understand and be prepared to explain the content the first time they read or hear an idea. In our small community, some are able to thrive in a Hebrew immersion class while others begin to shut down in this environment. A typical curricular model in middle schools at small Jewish day schools is to offer grade-specific Jewish studies courses; this has the advantage of all students being exposed to the same content, and building upon past learning is an easier task. At Oakland Hebrew Day School (Oakland, CA), a K-8 school, we, too, had this model until ten years ago, when we found ourselves grappling with the following issues:
Trauma Awareness In Jewish Day Schools
A painful reality for Jewish educators is that, despite our most valiant efforts, a significant population of young people who go through the Jewish day school system feels distanced and removed from their education, as if they are perpetually outsiders to their community. Who are these young people? What causes this sense of distance? What can we do to help them? While every case is different, often these children are dealing with some sort of trauma that educators are not always equipped to support, and sometimes can inadvertently inflict. However, proper awareness and appropriate responses can go a long way in helping these young people feel welcome and understood.
The Unique Opportunities for Personalization in Jewish Studies
My experience at Jewish summer camp played an important role in forging my identity, first as a Jew, and then as a Jewish educator. When I made the jump from Director of Education at the camp I grew up at to the Jewish day school classroom, I would often reflect on what made camp so impactful and how I could bring aspects of experiential education into the formal classroom. I soon realized that it is not just about what camp has that the classroom does not, it’s just as much about the aspects of formal education that camps are unburdened by.
Forty Ways to Learn Navi
One of the most powerful sources of professional reflection for me has always been hevruta—the back-and-forth of honest, challenging dialogue. Several years ago, a teacher with whom I shared a classroom told me that my teaching was “too frontal” and that I needed to give students more “voice and choice.”
Being naturally competitive and reflective, I took the critique to heart. During winter break, I spent two solid days redesigning my Navi curriculum for my sixth graders. My goal was simple: to create a system where students could take genuine ownership of their learning while still meeting our academic expectations.
Differentiated Instruction in the Judaic Studies Classroom
Judaic studies is a high-stakes undertaking for teachers who aspire to cultivate in their students not only deep knowledge of texts and traditions that shape Jewish identity, but also a personal relationship with the Torah and with God. Either of those objectives without the other misses an opportunity to foster in children a love of their heritage and the desire to keep it vital in their lives.
Making Tefilah More Student-Centered
Every student enters tefilah with a different story. Some find comfort in familiar words and melodies; others feel unsure, disconnected, or skeptical. Yet tefilah in schools often assumes uniformity—everyone doing the same thing, in the same way, at the same pace. When we shift our focus to the people in the room, new possibilities for meaning can open up.
Differentiation, Relationships, and Planning with an AI Partner
Jewish Studies teachers have long known the importance of meeting students’ individual needs, yet differentiation in practice has remained elusive. Judaic Studies teachers often lack ready-made resources or formal training in differentiation models. In this article, we share our experience using AI to help Jewish studies teachers overcome those challenges.
Unlocking Every Learner: An Instructional Reflection For 1-5 Grade Judaic Educators
Educate the child according to their path (Proverbs 22:6).
This well-known verse beautifully captures the essence of differentiated and personalized learning: each child enters the classroom with a unique constellation of strengths, challenges, interests, and ways of understanding the world.
Blended and Personalized Learning in Jewish Studies
Blended and Personalized Learning (BPL) has become a valuable approach for Jewish studies classrooms seeking to meet wide-ranging student needs without overwhelming teachers. BPL provides structures that allow educators to teach more precisely, differentiate more naturally, and build student independence and choice. When implemented with clear routines, consistent expectations, and thoughtful planning, BPL transforms classrooms into dynamic spaces where learners move at an appropriate pace, engage more deeply, and take increasing ownership of their learning. Educators also benefit from having a mentor/coach guide them through the different steps. The following overview outlines the core principles of effective BPL and illustrates how these principles come to life in real 1st–8th grade classrooms.
Hevruta as a Tool for Differentiation and Personalization
Meeting the needs of every learner in the room is one of the most complex tasks a teacher faces. No two students process text in the same way. Some absorb information quickly, while others need more time. Some think visually, others verbally. Some feel confident sharing ideas in front of the class, while others shut down the moment they feel unsure. Even highly motivated learners approach Torah with very different strengths and needs. Teachers want to support every student, yet it is difficult to personalize instruction when the class is moving through the same pasuk or section of Gemara at the same pace.
From Teaching the Class to Teaching Each Student
Walk down the hallways of many schools today or step into a teacher’s lounge, and the shift in conversation is unmistakable. Instead of talking about plans for a trip, Shabbat, or the newest and most exciting curriculum, the conversation frequently has shifted towards struggling students, classroom behaviors, and the plight of supporting an ever-growing diverse Jewish student population. These discussions reflect a new reality: Teaching at a Jewish day school now requires an expanding skill set to meet the evolving needs of students and the growing challenges teachers face.
Differentiating Jewish Education – Not If But How
In the early 1970s, my mother sat in her 9th grade halakha class cowering in fear. Her teacher loudly berated the class as not one student volunteered to translate the words of the Rosh Hashana prayers. Her pulse racing, my mother suddenly realized she had an advantage. As the daughter of Holocaust survivors who came from two different countries, my mother’s first language was Yiddish and the mahzor she had pulled from her parents’ bookshelf the night before was a Hebrew-Yiddish one. She timidly raised her hand, provided the translation, thus saving her class from incurring further wrath from the teacher. Jewish education is unique in that each student brings their own personalized version of Judaism with them into the classroom. For my mother that day, it looked like a mahzor with a Yiddish translation.
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