web analytics
May 25, 2013 /16 Sivan, 5773
At a Glance ▼
Sections
Sponsored Post
The Tosfos Yomtov was convinced that the death of 300,000 –600,000 Jews during the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648-49 were because of improper Tefila. Communicated: Tefilla

Chillul Tefila Bifarhesia, as well as halachicly challenged verbiage and dress, are external manifestations of a critical lack of personal yiras shomayim which has lethal consequences.



Home » Sections » Books »

Title: Wisdom From All My Teachers: Challenges And Initiatives In Contemporary Torah Education

Published: April 28th, 2004
tell a friend

Title: Wisdom From All My Teachers: Challenges And Initiatives In Contemporary Torah Education
Edited By Jeffrey Saks and Susan Handelman
Publisher: Atid and Urim Press

 

It is rare to find a book notable for its area of concern, its contributors, its sponsorship, and its publisher. But Wisdom From All My Teachers rates high on each level.

Books on religious education tend to be full of platitudes, but this one is packed with 20 creative and insightful explorations of such important topics as the nature of Torah study and its relationship to the love and awe of G-d, personal moral development; the role of worldly wisdom in Torah education; the cultivation of the student’s soul; the challenges of teaching students or adults who do not fit into the mold of the traditional curriculum; deliberations on the teaching of Talmud and Bible to this generation; the use of philosophy and aggadah in the yeshiva curriculum; and the place of the Israel experience in shaping the religious personality. Here is food for thought for all of us who want to think seriously and creatively about the important issues in contemporary Jewish education.

Just as the topics are first-rate, so are the contributors. Roshei Yeshiva Rabbis Chaim Brovender, Norman Lamm and Aharon Lichtenstein provide important hashkafic overviews.
Seasoned professionals like Erica Brown, Shalom Carmy, Beverly Gribetz, Gilla Ratzersdorfer, and Joel B. Wolowesky tackle specific educational issues with insight and erudition, as do other equally engaging but lesser-known educators Their discussions will surely provide a springboard for deliberators that can only enhance Torah education in our contemporary setting.

The book was sponsored by Atid: The Academy for Torah Initiatives and Directors in Jerusalem. Atid was founded in 1998 by Rabbi Chaim Brovender and Jeffrey Sacks as a center for professional training, resource development and policy planning for Torah education. It has quickly emerged as a center for serious discussion of important issues in
contemporary Jewish education. Rabbi Brovender has long been recognized as one of the creative voices in Jewish education. The whole explosion of advanced Torah education for
women can be traced to his original and courageous pioneering efforts decades ago. In this volume, he takes up a fresh question: the role of the fine arts of yeshivah education.

The handsome volume was published by Urim Publications, a new Jewish publishing house that is quickly setting a standard for excellence in the quality and importance of the volumes they put out, and the care they take to present their significant material in attractive and well-crafted volumes. It shall be interesting to see it emerge as a new major resource for contemporary Judaica.

Wisdom From All My Teachers combines erudition with deep concern for the challenges facing the field of Jewish education in the contemporary world. It should be read by all
laymen and professionals who want to deal with these challenges in sophisticated way.

tell a friend

About the Author:


You might also be interested in:


no comments

You must log in to post a comment.

SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Current Top Story
David Arenberg lost many things during his nearly 12 years in prison, but he found a connection to Judaism.
A Jew Grows in Prison
Latest Sections Stories
V-E-Day-052413-Grandpa
Sections → Magazine → Teens and Twenties

Nearly half a million of them fought in Red Army uniforms, under communist slogans but with a personal vengeance that was solely the result of Jewish experience. More than the “Greatest Generation,” they were the living superheroes hidden in plain sight.

hot-busy-kitchen-10912000
Sections → Jewess Press → Daily Living

It’s all over.

The orchestra is still, the lights are dimmed. Your simcha outfits hang in your closet, silent witnesses to a time you will treasure in your mind and heart forever.

Touro-052413
Sections → Features

Scene One:

After noticing that you can’t log into your computer, your pulse quickens as you are called into your supervisor’s office. S/he has some bad news. You are being laid off. You have 15 minutes to clean out your desk and surrender your cell phone before security escorts you out of the building. Job termination, especially in the corporate world, can be heartless.

Omer Map (website image) by Yitzchok Moully. Courtesy the artist.
Sections → Arts

I have always had a problem with the Omer. Doing the mitzvah of counting the Omer was of course pretty easy. Remembering to start the second evening of Passover and remembering to stop the day before Shavous took a little concentration but somehow I always managed. No, for me the nagging problem was always why was I doing this in the first place, other than the fact it was a biblical (according to the Rambam) commandment.

