Now more than ever, the trajectory of Jewish education feels unsustainable.  With fewer Jewish educators entering the field each year and day schools looking to amplify their high school readiness by reallocating academic minutes away from Judaic Studies classes, our field is in need of a new way of thinking.  

Imagine if Judaic Studies classes became a place where students could grow their critical literacy and literary skills using sound pedagogy while simultaneously deepening their Jewish identity by learning valuable social-emotional skills through the lens of Jewish values. Imagine if we viewed Judaic Studies as a place to make academic gains, rather than being a siloed secondary curriculum.  In what ways could our students cognitively thrive if we taught – within the same Torah passage – particular Judaic skills alongside universal reading and critical thinking skills ?  

Tanakh learning has so much more to offer than the old-school, “sage on the stage” model we see all too often in day schools. The Tanakh, in addition to being the sacred text of the Jewish people, is full of deeply embedded values and lessons modeled by our avot (Patriarchs) and imahot (Matriarchs). The structure and text of the Tanakh contain numerous literary gems such as foreshadowing, connections to be made, and character evolution. The Tanakh contains grammar to learn and patterns to decipher. It’s time to engage Tanakh study as a rigorous, integrated approach that leverages our dual curricular model to enhance student learning. 

In response to this challenge, we have developed the Tanach Sadna approach, which balances Jewish values, literacy skills, and academic rigor. We blend best practices from reading pedagogy with a Jewish values-based approach to social-emotional learning, embedded in the context of our shared biblical narrative.

In a transformational way, students learn to become detectives of Torah stories – looking for clues in Hebrew and English about our ancestors: who they were, how they solved their dilemmas, what they valued, and how they lived out their values in everyday life. They come up with theories about Torah figures and test out their theories by re-examining the texts. They then can transfer these theories and lessons into their own lives. 

We believe: 

• in challenging students to think critically about the Tanakh

• that the Tanakh can be an integral part of students’ modern lives

• in children making authentic connections to the most important stories of our ancestors

• that Tanakh instruction should be held to high standards of pedagogy

• that Jewish education shines when it emanates from Jewish values at the core

• that an integrated approach to Jewish education is the most effective way for children to be prepared learners for their future as Jewish leaders in a modern world. 

What’s different about our approach? 

• We align our approach with reading standards. This opens up natural opportunities for cross-curricular integration.

• We also include Tanakh-specific skills, such as grammatical patterns and identifying key and repeating words. 

• We embed explicit social-emotional learning skills throughout the learning: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These skills are rooted in Jewish values, with Torah figures as models of these values. 

With Tanakh as the lens, students can feel their uniquely Jewish outlook on the world around them. They graduate with pride in being part of the Jewish people, and a skill set that will support them as lifelong learners.   

Any willing, trained teacher with a starting base of Jewish content knowledge and novice Hebrew skills can be coached to enact this approach. Please reach out to us if you’d like to learn more.