Tanakh
GRADE FIVE | GRADE SIX | GRADE SEVEN | GRADE EIGHT
The Tanakh curriculum seeks to teach students how to read and study the text, study Rashi's commentary, and learn Torah independently. Through the study of Tanakh, students learn the values and mitzvot of the Torah. By gaining an understanding of the basis of Torah values and ta'amei ha-mitzvot, students enhance the way in which they perform mitzvot. The curriculum enables students to appreciate Torah values, incorporate such values in their daily lives, and enjoy the study of Tanakh. During the Middle School years, students learn to distinguish between peshat and derash and learn Rashi's methodology. Students are encouraged to ask questions and engage in dialogue about the texts being studied.
An important element of the Tanakh curriculum is the Yediot program for students in grades five through eight. The goal of the program is to ensure that Middle School students graduate with a mastery of basic Jewish literacy. To this end, each year students study five Yediot units, covering fundamentals of Tanakh, the liturgy and halakhah. At the end of seventh grade, a comprehensive exam is administered.
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A. |
Grade Five
Chumash study begins with the book of Shemot. In Navi, students study the book of Shofetim through the story of Shimshon. Students learn how to read independently by identifying biblical Hebrew roots in order to determine the meanings of new words. Fifth graders perfect their reading of Rashi and learn to predict Rashi's questions as they become increasingly familiar with his style. As students study the material, they learn the history and laws that are described in the text.
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B. |
Grade Six
Grade six students study the book of Bemidbar through Parashat Chukkat. In Navi, they study Shemu'el Alef through Perek 20. Students continue to develop the skills taught in fifth grade and learn to become increasingly sensitive to the use of language and literary devices in the Tanakh. For instance, they are taught to identify and analyze additional words in the text, repetitive statements and unusual dialogue.
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C. |
Grade Seven
Chumash study in grade seven focuses on selected topics in the book of Devarim:
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| • יחידות הוראה לספר דברים כתה
ז |
| • עשרת הדברות |
| • שמע |
| • ארץ ישראל |
| • מוצא שפתיך תשמור |
| • רגישות למסכן, לעני ולחלש |
| • אבן ואבן |
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In Navi, they continue Shemu'el Alef and begin Shemu'el Bet. Seventh graders learn to read individual verses with the correct intonation, based on content. They learn how to understand the general sense of a pasuk without knowing the meaning of every word. Students learn how to use a printed or automated concordance and learn key phrases in the Tanakh by heart.
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D. |
Grade Eight
Students study selected topics in the book of Va-yikra:
| • יחידות הוראה לכתה ח |
| • הקמת המשכן |
| • נדב ואביהוא |
| • כשרות |
| • קדושים תהיו |
| • מורא אב ואם |
| • פניה לאלילים |
| • גניבת ממון |
| • שקר |
| • שבועת שוא |
| • לא תעשוק |
| • לא תלין |
| • לא תקלל חרש |
| • לפני עיור |
| • צדק במשפט |
| • רכילות |
| • לא תעמוד על דם רעיך |
| • לא תשנא את אחיך |
| • הוכח תוכיח |
| • לא תקום ולא תטור |
| • ואהבת לרעיך |
| • כלאים |
| • ערלה |
| • מפני שיבה תקום |
| • פסח |
| • עומר |
| • ספירת העומר - שבועות |
| • ראש השנה |
| • יום כפור |
| • סוכות |
| • שמיטה |
| • צדקה |
In Navi, they continue their study of Shemu'el Bet and add Melakhim Aleph. Eighth graders continue to develop the skills they have learned and learn how to understand an unfamiliar word by its context or by knowing its familiar usage in other places in the Torah. They also learn to identify when a commentator is quoting another pasuk or another source, even when they are not footnoted.
Each year, eighth graders participate in a sophisticated Mitzvah Fair which provides them with an opportunity to apply the knowledge they have acquired in the Tanakh curriculum. In preparation for the Mitzvah Fair students research the origins, history and practice of a mitzvah of special interest to them. Students present their work to the Middle School student and parent body during an all day fair. In conducting their research, students study the original pesukim from the Torah, Rambam's Sefer ha-Mitzvot and Responsa. At the fair, students present creatively what they have learned using three-dimensional models, videos or multimedia presentations. Students also give written and oral presentations about the mitzvah they have researched. Students have chosen to study mitzvot such as bikkur cholim, kashrut, tefillin, tzitzit, and preparing challah for Shabbat and holidays.
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