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I would like to take the opportunity presented by the "virtual" publication
of the 100th Lookjed Digest to share with you an innovation beyond the
usual fare of discussion on the mailing list. As part of our desire to
offer educators opportunities for professional growth, we plan to make
available articles that will supplement - and, on occasion, provoke -
discussion and debate of issues that are of interest to the community of
Jewish educators who participate in this list.
The first area of interest upon which we have chosen to focus is one that
was launched with the inauguration of the list and has continued to
generate spirited discussion - methodology of teaching Talmud. We have
presently posted two articles on the website, which has the advantage of
being able to support articles of greater length than can be posted on the
mailing list. For those of you who cannot access the website, or whose
browser cannot decipher the Hebrew at the end of the second article, I
would be pleased to send the articles to you as a Word attachment; just let
me know.
One article, "Implications of academic approaches to the study of the
Babylonian Talmud for the beliefs and religious attitudes of the student",
by Pinchas Hayman, recently appeared in _Abiding Challenges: Research
perspectives on Jewish education_ edited by Yisrael Rich and Michael
Rosenak. In it, Hayman examines fundamental values and objectives in
religious education. He compares and contrasts the basic assumptions made
by educators taking an academic approach as opposed to those of traditional
religious schools. His argument is that making use of academic methods in
teaching Talmud "...provide religious education not only with creative
alternatives to ineffective prevalent Talmudic and halakhic didactics, they
provide an integrated system rich in intellectual challenge, orderly
acquisition of learning skills, and a renewed value-orientation and
spiritual relevance for pupils."
The second article is a proposal for the development of a comprehensive
Torah Shebeal Peh curriculum, submitted by Daniel Levy of the Israel
Studies Institute in Jerusalem. In his proposal, Levy puts forward a
Talmud curriculum based on what he refers to as "the philosophy of
Halachah" which posits that "Aside from Torah Sheba'al Peh topics which
have direct practical relevance to daily life, every part of Torah
Sheba'al Peh - including topics considered to be abstruse - enfolds
countless principles and values waiting to be taught. Every sugia, no
matter how technical or complexly structured, is a potential lesson in
life, a prism through which to perceive the universe cognitively as well
as spiritually. A teacher who has outlined the differences of opinion
between views of Amoraim or Achronim have done only half the job if they
have not helped their students understand the implications of those Sages'
views for a larger Torah world view."
Levy's argument is that thematic organization of Talmud study can alleviate
frustration and difficulties faced by beginning students who are taught
using traditional methods. Attached to his proposal is an outline (in
Hebrew) of 24 topical units that can serve as the basis for a six-year
Torah shebaal peh curriculum.
Both of these articles can be accessed on our developing website at:
[
www.biu.ac.il]
These articles are presented to further the study and discussion that has
already taken place regarding this issue. In the coming weeks we plan to
make available further materials on this topic. We encourage your comments
on these and upcoming position papers.
Rabbi Shalom Berger, Ed.D.
The Lookstein Center for Jewish Education in the Diaspora
Bar Ilan University</HTML>
