Teaching Tanakh

The second most wonderful thing about serving as an editor of HaYidion (the first is working with Elliott Rabin and the members of the editorial board) is the opportunity it provides for me to engage in my own Jewish learning. In addition to the in-depth reading of the work that appears in each issue, I have the chance to do some research in order to write an introduction that measures up in some degree to the scholarship and experiences embedded in our contributors’ pieces.

Presented here is a sample of the responses to Michael Berger’s article “Developing a Theory of Jewish Day School Leadership” on pages 24-26 of the spring issue. The article generated a robust discussion with many contributors; to see all of the responses, go to ravsak.org/hayidion/avichai.

As we approach Shavuot, we cannot help but think about the giving and receiving of the Ten Commandments and how these key tenets have been at the core of what it means to be Jewish, to be a good human being, to develop awe and respect for God and God’s creation, and to respect and care for each other. We think about the significance of relationships between God and humankind and between people. What are the obligations and qualities that ensure these relationships will be strong, nurturing and infused with moral compass?

The East Valley Jewish Day School in Chandler, Arizona, held its 1st Annual 5K Family Fun Run on April 24th. It was our goal to bring the community together to support the school while promoting health awareness. Even though our school has an enrollment of 24 students this year, over 100 people attended the event. It was a huge success and we will continue it for years to come.

In broad strokes, this article challenges the field to question the mantra of “relevance” or at the least to broaden our notion of what would be relevant to our students.

Never question the relevance of truth, but always question the truth of relevance.

—Craig Bruce

Glaser has developed a method for students to engage with philosophic concerns such as truth, meaning and justice through engagement with stories in Tanakh.

Many passages in Tanakh present considerable challenges to the reader for a host of reasons. This article suggests some tools to help student struggle successfully with those texts.

The author shows the way that a Reform school approaches Tanakh, informed with resources from ancient Near Eastern scholarship and comparative mythology as well as within Jewish tradition.

A leading Jewish educator in Argentina approaches the problem of the Tanakh’s relevance to students today by putting biblical sources in dialogue with songs and writings from contemporary Israel.

Freundel shows a process that schools can take to bring Tanakh education in line with the aims of today’s leading educational theorists.

The author advocates for using Tanakh to cultivate “cognitive pluralism,” the ability to hold two or more conflicting interpretations in mind without rushing to choose a “right” one.

In considering the different goals that schools have in teaching Tanakh, the author sees two primary models, one based in the acquisition of skills, the other oriented toward an engagement with meaning.

Czeladnicki finds the constructivist educational philosophy to be essential for Tanakh study and offers several exercises that exemplify this approach.

Warshavski assesses the dramatic challenges of online Tanakh education, and the unprecedented opportunities that it affords, by referencing key precedents in the history of biblical interpretation.

Learn about some of the larger trends and structural issues that impact Tanakh education in Israel, as well as some innovative programs recently developed that are worthy models of emulation.

Almost alone within Judaism’s large canon of sacred texts, the books of the Prophets present exemplars for the modern State of Israel by depicting the travails of a sovereign Jewish nation on its own territory.

A professor involved with the Tanakh Standards and Benchmarks Project at JTS suggests creative ways of assessing student achievement in Tanakh and points out some of the common pitfalls.

The tasks of translation and personalization, finding relevance, should not be confused with interpretation, a true engagement with the text’s meaning.

Fine presents an approach to differentiated instruction called Layering Torah that adapts a successful pedagogy for application in the Judaics classroom.

A set of beautiful drawings, rendered by a rabbi who is also an artist, depicting scenes from the weekly parashah gives all students, especially visual learners, a different kind of portal to reflect upon the meaning and interpretation of Biblical stories.

Tools from the field of literacy education provide ways for teachers to introduce critical thinking skills into the study of Tanakh.

The author has developed a map of qualities that students apply to biblical stories and use to navigate the relationship between Tanakh and their own lives.

The following are some of the terms used in the articles in this issue.