1 SHAMASH.ORG /usr/www/wwwhc/listserv/archives/torch-d February 2004
1 625 52_Re: ANALYTIC vs POETIC approach to Talmudic learning14_Devora Farrell22_dfarrell@execufind.com31_Sat, 31 Jan 2004 21:41:31 -0500585_iso-8859-1 You bring up an interesting point. My son is still too young to be learning Talmud, but I am wondering how those who are homeschooling older boys take care of the Talmudic learning altogether. I guess I'm sort of taking a survey. How many here who have boys who are of the age to be learning Talmud, are having their son learn with their father? Anyone hiring private tutoring? what arrangements have you made? rivky
My almost-Bar Mitzvah (!) son learns with www.yeshivaonline.com as well as one Rebbe once a week for his Bar Mitzvah parsha, another one for another [...]36_001101c3e86c$e6c10fb0$1802a8c0@MOMMY
627 45 18_Internet gleanings9_S. Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com31_Thu, 05 Feb 2004 08:20:40 -0800848_- Here are some Jewish and Hebrew learning sites y'all might enjoy.
Various online interactive games, quizzes, puzzles:
www.bus.ualberta.ca/yreshef/funland/funland.html
English/Hebrew vocabulary quizzes (I've posted this one before):
http://iteslj.org/v/he/
Hebrew, Yiddish, Aramaic quizzes:
www.funtrivia.com/dir/363.html
Online Hebrew dictionary:
www.hebrewatmilah.org/
Quiz on Hebrew calendar:
http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_quiz_032201.htm
Shoshana Sloman
torch-d listowner
------------------------ torch-d@shamash.org -----------------------+
Hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Network, http://shamash.org
a service of Hebrew College, which offers online courses and an
online MA in Jewish Studies, http://hebrewcollege.edu/online/ [...]40_05Feb200408:20:40-0800ssloman@netlab.com
673 28 16_Bar Mitzvah prep9_S. Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com31_Thu, 05 Feb 2004 09:49:37 -0800339_- I'd like to revisit the thread on preparing homeschooled boys for bar
mitzvah.
Aside from the pragmatic question of how you go about teaching them what
they need to know (does Rabbi Pollack offer an online version??), there
is the question of WHAT you see as essential knowledge and skills for a
bar mitzvah boy. [...]40_05Feb200409:49:37-0800ssloman@netlab.com
702 233 25_Teaching Jewish diversity9_S. Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com31_Thu, 05 Feb 2004 09:57:49 -0800613_- How do y'all teach your children about the spectrum of religious Jewish
lifestyles?
How do you explain why your own family does things a certain way, while
other Orthodox families may have very different approaches?
Once on another list I read a thread about the prevalence of chumros
these days. A question was raised about how to explain to children why
their own family kept a variety of chumros, but it was ok that other
religious people they knew did not. A woman answered that she tells her
children that, while the keeping the basic halachas as their friends did
[...]40_05Feb200409:57:49-0800ssloman@netlab.com
936 40 46_Fwd: David Horesh on Teaching Jewish diversity9_S. Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com31_Thu, 05 Feb 2004 12:49:10 -0800679_- [Another that came straight to me.]
-----Original Message-----
From: David Horesh
To:
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 10:39:25 -0900
Subject: Re: Teaching Jewish diversity
We live in a remote part of Western Alaska, in a community of 7000 people
and about 15 Jews, all from various backgrounds and levels of
observances. Raising four kids in a "traditional" home in a very
untraditional community has forced us to face this question innumerable
times. Invariably, we arrive at the same answer. The rules and laws that
we follow, given by Hashem, are eternal and they are perfect. We, as
human [...]40_05Feb200412:49:10-0800ssloman@netlab.com
977 76 39_Fwd: Tamar on Teaching Jewish Diversity9_S. Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com31_Thu, 05 Feb 2004 12:51:38 -0800713_- [Unfortunately, replies to my posts are sent directly to me, instead of
the general list. When replying please be sure the "to" address is torch-
d@shamash.org.]
