Tanakh with Friends The “Tanakh With Friends” series includes five student workbooks on Bereishit (Bereishit Im Haverim), Shemot – Vayikra, Bemidbar – Devarim, Yehoshua, and Shoftim. The text is designed for students at the elementary school level. The workbooks enable the students to analyze the Biblical text from a variety of perspectives, by providing five “friends” who accompany the students throughout. Each friend has a different personality, and asks different types of questions about the text being studied. The following is a brief description of each friend and some sample questions from Parashat Shemot:

Hanan the Curious (Hanan haSakran) Hanan is a child whose curiosity motivates him to ask questions about the historical and geographical background of the Biblical text. The information that he seeks might be found in an encyclopedia. For example:
•After learning that Moshe fled to Midian, Hanan wanted to find out about the Midianites. He read in the encyclopedia: “The Midianites were a nomadic tribe that raised camels. They herded their sheep in the desert between Canaan and Egypt. The Midianites also engaged in commerce, and crossed the desert in caravans of camels.” After reading about the Midianites, Hanan was reminded about the story of the sale of Yosef. Do you know why?

Ayelet the Questioner (Ayelet haShoelet) Ayelet asks questions about apparent difficulties in the text. The answers to her questions can often be found in the commentaries. For example:
•Why was the basket of Moshe sealed with both clay (heimar) and pitch (zefet)? (Shemot 2:3)
•How is it possible that Pharoah’s daughter called the baby (Moshe) by a Hebrew name? (Shemot 2:10)

Yannai the Linguist (Yannai haLeshonai) Yannai asks questions dealing with grammar and philology. The information that he seeks can be found in dictionaries, and at times in the commentaries. For example:
•In Shemot 2:23-24, Yannai noticed that several words appear that have the meaning of “suffering”. Draw a line under each of the words. Why does the Torah use so many words here to describe “suffering”?
•In Shemot 4:2-9, God gave Moshe otot (“signs”). Yannai found three meanings of the word ot: 1) a marking, 2) a wonder, and 3) a letter. Which meaning corresponds to the ot that God gave to Moshe?

Hen the Imaginer (Hen haMedamyen) Hen reads between the lines by trying to imagine how people felt and reacted to their situations. For example:
•Write a dialogue that might have taken place between Amram and Yokheved when their child (Moshe) was born.
•Imagine what two slaves would say to each other at the end of a day of hard labor.

Ronit the Legalist (Ronit haMishpetanit) Ronit asks questions relating to the legal aspects of the Torah. For example:
•What is the difference between the laws relating to a slave in ancient times and the laws relating to workers today?

The workbooks at times provides students with answers to the questions, at times directs them how to find answers, and at times leaves the questions open ended.

In addition to the questions of the “five friends”, the workbooks includes other insightful questions, tables, and activities. The range of the perspectives offered in this work helps the students understand the Biblical text both in its historical context and as it relates to their own lives. While the books concentrate on understanding the text itself, there are frequent references to commentaries such as Rashi when they can be used to gain a greater understanding of the text. The workbook is graphically designed in an inviting and orderly fashion, and includes nice color illustrations. While the Hebrew level would preclude its direct use in many schools in the Diaspora, the “Tanakh With Friends” series is an excellent resource for Diaspora teachers. It provides a model of a unique educational approach, and can aid specifically in lesson preparation. For those schools that study Ivrit beIvrit this book can be used, with adaptations, for the higher elementary levels.

The workbooks are written by Ilana Freeda and Rivka Sela, and are published by Yesod Books.

Address: Rechov Hachofer 34, Holon.
Phone: +972.3.558.7990

The Keren Moreshet Program for Advanced Methodologies in the Teaching of Mishna and Talmud

Of the many challenges facing modern Jewish education, one of the most trying is the teaching of Mishna and Talmud. The dedicated teachers who deal with this daunting task are well aware of the manifold difficulties. Barriers of language, culture, logic and relevance converge on a topic few students truly master during their school years. Statistics indicate that fully seventy percent of all students in Israeli yeshivot fail to acquire the skills to learn an unseen segment of Talmud by the end of high school, and even after post-secondary learning programs, fifty percent still fail diagnostic exams using unseen material. Even among those who do acquire independent learning skills, it is often at the cost of the love of the learning experience, so that only ten to fifteen percent make Talmud learning a regular feature of their spiritual lives.

Research conducted by Rabbi Dr. Pinhas Hayman and his associates at Bar Ilan University suggests that this situation can be attributed in part to the lack of a professionally designed spiral curriculum for skills acquisition in this area. Curricula for Mishna and Talmud are typically geared to the teaching of specific texts, concepts or other data. Those skills which are occasionally taught are typically “micro” skills such as common expressions and code words, while the far more significant “macro” skills which define the very nature of the Talmud texts are almost never explained.

