We began the year by voicing our beliefs about Torah and sharing three common "Big Ideas." You will see these Big Ideas woven into every topic we learned and every assignment we completed - in fact, they really affect everything we learn about Torah! Read about our Big Ideas here.

This year, we trained as Torah Ambassadors. Our Torah education arms us for real-life situations where we can educate and inspire others and stand up for the values of the Torah in the outside world. We practiced using what we have learned this year to stand up for our beliefs in situations that could come up in the real world. See what it's all about here!

In our learning this year, we developed a greater appreciation for the countless פרשנים, commentators on the Torah. These scholars spent countless hours studying Torah, learning from Torah giants, and leading their communities, shedding new light on different portions of the Torah through their experiences. Each פרשן has his/her unique life experience and perspective which they bring to their פירוש, and we therefore studied biographies like this one each time we delved into a new פירוש. This helped us begin to think about the experiences and personality traits that shape our own perspectives on the Torah... Read the "Parshan Biographies" from the 8C Chumash here!

We started the year with דברים פרק ל, which describes a time period in which all the Jewish people will do Teshuva (repent) and bring Mashiach. We explored the topic of Teshuva through the eyes of different פרשנים, from the philosophical concept to the practical how-to's. Each student created a pamphlet to share inspiring messages and practical advice for anyone who seeks to do Teshuva!

This past fall, we studied the first paragraph of שמע in-depth with a variety of פרשנים. Each student created their own "siddur page" to share both the literal meaning of the פסוקים as well as the מפרשים, messages and personal connections that were most meaningful to them. Check them out here!

As we learned the עשרת הדברות, we explored over a dozen מפרשים who helped us understand the deeper meaning of each דבר. Check out the messages our students shared in their book of דברי תורה for פרשיות יתרו\ואתחנן here!

In our final unit this year, we explored the ברכות that Moshe blessed each tribe before he died. We saw how each שבט has its own character which is celebrated in their ברכה, and each tribe has its own unique treasures which lie in their future. ... Just like us!

Check out our flag tribute to each שבט here!

Throughout the year, 8B Chumash built their בקיאות learning skills - quick independent text study without מפרשים. Each week, they learned 1-2 פרקים on their own and analyzed the main ideas and messages of the פרק. By the end of the year, they had studied every פרק of ספר דברים on their own! Check out their portfolios to see samples of their work!