ON OUR COVER is the Decalogue from the Ben Shahn Collection from Alphabet of Creation by Ben Shahn copyright 1954 by Ben Shahn. Repr1 duced by permission of Pantheon Books, a division of Random House, Inc. The purpose of Ten Da'at is to provic a forum for the expression of a wide variety of stimulating and responsibl Torah viewpoints. Thus, the views an opinions expressed in the articles of Ten Da'at are those of the contribu­ tors and do not necessarily reflect thE position of Ten Da'at or that of the Torah Education Network. Ten Da'at ISSN 0892-7359 Copyright, 1987 Torah Education Network Volume I Number I Fayge Safran, Editor CONTENTS Tevet 5747 ,,:,:,~ Nl: A New Voice for Jewish Education 2 Jacob Rabinowitz Da'ati 3 Motivation as the Linchpin in the Developmental Lesson 4 David Eliach TEN LEV: Perspectives on Emotional and Psychological Well Being 5 Marcy and Sylvan Schaffer Top TEN Profile: Baltimore's Beth Tfiloh Community High School 7 Loµis Bernstein Case Study from a Principal's Notebook 8 William Altschul The Ethics of Cheating: The Jewish View 9 0E-DUc Gershon Fluk c[ (Y] ~~ On Placement 11 o...Lc.lt o Mordechai Schnaidman r-, I._N < Interconnected Vessels or Segmented Vessels: 12 1,frwo0+- The Use of :,i,n:i in Education Hanoch Achiman Ten Da'at, Official Publication of ue the Torah Education Network Classics Revisited: Death Education 13 from (T.E.N .), is a joint project of Joel Wolo welsky hahn, Educators Council of America, Repro­ Torah Education Department of 16 on the World Zionist Organization, On Our Bulletin Board ouse, and Max Stern division of Communal Services of Isaac In Our Book Bag 17 Elchanan Theological Seminary, Reviews by Yeshayahu Greenfeld and Robin Niman Jrovide an affiliate of Yeshiva University. 19 vide Dean Jacob Rabinowitz ?? ,"v-,,,) ~t.li' nsible Executive Officer Yitzchok Askof vs and 500 West 185th Street is of New York, N.Y. 10033 Focus on Study in Israel 20 ·ibu- (212) 960-534 7 Abraham Kupchik ct the the I L. At last. A Chevra. A Voice. from within the community. Th To be sure as yet a small voice but voice representing diversity t one which has been desperately and division. urgently needed. A small voice; it was What can we expect from thi: supressed for what some have said was ra, from this new voice? far too long. But it has emerged to speak We can expect a feeling of I for a major segment of Orthodoxy all Jews, whatever their backf which has not been adequately repres­ whatever their status. There · ented or properly served. those whom we will applaud As Torah Jews we rejoiced, indeed whom we will oppose, those w were part of the miraculous revivifica­ give us pain, even make us cry. tion of Torah learning on the North will try never to forget that we : American continent. There was not only and that the inner door shoulc the simple gladness of the here and now, be closed. of learning in a crowded Beis Medrash, And we will keep an outer c of participating in the ever fresh and the outside world, open as well melodious Kol Yaakov. There was also sure, it will have a screen. Not the deep gratification knowing that a thing is acceptable, not everyt solid foundation was being put in place needed or wanted. But it is, af for our children, for our students, for G-d's world and we live in it, not the next generation- a special respon­ it. sibility of educators. And, finally-Israel. That And, initially, there was little con­ which is focal to our people. It cern that there seemed to be a move­ an afterthought. It is not somet ment, perhaps just a drift, toward~ a be tolerated for the sake of u more insulated society. There was because it is home and protectc confidence that the Torah message was many of our brothers and siste1 good for all time, for the Jew could also a step, small or large is irre live in a climate of freedom and, given toward redemption. Its history the resources, educators believed they history, its triumphs and celeb could prepare their children to compete are our triumphs and celebr with modernity, to survive the pitfalls, There may be differences in the r blandishments and lure of a secular of celebration but we affirm civilization. strength and conviction and \ To be sure there were others, well apology, that it is our simcha a1 within their rights, who disagreed. we want to, and need to, be a They believed that insulation was it. We are proud of its symbols, 1 needed for effective survival. The flag or anthem, for they have I involvement of the Jew in the modern sanctified by Jewish blood a1 world