Community Magazine June 2003

R abbi Dabbah entered the classroom as the first- graders were reading out loud from their Humashim. Their voices were in sync, fluently pro- nouncing the Sephardic Taamim (sounds used in reading the Torah). He then instructed them to close their sefarim, and the boys continued to chant the words without missing a beat. First grade Rebbi Sion Ozeri then started off a new verse, and the six- year-olds continued by heart from where he left off. Rabbi Dabbah stopped the boys and asked them to explain some of the words and phrases they had read. Multiple hands darted up with excitement, eager to show off their total compre- hension of each concept. In a jaw-dropping scene, these big minds in little bodies expertly answered question after question, displaying amazing thinking abilities and knowledge. Scholarship at this aptitude is reminiscent of our ancestors’ Torah studies in Aleppo. Continuing the Mesorah (learning tradition), Rabbi Dabbah, the principal of Keter Torah, has enacted and adapted the teaching methods that have cultivated the Torah greats of our past. What’s the secret of bringing erudition into the minds of these little scholars? Learning at Keter Torah is methodical and organized. The 45 boys, in Primary through 3rd grade, are taught textual and com- prehensive skills and are geared to retain everything they’ve worked hard to learn. To reinforce key concepts, the Keter Torah curriculum even includes reviews of the previous year’s work. In addition to mastering new skills and knowledge, a second-grader would also review what he learned in first grade at an increasing- ly deeper level. Although the boys know complete parashot (chap- ters) in the Torah by heart, they’ve simultaneously mastered full comprehension skills, as well as the ability to see the lessons of the Torah in the text. None of this compromises the high-standard secular program orchestrated by Mrs. Mintz, the general studies principal. The school recognizes that a Talmid Hacham that is literate and well educated is a Kiddush Hashem. The two curricula compliment each other, as the boys’ heightened thinking abilities allow them to excel at a more rapid pace than most others their age. Mrs. Mintz is con- stantly researching, updating, and improving the school’s teaching aids and methods, working with the teachers to enhance the productivity 58 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE s ” xc Education Revolution B Y : V I C T O R I A M ATA L O N Yeshivat Keter Torah