Judaic studies
Since the beginning of the school year we have covered a number of different
topics. We began the school year talking about the Hebrew month of Elul - the
month of repentance. We studied the different interpretations of commentaries
in the Torah that relate to the month of Elul.
The start of the school year arrived with many Jewish holidays and we
discussed the holidays as they appeared. For each holiday we discussed Jewish
symbols and customs. For Rosh Hashanah we talked about the importance of
starting the new year after having closure from the previous year. Between
Rosh-Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the Ten Days of Awe. We had a discussion
about these days, their meaning, and importance, and we realized the
responsibilities wer have from ourselves and from each other. Related to
this
is the belief that there is a book of life and a book of judgment, and this
is
our last chance to ask for forgiveness from each other and ourselves. With
the
arrival of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, we learned about
the shofar and its importance. Sukkot was the next holiday that we
celebrated.
We discussed the story behind this holiday of booths, which ends with the
arrival of Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah is a special time when we start
reading the Torah from the beginning.
Last, after Simchat Torah we started our Torah study. Every week we study a
different Torah portion. Through discussion and debate we develop critical
thinking about interpretations and related stories. We studied the Rambam,
one
of the greatest commentaries in Judaism. We discussed the man, his work, and
their significance. We will continue this line of study as we enter the next
term.
Hebrew
The 2nd grade students are focusing on the fundamentals of the Hebrew
language. During this year we will finish learning the Hebrew alphabet and
vowels and start using Hebrew cursive.
Every new letter we cover is accompanied by a whole new set of vocabulary,
stories, songs and games. These are all designed to support and reinforce
the use of the new letters and vowels while also increasing the students’
use of vocabulary.
During the year, the class follows “Tal Am” program called “Ariot” designed
for students learning the Hebrew alphabet. In addition to using the program
on a daily basis, we work in class on different subjects directly connected
to the specific time of the year. Subjects like holidays, seasons of the
year, weather and Israeli culture are being covered according to their
relevance at that point in time.
Every morning we open the class with a morning song led by one of the
students, followed by the updating of the Hebrew date by the weekly class
assistant. After that we read a short story from our Hebrew library and then
start working in our booklets or have an enriching activity related to the
time of the year (holidays, seasons, etc).