- HOME
- Table of Contents
- Resume
- Philosophy Statement
- 1. History of Jewish/General Education
- 2. Assessment
- 3. Curriculum
- 4. Language Development/Hebrew
- 5. Personal Development of Teachers
- 6. Collaboration/Community
- 7. Technology
- 8. Learning and Cognition
- 9. Evidence-Based Practice
- 10. Child Development
- 11. Content Knowledge
- 12. Ethics and Values
- 13. Instructional Methods
- Inspiration/Chizuk
- Post-Observation Reflections
12. Ethics and Values – מוסר השכל
“לא המדרש עיקר אלא המעשה”- “The learning is not the main part; rather, the action is”. We learn Torah in its many forms and books not only for the intellectual stimulation, but to make us become better people.
ChaZa”L teach, "חכמה בגוים תאמין, תורה בגוים אל תאמין". Rav Zev Leff explains that the non-Jews certainly have great wisdom and intellectual property. However, Jewish wisdom is different, for it stem from G-d’s eternal Torah, and is not intended to remain in the brain, but to affect change in the heart and soul as well, into the very character and therefore behavior of all who learn it.
We must behave in a way that people will respect and realize that we are guided by the moral compass of the Torah’s value system. Similarly, when we learn and teach Torah- whether B’Chtav or B’Al Peh, in the classroom and beyond- we can and should mine the texts for the moral lessons inherent in them.
We teach the stories of Chumash, Navi, and Parsha, culling relevant and meaningful lessons from the examples of our ancestors. We eventually can ask our students, “What is the lesson in this story?”, guiding them to read and learn in a way that is personal, purposeful, and eternal.
When working with individual students to prepare a dvar Torah, the most natural and effective structure, I think, is to look at a pasuk or an idea, and then explain the ethical and practical way it helps us grow into better people.
This, I think, is a strategy that enables Jews of all ages, backgrounds, and levels to connect with Torah not only in a “religious” way but in a HUMAN way. There is a misconception that the Torah is one big rules of Do’s and Don’ts, or a big boring book of ancient history; neither is accurate! The laws and the history are all means to the same goal: to fill our minds and souls with tools to access the greatest depths and greatest heights of human potential.
“לא המדרש עיקר אלא המעשה”- “The learning is not the main part; rather, the action is”. We learn Torah in its many forms and books not only for the intellectual stimulation, but to make us become better people.
ChaZa”L teach, "חכמה בגוים תאמין, תורה בגוים אל תאמין". Rav Zev Leff explains that the non-Jews certainly have great wisdom and intellectual property. However, Jewish wisdom is different, for it stem from G-d’s eternal Torah, and is not intended to remain in the brain, but to affect change in the heart and soul as well, into the very character and therefore behavior of all who learn it.
We must behave in a way that people will respect and realize that we are guided by the moral compass of the Torah’s value system. Similarly, when we learn and teach Torah- whether B’Chtav or B’Al Peh, in the classroom and beyond- we can and should mine the texts for the moral lessons inherent in them.
We teach the stories of Chumash, Navi, and Parsha, culling relevant and meaningful lessons from the examples of our ancestors. We eventually can ask our students, “What is the lesson in this story?”, guiding them to read and learn in a way that is personal, purposeful, and eternal.
When working with individual students to prepare a dvar Torah, the most natural and effective structure, I think, is to look at a pasuk or an idea, and then explain the ethical and practical way it helps us grow into better people.
This, I think, is a strategy that enables Jews of all ages, backgrounds, and levels to connect with Torah not only in a “religious” way but in a HUMAN way. There is a misconception that the Torah is one big rules of Do’s and Don’ts, or a big boring book of ancient history; neither is accurate! The laws and the history are all means to the same goal: to fill our minds and souls with tools to access the greatest depths and greatest heights of human potential.