Learning and Teaching Torah through Literature

Thank you to everyone who sent me information about books to add to the list! I will be working on that and, G-d willing, will post an updated list in a month or so. Meanwhile, I’ll be posting additional book recommendations and information here.

If any of your friends and family are also looking for good books to read with their children or students please email them this link so they could download the guide and book list and receive updates:

Teaching Torah through Literature: Guide and Book List

Is there anything specific that you would like to see addressed on this blog? Please hit reply and let me know! Or comment on the blog post.

Thank you!
Yehudis Litvak
torahthroughliterature.com

“It was knowing that he had once been Jewish that set Martin apart.” Thus begins the novel A Stranger to My Brothers by Henye Meyer. It is historical fiction, set during the First Crusade. Martin, the main character is a fifteen year old Jewish boy who was taken from his family and raised by non-Jews in a small English village. Martin, who doesn’t identify as a Jew, gets involved in the First Crusade, witnesses its horrible consequences for the Jews, meets a Jewish survivor, and learns more about what it means to be Jewish.

Like Henye Meyer’s other books, the novel is based on extensive research and provides vivid details. The main character travels from England to Constantinople (present day Istanbul), and we readers travel with him and learn about the locations he passes and the time period overall. The book accurately portrays the terrible predicament of Jews in European communities, hunted and massacred by blood-thirsty and gold-thirsty crusaders. The descriptions might be too gory for younger or especially sensitive children, though they are, unfortunately, true to history. According to the amazon.com description, the book is recommended for ages 12 and up. My older children and I enjoyed the book tremendously and learned a lot.

The book is available both as a paperback and as a kindle book. Click on the link above to buy it on amazon.com.

If you’re enjoying the Teaching Torah through Literature e-book please let your friends and family know about it! For a limited time, it is available free of charge here.

Have a wonderful week!
Yehudis Litvak
torahthroughliterature.com

Teaching Torah through Literature: Guide and Book List is ready to download! If you’ve already subscribed to this blog watch your inbox for download info.

To subscribe, and receive the Guide and Book List free of charge, click here.

Hope you find it helpful!

I’m so sorry — I said that I would have the Teaching Torah through Literature: Guide and Book List ready this week, but I ran into some technical difficulties. G-d willing, it should be up next week. Meanwhile, here’s a sneak peak at the introduction. Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Introduction

“Come! It’s history time!” Brother calls Sister as he speeds through the living room and flops on the couch.
“History! Yay!” Sister joins Brother on the couch, where Mother is sitting with an open book, a content smile on her face.
“Who can remind me where we left off yesterday?” she asks.
“Me!” Brother and Sister reply in unison.
Mother chuckles. “Let’s take turns. Youngest first.”
Brother launches into a detailed narrative of the historical events they had read about the day before. Then sister fills in the gaps.
“Great!” Mother says. “Let’s continue then.”
She begins reading as Brother and Sister listen attentively.

Sounds idyllic? Unrealistic? Welcome to the world of literature-based homeschooling!
As a disclaimer, I should add that homeschooled children throw tantrums, bicker, and annoy their siblings just like school children do. Homeschooling does not guarantee constant bliss. Yet, homeschooled children, on average, tend to enjoy learning more than children who attend school, due in part to closer relationships among the family members and in part to the engaging literature-based curricula on just about any subject available to homeschooling families.

In honor of Sefiras Haomer, I am reading And Rachel Was His Wife with my children. It was written by an anonymous author and published by Feldheim in 1990. It is the story of Rabbi Akiva and his wife, Rachel, through the eyes of Rachel’s close friend, Leah. Leah is a fictional character, but she is typical of her time period. Full of personality, and with a sense of humor, Leah shares her thoughts about the state of affairs in Eretz Yisrael towards the end of the second Beis Hamikdash. As many young women in that time period, she has conflicting feelings about the Romans, who brought material improvements to the land, along with their culture. She also struggles to understand Rachel, who seems perfectly content living in abject poverty and not seeing her husband for twenty four years. Through Leah’s eyes, we watch the simple shepherd Akiva transformed into a scholar and a leader.

