Judaic Studies
Overview
Torah Studies at Barkai Yeshivah High School are taught using a Bet Midrash style approach.
Students learn in a group/hebruta setting where they engage with the text and with each other, experiencing learning not as a lecture, but as development of skills, a familiarity with sefarim and methodologies and a love for what is being studied. Source sheets with guided questions and ideas on which to focus drive the learning. Rabbis and teachers sit with small groups of students, helping them navigate texts and answer questions.
Our objective is to produce young men and women who incorporate Torah into their lives and who become confident, independent learners. We strive to instill in our students a love of Torah and misvot and believe that to do so Torah studies have to be accessible and exciting. Groups/hebrutot are set up so that every student can learn in a way that best suits him/her.
Judaic Studies assessments are broader spectrum than the traditional pen and paper exam, including projects, presentations, essays and meaningful discussions.
Barkai is a Hebrew immersion program. The language permeates our hallways and classrooms, creating a culture of Hebrew speaking. For those who are more fluent in Hebrew, language courses will focus on more advanced literature and conversation. For those who may need support with the language, courses focus on Ulpan, giving students language skills and building vocabulary so that they can become more fluent in Hebrew.
Our Torah curriculum focuses on skill building, as students become familiar with the פשט and the corresponding מפרשים. They will understand how each commentator approaches the text and what he adds to the conversation. The curriculum focuses on different themes as they present themselves in the text and we discuss important topics in Jewish life and thought.
Barkai takes a novel approach to Nakh studies, seeking to give students a broad scope view and understanding of history. Our curriculum looks at the different prophets and major events in history as they took place horizontally, so that students understand the religious, political and social landscape during which our Nebi’im were talking. Focus will be placed on seeing the bigger picture and identifying connections between sefarim, making for a robust timeline of Jewish History and thorough background of events and personalities. Barkai students will get a glimpse of all of the twenty-four books of Tanakh.
Students learn Mishnah/Gemara with a keen eye on skills. Focus is placed on reading, expanding vocabulary and understanding how a sugya is built and progresses. A natural development is incorporated into the growth of the student, beginning with an understanding of the Mishnah and Gemara, moving on to Rashi and Tosafot, incorporating other commentaries and finally, challenging the student to become part of the thousand years old discussion, as they create their own solutions to questions raised in the text.
Students learn from a variety of sources in depth, with an eye on הלכה למעשה (bottom line decision). Guided worksheets help students navigate the text and build textual skills. Focus is placed on application, as students are challenged with the task of applying learned knowledge to modern questions, creating halakhic approaches to contemporary issues. The work and thought of חכם עובדיה יוסף זצ"ל guides our approach to halakhah.