<HTML>Hi,
A number of issues that are related and I believe will elicit much
discussion are: Within a theoretically ideal Talmud Curriculum,
1 a) What would a typical Centrist Orthodox day school which starts Talmud
at the 6th grade level begin with? i.e.. What would be the emphasis?
Would
they attack skills right away? Are they ready for it? Should we whet their
appetite with a sugyot approach which could be more attractive?
Personally, I believe the answer is that the basic vocabulary and basic
reading skills should be in place by the time that they enter High school
and then build on more advanced reading skills and on understanding and
analytical skills in HS. I also believe that they are ready for it. I
feel also, as Rav Moshe Lichtenstein once pointed out to me, HS kids are
naturally cynical and often will not want to go along with a boring
analysis of breaking apart the keywords and vocabulary. A sixth grader,
on the other hand, is still more innocent and might accept it as a given
by the time HS rolls around if he already understands the underpinnings.
b) Are there some good masechtot to start with if one is attacking the
skills?
I have found Tefillat hashachar, which is quite traditional, to be great
for introducing keywords etc. However, many of the others - Arvei
pesachim, Makot, Eilu Metziot, Hamafkid - I do not share the same
sentiment about.
c) Why are we not reaching these goal with our 8th graders?
We often find, although this is anecdotal, that, when they enter 9th
grade, they do not know more than the basic vocabulary of Hacha and hatam
and they think they know what Teiku means. I believe that it is because
we are not setting standards for our teachers with any sort of official
curriculum that they would be held accountable for. If a math teacher
does not get his/her students ready for algebra, they would be fired. We,
unfortunately, do not have the same standards for limudei kodesh. We
often have a sentiment that if the Rebbe is well liked and really gets his
kids "into yiddishkeit" then he is successful. That is very important,
however the expense of such "standards" is great!!
2 a) When our students reach HS what should our goals be?
b) Can we create a curriculum which clearly delineates the greater
expectations from their upper classman and keeps the teachers accountable
for the expectations?
c) Can such a curriculum be devised with the learning of different
Masechtot each year? Should it switch each semester, as do most Yeshivot
Gevohot with each Z'man? Does such a curriculum require the study of sugyot
as opposed to Masechtot?
I personally believe that we can do it without sugyot and therefore should.
This is true for many reasons
a) instilling a sense of continuity in a masechta, how it works, what
kind of segways exist.
b) learning that part of learning is going through all kinds of gemaras,
interesting and not so interesting. Although here I personally believe
that it sometimes behooves us to skip some sugyot which would really get
bogged down.
c) Finally (you may laugh at this, but I have seen it myself) Joel
Wolowelsky likes to point out that it is simply important for our students
to be able to identify a masechet that they are learning. If they are
learning sugyot, as interesting and structured as they might be, our
children will be unable to pick up a gemara in shul and open it up and find
what they are learning. They will also be unable to answer that their shul
Rabbi or friend that goes to a different yeshivah might ask " what masechet
are you learning. The mere failure to be able to answer that question,
will lead to that child's loss of self esteem, since the follow up will
surely be (either said or implied) "oh yeah you go to X school and they
learn "Torah shebe'al peh" or "sugyot" and not gemara.
I also believe that switching in the middle of the year is a good practice
although from a continuity point of view it might be better to stick with
it for the entire year.
You may have more questions or different answers. I'd like to hear from
you and share thoughts.
________________________________
Rabbi Benjamin Kramer
Religious Studies Principal
Fuchs Bet Sefer Mizrachi
216-932-0220
Fax: 932-0345</HTML>