Standard instruction techniques are configured in two stages: Mishna, followed immediately by the study of Talmud. The research indicates that this approach neither reflects the actual manner of the development of the texts nor does it enable the student to adequately adjust to the varying levels of complexity in the various types of Talmudic literature. Dr. Hayman proposes a methodological approach which divides the learning of Mishna and Talmud into four stages, each representing an increasing level of complexity and higherorder thinking.

In brief:

1. Mishna: This study includes the relationship between Mikra and Mishna, early topical and associative codices in Mishna, historical and literary layers in the Mishna, and editorial structures found in the Mishna.

2. Parallel Tannaitic Sources: This is a comparative study of the Mishna and the relevant passages in the Tosefta and Beraitot, which allows for a more complete understanding of the raw material which served as the basis of the Amoraic enterprise.

3. Amoraic Sources: This stage introduces the conceptual distinction between Amoraic memrot – which are essentially commentary on Tannaitic statements or independent legislation – from the more complex Amoraic presentation and analysis. The former are readily identifiable by their overwhelming use of Hebrew in their formulation, a clear and straightforward style, and their focus on practical legal issues.

4. Talmudic “Stama” Sources: This study focuses on the generally post-Amoraic “envelope” of the sugya which presents and analyzes the earlier material. The stama envelope is characterized by its Aramaic language, its anonymous presentation, its speculative, hypothetical reasoning, and its formal discussion and argumentation patterns.

These four stages are themselves subdivided into more basic skills, which are each practiced on numerous unseen examples of varying levels of difficulty. The resulting curriculum is a stepped approach to Talmud which begins in the third or fourth grade and proceeds through the ninth grade, moving the pupil from simple texts to more progressively complicated selections. The overall goal is the mainstreaming of the pupil into the traditional Vilna page with the ability for independent study. It is the aim of this project to ultimately produce student and teacher material for all four stages of learning Mishna and Talmud.

As of January 2003, two booklets for pupils’ use with accompanying teachers’ manuals have been published for Mishna classes in Israel. Each student booklet covers a trimester of learning in Grade 3 and is divided into two parts. The first part gives the students background as to the history of the major Tanna’im and their contribution to the development of Jewish Law. For example, towards the end of Grade 3, students learn about the personalities of Hillel and Shamai through the famous Talmudic story of a non-Jew coming to each one of them to ask to convert. Shamai’s impatient reaction is compared to Hillel’s tolerant approach and the students are asked to present the story as a play. An additional benefit of using this selection is that it uses stories to introduce students to the concept of mahloket (respectful debate), and elu va-elu divrei elokim hayim (the notion that two conflicting Tannaitic opinions can both reflect the words of the living God). The second part of each booklet introduces students to selected Mishnayot from various tractates. For example, the first trimester booklet for Grade 3 selects Mishnayot connected to Rosh Hashana, Yoma and Sukkot before beginning with a selection from Masekhet Berakhot. The second trimester booklet has further selections from Masekhet Berakhot as well as a number from Megilla to be learned before Purim. The selections are age appropriate, with the Mishnayot which are easiest both in style and content chosen for these young students.

The most unique aspect of these booklets is, however, the detailed teacher’s manual that accompanies the student workbook. The teacher receives a detailed lesson plan for each one of the lessons in the program, which includes an outline of the goals of the lesson, suggested activities, and resources. Each part of the lesson is then described in detail with suggested time-frames for the teacher. For example, in a lesson on prayer while perched in a tree (Berakhot, Chapter 2 Mishna 4) the teacher is given a suggested opening for the lesson (e.g., coming into the lesson wearing workers overalls) as well as specific questions to ask students and a teacher’s summary.

While these materials were developed with the Israeli school system in mind, I believe that there are at least three ways in which they can be helpful for Diaspora education.

1. Schools that are teaching Jewish Studies Ivrit beIvrit will find these booklets very helpful and may consider integrating at least some of the Mishnayot into their grade 4 or grade 5 Mishna program. The Hebrew is on a relatively simple level and as such they can be used with small adaptations in an Ivrit beIvrit setting.

2. Schools that are not teaching Ivrit beIvrit will still find these booklets useful. In particular the choice of Mishnayot and their distribution through the year is done very cleverly and as such they can be of guidance in planning a Mishna syllabus for the Diaspora school.

3. Most importantly, the detailed lesson plans with their creative suggestions for activities and resources, should provide a wealth of exciting ideas for the teacher in his/her class preparation.