Category: Hebrew Language Instruction (Fall 2005)

Eli Kohn is the director of the Lookstein Center's curriculum development programs.

This review of educational materials will focus on recent resources that have been developed for the teaching of halakhah in elementary schools in Israel. Although these materials have been written for Israeli school children, they can be an important resource for creative ideas and activities for the Diaspora educator as well. In addition, those schools which teach Ivrit be-Ivrit may find that the material can be adapted quite easily to their own classroom settings.

1.The Mahshevet Bezalel Educational Resources

Mahshevet Bezalel is a pedagogic resource center in Bnei Brak, Israel, which provides professional development opportunities for teachers of Judaic Studies. Mahshevet Bezalel also produces educational resources for teachers of Judaic Studies, focusing on two main areas – the teaching of halakhah and the teaching of Tanakh. They are written for elementary and middle school students in the Israeli religious (public) school system. This article highlights their new Shoneh Halakhot series, designed to help teachers and students in their study of the mandated halakhah syllabus.

Educational Rationale for the Shoneh Halakhot Program

Many educators are familiar with the difficulty of teaching halakhah in the Jewish day school – the material is often dry and unengaging. The state-mandated syllabus, which requires students to cover many topics from the Kitzur Shulhan Arukh (a 19th century abridged code of Jewish law, sometimes referred to as “the Kitzur”) compounds the difficulty, particularly for elementary school students who often find the language of this text difficult. The Shoneh Halakhot program was devised by Mahshevet Bezalel to respond to these issues.

The program features the following:

• Student booklets, containing a variety of creative activities related to the sections of the Kitzur Shulhan Arukh being studied
• A Teacher's Guide for each unit
• Colorful posters and board games to enrich the activities offered in the student booklets.

To date, material has been produced for grades 4 and 5, and materials for grade 6 should be ready for the 2005-2006 school year. The available materials cover:

1. Holidays – including Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukka, Purim and Pesah
2. The laws of handwashing; blessings before and after meals
3. The laws of honoring one's parents
4. The laws of appropriate speech
5. The laws of Tefilla and reciting the Shema
6. The laws of stealing and acting honestly.

Although the focus of the program is on understanding those laws that are ritual in nature, effort has been made to teach material that also reflects the importance of those laws that are bein adam le’haveiro, between man and man.

One methodology proposed for the teaching of this program is somewhat revolutionary within the religious school system. Instead of two, 40 minute, weekly periods (as is the common practice), this program call for a daily 15 minute mini-lesson. The rationale behind the change is twofold: a) shorter periods of teaching time focus the flow of the lesson and ensure a more effective use of time, and b) the regularity of study elevates its importance in the eyes of the students.

Initial response to these changes has been generally positive. Teachers find that students are more responsive as a result of the structure, lesson duration, and resources. Despite flexibility built into the program, there has been some critique that the lesson length does not provide opportunity to develop topics in depth.

Layout of the Student Workbook

The program's student workbooks are attractively designed and offer interesting student activities. In the Netilat Yadayim workbook, for example, after studying the relevant paragraphs in the Kitzur Shulhan Arukh, one activity provides pictures of various types of cups on the right hand side of the page and children are asked on the left hand side of the page to comment on which are suited for Netilat Yadayim. Another activity challenges children to write an "Identity Card" for the characteristics of the cup best suited for this mitzvah and the appropriate water for performing this ritual.

Particularly interesting in the approach of Shoneh Halachot is its emphasis on the affective goal of the mitzvah rather than just its performance requirement. For example, children are asked to prepare an advertisement on the topic of, "Why should I wash my hands?" The preparation and presentation of such materials challenges them to consider the religious value of the mitzvah.

Posters and other Resources

The colored posters have been prepared for a large number of topics including the mitzvoth of Purim and Kriat Shema. In their study of honesty and the Jewish law system, for example, children are given attractive "Judges" badges and stickers and are encouraged to decide the case based on what they have learned in the halakhah. These posters are available at reasonable prices and are useful even for a school that does not teach Ivrit be-Ivrit.

The Mahshevet Bezalel material can be ordered by contacting the pedagogic center in Israel. Fax: +972-3-5791124. Phone: +972-3-5791123.

2. Pirkei Halakhah Series

This series, also written recently for the state religious system in Israel, is based on a different concept in teaching halakhah.

The author of these student workbooks does not use the Kitzur Shulhan Arukh as the base text but has rewritten the halakhot in a clear and concise fashion. Children are asked to make reference to the Kitzur from time to time, but only as a secondary text.

Three booklets have been produced so far in this series for grades 4, 5 and 6. They all follow a similar format, where the student text is followed by questions and activities. Although the types of activities are less creative than those suggested by Mahshevet Bezalel, they are still an important resource and aid to the teacher in lesson preparation. In addition, these booklets contain many "case stories" which the author uses to challenge the students to discover the halakhic decision based on their knowledge of the halakhah in the unit.

One other interesting feature of the booklets is their emphasis on understanding the historical development of the halakhic process. In the booklet for grade 5, for example, children study quite detailed biographies of such halakhic authorities as the Rambam and Shulhan Arukh and are asked to consider their place in the development of the halakhah through the oral tradition.

Pirkei Halakhah is a private publication by Amos Maimon, a teacher in the south of Israel. The author can be contacted by phone in Israel: +972-8-8569012.