Zayin - Seventh Grade

Young people in our Zayin class approach their studies as adults, grappling with contemporary issues connected to our understanding of Judaism, tradition, authority and personal obligation as they prepare to take on the responsibilities of a Jewish adult when they become bar or bat mitzvah. Each student will struggle with the following questions that will shape their study throughout the year: What is a mitzvah? What does it mean to be commanded? How do mitzvot form the foundation for Jewish life? These questions will enable the students to approach the texts and issues that become central to their individual Jewish experience with a personal touch, to truly understand what the experience of becoming a Jewish adult means. Our class goal is not only to prepare our students to ascend the bimah on the occasion of their bar or bat mitzvah, but also to prepare our students to become proud and responsible adult members of our Jewish community.

Zayin students will:

• Study a variety of Biblical texts enumerating different mitzvot relevant to their new status as adults in our community, and struggle to make personal meaning out of communal obligations, while practicing the fulfillment of both ritual and ethical mitzvot.
• Explore the ideas of commandedness, authority, responsibility and obligation as they continue on the path to preparing to become bar and bat mitzvah.
• Examine Hebrew and English texts collected from the weekly parsha and students’ assigned bar and bat mitzvah portions, using the knowledge and skills that they have acquired in earlier years to study Biblical commentaries and the stories of the Midrash.
• Develop an advanced vocabulary of Jewish concepts and values that form the foundation for students’ understanding of mitzvot.
• Strengthen Hebrew skills with the goal of reading proficiency and the ability to sight-read new texts in both the siddur and biblical texts.
• Work together to acquire the skills necessary to craft Divrei Torah, the teachings they will share with our congregation as they take their place as b’nai mitzvah on our bimah.
• Study a series of “case-studies” on making Jewishly educated, ethical choices that will help young people put their studies into practical use, using real life dilemmas and personal stories.
• Study the basics of Torah and Haftarah trope, synagogue skills, and the rights and responsibilities of the Jewish adult, encountering the music and rich meaning of the Jewish community and synagogue throughout time.
• Develop a sense of comfort with the rituals of the synagogue and Jewish prayer, in order to feel completely comfortable in all kinds of synagogues and to participate in all facets of Jewish life both in the synagogue and in the home.

Aenne Hahn Religious School
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