Educators
Sulamot for Educators
Educators on six continents turn to Sulamot for their expertise in developing innovative curricula that utilize Sulamot’s unique methodology for teaching Judaic studies, giving students skills for independent learning and personal growth.
The department produces curricula in 5 languages and for over 650 schools worldwide, providing programming for thousands of students and teacher training workshops for hundreds of educators.
Our Curriculums
Sulamot’s English Division, under the guidance of Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon, seeks to revolutionize Jewish education, making it accessible, inspiring, and empowering to children and adults. We develop skill-based, relevant, and engaging curricula that have revolutionized Mishna and Halacha education. Our innovative curricula include a unique methodology in teaching and learning Judaic studies and provide students skills for independent learning and personal growth.
To receive more information, order our captivating printed and digital materials, or secure enriching professional development sessions, please contact us at english@sulamot.org
To see Sulamot’s curriculums in Hebrew, please click here.
click on the items below to see more information about each item or category:
Sulamot Mishna Series
Sulamot Halacha Series
An Introductory Guide to Prayer
Mesora - A guide to Torah Sheb’al Peh (Oral Law)
Pedagogy
Our Rationale
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Rav Rimon’s "Halacha MiMekora" Method
HaRav Rimon has developed a unique methodology for the study of Halacha, beginning with the sources and culminating with practical Halachic rulings applicable to modern life. This methodology reviews the origins and foundations of Halacha in the Torah, Mishna and Talmud, through the major Halachic adjudicators across the generations – Rishonim, Acharonim, and the Sages of the Last Few Generations (פוסקי זמנינו). This cumulative learning process leads to greater understanding and appreciation of the practical application of Jewish Law in our modern reality.
COMDaT
-
כותרת (yellow)
Title of a Mishnah -
אומר
(red)
Speaker listed in the Mishnah -
מקרה
(purple)
Case presented in the Mishnah -
דין
(green)
Mishnah's ruling on the case presented -
טעם
(light blue)
The reason behind the ruling of the Mishnah
Titles help us identify the subject even before we know any of the details.
The first opinion mentioned in the Mishnah will always be Tana Kamma (First Sage). When there is more than one opinion or there is a disagreement on a ruling there may be a few Rabbis mentioned. That is our אומר, our speaker, who presents an opinion disagreeing with the previous opinion.
Some keywords to look for when trying to identify a אומר are:
- דברי
- אומר
Every situation is made up of details that make it unique. Like the setting of a story or a plot of a movie, specific information that contributes to the incident is part of the case. This would include a circumstance, question, time, or date.
It is the law for the case presented in the Mishnah and the Halacha that we follow in similar situations.
Some keywords to look for when trying to identify a דין are:
- טהור
- טמא
- מותר
- אסור
- פטור
- חייב
- כשר
- פסול
- יצא
- לא יצא
- לא
- אין
- עד
It explains the meaning behind the ruling. A טעם doesn’t appear in every Mishnah, though each statement has a reason even if the Mishnah doesn’t always explicitly mention it.
Some keywords to look for that will help recognize the טעם are:
- שנאמר מפני
- שמא
- תלמוד לומר (ת”ל)
- לפי ש…
- כי…
Mishnah Standards
How do you design a rigorous, stimulating, and relevant lesson that aligns to Mishna standards?
Part of the answer is found in Lewis Carrol’s saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” In teaching any subject, it is important for instructors to clarify their goals so that they choose the correct path to accomplish their objectives. Sulamot seeks to assist teachers in defining their goals in Mishna and designing their lessons, utilizing the Understanding by Design (UBD) Model.
In the UBD framework, the Standards establish what we want students to know and do. The Enduring Understandings provide instructors with the key ideas critical to the Mishna that students should retain. The Essential Questions prompt students to scrutinize and analyze the understandings and aid students in constructing meaning.
How should we practically use these tools in preparing for class?
The tools should serve as a framework for approaching lesson preparation.The Standards, Understandings, and Questions found in this pamphlet are written in a general way so that they can apply to any Mishna being studied. However, in order to address the specific ideas in individual Mishnayot, adjustments and additions will be necessary.
In preparing to teach a Mishna, instructors can review these tools and choose which Standards, Enduring Understandings, and Essential Questions will be the focus of the class. Additionally, they can adapt these tools for the specific Mishna being studied.
Let’s use Bava Kamma (1:3) as an example.
הַמַּנִּיחַ אֶת הַכַּד בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים וּבָא אַחֵר וְנִתְקַל בָּהּ וּשְׁבָרָהּ, פָּטוּר
Standard 2b states, “To define the concepts and explain their significance.” When studying this particular mishna, this standard can be more specific: “To define the concept of בור and explain its significance.”
Enduring Understanding 2a states, “Readers can understand the background of a topic and uncover the author’s overall meaning by defining concepts.” This understanding clarifies the “why” of studying and defining concepts. Students perceive that identifying the concept in this passage and then defining it provides them with the information to understand the case properly. This understanding is enduring in that it is something that students should retain and applies to many other Mishnayot.
Essential Question 2a states, “How can identifying, classifying, and defining concepts help with an overall understanding of a Mishnaic passage?” This can be applied specifically to the concept of בור and how defining it helps with understanding the law in this Mishna. This question provokes discussion and motivates students to engage with the material. Furthermore, it can serve as a summary question after students finish learning a topic. It ensures that the specifics that were studied in class relate to a broader theme which aids in retention of material.
