The Yaakov Herzog College at Yeshivat Har Etzion is one of the largest teacher training institutes for Jewish studies teachers in Israel, and features on its staff some of the key thinkers in Israel in the field of Tanach. Their approach to Tanach features the incorporation of literary analytic tools, development of meta-themes that span entire books of Tanach (and beyond), a conceptual presentation that sacrifices neither breadth nor depth, and structural analyses of large blocks of text. The staff responsible for publishing the texts also integrate, in the presentation, their extensive knowledge of Eretz Yisrael, including its geography, flora and fauna. Their broad-ranging approach has many adherents and is featured on popular Internet websites and mailing lists run by students of the leading teachers.
The materials in the Dapim La-me’ayein Ve-la-moreh (Study Guides for the Student and Teacher) series are not presented as essays, but rather, as illustrative charts and graphics (some in color) designed to capture essential ideas and display them with both precision and clarity. The booklets are not designed to replace a careful study of the texts and do not generally discuss interpretation of specific texts. They are designed to serve as a study guide, so that when the student (or teacher) proceeds to an in-depth study he will have a framework within which to organize and focus the material. The guides are beneficial for individual students as well as for teachers planning a study unit or a year course.
Each booklet begins with a diagram providing a general overview of the Bible, which is divided into topics and sections. Chapters are grouped together thematically and are often color-coded in codes, which are followed consistently throughout the booklet.
The following example will demonstrate the pedagogic approach of the series:
As one example, the Bemidbar booklet opens with a chart illustrating the structure of the book. [figure 2]. The thirty-six chapters of the book are divided into almost two equal portions representing the two different eras described in the book (the second year and the last year in the desert, respectively), with one chapter at the midpoint of the book. A brief description of the specific events in each half further demonstrates the parallelism within the book, as do the graphics. Sefer Bemidbar is neatly framed between the end of Shemot and Vayikra on one side and Devarim on the other. In addition to the striking parallelism, the graphic representation strikingly illustrates that the bulk of the time spent in the desert is captured in a single chapter (19), which is not even narrative in nature! While the booklet offers no exegetical answers to this conundrum, the presentation of the problem encourages the student to investigate the issue independently and to seek a convincing explanation.
The maps and charts in the other volumes help clarify various genealogies and illustrate the route taken by Bnei Yisrael in the desert, as well as the parallels between the routes followed by Avraham and his grandson Yaakov in their various travels. Other graphs present a comparison between the various korbanot (sacrificial offerings), a structural analysis of the mitzvoth in parashat Kedoshim, a diagram of the rise and fall of the Solomonic empire, and parallels between events in the two kingdoms of the divided monarchy (Yehudah and Yisrael). Places, people, events and dates, are all placed in perspective, enabling easier comprehension, memorization and conceptualization, as well as encouraging further study and analysis.
To date, five booklets in the series have been published (all in Hebrew), four of which deal with the Humash and one with the Book of Kings; additional booklets are currently in production. Some of the charts and the graphics are available as posters, which can be hung on classroom walls. Information regarding purchase is available from Herzog College, Alon Shvut 90933 Israel (Tel: 972.2993.1451, Fax: 972.2993.2796)
www.herzog.ac.il ( herzog@macam.ac.il )