Morristown Jewish Center
Religious School / Limud

Religious School / Limud

Some call it Religious School, some call it Sunday School, and some call it Hebrew School, but it is all about learning.  Thus, we can call it Limud, the Hebrew word for learning.  Limud is about seizing the opportunities to learn wherever we can, and to that MJCBY is committed. 

MJCBY takes seriously our responsibility to help each and every student learn and grow some every single day on a Judaic journey towards genuinely becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah (a Son or Daughter of the Commandment). 

Our Kindergarteners through 2nd Graders are with us in Limud just on Sunday mornings, and our 3rd through 7th Graders are with us on Sunday mornings and on Wednesday afternoons.  While realistically there is only so much that can be accomplished with such finite classroom opportunity, we do strongly believe in using this time efficiently and effectively, knowing that much can still be accomplished.  Our dual goal is what we call being Positive and Productive.  It is our mission that our students be able to feel that their time spent here was worth their while – that they didn’t waste their time – that they genuinely learned and grew some every single day.  It is also our mission to help our students love being here at our schul, their Jewish home away from home. 

In our Limud, our education covers the important array of subject areas: 

ALEPH BET (ALPHA BET): First and foremost, students are to master the building blocks of the language of our ancestors that connect us with our fellow Jews across the world and across time.

IVRIT (HEBREW): Students have the opportunity to learn some basic conversational Hebrew, of which we encourage them to learn more in further education, and pragmatically we put our prime focus here on the fluid reading of the Hebrew of our Tefillot and Torah. 

TEFILLOT (PRAYERS): Throughout their Religious School education, students are to learn their prayers, not just what to say and what to sing, but also origins, meanings, and purposes behind various prayers.  Students learn prayers not just to lead and to participate with as they work towards becoming Bnai Mitzvah but to be able to be genuinely active members of the adult Jewish community as Bnai Mitzvah for the rest of their adult lives.

TORAH (BIBLE): As the Torah is our guidebook to life, it is important for students to learn to read Torah, to analyze Torah, and to glean lessons from Torah.  During their finite Religious School education, students may not learn every bit of Torah, but if they genuinely learn how to learn Torah then that will help them to be able to well continue learning and loving Torah throughout their adult Jewish lives. 

ZECHIRA (REMEMBRANCE): It has been said time and time again that we must never forget.  We must remember – zachor.  We learn our history for the sake of remembrance.  Remembrance, Zechira, is why we learn history.  “Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.”    

MITZVOT (COMMANDMENTS): As our guidebook to life, the Torah teaches us the do’s and don’ts of life.  Learning Mitzvot, commandments, from the Torah is an important part of our Jewish education as our children work towards becoming Jewish adults.  Focus is especially on the commandments that most apply to their lives – from daily life to life cycle events – from our relationship with each other to our relationship with G-d.   

CHAGIM (HOLIDAYS): As we progress through the calendar of our Religious School year, students learn, progressing in more detail each year, about each of the Chagim, holidays and holy days.  Summer Chagim are covered earlier in the year so as not to miss learning about them.  Students learn what the holidays are, when the holidays are, why the holidays are, and how the holidays are celebrated.  It is especially meaningful for students to learn the differences between Halachah (what is commanded) and Minchag (what is tradition). 

YISRAEL (ISRAEL): Yisrael, Israel, is our homeland.  It is the land of our ancestors, and we believe strongly in the importance of its existence as a Jewish country today.  We aim to instill in our students a love and commitment to Yisrael.