Rachel Friedrichs, Author at The Lookstein Center

Making the Case for Agada

by Rachel Friedrichs | Sep 10, 2023 | Tackling Talmud

The rabbis of the Talmud were intentional and thoughtful educators; an example of their consummate pedagogic skill is the way they interspersed narratives into their halakhic writings and teachings. Their use of agadot is an effective teaching tool because, simply put, people love stories. We evolved to tell stories, to become compelled by stories, to connect to the characters, drama, and tension in stories. Stories draw in our students and they have the power to make them care.

Peeling Back the Layers of Meaning Mining: A Taxonomy

by Rachel Friedrichs | Mar 7, 2021 | Meaning-Making in Jewish Education

I do not think a Jewish studies teacher, in the 75+ year history of Jewish day school education, has ever said to themselves, “I don’t want my students’ learning to be meaningful to them today.” By implication, on some level, every Jewish studies teacher, every time they walk into their classroom has, at least implicitly, the intention that their teaching be meaningful to their students.