The Mesivta High School of Greater Philadelphia is seeking a Chief Academic Officer (CAO) to begin by the Summer of 2024, earlier start-date preferred. The Mesivta is an Orthodox...
The Mesivta High School of Greater Philadelphia is seeking a Chief Academic Officer (CAO) to begin by the Summer of 2024, earlier start-date preferred. The Mesivta is an Orthodox...
Morah M.’s 5th-grade class is curating a museum exhibit showcasing artifacts that represent family legacy and tradition. The items are described on a placard that explains: These candlesticks were my Bubby’s and now my mother and I use them for Shabbat. When I chose them, I thought of the story about R. Yehuda HaNasi that we learned (Ketubot 103a). Before he died, he told his family that they should continue to set the table the same way, keeping the lamp in its usual place. We’re sort of doing the same thing when we use Bubby’s candlesticks.
Teaching Talmud to weaker students can present many challenges not typically found in traditional Gemara classes. Navigating a text in a foreign language, especially one with the unique structure and rules of the Talmud, can be daunting for those grappling with language-based difficulties. Educators must realistically decide which teaching method—skill-based or discussion-based—will best set diverse learners up for success, and how demanding a Talmud course should be for students not likely to pursue this type of Torah learning in the future.
Standing at the edge of the sea can be an awe-filled experience—the incomprehensibly vast expanse of water with no end in sight is both inspiring and intimidating. We would not consider entering it, whether to swim, sail, surf, cruise, or dive without proper preparation. Similarly, the Sea of Talmud is rich with information, personalities, debates, and much more. It, too, can inspire and intimidate with its vastness and complexity, and we should not expect our students to be able to jump in and navigate it without context and a roadmap. To prepare our students as they embark on their journey into the Oral Torah, we need to define our goals and our strategies for achieving them.
In my first year of teaching, I taught a student whom we will call Yossi. From the time he started 1st grade reading groups, Yossi was placed in the lowest track. This pattern persisted through my 11th grade Gemara class. A few weeks into the first semester of 11th grade, Yossi approached me after class to ask me a burning question which he was embarrassed to ask in front of his peers. He asked, “Who is Rabbi Baraita?” I said, “What do you mean?” He responded, “My past teachers kept explaining ‘the Baraita says…’ Who is Rabbi Baraita and why is he referred to as the Baraita?”
Our Lower School is seeking a long-term leave Associate Teacher with at least one year of experience to begin in November 2023-March 2024. The successful candidate will be a...
As a teacher at Rodeph Sholom School (RSS), I have for some time considered what it means to teach Torah SheBe’al Peh in a Reform Jewish independent school. What I offer here is a taste of how my colleagues and I have strived to shape our 7th grade Rabbinics unit so that it is aligned with our school’s mission and meets the needs of our specific community of learners. And while every school is unique, I am hopeful that the insights I’ve gained from teaching one unit on the development of Jewish law are instructive for any Jewish day school grappling with teaching Torah SheBe’al Peh.
Traditional methods of teaching Gemara, such as hevruta learning followed by an interactive shiur, have stood the test of time. When teaching beginner students, however, this approach is less common, given their lack of prior knowledge or skills. As a result, many teachers prefer a frontal approach, perhaps projecting the daf on the SMART board and presenting the text phrase-by-phrase while students take notes between the lines of the traditional Vilna text. If hevruta time is used, it is often for the students to review material rather than for them to try to decipher the text. In this article, we are going to propose a method for using a modified version of the traditional approach which can be used for learners starting out on their Gemara learning careers.
Some of the articles in this issue describe the joy of studying Talmud, others break down the complex processes to make it more accessible to students or to enable the students to engage with it meaningfully. And just to make sure that we covered the bases of both the how and the why of Talmud study, we asked our authors to weigh in separately on the question: “Why do you think that day school students should be learning Gemara/Rabbinics?” We invite you to join that discussion.
Organizational summary: Since 1927, the Yeshivah of Flatbush has stood at the forefront of American Jewish education and has set the standard of excellence emulated by other...
Yeshivat Noam, located in Paramus, New Jersey, seeks a Middle School Director of Support Services to start in Summer 2024. This is a wonderful opportunity to have a significant...
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Upper/Middle School Learning Center Specialist Maimonides School, a Modern Orthodox day school in Brookline, MA is seeking Special Education candidates for our Middle and Upper...
Abraham Joshua Heschel School seeks a leave replacement lower school (Grades 1-5) learning specialist to from December 1, 2023, to on or about May 31, 2024. Abraham Joshua...
Organizational summary: Since 1927, the Yeshivah of Flatbush has stood at the forefront of American Jewish education and has set the standard of excellence emulated by other...
Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School, located in Livingston, New Jersey, is seeking a full-time special education teacher for the 2023-2024 school year to join our Learning Lab....
The Director of Community Outreach and Major Gifts is responsible for developing strategies for the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major donors within the CESJDS...
Organizational summary: Since 1927, the Yeshivah of Flatbush has stood at the forefront of American Jewish education and has set the standard of excellence emulated by other...
HANC Middle School, a Modern Orthodox Co-ed Yeshiva on Long Island, is seeking energetic and creative Morot to join our staff for the 2023-2024 school year teaching Chumash and...
Westchester Day School, a Modern Orthodox day school in Westchester, NY is seeking a 5th Grade General Studies educator for the 2023 - 2024 school year. Westchester Day School’s...