So, what is taught in religious school?
Simply, we teach out students how to become knowledgeable Jews. This includes not only the basic moral tenets of Judaism, but the ability to apply moral decision-making to everyday situations. A knowledgeable Jew should be able to lead a worship service, as our children do on many occasions, notably when they become Bar or Bat Mitzvah. There is a vast literature of Judaism – beginning with the Torah and Hebrew Bible and continuing through the Talmud, medieval Jewish philosophers, and modern thinkers up to today. There are three-thousand years of Jewish history to learn, as well as the language of the Jewish people – Hebrew. When we begin the intense study of Hebrew, in the third grade, there is a second day of instruction added.