We just finished part 1. It’s been a while since I read the rest of it. So far, we’ve really enjoyed it. My kids are begging me to keep reading whenever I suggest moving on to another activity.

Hope you enjoy it! Click on the link above to purchase the book on amazon.com.

Hope everyone had a nice Pesach and is now back in the swing of things.

The Pesach seder is the ultimate teaching and learning experience. The approach is to first arouse the children’s curiosity (why do we dip the vegetable into salt water? so that you’ll ask, of course), then make the experience personal (if G-d hadn’t redeemed us we would have still been slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt), and then tell the story of our birth as a nation (come and learn). When conducted properly the Pesach seder is an unforgettable lesson for any child.

As parents and teachers, we strive to create powerful learning experiences the rest of the year. May the Pesach inspiration stay with us and help us make Torah learning come alive for our children and students!

Coming soon: Torah through Literature Guide and Book List! G-d willing, it will be posted on the website, torahthroughliterature.com, later this week. Have a great week!

Here’s an example of a “living book” relevant for this time of the year: Dual Discovery by Zecharya Hoffman. My kids and I took turns reading it over Pesach last year, and we had some interesting discussions. This is a novel set in Egypt, during the exodus. The readers get to observe, through the eyes of the characters, the life of Jewish slaves, the ten plagues in vivid detail, and the Torah learning of the Levites. The familiar story truly comes to life.

Word of caution: the descriptions of the ten plagues are rather vivid, so it might be too scary for young or especially sensitive children.

G-d willing I’ll be posting book recommendations at least twice a month after Pesach. Spread the word to any friends who might be interested.

I can’t claim that teaching Torah through literature is a Torah idea. Perhaps it’s not even a Torah ideal. Perhaps ideally all Jews should be learning Torah directly from the Tanach, Mishna, and Gemara. But desperate times require desperate measures. And one thing I am sure of is that literature-based curriculum works!

Ever since I began homeschooling my children almost eight years ago I’ve spent quite a bit of time exploring whatever homeschooling curriculum was available for any subject. When I looked for homeschooling limmudei kodesh curriculum I found… none. We’ve settled for Torah Umesorah materials, originally intended for classroom use, along with many many good Jewish books which have made our learning exciting and fun.

For secular studies, however, there is an abundance of curriculum out there. But a lot of it is not quite secular. Many serious, committed homeschoolers are deeply religious Christians who would not send their children to public schools for reasons similar to ours. And these creative parents have produced amazing learning materials that inspire and educate their families.

Recently, some of these materials have been “secularized” and adopted for the use of secular homeschoolers. I’ve used a number of their ideas and books over the years. The approach that appeals to me and my family the most is literature-based curriculum, where well written, engaging books are used to teach pretty much every subject under the sun. This year, we’ve used a literature-based curriculum for math, science, and history. My kids love it and look forward to learning.

Which brings me to teaching Torah through literature. Why should our children find secular studies more exciting and engaging than Torah studies? And why should we settle for “secular” curriculum when we are religious Jews with religious values which we hold close to our hearts?

My vision is to create a literature-based curriculum for limmudei kodesh, as well as a secular studies curriculum infused with Jewish values.

As it turns out, I’m not the first religious Jew to use this approach. In the 19th century Germany, when many Jewish youths were losing their connection to the Torah, some learned rabbis made a valiant attempt to rescue the youth by writing engaging, well-written books saturated with Jewish values. Among them were Rabbi Meir Lehmann and Rabbi Zelig Shachnowitz.

Times have not changed for the better. Today, many forces fight for our children’s attention. It is more important than ever to provide materials which make Torah alive and relevant for them.

So that’s why I began this blog. I’m hoping that it will become a place where anyone involved in Jewish education, whether at home or in a school setting, can exchange ideas and book recommendations. And the creative souls among us can create our own curriculum and get it posted and reviewed here. IY”H I’ll post more about our learning journey and the books we’ve been enjoying.

Comments, feedback, and suggestions are very much welcome!

Welcome to Torah through Literature!

Hope you find this site helpful. More info coming soon, IY”H.

Meanwhile, please check out our free give away.