Beit Midrash & Confirmation

A student's religious questioning and spiritual growth do not end at age 13; they ascend to a new level. The work towards Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a prerequisite to more personal and sophisticated Jewish study. The Village Temple offers a Beit Midrash/Confirmation course for teens in Grades 8-12. Here, students see how their Judaism relates to how they live. The Jewish tradition offers real and varied opinions on values, ethics and life. When a student confronts this tradition and sees how it speaks to his or her own life, the process makes Judaism meaningful and present for teens. Studying as a group also helps our teenagers to strengthen their friendships in a Jewish context. Our Beit Midrash/Confirmation program integrates study, exploration of values and social experiences.

Beit Midrash I (Grade 8)
Jewish texts, Jewish ethics, and You
Talmud, Love, the Environment, Consumerism, Community, Identity, God, Tradition, Family, Diaspora. Each topic raises questions that affect personal choices. Together, we will consider the views of prominent Jewish thinkers, read the texts, and then ask:, What do you think? What decisions would you make? Other topics include Jewish Inventors, Jews in Music/Comedy, and the History of American Jewish Immigration.

Confirmation (Grade 9)
The Book of Ruth, read on the festival of Shavuot, is the focus of Confirmation. Ruth chose Judaism, and lived her choice in many ways. In preparing for Confirmation, we'll explore how, and why, we make our own Jewish choices, and how our own choices are truly Jewish. In the Confirmation ceremony, the students will read from the Book of Ruth, and speak about their personal views of this book. This class is co-taught by Rabbi Koster.

Beit Midrash II (Grades 10-12)
Conversational Hebrew
In a contemporary introduction to our beautiful ancient language, the students will learn how to meet someone, ask directions, go shopping, and other topics of their choice! They will learn many words which Hebrew-speaking people use every day, and enough grammar to compose their own sentences into a meaningful conversation. This class will include the essential homework of learning words and phrases, so when the teens get into class, they can dive into the conversation!