Course Descriptions – 10th Grade

ספר דברים is a foundation and blueprint for כלל ישראל throughout the generations. משה רבינו, gives מוסר to בנ"י on all the עברות they had done in the מדבר. The רמב"ן in the beginning of ספר דברים says that all the מוסר in ספר דברים was given to encourage them and us in all דורות. Its purpose is to show us that even though we rebelled and turned away from ה', He will never leave us, and will always accept us in תשובה.

ספר ירמיהו is a ספר that is rich in תוכחה and מוסר to every Jew past and present. It was written in the period directly preceding the חורבן of the בית המקדש. It was an era where בני ישרא-ל had fallen low in עבירות and had disconnected from the source of קדושה, from מצות and יראת שמים. ירמיהו’s life mission was spent exhorting and inspiring בני ישרא-ל to do תשובה before the catastrophe of the חורבן would occur. In today’s times of צרה and modern day challenges, ירמיהו’s words of תשובה still ring true today. We all must take it upon ourselves to rise to the challenge.

Goals To bring meaning into our lives through understanding our laws and מנהגים To teach the students how to apply what they learn. To help bring שמחה in the students’ lives through the study of Torah.

ה' שפתי תפתח ופי יגיד תהלותיך It says in ברכות that תפילה is among the things that stand at the highest level of the universe, yet people treat it lightly. We must realize that תפילה is a powerful gift from הקב''ה and it is to our benefit to learn the meaning and mechanics in this gift so we can utilize it most effectively.

In the אגרת הגרא the letter that the ולנא גאון wrote to his wife while traveling to א"י, the גר"א advises her to learn ספרי מוסר and specifically ספר משלי which he calls the most exalted of all ספרי מוסר. He further tells her that she should not just read it but rather internalize the מוסר and lessons that שלמה המלך imparted to us, for all generations, in ספר משלי.

״זכור ימות עולם בינו שנות דור ודור״ The people we are learning about this year are not merely names on a timeline or voices of the past. They are part of our history, part of Klal Yisroel’s history. They are part of the chain that joins us together as Am Yisroel. Their greatness and Torah wisdom defy time as we learn from them until this very day.

Knowing any language opens up new horizons for the person who masters it. But knowing עברית – Lashon Kodesh opens up for the learner many special gates: gates to understand Tefillah and have כוונה; gates to understand and love תורה, נביאים, כתובים; gates to communicate with Jews from all over the world; gates to אהבת ארץ ישראל, etc. It is through learning עברית that our students will א"ה develop, benefit from and enjoy all the above.

When it comes to creating an entirely new subject one must look at what the subject is called and what it means. Derachim means Direction. It was created to give direction and guidance, to many things that happen within our day to day lives that can sometimes be overlooked. Derachim was created to promote self awareness, positive self growth, and to give a better understanding of what growth and healthy change is all about.