Sections → Magazine → On Our Own/Cheryl Kupfer

With the semi-mourning period of Sefira behind us, and the festival of Shavuot as well (as evidenced by the tightness of our clothing due to over-indulging in irresistible versions of cheesecake that is an integral component of celebrating our receipt of the Torah), our community can look forward to participating in joyous engagement parties and weddings.

Sections → Family → Marriage and Relationships

Dear Dr. Yael:

Do you really believe that the Internet is the reason why the divorce rate is so high among young couples? This may be so in some cases, but what about the fact that many singles are pressured to get married at a young age despite not having any idea what they are looking for in a mate? And add to that the fact that many are pressured to make a decision about marriage after dating for a very short period of time.

Sections → Family → Marriage and Relationships

From the moment they stand under the chuppah, newlyweds have two years to enjoy the special bliss that new love brings. This new finding, reported by the New York Times, is based on a study undertaken by American and European researchers. 1,761 people who got married and stayed married over 15 years were followed. The research shows that after two years the couples moved into a more companionable state in their relationships.

Sections → Family → Parenting Our Children

Shel Silverstein’s 1974 poem “Where The Sidewalk Ends” is intended to paint a magical picture of a world of peace and serenity far away from the “black and dark streets.” At the time, perhaps the end of the sidewalk was a place that was “measured and slow.” Today, however, for many parents, where the sidewalk ends can feel like a scary place.

Sections → Community → South Florida

Florida is famous for sparkling water. We have the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico surrounding our coast. We have bays, lakes, canals and, of course, an incredible abundance of swimming pools in homes, resorts, apartment complexes and city parks.

Sections → Community → South Florida

The buzz is back as Camp Gan Israel Florida Overnight gears up for another fantastic summer, CGI Florida style. What makes CGI Florida so different from all the other overnight camps? It’s all in the details.

Sections → Magazine → Teens and Twenties

Leah Katz, a TeenZone camper at Oorah’s TheZone summer camp and an 11th grader at Midwood High School, read her winning essay about how TheZone changed her views on Judaism at the Jewish Heritage Awards Ceremony held at Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes’s office in April. The purpose of the Jewish Heritage Essay Contest is to acquaint public school students with Jewish history and customs and to help foster a deeper understanding of Jewish culture. The contest is open to students of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Leah’s essay is reproduced in full below.

Sections → Jewess Press → Impact Of Women On Jewish History/Prof. L. Jackson

Moshe Sharett, the head of the Jewish Agency’s Political Department, visited Egypt in 1945. In Cairo he met a most remarkable young woman, a beautiful journalist who was the darling of Egyptian high society – from high-ranking military brass, to culture icons and Muslim sheikhs, to the court of King Faruk.

Sections → Family → Marriage and Relationships

The two proceeded to talk about everyday things and surprisingly her mother-in-law did not find anything else to criticize. This occurred a few more times, with my client changing the topic every time by complimenting her mother-in-law or mentioning something positive about her.

More Articles from Prof. Oscar Mohl
book-majesty-humility
Sections → Books

The OU Press has brought out two very significant books on the thought of the Rav, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik.

book-majesty-mystery
Sections → Books

Rabbi Norman Lamm wrote and preserved the hundreds of eloquent and inspiring sermons he had delivered as a pulpit rabbi in Manhattan for 25 years prior to becoming president of Yeshiva University,

Sections → Books

Grief is a universal experience. But mourning, which is the religious and cultural expression of that grief, reflects the specific community’s values and world

Sections → Books

Ktav has recently published two books by young scholars whose well-respected teaching skills have been skillfully adapted to the written word. Rabbi Angel, one of the talented and popular Bible teachers at Yeshiva University and rabbi of the historic Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in New York, brings us a sequel to his well-received Through an Opaque Lens.

Sections → Books

Two new extraordinary Soloveitchik works made their debut recently at the Yeshiva University SOY Book Sale and at bookstores – and they are outstanding indeed.

Sections → Books

In the Footsteps of the Kuzari is a translation of Prof. Shalom Rosenberg’s Hebrew work that has had significant influence in Israeli religious circles.

Sections → Books

In the Footsteps of the Kuzari is a translation of Prof. Shalom Rosenberg’s Hebrew work that has had significant influence in Israeli religious circles.

Sections → Books

Yeshivat Har Etzion is one of the main centers of religious Zionism in Israel.

    Latest Poll

    If you could only choose one of the following scenarios regarding Chareidi IDF service, which would you choose?





    View Results

    Loading ... Loading ...

Printed from: http://www.jewishpress.com/sections/title-wisdom-from-all-my-teachers-challenges-and-initiatives-in-contemporary-torah-education/2004/04/28/

Scan this QR code to visit this page online:

Related posts:

  1. Lapid to Haredim: I Will Not Hurt the Torah World, It’s Nonsense
  2. Staten Island
Close