-----Original Message-----
From: "Michelle Miller"
To: ssloman@netlab.com
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 11:44:45 -0700
Subject: RE: Teaching Jewish diversity
I am very tolerant, and teach my children to be, of other people's
religious observances. I am NOT tolerant of bad middos (dirty jokes,
rudeness, self-centeredness). Even with things like tznius. While we
keep that mitzvah, as long as the girl is kind (and she isn't wearing
something that looks like underwear; you know [...]40_05Feb200412:51:38-0800ssloman@netlab.com
1054 147 25_Orthodox Jewish diversity9_S. Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com31_Thu, 05 Feb 2004 12:52:28 -0800591_- It's easier in cases where you actually believe other people's behaviors
to be in the wrong. It's a little trickier to deal with other practices
that are *within* the range of halachically valid behavior. "Why
do/don't they keep cholov yisroel?" for example.
The other day my daughter says to me, "Morah Devora [not her real name]
ALWAYS wears her wig. If anybody sees her hairs it's an AVEIRA!" I
asked her why she thinks that, and she said that Morah Devora's daughter
told her so, "and she's FIVE!" So I asked Nomi why it would be an aveira
for someone [...]40_05Feb200412:52:28-0800ssloman@netlab.com
1202 49 25_Teaching Jewish Diversity9_S. Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com31_Thu, 05 Feb 2004 14:13:27 -0800475_- These are such beautiful thoughts, David.
I would add that we can't necessarily make assumptions about where a
person is on his path based on what we can observe of his behavior. A
set of behaviors that may be inappropriate for one could be exactly right
for another.
In other words, I see this less as a range (good to bad) and more like a
spectrum (where Hashem may have designed me to be perfectly pink and you
to be beautifully blue). [...]40_05Feb200414:13:27-0800ssloman@netlab.com
1252 74 25_Teaching Jewish Diversity9_S. Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com31_Thu, 05 Feb 2004 14:28:18 -0800654_- I think these are excellent points, Michelle.
The problem is that people often learn only one right way (or a narrow
range). Their teachers almost seem afraid to say that a variation could
be considered correct. (Or perhaps sometimes the teachers themselves
don't know there are halachically valid variations.)
Recently there was a conference of Orthodox Jewish psychotherapists to
discuss the issue of "at risk teens". They came up with suggestions for
schools to help prevent kids from going off the derech. One thing they
determined was that when the tznius standards of the school are conveyed
to the girls, [...]40_05Feb200414:28:18-0800ssloman@netlab.com
1327 31 42_Fwd: from Tamar--Teaching Jewish Diversity9_S. Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com31_Thu, 05 Feb 2004 15:37:22 -0800665_- -----Original Message-----
From: "Michelle Miller"
To: ssloman@netlab.com
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 15:56:15 -0700
Subject: RE: Teaching Jewish Diversity
Several years ago a close friend of mine (a Lubavitch rebbetzin) would
always say, "We do things this way (meaning Chabad), but this is the
halacha." I really liked that as I knew her minchagim were chumras and
not required of me as I was becoming more observant. I think you could
apply this philosophy across the board regarding a chumra. This is
what "we" do (our family, community) and not make a judgement about what
others do, as we're [...]40_05Feb200415:37:22-0800ssloman@netlab.com
1359 113 46_Re: Fwd: from Tamar--Teaching Jewish Diversity9_S. Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com31_Thu, 05 Feb 2004 16:04:26 -0800658_- I had a similar experience with Chabad shluchim, Tamar. The Lubavitch
rabbi who taught us a lot of the basics would always look for ways to
make life easier, within halacha.
Shoshana Sloman
torch-d listowner
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "Michelle Miller"
> To: ssloman@netlab.com
> Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 15:56:15 -0700
> Subject: RE: Teaching Jewish Diversity
>
> Several years ago a close friend of mine (a Lubavitch rebbetzin) would
> always say, "We do things this way (meaning Chabad), but this is the
> halacha." I really liked that as I knew her minchagim were [...]40_05Feb200416:04:26-0800ssloman@netlab.com
1473 238 17_Tu B'Shevat Links23_Shoshana Amelite Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com30_Thu, 5 Feb 2004 21:08:08 -0500682_US-ASCII Tu B'Shevat is RIGHT around the corner--this Shabbos already!
Now there's a day rife (or should I say RIPE) with homeschooling
possibilties!
Are any of y'all planning to use this as a learning opportunity, or
otherwise observing the day?
