Valuable background information on the historical development is provided and formats of the sacred texts are covered. The class also offers opportunities to sample selections from each sacred text. Seventh graders study the weekly Torah portion. With each portion students analyze its message, study Rabbinic commentary and apply the portion s teachings to today. The text for the course is the weekly Torah Portion.
Students also learn about Jewish values and their application into our lives today.
Grade eight focuses on comparative Judaism and Jewish identity. Through this course, students explore their personal understanding of what it means to be Jewish. Students also look at current events from a Jewish focus, and discover the differences and similarities between Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and Reconstructionist Judaism. A second focus of the eighth grade year is Jewish Ethics, Law and Order. Students look at Jewish law in order to determine what can we learn from it to better our world.