Our students encounter the riches and complexities of Judaism through an analysis of the primary texts of our tradition. The focus of the curriculum is on teaching meaningful and relevant topics and themes in Judaism with practical moral or philosophical lessons via rigorous and intensive text study. All students must take the four-year core program described below. Studies of holidays and prayer are interspersed throughout the core program. The curriculum features an integrated approach to teaching about Judaism--each year weaves together Bible, Rabbinics, ancient and modern history, ethics, Israel, lifecycle events, Holocaust, holidays, and prayer.

Fifth Grade: “It’s not always easy growing up…”--A textual study of Moshe’s formative years in the Books of Exodus and Numbers
This curriculum focuses on the theme of “growing up”, becoming an individual who makes his/her own decisions, how to make difficult decisions in life, dealing with tough choices, being daring and courageous, and leadership development.  Our lens into these themes will be through studying the biography of Moshe (Moses) in Sefer Shmot (the Book of Exodus).  We’ll look at questions like: Where do people get the courage to fight against slavery?  What’s it’s like to be a young person (Moshe) with very difficult decisions to make?  We will use the original Hebrew text to explore how we can learn from Moshe about growing up, and ways we can develop ourselves to live our lives ethically and meaningfully.  Also, the birth of the Jewish people and their struggles to attain freedom and a state are windows into Zionism and Israel today, and also general humanism—Darfur, Rwanda, etc. 

Sixth Grade: Community building and character development--A textual study of the Books of Numbers and Deuteronomy
Sixth graders focus on how to build a values-based community by looking at the successes and challenges faced by the Israelites as they struggles to become a nation in the Books of Numbers and Deuteronomy.  Topics studied include “complaining in the desert”; the spy stories; Korach’s rebellion and the issue of challenging authority; leadership under fire (Moses and the rock); greed overreaching itself (Balak and Balaam); and much more.

Seventh Grade: How to be a leader—An analysis of the Prophets
Through the lens of leadership, students will examine the lives of prophets like Yonah (Jonah), Shimson (Samson), David and Ruth, and compare them to some modern figures of today and the more recent past. We will use the original Hebrew text to explore the qualities of a good leader and see how a leader is chosen, to better understand the support a leader needs to succeed, to know how the theme of leadership applies to us in middle school, as well as other related topics. Studying about these great leaders will help us to think about the ways we develop ourselves to live our lives ethically and meaningfully.

Eighth Grade: Ethical dilemmas—A study of Mishnah and Pirkei Avot
In this class, we will study the Mishnah, a book containing parts of Jewish Law, as well as a special portion of the Mishnah called Pirkei Avot. We will examine the ways that the Mishnah addresses personal property, stealing and lost & found.  Pirkei Avot will also help us think about the ways we can live our lives ethically.  We will bring the thoughts of the Mishnah and Pirkei Avot to life through reading, writing, drawing, singing, discussions, projects, and field trips.  Throughout the year, our studies will teach us about our place in Jewish history, including our strong role in the chain of Judaism’s tradition and our vital connection to Israel.