Here are some links on Tu B'Shevat observances:
http://www.aish.com/tubshvat/tubshvatdefault/default.asp
http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/tubishvat/index1.htm
http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshchodesh/shevat/tubshevat.htm
http://www.chabad.org/holidays/default.asp
And, of course, the lovely little Aish movie:
http://www.aish.com/a/Tu_Bshvat.asp
Enjoy the day! [...]39_5Feb200421:08:08-0500ssloman@netlab.com
1712 346 29_RE: Orthodox Jewish diversity23_Shoshana Amelite Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com30_Thu, 5 Feb 2004 21:20:37 -0500427_US-ASCII Some friends, who keep cholov yisroel, have one son who kinds of breaks
the mold for their family. Whereas they are all VERY into yeshivish
learning, this kid, already at the age of 12, is set on going into
business. In fact, he has already started a few successful operations
(doing yard work, etc.). They all have long, dangling peyos, but this
one boy wears a modern-looking haircut. And so on. [...]39_5Feb200421:20:37-0500ssloman@netlab.com
2059 194 20_FW: Bar Mitzvah prep23_Shoshana Amelite Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com30_Fri, 6 Feb 2004 05:09:40 -0500612_US-ASCII [From Rena:]
-----Original Message-----
From: RENALEVIN@aol.com [mailto:RENALEVIN@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2004 12:50 AM
To: ssloman@netlab.com
Subject: Re: Bar Mitzvah prep
In a message dated 2/5/04 1:59:24 PM Eastern Standard Time,
ssloman@netlab.com writes:
Does your philosophical orientation to homeschooling affect how you
approach the bar mitzvah?
We made sure that my son knew the halachos of tefillin and tefilla
b'tzibbur. I think that these things are generally covered in school in
7th grade but since he was not there.... [...]39_6Feb200405:09:40-0500ssloman@netlab.com
2254 102 38_FW: Tamar on Teaching Jewish Diversity23_Shoshana Amelite Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com30_Fri, 6 Feb 2004 05:14:57 -0500540_US-ASCII [From Rena:]
-----Original Message-----
From: RENALEVIN@aol.com [mailto:RENALEVIN@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2004 12:33 AM
To: ssloman@netlab.com
Subject: Re: Tamar on Teaching Jewish Diversity
In a message dated 2/5/04 3:37:54 PM Eastern Standard Time,
ssloman@netlab.com writes:
keeping these additional stringencies was MORE
>pleasing to G-d.
PUHLEESE! How elitist. The same thing could be accomplished by saying
somethign like: In our family we do it this way.... [...]39_6Feb200405:14:57-0500ssloman@netlab.com
2357 94 41_FW: from Tamar--Teaching Jewish Diversity23_Shoshana Amelite Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com30_Fri, 6 Feb 2004 05:14:57 -0500504_US-ASCII [From Rena:]
-----Original Message-----
From: RENALEVIN@aol.com [mailto:RENALEVIN@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2004 12:36 AM
To: ssloman@netlab.com
Subject: Re: from Tamar--Teaching Jewish Diversity
In a message dated 2/5/04 6:14:50 PM Eastern Standard Time,
ssloman@netlab.com writes:
"We do things this way (meaning Chabad), but this is the
halacha."
Exactly what I was trying to convey....but you did it much more
elegantly!
Rena39_6Feb200405:14:57-0500ssloman@netlab.com
2452 207 26_Devora on Bar Mitzvah prep23_Shoshana Amelite Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com30_Fri, 6 Feb 2004 05:14:57 -0500661_US-ASCII [From Devora in NJ:]
> Does your philosophical orientation to homeschooling affect how you
> approach the bar mitzvah?
>
> Shoshana Sloman
> torch-d listowner
This question is very a propos for me right now; my son will IY"H be bar
mitzvah in one month. We've been struggling with this for awhile,
because the same reasons why we took him out of school (he needed a
significantly more tailored educational approach) would most likely have
caused "typical" bar mitzvah preparation to backfire. Concretely, he has
been officially learning his parsha for more than a year, once a week
with [...]39_6Feb200405:14:57-0500ssloman@netlab.com
2660 382 30_RE: Devora on Bar Mitzvah prep23_Shoshana Amelite Sloman18_ssloman@netlab.com30_Fri, 6 Feb 2004 05:28:45 -0500423_US-ASCII Devora, this post was very helpful to me, because I have a similar
situation.
Our 12-year-old son, due to be bar mitzvah on Hoshana Rabba, is also
extremely bright. Our reasons for homeschooling him were a combination
of problems with the school and his particular reaction to them. He
doesn't react well to chaos, stress, and pressure. And he tends to be
shy and eschew public display. [...]39_6Feb200405:28:45-0500ssloman@netlab.com