Curriculum Overview

Hebrew & Tefilah (prayer)
Our Hebrew Studies program is based on teaching key prayers for Shabbat and daily living, siddur vocabulary and decoding with context for comprehension of the liturgy and active participation in
Jewish life.

We begin by familiarizing the students with the letters. As the students progress from grade to grade, they are introduced to the tefilot (prayers), and will begin to hear the sounds of the language in their classrooms as well, through a few basic spoken Hebrew words and short phrases. Each year the basic skills are reinforced both in the classroom, at their tefilah (prayer) and ruach (spirit) services during school, and through the Junior congregation on their respective once-per-month (Saturday) Shabbat services. New material is introduced and builds upon what they have learned throughout that year and past years according to the age and level of the student.

Chagim (Holidays)
Last year we introduced a new approach to our study of the chagim. Emphasizing the experiential learning approach favored by Rabbi Suskin and our assistant director, we introduced a schoolwide chag program. This year, as the second year of our schoolwide experiential program, we move into the second year of the cycle to study lifecycles. The study of holidays continues in the classroom with a newly restructured curriculum that continues to emphasize experiential learning on a class by class basis. Our goal is to acquire not only knowledge about the chagim and the skills to celebrate them, but to experience the joy of communal celebration. Customs, traditions, laws and rituals will be learned through activities, games and, of course, food.

In the earliest grades, our students are introduced to a full-year exploration of the chagim and a basic introduction. Our youngest students experience the joy of the holiday through food, song ,movement and crafts, and as they grow they revisit each holiday, learning more deeply. Students learn aspects of the major biblical and rabbinic holidays, as well as modern holidays such as Yom Ha’atzmaut, Yom HaSHoah and Yom Yerushalayim. By the time students have moved through the lower school, they are expected to have learnt the major themes of the holidays, basic rituals and mitzvot, the name of the holiday in Hebrew and English, during which season the holiday falls (both in Israel and the southeastern United States), foods associated with the holidays (if any) and other customs in different Jewish communities, they will know the names of the Hebrew months and the cycle of the Hebrew year.

Israel
Our students study about the history, geography and society of Israel. Our goal is to help our students develop an emotional commitment to the land and people of Israel.

Torah and Rabbinic Texts
The Torah is the soul of Judaism. The word Torah means “teaching,” or “instruction.” Torah is not only a book, but it is also the collection of the wisdom of a civilization, an attempt to relate to the Divine, and a spiritual journey. That is why the word “Torah” means not only the book which includes the five books of Moses, and also the collection of books called the Tanakh (Torah, Prophets and Writings), but can also mean the great body of knowledge that has come to us through the generations in many sifrei kodesh – holy books. Our goal is to offer a deep foundation to the primary books of Judaism. Our students have the opportunity both to learn the simple meanings of our foundational stories and history, and as they grow and develop their own authentic and respectful relationship with God and Judaism, to struggle with and be fascinated by the complexities of Mishnah and Talmud, and other holy works that shed light on the values of our people, the history and development of our law and observances.

Arakhim (Values)
The very famous passage in the Talmud asks, “Is study greater, or practice? Rabbi Tarfon answered, saying: Practice is greater. Rabbi Akiba answered, saying: Study is greater. Then they all answered and said: Study is greater, when it leads to action.

Torah and Avodah (prayer) are but two components of the three legged stool upon which the world rests. Without action, without committing ourselves to do as well as to know, we have not fulfilled our mission as Jews. The erechim (values) portion of our curriculum is certainly reflected in the books from which we study.

It begins in the earliest years, and continues, growing in scope throughout our students’ time with us. But erechim are part of everything we do at Shaare Torah. Not only do we learn the origins of our values in the Torah and Talmud, not only do we live these values through the way we act and interact in the school, but we are committed to making these values relevant by teaching our students to participate in the world that we live in.

Our goals are for our students to know: that all Jewish values are derived from the Torah; that Jewish values are often countercultural and should guide our decision making process about what we choose to do and how we live our lives; that our behavior should be governed by these erechim. The students should become aware of the traditional sources from which these values come, to understand how these values apply to us as individuals, within our families, in the Jewish community, and to the wider community. We hope that giving our students these values and resources will help them to act according to Jewish values when faced with both everyday choices –which often have a hidden moral component (such as what we eat)- and also with clear moral quandaries.

The values for each grade are:

Gan (Kindergarten): Tzaar Baalei Chaim – not causing pain to animals
Aleph (1st grade): Ahavat Yisrael – Love for the people Israel
Bet (2nd): Gemilut Chasidim –Acts of lovingkindness, good deeds
Gimel (3rd): Shmirat HaLashon – Taking care with one’s speech– not gossiping, lying or talebearing
Dalet (4th): V’ahavta L’reacha K’mochah – Loving one’s friend as oneself
Hey (5th): B’tzelem Elohim (Shivyon, Shmirat Ha- Guf) – Knowing that we are all created in the image of the Divine (including the ideas of equality and care for one’s body)
Vav (6th): Tzniut/Anavah – Modesty and humility, taking care not to be a showoff in words, dress or deeds
Zayin (7th): Savlanut/Sovlanut - Patience and Tolerance, For others who may be different than oneself or one’s friends

History
The great American humorist, Mark Twain, wrote, "If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race.

The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. ... All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"

Judaism is not only a religion, but a people. Together we explore with our students the events and culture that shaped our people for thousands of years, and through which we have continued to be Jews, even as we changed throughout the generations, holding on to that which was most precious.

Arts
When parents and students are asked what they love most about our curriculum, many of them answer, “The Arts curriculum.” This unique program sets Shaare Torah apart, giving our students an opportunity to stretch themselves in new ways, to learn through the many different styles and skills that they have, and to experience Judaism through creative doing.

Aliyat Tichon
At the end of the religious school year, students that have completed the 7th grade and who have made a commitment to continuing their Jewish education through Tichon in 8th grade will be honored together with their parents at a whole-school end-of-the-year program.