Bet Sefer: Curriculum

Our curriculum stems from our mission statement and includes components of Torah, Avodah, and Tikkun Olam/Gemilut Chasadim each year. Our teachers specifically emphasize progressive Jewish values in their lessons. Through study, prayer, music, storytelling, dance, arts and crafts, and drama, students learn what it means to be Jewish and are given the tools to explore their own spirituality.

Students will focus on the following subjects and ideas in Bet Sefer:

Torah: The origin and meaning of Jewish holidays; the Hebrew calendar; reading and understanding Hebrew; stories from the Torah, Prophets, and Writings; introduction to Talmud and Jewish philosophy; Jewish history; the place of Israel in Jewish life; complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Avodah: The basics of Jewish prayer; learning blessings and songs for different holidays and observances; exploration of holiness in everyday life; different ideas about God; Jewish life cycle; creating meaningful rituals.

Gemilut Chasadim/Tikkun Olam: Introduction to Jewish values; how Jewish ethics shape our lives; traditional Jewish sources for social justice; developing political beliefs rooted in Jewish values; deciding when, how, and why to take action; engaging in mitzvah projects and social justice activities.

Tutoring Program

Shaarei Shamayim has developed a unique way to teach Hebrew—by assigning each student his/her own Hebrew tutor. Several studies have shown that students learn how to read a foreign language much more effectively when they work individually with a tutor, and this program has been successfully piloted in several other Reconstructionist Hebrew schools. Coupled with our Judaica program on Sunday mornings, students receive both the individual attention from a tutor, as well as benefit from a classroom environment whereby each grade forms its own unique community.