Finally, beyond the general tools in this guide, teachers will also need to formulate Standards, Enduring Understandings, and Essential Questions for the specific content of the Mishnayot. For example, In this Mishna, it would relate to a person’s responsibility when placing his property in the public sphere.
Dynamic repeater questions
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Halacha Standards
How do you design a rigorous, stimulating, and relevant lesson that aligns to Halacha standards?
Part of the answer is found in Lewis Carrol’s saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” In teaching any subject, it is important for instructors to clarify their goals so that they choose the correct path to accomplish their objectives. Sulamot seeks to assist teachers in defining their goals in Halacha and designing their lessons, utilizing the Understanding by Design (UBD) Model.
In the UBD framework, the Standards establish what we want students to know and do. The Enduring Understandings provide instructors with the key ideas critical to the Halacha that students should retain. The Essential Questions prompt students to scrutinize and analyze the understandings and aid students in constructing meaning.
How should we practically use these tools in preparing for class?
The tools should serve as a framework for approaching lesson preparation.The Standards, Understandings, and Questions found in this pamphlet are written in a general way so that they can apply to any Mishna being studied. However, in order to address the specific ideas in individual Mishnayot, adjustments and additions will be necessary.
In preparing to teach a Mishna, instructors can review these tools and choose which Standards, Enduring Understandings, and Essential Questions will be the focus of the class. Additionally, they can adapt these tools for the specific Mishna being studied.
Let’s use Bava Kamma (1:3) as an example.
הַמַּנִּיחַ אֶת הַכַּד בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים וּבָא אַחֵר וְנִתְקַל בָּהּ וּשְׁבָרָהּ, פָּטוּר
Standard 2b states, “To define the concepts and explain their significance.” When studying this particular mishna, this standard can be more specific: “To define the concept of בור and explain its significance.”
Enduring Understanding 2a states, “Readers can understand the background of a topic and uncover the author’s overall meaning by defining concepts.” This understanding clarifies the “why” of studying and defining concepts. Students perceive that identifying the concept in this passage and then defining it provides them with the information to understand the case properly. This understanding is enduring in that it is something that students should retain and applies to many other Mishnayot.
Essential Question 2a states, “How can identifying, classifying, and defining concepts help with an overall understanding of a Mishnaic passage?” This can be applied specifically to the concept of בור and how defining it helps with understanding the law in this Mishna. This question provokes discussion and motivates students to engage with the material. Furthermore, it can serve as a summary question after students finish learning a topic. It ensures that the specifics that were studied in class relate to a broader theme which aids in retention of material.
Finally, beyond the general tools in this guide, teachers will also need to formulate Standards, Enduring Understandings, and Essential Questions for the specific content of the Mishnayot. For example, In this Mishna, it would relate to a person’s responsibility when placing his property in the public sphere.
Dynamic repeater questions
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Madrichim and Lesson plans
You can find our Teacher’s guides, model lesson plans, posters and much more at our Reference Library:
https://www.classe.world/library/sulamot/home-page
If you don’t have an active class-E account, you can open one (free) by clicking the create new account at the sign-in tab.
Professional Development
All our programs are accompanied by one professional development session where we offer an Orientation to Sulamot. This is included in the price of our program to all schools at the beginning of the school year. We have innovative pedagogy that we are eager to share with our partner schools.
We have additional professional development sessions available, which includes engaging videos, relevant examples, and insightful questions that will provide teachers with relevant suggestions for their classrooms.
Below is a list of our professional development courses. Find more information about these professional development courses by contacting us at english@sulamot.org
- COMDaT - Best Practices
- It is All about the Marketing - Traditional Texts and New Packaging
- Using Standards in the Mishna and Halacha classroom: Rubrics & Assessments
- Ratzim LaMishna - Using videos in the classroom
Want to FInd out more about our professional development courses ?
For Spanish speaking schools:
The Spanish language division of Sulamot is called “Centro Kehilla”. We set a goal of connecting the leaders of communities throughout Latin America, thus leading the way to connecting entire communities. We seek to create a community of community leaders, in which their common, central values are: mutual responsibility, caring for all of the communities and strengthening Jewish life.
In fact, “Centro Kehilla” has evolved into a movement that creates and unites the communities of Latin America into one extended community. We have succeeded in providing them valuable tools for maintaining and developing their Jewish communities and serving as a professional body whose goal is to reinforce Jewish education and communal life of Latin American Jewry. We utilize varied technological and methodological means to assist community leaders in every possible way in their daily operations.
Professional Development for Spanish speaking teachers are available through Sulamot’s Centro-kehila website.
France:
Sulamot also strives to demonstrate the inexorable link between Torah and daily life in France, and for French-speakers in general, with children and youth at center stage. Our textbook series, “Halachot Behirot” and “Mishnayot Behirot”, for elementary school through high school is indeed clear, understandable, and pleasant. Children receive tools for understanding and “feeling at home” with the language of the Mishna and the Oral Law, as well as to sense the deep connection between Torah and our everyday lives – whether regarding laws of “shomer” (guard) or “shoel” (borrower), Hilchot Shabbat or “Kibbud Av va’Em” (honoring parents).
The workbooks on subjects such as Bar/Bat Mitzvah, behavior among boys and girls, laws of “lashon hara” (slander, gossip) and much more, deal with central issues important to our youth in a deep, sensitive and insightful way. We also offer educational series with subtitles in French and original videos that round out a unique “toolbox” for the instruction of Halacha, Mishna and Emunah.
The clear methodology, the
interactive approach and the unwavering commitment to relevance and excellence transform the study of Torah into a joyful, uplifting experience for all ages.