Halakhah
GRADE FIVE | GRADE SIX | GRADE SEVEN | GRADE EIGHT
The halakhah curriculum is divided, by grade, into four separate courses of study. Each grade spends a significant amount of time studying about and preparing for the chagim that occur throughout the school year. Accordingly, every grade will learn the laws of Rosh ha-Shanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hoshana Rabba, Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah, Chanukkah, Tu Bi-Shevat, Purim, Pesach, Yom ha-Shoah, Yom ha-Zikkaron, Yom ha-Atzma'ut, Yom Yerushalayim and Shavu'ot, on their own level. In addition, each grade studies a specific body of halakhah as set forth below. |
A. |
Grade Five
The fifth grade begins the year by learning the laws relating to getting up in the morning. They also learn many of the laws of tefillah as they are encountered in their Mishnah studies. Fifth graders also focus on the berakhot that are recited before and after eating. A highlight of the curriculum is the individual and class Passover Haggadot in which each child contributes a devar Torah. |
B. |
Grade Six
The sixth grade focuses on the laws of leshon ha-ra, onat devarim
and Shabbat. These crucial laws are studied in depth using Biblical, Mishnaic, Talmudic and Halakhic sources. Practical applications are studied extensively. Students also focus on the laws of Shabbat; zakhor includes kavod and oneg, the positive mitzvot such as kiddush and havdalah; shamor, i.e., the negative mitzvot such as the thirty-nine prohibited melakhot; i.e., mitzvot done in preparation for Shabbat such as cooking, shopping and cleaning; and kavod and oneg, i.e., mitzvot performed on the day of Shabbat such as praying, eating, resting and studying. |
C. |
Grade Seven
The seventh grade curriculum focuses on the laws of Shabbat and be'ur tefillah. Students analyze many of the tefillot in order to obtain a better understanding and deeper appreciation of them. The seventh grade also undertakes a broad overview of the laws of kashrut. The major focus is on those areas with practical relevance for students, such as, the laws of meat and milk and the identification of kosher foods. Students tour the Middle School kitchen in order to gain a better understanding of practical kashrut. |
D. |
Grade Eight
The eighth grade curriculum consists of a yearlong project called Project Kehillah. The Project Kehillah program is an opportunity for eighth graders to learn about and practice a basic tenet of Judaism, the mitzvah of "ve-ahavta le-re'akha kamokha." After several initial discussions about the mitzvah of chesed, students are placed in various community programs. Among these are programs at nursing home facilities, visits to home-bound individuals, and teaching in the Ramaz Early Childhood Center and Lower School either as teacher assistants or as one-on-one tutors. The chesed performed by the students makes a crucial contribution to the recipients, as well as an enduring impression on the students themselves. |