was to be circumscr ibed, defined debate over their origins and o by set principles relating to education, connotations concern us no longi dress, social and political intercourse One more note. This new voic and the like. The disagreement was a alternate way of describing a matter of degree, not of principle. Torah Judaism in our time. It This posture, easy to relate to because necessarily a different way. Th{ it was stark, clear, unambiguous, be two voices, even dissenting represented as sanctified by tradition learning together , prepared to jo and history, prevailed and began to all others who believe in Tora speak for all of Orthodoxy. Judaism to advance its cause. The paradox was agonizing. The I hope you enjoy I istening to ou Orthodox community was growing, voice in TEN and TEN DA'A gaining strength, but it was also deeply trust that you will feel moved divided by basic factors- attitude your voice to ours. That chon towards the Jewish State, the degree reach every Jewish child and pe1 of approach to modernity, and relation­ every Jewish heart. ships with fellow Jews. So now the small voice, speaking Jacob Rab, 2 T Da'ati The quality of sharing is a corner­ profile of a new school; educational Perhaps the most fitting way to stone of the teaching profession. The resources updates such as Mr. Green­ inaugurate this, our premier issue of sharing of values, ideas, and facts with feld's evaluation of a new book on Israel TEN DA'AT, is to share the words of our students renews our purpose; the and Mrs. Ni man's review of a new book a Master Teacher, Rabbi Samson sharing of knowledge, discoveries, and on Hebrew, as well as future articles Raphael Hirsch in his commentary on approaches with our colleagues renews on computer and video educational the P,O!:I in N't/Ji ,:,: our committment; the sharing of needs, programs. We hope to develop a series, ,p'tn, ,.,,~n~ ... ,:m,r, ,:, ll11' m11 challenges, and creativity renews our begun by Drs. Marcy and Sylvan { ) "',' , ) 111"1i) O'i'tll' 'tl'Tj,1"1 ,p't/!1 motivation. Schaffer, on evaluating the total stu­ The symbolic expression of the duty This process of renewal is necessary dent-emotionally, psychologically, to work for the common weal is in every profession but is a vital and intellectually. We would like to ,P't/1"1 ,i,~n~ ,half a shekel per component of J ewish education. Torah introduce you to issues and personalities person. Objectively, actually, even Education Network would like to be a in the world of Jewish education here the most complete and most perfect part of that ongoing process of renewal. and in Israel, beginning with Mr. work of any single individual is Through the pages of Ten Da'at we Hanoch Achiman and Mr. Yitzchok never the whole of the work, can would like to create an open forum, a Askof. We challenge you to respond to never accomplish everything. The roundtable exchange of ideas and Rabbi Al tschul's case study and invite work of any single person will approaches, challenges and responses, you to share your own experiences, always remain but a fragment, it problems and solutions. Be it contro­ particularly those endemic to areas requires an equally devoted sacrifice versial or classical, novel or proven, we outside of metropolitan New York. Mull on the part of his brother to establish hope that you will offer some of your over Rabbi Eliach's pointers on moti­ a whole. No individual is asked to uniqueness so that others will be vation, Dr. Wolowelski's views on do the whole, as it says in Aboth II, encouraged to do the same. teaching death, and Rabbi Fluk's 11 ,,,,m, r,:,N,~1"1 1''l' N, , but it Share that which you may already approach to cheating. must be a contribution to the whole, have tested and refined: units that And respond. How do you handle weighed on the scales of the Sanc­ enrich, motivations that captivate, cheating; do you find the books tuary. The Shekel must be one of creative ideas and material that stim­ reviewed helpful in your classroom; twenty geras, and that which the ulate and challenge. what aspects of the education of the individual gives must be .ten, in Share that which may yet be theo­ total child most confound you? Have you itself, subjectively, a rounded whole. retical, even controversial: approaches any material that would benefit others? As far as the giver is concerned, it that are novel, perspectives that are By all means, write and share. Describe must be a whole, his whole, conscien­ fresh. your approach to a particular topic in tiously weighed out.